airless tires?

[robin850]

has anyone tried these tires? http://www.airfreetires.com/


looks too good to be true.

[robin850]

i guess no one has tried these tires or has any opinion on them. maybe i will buy some next season

[tdayuk]

I had some old 'solid' tyres, which I used on a trike (actualy they came off a wheel chair) & though they are a great idea, the problem was that they go 'square' after a bit of riding. The ones I had/have are also horrible hard to do any bumps with, it's even worse than tyres pumped to 100psi.

Great for glass but maybe a bit expensive if you start losing chunks out of them (which I did on one of them). Me thinks that the puncture proof tyres some of the companys now make - like 'schwalbe' are actualy getting closer to what we will want for the future pedicabs.

Main thing is cost & what ever happens you will need to change them after a time any hoe because the tread wears out.

[mr.carnes]

Do not buy these tires for pedicabs! Like you I thought no more tools, tubes, patch kits, stand up pump... First of all they are extremely difficult to put on. The "tool" they sent me to install them broke before I could get one on. I ordered the beefy install tool and on the first tire that fell apart as well after an estimated 20 hours total over several weeks of dicking around I had them installed. Took them for a spin and thought sweet no more flats. Ok tonight there is a concert at a venue I had worked about a hundred times. The venue is about three miles from hq and on the ride up I thought boy it sure is windy or maybe my slight cold is making this harder than normal. Then I start picking people up and start wondering if I had torqued the wheels too much on reinstall so I loosened everything a quarter turn. An average couple felt like four or five people I couldn't get momentum. Pedal a few times and slow to a halt. The door to the venue is up a moderate grade and I found myself unable to get up it and having to stop to catch my breath for more than a minute versus riding up to the door dropping off and racing back out for another ride. The breaking point was on my first return ride a three top. Normally with that much weight I would have to ride the brakes down the grade instead I actually had to pedal! At that point I was so exhausted I called it quits making $200 less than normal for that size crowd. So I would say DO NOT USE THESE TIRES!!! The only good news is that they were a snap to take off.