Michelin airless tires

Joined
Jun 25, 2010
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352
Another flat, biking home from the gym and hit with another flat. I bike about 2000 miles a season and flats are a bane to the sport, probably because ebikes/bikers are forced to ride in the gutter with all it's detritus. I always carry a can of Fix a Flat, sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. Michelin is coming out with an airless tire, first to be tested on the Bolt. Maybe down the road we'll see it for bikes?
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjiLzc9bD3Q
 
I find with my weight, 375lbs plus the ebike, I can't go around corners too fast. With the tire pressure at the middle rating psi wise, the tube would end up flat. I always go for 26x2.00 or 1.90, but have done 2.10 but I try not to go 2.10, and I go for normal knobbies on the rear wheel w/motor.

On Friday, I got 2 flats. One brand new tube did not last but a short ride before it went flat. Obviously when your on the last tube, out n aboot then you triple check everything rather then a quick glance. Check inside of tire all the way around, check spoke threads arent poking out, check wheels rim edges and tire seat, check that its not pinched.

Have you tried Thorn Proof tubes?
You can use an old thorn proof tube for a custom tire liner.
I buy mine from Amazon as no one local has any in stock, thorns are not an issue here.

I know for motorcycles there are Ultra Heavy Duty tubes, that can be 6mm thick, while average HD are 4mm. Could be a reason to go heavier setup with mc tubes and tires. I will be doing that for my next ebike buildup, Northrock XC00 fat bike, from a 26" fat wheel which is the height of a 29'er wheel, but I am going to lace either a fat Leaf 1500W or fat MXUS 3kw into a 19" mc rim, using 6mm UHD tubes, and a mc tire with mtb like tread. A quick search will come up with solutions others have done. On this route, you can look at Treatlandtv's website for mc rims, spokes, tires and lots more.


https://www.electricbike.com/moped-rims-tires-hubmotors/
17" mc = 20 or 21" bicycle
19" mc = 24" bicycle
20" mc is an old size, hard to find and when you do find it, it is expensive. Equates to 26" bicycle I'd assume.
21" mc is probably close to a 27.5" bicycle size, again, I'd assume.
 
Another possibility is Air-Fom inserts, that have yet to be on the market. They claim to have developed an E-MTB product. https://air-fom.com/airless-bicycle-tire-solution/
 
I haven't had a flat on the rear for quite a few thousand miles now. I did recently have a flat on the front, but that wasn't a puncture, it was a tube defect where the presta valve was bonded to the inner tube.

What has worked for me on the rear tire is pure thickness. I use a thick tube, Slime puncture strip, old tire with sidewalls removed as a second "puncture strip" , then the tire. I don't use an old tire as a puncture strip on the front wheel since front tires get fewer punctures and the tires are quicker and easier to work on than the rear motor tire.

BTW, tire in a tire is not my idea. Heard about it here from I think Amberwolf and a few others.
 
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