NuTeck Airless Tires?

[Cold-E-Commuter]

I was wondering if anyone here has tried the Nu-Teck airless tires on their e-bikes and what opinion they have.
http://www.nu-teck.com/
I purchased a set of these and they seem to be well manufactured but I have concerns about cornering abilities. I have not run them on the bike yet as I need a new rear rim with a wider bead width. The tire will not seat properly in the current rear rim but fits great in the Aetoma front hub rim. It seems as though a person can peal them out of the rim with side pressure a bit too easily and I am not sure if I am ready to trust my life to them. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. And if they won't work on an e-bike, I have a set of the 26x2.0 MTN bike tirees for sale!

 

[MadRhino]

As far as I know, they are dangerous at high speed, and not comfortable to ride at slow speed.

 

[amberwolf]

Back when i thought airless tires would be a great way to avoid flats (before I started using Slime and tire liners), I read up on what other people experienced, and there were a couple of entries here and there about each of the brands I could find that said on a front tire when cornering sharply, it was possible to have the tire come off the rim.

I'm sure that has to do with the rim itself as much as the tire, but still, it's something to think about. You could at least add more air to a normal tire to help seal it to the rim better, but these will be whatever fit they are, on any particular rim.


The only real advantage airless tires have over regular ones is that they can't suddenly go flat, leaving you stranded somewhere, or walking home.


The disadvantages (heavier, stuck with a single "pressure", potential rolling resistance issues depending on the "pressure" you choose to buy, much less (if any) shock absorption/suspension vs a pneumatic tire, etc.), for me outweigh the single advantage they have.


FWIW, if anyone in the valley here (Phoenix) wants to just try riding on a set, I have some knobby MTB 26" ones here off a bike from Freecycle I can let you try, still mounted on their rims. I've kept them so far in case I find a need for them; have considered using them on the future cargo trike if I end up able to make an actual rear suspension, since I would prefer to never have to get a flat with cargo loaded.

 

[John in CR]

Amberwolf,

I thought the real disadvantage in our use is that our higher weight and speed increases the possibility of the damn things rolling sideways out of the rim, since there's no inflation pressure to hold it on.

The idea of airless is sound for a tire that would be a real pain to repair, but like any other solid tire, it needs to be properly bonded to the rim.

John

 

[tritonwow]

I was wondering if anyone here has tried the Nu-Teck airless tires on their e-bikes and what opinion they have.
http://www.nu-teck.com/
I purchased a set of these and they seem to be well manufactured but I have concerns about cornering abilities. I have not run them on the bike yet as I need a new rear rim with a wider bead width. The tire will not seat properly in the current rear rim but fits great in the Aetoma front hub rim. It seems as though a person can peal them out of the rim with side pressure a bit too easily and I am not sure if I am ready to trust my life to them. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. And if they won't work on an e-bike, I have a set of the 26x2.0 MTN bike tirees for sale!

I have a set of these (26x2.0 MTN) and I had them on a Diamondback Respone, with stock rims, and a Golden Eagle Bike Engine four stroke engine kit. I bought them originally to prevent having to try and change a rear tire flat (the GEBE uses a solid rear axle). I ran them for about two weeks (17.4 miles a day) and my experience was:
Damn difficult to get on the rim by hand but using the tool they sell worked just fine.
They never came off the rim BUT tight turns had me scared at times. It almost felt like I was on ice.
Rolling resistance was HORRIBLE. Afew days a week I rode with romeone else and before the tires I could outpedal him. Once I put these on I couldn't keep up. He literally disaapeared from my sight on a very flat open stretch of the bike path. I tried using just the rear but it didn't help. The rolling resistance was unoticable when under engine power.

Bottom line: I took these off and won't use them because of the rolling resistance. I pedal quite a bit and use the engine for assist. I didn't mind them under power knowing my limits on cornering.

Triton

 

[Drunkskunk]

Sheldon brown had a lot to say on these, and their "crackpot inventors"

Aside from the obvious rolling resistance, high speed handling, braking, and ride comfort issues, they can also cause damage to your rim.
In an air filled tire, if you hit a stone in the road, the tire compresses around it, decreasing it's uinternal volume which increases the pressure in the whole tube, and that pressure increase is transfered to the rim uniformly around it's entire circumfrance. So the impact of a 1 inch stone is absorbed by 69 inches of rim surface. ( 26" rim is actualy 22" in diameter, * Pi = 69.08" )
If you hit the same stone with an airless, then the tire will transmit the force directly through the tire to the rim, making damage far more likely

 

[Ykick]

They can be useful for walking speeds (see wheelchairs, factory floors) but not for traffic use!

 

[amberwolf]

Oh, yes, I forgot that I also have them on my Kennel Trailer, because it uses wheelchair wheels. But it makes little difference there, as I am generally not able to go high speeds with that thing on the bike anyway--unloaded it bounces around and wiggles, and loaded down with what *I* put in it it I can't go all that fast.

I also have airless tires in a few really small sizes, from about 6" to 10" and maybe 12", from powerchairs and the like, but I haven't used them for anything (except a third front wheel on the trailer, which so far hasn't worked out to well for other reasons).

I thought the real disadvantage in our use is that our higher weight and speed increases the possibility of the damn things rolling sideways out of the rim, since there's no inflation pressure to hold it on.

That can be a problem even for a regular rider/bike, from what I read (see previous post).

 

[tom2slow]

Hi All this is my first post here, hopefully I can add something to the forum,

I have used airless (NuTeck) tires on a non electric in 700c and eventually gave them to my son when I decided 3 wheels and a lawn chair seat was more my style.

Observations:
1) When you first get them they are covered in a silicon spray, must be the mold release agent. I spent a bit of time scrubbing them against a curb and the slick feel was gone.

2) yeah, sadly its possible to roll them off the rim and its nigh on impossible to re-install them w/o the tool, which weight more that you want to carry . Either one of us only had this one happen once, it happens when gradually climbing a curb or otherwise putting a high lateral or rolling load on the tire (sideways not normal rolling direction). I can also see this being more likely on a MTB profile, any tire that has more 'rubber' from tread to rim is going to have higher leverage to allow them to roll off (again we were on 700c)

3) you can, and I did, get them in a much higher "pressure" this negates the tendency to higher rolling resistance complaints. Be aware that the squishy factor is different that an air tire.

4) Sheldon Browns observations were probably quite valid when written, but time does march on. I remember being told that a smart phone can't replace a speedometer on a bike, and they are almost there on my older Droid.

5) the higher 'pressure' tires do not transmit more shock to the bike or rider, but I have ZERO experience on lower 'pressure' units

6) we both rode them in traffic, at speed all the time, but they are not a fast, so would also suck up watts


OTOH:

My trike tends to pull a lot more lateral G on the fronts (normal when you think about it) and I do not have airless on the fronts as I am SURE they would roll off, and changing a flat on a trike front is so simple its not worth screwing with airless. I might think about this differently if I was riding to Alaska or Tibet

I do run them on the rears, based on conditions, but its a learning curve, you have to understand the differences. If I ever decide to go back to sitting on an axe blade I will put them on. Order them in the off season, it takes FOREVER to get custom 'pressures' out of them.

 

[Drunkskunk]

4) Sheldon Browns observations were probably quite valid when written, but time does march on. I remember being told that a smart phone can't replace a speedometer on a bike, and they are almost there on my older Droid.

Time marches on, but physics don't change. I'm not sure how the smart phone analogy is suppsoe to fit, since technology does change

5) the higher 'pressure' tires do not transmit more shock to the bike or rider, but I have ZERO experience on lower 'pressure' units

While I agree it's possable that some combination of airless tire doesn't "feel" to you any more harsh than some air filled tire you have tried, the math doesn't add up. An airless tire can't spread the force of impact over as much area of the rim, so the rim is taking a higher impact for every bump you hit.

 

[tom2slow]

Time marches on, but physics don't change. I'm not sure how the smart phone analogy is suppsoe to fit, since technology does change

The analogy: Technology changes constantly which can modify performance

While I agree it's possable that some combination of airless tire doesn't "feel" to you any more harsh than some air filled tire you have tried, the math doesn't add up. An airless tire can't spread the force of impact over as much area of the rim, so the rim is taking a higher impact for every bump you hit.

My understanding is that they are now using different polymers and different techniques...including a foam layer

All this is coming out like I am an advocate, and that's not nesc the case. I use one on my rear as changing a rear, in the dark (is there any other time a commuter gets a flat?) is more pain than its worth. I live in goathead central, and routinely pull them out of my fronts with my hat as I am riding.
My experience in using bike gear, you have to try a technology and see if the compromises are worth the trade-offs. This also fuels swap meets Personally I would ride on bare steel if it 1) held the road, seems like it might skid a bit and stopped the flats. Most of my miles are getting to and from work. Comfort is way down the list of things to worry about (for me)

 

[DAND214]

Here comes the dumb question. How about a low pressure insert with the tire filled with air. Like nascar does wit the inner liner. You put a size smaller in the tire and fill it with air. Now you have a run flat setup. It might cause a out of balance feeling if the innerliner was too small and moved around. It would give you a way to ride it nome even with a flat.
I told you it was a dumb idea.
Dan

 

[Drunkskunk]

Here comes the dumb question. How about a low pressure insert with the tire filled with air. Like nascar does wit the inner liner. You put a size smaller in the tire and fill it with air. Now you have a run flat setup. It might cause a out of balance feeling if the innerliner was too small and moved around. It would give you a way to ride it nome even with a flat.
I told you it was a dumb idea.
Dan

Seems reasonable to me. I know some XC riders use 2 tubes on their bike, with 2 valve stems. if they lose 1, they can inflate the other. I see where a solid core could let you at least ride back to civilization.

 

[MadRhino]

There are foam inserts, that you can put in your tire with the tube. That let you ride on a flat tire. Still, there is nothing to compare with a good tire, with 2 layers of Kevlar, thick sole and good walls. Flats don't happen often, when you have a good tire, inflated within the limits of the manufacturer's spec.

I ride in mountain trails, on rocks and edges, jump everyday. In town, I never try to avoid broken glass on the pavement, I ride the stairs, and jump on the sidewalks without even lifting from the seat. I had no flat tire this summer, and only one last year. But, I always have the best DH tires with their matching DH tubes, new ones carefully installed every springtime, inflated to proper pressure at all times.

 

[Cold-E-Commuter]

Tom2slow, great post. You have obviously had these because you had the facts. I have a set of these in my living room and wish I could do something with them as I am not ready to trust my life with them. The oily residue has me worried to start. Maybe, and I mean maybe, I will use these when I have the proper rims and use the same compound to attach these to the rims that I use on my RC to hold its tires to the rim. PLEASE DON'T BUY THESE! At least not for an Ebike. I have a set I can't get rid of and I cannot get a response from NuTeck via email as to their safety on Ebikes. Engineering for this use has obviously not been a priority. I am going to try these on a non-e and see.

 

[gogo]

Maybe they'd be good for trailers.

 

[amberwolf]

The wheelchair ones I have on my kennel trailer work ok, but they do add drag, especially with heavy loads. Nice thing is they don't bounce the trailer around when it's empty, at least not as much as pneumatics. (my chariot-trailer has pneumatic tires on it and I have to partly deflate them to keep it from bouncing off the road when empty, then air them up just before I add a load to it).