‘Puncture proof’ or ‘airless tyres’ seem to be one of those inventions that emerge from hibernation periodically to be hailed as one of those eureka moments: “At last, we have perfected it”. These ‘innovations’ seem to disappear shortly after and recede back into hibernation yet again.  The reality is that the idea is sound and, for certain cycling groups, particularly commuters, should be a seriously viable option.  But mention them to many cyclists and you are greeted with a roll of the eyes, a groan of despair or tales of what a disaster they were when they last came to prominence.

When the ‘safety bicycle’ was invented by JK Starley back in 1885, the solid wheels meant that acceptance of the new machine was not as it could have been.  John Boyd Dunlop then revolutionised the wheel through the invention of the pneumatic tyre.  Whilst Robert Thomson preceded Dunlop by 40 years with his ‘vulcanised pneumatic tyre’, cost was a major impediment, and Dunlop succeeded where Thomson wasn’t able to, and therefore enjoyed the accolades.  Since then, aside from ongoing continuous improvement, the pneumatic tyre remains essentially the same as it has always been: practical, cheap, brilliantly simple, but yet still prone to punctures from the many roadside hazards.

The Tannus range
Tannus claim to have solved the problems keeping solid tyres off the market for over a hundred years. They sell a range of tyres in different sizes, hardnesses and colours. The tyres I was supplied with were the Tannus ‘Musai’, and I tried the H1 (hard @ 133psi) and S1 (soft @ 101psi) models, both in the 700 x 23c configuration (though they’re also now available in a 28C size).  The other tyres in Tannus’s range are the ‘Thoroki’, available in 26” x 1.75”, 26″ x 1 3/8”  and 700 x 32c,  and the ‘Nymph’ in 20” x 1 1/8”, 20″ x 1.25” or 16” x 1.25”. There’s something in there for all of the family. The Tannus range is produced by Midas Tires in Korea who are holders of 3 patents related to the airless tyres.  The entire range of sizes is available in a hard or soft option, as well as 13 very vivid colours with such inspiring names as Volcano, Melon or Pink Lady to name but a few.

The test bike I used for this review was a 2011 Kona Honky Inc, a double disc drop bar road bike with a steel frame.  This doubled as a part time commuter, and a recreational road bike the rest of the time.

The first thing that you notice with these tyres is that the packaging is big. I have become so used to folding tyres that to see a box that big was a surprise. Supplied with each tyre is a fitting tool, two sets of clips and some instructions.  Here is one of the first snags that make these tyres a bit more awkward that what I’m generally used to. In order to fit the tyres correctly, you need to know the internal width of the rim so that the correct clips can be supplied.  This is not a step that can be treated with an Aussie “ah, she’ll be right mate, that’s close enough”; this is the only mechanism that secures the tyre firmly on the rim, so it needs to be done properly. Each of the retainer clip sizes are a different colour which aids in ensuring that the correct units are fitted.

Once you are certain about the internal rim width, the old tyre can be removed and then you follow the supplied instructions, or view one of many instructional videos found on the web.  The steps for installing the tyres are clear, quite well written, and, most importantly, accurate.

Fitting the tyres
Fitting the tyres was, in my experience, a considerable task.  Inserting the coloured retainers into the tyre and getting the tyre on the rim was, if anything, a bit fiddly, but presented no major issues. After that, however, it got more than a bit difficult as the tyre was not yet properly seated on the rim. Luckily, I have a fairly solid build and my local gym instructor has been working on developing my upper body strength, because it required all of that to get all of those clips to seat into the bead seat hook.  The first tyre took around 35 minutes to install but, with some technique improvements, the second tyre went on a bit quicker, but not much.

Those who are inexperienced at tyre changing or are of slight build may want to get some assistance in fitting these tyres. Some of the retailers that sell these tyres have been fitting them for customers and, if this is available , my advice is to accept the offer or even actively seek it. Once fitted, the tyres sat well on the rims and rotated well with no apparent ‘out of round’ issues. The missing valve stem was a curiosity, we get so used to something being there.

The weight of the tyres was within 5 grams of the quoted weight from the Tannus website, being 375g each.  The clips added another 11g per wheel when assembled. When you consider that a similar tubed setup on a road bike comes to ~ 700g (that’s tyres & tubes at ~500g and a mini pump or CO2 system,  plus repair kit at ~200g), the overall weight penalty is an un-noticeable 50 – 120g.  As such, weight cannot be realistically used as a reason not to give  the Tannus tyres a go.

First ride
Two things become quickly apparent when riding with these tyres. The first is that when standing to accelerate, either from lights or spinning along, the bike responds instantly. The second is how the tyres respond to everything else, particularly road indentations and surfaces.

My first ride was my regular commute route that I cover on Friday mornings.  It typically covers 50 – 55km and involves only 200m of elevation gain, but those hills are between 4 – 6% gradient. Aside from the different response to the small road undulations and typical suburban bitumen repairs, it felt like I was riding tired, or my ‘tank’ was running a bit low.  My usual commute speed of 27 – 28km/hr average was down to about 25. I didn’t think much about it and surmised that it had just been a long week. Subsequent rides proved however that these tyres are in fact slower, and whilst some of this may be due to the softer front tyre that I was running, it was more likely due to the material compound used by Midas. This was confirmed in feedback from the company where they suggested that their tyres are only “1 -2 km/hr slower” than a pneumatic tyre, but they point out that their tyre is primarily aimed at commuting where speed is not such an issue, the slowing effect is less noticeable, and the benefit of not getting punctures offsets this minor speed impost.

In addition to commuting, I was also determined to see what this tyre was like on a typical recreational ride which included some climbing and descending on a typical suburban short hill of ~ 4km at an average of 5.5%. Starting with the climb, the speed penalty was even more apparent; my average speed was over 3km/hr slower and I was having to work considerably harder. The tyres however did their job and, other than being slower, worked quite well. Then came the downhill.

I approached the descent with some trepidation as I prefer my body to remain unscathed and unmarked after a ride, so I took it much easier than normal. Braking for the first sharp corner went well, with the grip level quite high, and this filled me with some confidence. There was no squirm, no tracking to one side or following ruts.  The grip around the next corner was somewhat different though; this was a tight bend signposted at 25 km/hr (recommended), which I was taking at 40 km/hr (though I normal ride it at 45 – 50km/hr on the same bike). While there was reasonable grip, it felt as though the tyre was understeering or walking across the road. I don’t know if this was related to the tyre ‘inflation’, the material grip properties, or how this solid tyre responds to the road surface and load application. Needless to say, in order to feel comfortable I had to approach the remaining corners about 30 – 40% slower than I normally would. At this reduced pace, the grip levels were fine, with no more noticeable understeering effect.

On subsequent rides I started to get used to their road response and the lines and speeds with which I needed to tackle corners safely. I did not get an opportunity to rides these tyres in wet conditions, so can offer no comment on their wet grip capabilities.

One thing I did though, after my initial two rides, was to closely inspect the tyres. I did this for a couple of reasons: one was to ensure that the tyres were still properly secured, and the other was to check on their general condition after being used. I noticed that several of the retainers weren’t seated fully under the bead hook on one side, despite post fitment inspection seemingly showing that they were installed correctly.  A few minutes with the supplied tool, and all was good again.

Inflated claims?
To give  a better idea of these tyres compared to standard pneumatic tyres, I compared the Musais to a pair of Rubino 23c tyres that I had sitting around.  The widths of the two tyres were very similar (< 3% difference) at just under 23mm, but the height above the bead seat was a different story.  The Rubino was 19.5mm above the rim wall, while the Musais were only 14.2mm – a 35% difference!  The Musais showed a noticeably ‘squarer’ profile that results in a larger/wider contact patch on the road which was likely a significant contributor towards the higher observed rolling resistance. This profile may also be behind the cornering effect noted earlier. After 265 kms of use, there was some sign of wear on the tyres, with the rear tyre obviously showing slightly more. Feedback from the distributor indicated that they believe the tyres to have a useable lifespan of up to 10,000km, and I think this is realistic, given their solid construction. 

One situation I encountered during the test was a broken rear spoke (the wheel had done over 6,500 km) and I had to deal with the problem of removing the tyre. There are, apparently, two ways of doing this, but sadly both methods mean that the tyre is probably not going to be useable again.  I tried to prise the tyre from the rim using the supplied tool, as per the instructions (both written and in the youtube clips), but to no avail. I therefore had to resort to the ‘cut’ method.  Either way, the retaining clips tended to rip through the lower rib of the tyre, meaning that they are no longer effective in securing the tyre to the rim. That said, I can vouch unequivocally for the strength of those 30 odd retaining clips on the rim; the Tannus tyres will not come off easily.

Summary
At $77 each plus shipping, they are not a cheap alternative to the wide range of pneumatic tyres that are available, but when you consider that they can last the same distance as two sets, in terms of cost they are close. Whether they are a suitable replacement is up to the individual to evaluate. When you factor in the guarantee of no punctures, they start to stack up; how much is the reliability of your commuter worth? The altered road response that you get with these tyres does take some getting used to though; after a few rides, however, the memory banks have adjusted accordingly.

The ability to choose from multiple common tyre sizes and a couple of ‘base pressures’, along with the myriad of effervescent colours (13 in all) to really coordinate, means that there is generally a tyre to suit most applications and bikes that are ridden, particularly as commuters.

My preference would be the softer tyre configuration (S1), as this has a better ‘response’ to the road imperfections, and more closely mimics the pneumatic tyre feel that I’m accustomed to. I also feel that the Tannus tyres are better suited for use in a purely commuter based role rather than general open road/recreational riding. At the current level of development, the Tannus tyres are not capable enough for recreational riding/training.  That’s not to say that they wouldn’t be ideal candidates for those that opt to tour on some inhospitable roads in remote areas, since the benefit of not having to worry about punctures would be significant. However, there are many well proven touring tyres that have established reputations, so this may be a hard obstacle to overcome.

The increased resilience of the Tannus tyres over the traditional pneumatic tyre also means that these tyres are realistically better suited to the more robust style wheelsets where there are greater spoke counts and sturdier rims, rather than the typical lightweight minimally spoked road wheel that tends to be found on many road bikes.

We have become so used to how well the pneumatic tyre performs its task that we have come to accept the punctures are a necessary by-product or acceptable trade off. It is certainly easy to dismiss new versions of old ideas, though I am glad to have had the chance to try these first before making my judgement.

Find more about the Tannus tyre range, as well as get access to the comprehensive supporting documentation, online at www.tannus.com

Some Australian bike shops now stocking the Tannus and to find out where to get hold of this, visit www.tannus.com.au

The subjects of this review, the Scylla and Kratos tubeless ready tyres, are aimed at the cross-country market and are intended to prioritise speed and low rolling resistance over outright glue-like traction. They are available in a long-wearing all-black single compound or SDX “Greyline” black and grey dual compound. This review deals with the single compound  ”Tubeless Supra 1 for 3″ tubeless ready version. “1 for 3″ refers to the fact the tyre has been designed to be used with tubes on normal rims, normal rims with tubeless conversion systems, and UST tubeless rims. Not all tyres will work satisfactorily with all systems, but Rubena has done its homework here.

Of the two tyres reviewed, the Kratos has the more aggressive open tread with slightly more raised and prominent edge blocks. The Scylla, on the other hand, has the lower and more closely spaced tread necessary for low rolling resistance. As most of my local trails vary widely in surface conditions, I opted to fit the Kratos to the front as the primary control tyre, with the Scylla on the rear where its low rolling resistance would be best utilised.

The quality of construction of both tyres was excellent, at least equal to any of the market leaders, such as the Maxxis Crossmark or Schwalbe Racing Ralph. The sidewalls have what looks like an embossed cross-hatch pattern and the moulding was sharp and uniform. They beaded up easily on my Mavic UST rims, and mounted evenly and straight.

Tubeless ready tyres use a UST compatible bead, but rely on the use of liquid latex sealant to maintain inflation. The leaking of small droplets of sealant through the sidewall initially is not uncommon but, contrary to expectation, these tyres sealed up very well and displayed none of the slow leaking over the first few days commonly reported with other brands of tubeless ready rubber. They continue to hold air well and just require topping up once a week or so, the same as the full UST or tubed tyres on my other bikes.

The Scylla and Kratos were both very light, though in my enthusiasm to try them out I neglected to weigh them before fitting them. They were, however, noticeably lighter than the Schwalbes UST Triple Evos I’ve been running, which are very light for tubeless tyres. Both Rubena tyres have a high thread count casing, 127 tpi, which accounts for the light weight and supple feel of the casing in the hand.

While these tyres were marked as 2.25″ wide, they came in at less than that, more like 2.1″. This isn’t a bad thing, it is just something to factor in when purchasing and, maybe, go a size up in width compared what you’d use with other brands.

Sydney’s sandstone trails are notoriously hard on sidewalls and, unless you’re using full UST tyres, with some brands you can expect the sidewalls to give up well before the tread wears out. After several months riding in these conditions, the Kratos and Scylla have both worn very well; the sidewalls showing none of the usual marking up I would have expected by now.

The tread is obviously directional, although on the Kratos the arrow showing recommended direction of rotation was a little hard to find. These tyres rolled extremely well thanks to the high thread count and they accelerate briskly, as you’d expect from their low weight.

In terms of feeling hooked up to the trail, I’ll admit it took a little while to warm up to them. Much of that was due to setup. The first few rides I ran my usual setup, 25psi on the front and 32 in the rear, and the front of the bike felt washy. Riding at Manly Dam, on the first lap, I burped the front tyre after striking the side of a rock. Clearly 25psi was not enough for the Kratos, so I upped the pressure to 30psi to get the bead to re-seat and left it at that to see how it would go. What a difference! The steering was much more positive and I was able to concentrate on the trail instead of worrying about understeer, although I felt there was still a little room for improvement.

A couple of weeks later, it struck me that I might get a better result if I changed the direction of rotation. All tyres slide to some degree, especially on dirt. On front tyres, it is the edge of the shoulder lugs facing the centre of the tread that you see get chewed out first, since they take most of the load when cornering forces are at their highest. Switching that around, so that the lugs look “toed in” at the top (see photo), sets the shoulder lugs so they are toed out when on the ground. This allows the broadest side of the shoulder block to face into the direction of slide when leaning on edge, giving more bite.

That change brought about an immediate improvement in cornering confidence and predictability, with no tram-lining and no loss of response when changing direction. A return visit to Terrey Hills and Cascades (Belrose) felt much better. Riding in dusty conditions at Taree’s Kiwarrak State Forest, the front felt dialed in.

During this time the rear performed faultlessly. Despite the closely packed low profile tread knobs, climbing performance was excellent. It would still spit out and slip on the occasional loose rock on the really steep sections, as most do, but instead of losing all drive it would bite again to keep you moving forward. Riding the buff single-track at Hornsby’s Old Man’s Valley mountain bike park (due to be open to the public mid-December 2012), they stuck to the track like glue.

One of my occasional riding buddies, Smilie, reported outstanding traction using the 29er version of the Scylla at both ends of his bike at the Scott 24hr at Mount Stromlo: “I had these on at Mt Stromlo at the Scott event; I wouldn’t ride there again with anything else. They were flawless on the red loop – from riding there in the past with other tyres, it was cornering the downhill and luge like I was on rails. But around my local single track they are a bit sketchy where leaf litter after back burning has gone thru there. 9.5/10 at Stromlo , 7/10 at local trails”

One of my WA contacts, Cotic Tony reports “I’ve got them on my HT bike right now and think they’re the best 29er combination that I’ve used so far. I’m running the Kratos front, Scylla rear, running tubeless on Stans crest’s in preparation for the Dusk till dawn… At around 650g each, they nicely bridge the gap for those who want to run tubeless but were previously limited to the delicate but light TLR/2Bliss offerings or the reliable but heavy (900g Ardent) Maxxis UST tyres… On the trails here in WA, I’ve been really impressed with them.”

As the range and availability of Rubena Tyres expands over the next 12 months, they should definitely be on your list when next shopping for rubber at your local bike shop. I would have liked to have tried the 2.4″ sizes in the dual compound versions but unfortunately they weren’t available at the time of review. I will definitely be fitting a set of these to my bike when the Mont 24 swings around again in 2013.

In January 2013, the road racing and commuter tyres, tubes and sealant arrive on Australian shores.

Pros:
Light weight, high thread count
Impressive construction quality
Long wearing tread and surprisingly tough sidewalls
Ease of tubeless setup
Low rolling resistance
Kratos front and Scylla rear are an excellent combination across a wide variety of conditions from WA pea gravel to Sydney’s loose rocky sandstone trails and buff single track
Worth experimenting with direction of fitment to see what works for you

Cons:
The Scylla is less suited to use as a front, except on buff single track, but it performed very well as a rear in a variety of dry conditions
Small for the marked size: buy the next width up from your current brand

Rubena Tyres are imported into Australia by PCI Imports and are available from all good bike shops. The front wheel Kratos retails for $75 and the rear wheel Scylla  for $75 in the Tubeless Supra version.

Marathon Dureme the Extreme Long Runner

Schwalbe has now filled the gap in its Marathon Evolution Line tires with a versatile tire for the everyday rider. Its classic, versatile tread always makes it feel at home with its superior handling and light running on the road.

Its three-compound tread with Nano particles combines seemingly  unattainable top performance of grip, easy rolling and long life. The  three mixtures are arranged in such a way to work in harmony: Grip on  the shoulders, durability in the center tread and under this an extremely light rolling compound. Patented puncture protection provides further protection against  thorns, rocks and any other nasty objects waiting to put an end to  your ride.  The fibers of the High Density Guard are more densely  woven than any other material used in tires.

This is the only way to ensure such a high level of puncture protection in such a light tire, explained Holger Jahn, Schwalbe’s Technical Director. On the tire sides a robust, but nevertheless light  SnakeSkin protects against lateral damage from sharp objects. Schwalbe calls this form of twin security “Double Defense”.

Due to its technically sophisticated, ingenious construction the Marathon Dureme is extremely light (from just 475 grams as a folding  tire) and at the same time very robust.

Marathon Dureme is available in bicycle stores from the end of 2009.

Two new Downhill Racers from Schwalbe

Dirty Dan is the specialist for deep, muddy conditions. Its open, mud profile has a great self cleaning action. Specially developed for its cornering ability, the laterally deployed Curve-Claws simply bite through the ground. While the new, almost sticky Gooey Gluey compound has lower wear than its predecessor. This new rubber compound has now completely replaced the former Gooey Gluey
recipe.

“Wicked Will is, conversely, the tire for dry terrain. The successor to the Al Mighty it has extremely low rolling resistance. We trimmed it for speed”, said Michael Kull of Schwalbe Marketing. Besides which the side grip of Wicked Will is enormous: Strong, pronounced outer lugs
and Curve-Claws make possible the most extreme cornering angles. The tires at a glance

Wicked Will
For dry conditions, successor to the Al Mighty
Size: 26 x 2.50
Tread: Built for extremely low rolling resistance, enormous side
grip from strong, pronounced outer lugs and Curve-Claws
Gooey Gluey compound for maximum traction
Double carcass

Dirty Dan
For deep muddy conditions, rain and turf
Size: 26 x 2.40
Tread: Open, mud profile, good self cleaning action, enormous side
grip with Curve-Claws
Gooey Gluey compound for maximum traction
Double carcass

New Rain Racer the Ultremo Aqua
I don’t know of any other tire that has so much grip. In order to achieve such outstanding cornering grip Schwalbe gave its  rain racer a grippy, sticky-rubber compound with a diamond tread. The tire rolls as if it’s on rails. Altogether it gives a very secure  riding sensation. In wet race conditions, with a lot of tight curves, it wouldn’t be possible to win without it.

Since every rubber mixture is a compromise between grip and rolling  resistance, so naturally this compound has slightly higher resistance.  But weigh the advantages: The big plus is its speed in curves that  offsets both the somewhat higher rolling resistance and higher  abrasion, common with soft rubber mixtures.

With a weight of just 180 grams the Ultremo Aqua is the lightest rain  tire on the market, yet despite this it still features High Density  Guard, an extremely densely woven protection belt that provides the  toughest defense against punctures.

Ultremo Aqua is the right call when grip is a priority, or, for riders  who want to be sure, even if the weather is changeable.

Marathon Plus MTB Flatless Tires
Where the terrain demands puncture protection, then Marathon Plus MTB  is the perfect call. Thanks to its SmartGuard layer the Marathon Plus  MTB is the most puncture resistant mountain bike tire there is.

The SmartGuard protection belt made from highly elastic, special  rubber not only provides protection from shards of glass and flints  that become embedded in the tire and can work themselves through a  normal protection belt, but even a thumbtack cannot penetrate its  special layer.

Marathon Plus MTB is available from specialist cycle stores in sizes: 26 x 1.75 (47-559) and 26 x 2.10 (54-559).

Schwalbe Tires are distributed in Australia by BikeBox.

The three-compound tread with Nano particles combines seemingly  unattainable top performance of grip, easy rolling and long life. The  three mixtures are arranged in such a way to work in harmony: Grip on  the shoulders, durability in the center tread and under this an extremely light rolling compound. Patented puncture protection provides further protection against  thorns, rocks and any other nasty objects waiting to put an end to  your ride.  The fibers of the High Density Guard are more densely  woven than any other material used in tires.

This is the only way to ensure such a high level of puncture protection in such a light tire, explained Holger Jahn, Schwalbe’s Technical Director.

On the tire sides a robust, but nevertheless light  SnakeSkin protects against lateral damage from sharp objects. Schwalbe calls this form of twin security “Double Defense”.

Due to its technically sophisticated, ingenious construction the Marathon Dureme is extremely light (from just 475 grams as a folding  tire) and at the same time very robust.

Marathon Dureme (Schwalbe) is available in bicycle stores from the end of 2009. Imported by Bike Box.