On the surface, an update to this approach sounds appealing. Flat tires are the #1 maintenance issue bringing customers into many bike shops. With a standard tube and Tannus insert being considerably lighter than the thorn-resistant Kenda (which, though generally pretty reliable, do add some palpable rolling resistance), acceleration is unaffected – another definite plus. Dropping the Road Cruiser to 55psi (slightly below the recommended 65psi minimum) bought some extra traction on some icy lanes without any hint of squirm or bad manners. Tire inserts are one potential solution. Maybe you need them, maybe you don’t. How we spec our wheels, tires and even our inserts largely depends on where and how we ride. It’s a really interesting topic. Some people would choose a heavy tire and no insert and some would combine the two for all out protection. What I’m interested in during this comparison is the idea of running a slightly lighter tire than I normally would while hopefully reaping all the benefits the insert has to offer. It feels like far more of a system. It’s not something to be used with your normal pressures but rather in conjunction with the lower pressures enabled by running the insert. The grip was fantastic. The firmer feeling is not dissimilar to running a heavier compression tune. It thudded through everything it came across and it felt amazing. It rewards you the more you push and I consider it to be a performance product aimed at people who don’t merely want to protect their rims from occasional impacts, but rather people who need inserts to enable them to run lower pressures without them immediately breaking wheels.

Tannus says, "A multi-cell foam compound that is lightweight, flexible yet incredibly durable. Aither is the culmination of 10 years of Tannus development within the tyre industry Tannus Armour is a foam insert that sits between your inner tube and tyre, providing an additional layer of protection against 4 main types of damage. which would provide a very tough armor like additional layer of goathead thorn tire puncture protection also as well, that would act like a nearly impenetrable stainless steel mesh tire armor shielding belt; now the chances of the goat head thorn actually making it through the stainless steel mesh tire armor shielding belt layer, and then also the 3/8 inch NBR neoprene foam layer belt and then also the internal tire tread section belt; would be almost impossible to penetrate all three of these total combined designated goat head thorn resistant tire puncture tire layers;It will stop those little thorn flats, which can be especially frustrating. WHAT ARE BICYCLE TIRE LINERS? So a lighter tyre with an in-tyre system is probably a better, if more expensive, solution, especially for racing. Ultimately, the Tannus inserts not only offer improved defence against punctures, they also deliver a more compliant ride. They're a good option for commuting/utility e-bikes, where fixing a flat can be more involved because of weight and complication. That said, I would prioritise a tyre and rim tape upgrade over these if you were running budget tyres and flatting frequently. Verdict How to best keep our tires inflated? And, what’s more, is there a way that not only means we’re less likely to puncture but also includes a handful of performance benefits?

The other option is to go tubeless and use sealant, which allows you to use a lower tyre pressure. This setup does work better on electric mountain bikes and road bikes, but not so well on Fat bikes, which are more similar to car tires. Finance is subject to application, financial circumstances and borrowing history. Performance Cycling Limited FRN: 720557 trading as Tredz are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. We are a credit broker not a lender – credit is subject to status and affordability and is provided by Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC. Terms & Conditions Apply.PUNCTURE PROTECTION - Armour eliminates 90% of all punctures due to its reinforced sidewall and underside protection. Save yourself the time of filling and replacing Tubeless Sealants, Using Tyre Boots or Plugs for tubeless tyre Punctures. However, there are some situations where this "patch whenever needed" strategy is no longer optimal. For example, in northern climates where roads can have a layer of ice in them, they spread a particularly sharp form of gravel to reduce pedestrian accidents due to falling on slippery ice. The gravel bits can be thin, sharp and as much as 15 millimeters long. Many of these areas also erroneously combine pedestrian paths with bike paths, instead of placing the cyclist in the optimal location on the right side of the road. Often times, riding on the right side of the road is illegal if there's a bike path or shared use path nearby. Thus, cyclists have no option than to ride on the sharp gravel distributed on the shared use paths. Especially when the snow and ice melts, the roads have only a wet layer of this sharp gravel directly on pavement. The water acts as a lubricant, reducing the friction between the tire rubber and sharp gravel bits. The sharp gravel bits always puncture the tire rather than "puncturing" the pavement because the tire is softer than the pavement. In these conditions, it's often cold, wet and dark, and punctures repeatedly happen once every 100 km. Thus the "patch whenever needed" strategy is no longer optimal. Now that definitely helps to cut down on the internal tire tread weight to a much more practical critical lower tire tread weight amount.

Leaking from the side of the tube. A pinch flat, between underinflated tube and rim. Keep your tires pumped.

What are the downsides of running an insert?

For a while, before my thorn-resistant tires, I rode a 1980’s technology, solid rubber tire. Potholes were memorable on my spine, but traction was good and I never got a flat. Unlike with limited tread patterns of Tannus Airless Tyres, you can use any Tyre with your inserts at half the price of a Tannus Tyre. Having lived in the Mojave Desert of California where goat heads roam freely, I can tell you I got at between 1 to 2 flats a ride on average, and I used Kevlar belted tires, I also tried Slime Sealant and that was a joke for high pressure road tires, once you inflate to about 70 psi the slime would just blow out of the tire and the tire was flat again. Even tried Slime in a thorn resistant tube to no avail. Goat heads even penetrated Mr. Tuffy liners! while the liners did reduce the flat frequency to about 2 a week it didn’t stop them. Only when I switched to Specialized Armadillo All Condition tires did I no longer get flats, in fact I didn’t get a flat for about 15,000 miles, and when I did finally get a flat it was due to a Specialized Armadillo tire being worn down to where the cords were showing. The benefits of this could be three fold. A more supple tire that was yet further enhanced by running lower pressures to give higher levels of grip, combined with added support from the insert in turns while also offering better rim protection.

Armour even prevents the notorious “Pinch Flat” and dreaded “ Snake Bite“, those annoying punctures from the tubes being pierced by rims and outside objects pinching and breaking through the tube… My operating theory is that the EXO+ has less layers under the tread of the tire. DD doesn't just have the extra sidewall protection, but an entire additional layer of casing. This makes it more puncture resistant all around. Your comment about Kevlar: If it can stop bullets, it can stop thorns. is incorrect. Kevlar is a fabric, thorns can separate the fibers and penetrate, this is why an arrow can kill someone wearing a Kevlar vest unless it’s stab rated, and kevlar in tires are not stab rated. They are generally easy to fit. The only downside is you may have to take the front and rear wheels off to fit them perfectly. You won’t need to take your bike into the shop to do this, you don’t need any special tools either.This is for the vast majority of conditions the optimal strategy. The strategy is based on the observation that punctures, although possible, are relatively rare. A cyclist can ride several thousand kilometers without getting a puncture. If the tires are made more puncture resistant, this will increase their rolling resistance. The rolling resistance means that 5 minutes of saved time patching punctures can actually require 5 hours of extra time needed to ride the distance. now one can also additionally incorporate and utilize a 120 mesh 304 stainless steel mesh which has a hole size aperture of 0.125mm between hole diameters; Tannus Armour uses the same Aither 1.1 Compound used in it’s Solid Airless Tyre range, which means it is lightweight. I love my fat Bike. I have had two up to now. They are cheaper to charge and run than your car, the pain of any cyclist is getting flat tyres.