Balloon tyres

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climo
Posts: 590
Joined: 29 Apr 2009, 8:08am
Location: Warminster

Balloon tyres

Post by climo »

Looking to cushion the front wheel road buzz on an Ice trike. Had Marathon Plus 1.75" on there but they were too stiff (no surprise there). Tried Big Apple Plus 2.15" which work fine but the mudguards don't fit properly. The smallest Big Apple is 2". Are there any other 20" tyres which are 1.5 -1.75" which are puncture proof but soft. This is, of course, a holy grail.
I'm aware of Tryker but they're not very puncture proof.
Any suggestions?
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[XAP]Bob
Posts: 19793
Joined: 26 Sep 2008, 4:12pm

Re: Balloon tyres

Post by [XAP]Bob »

I'm going to defend the trykers - with a massive caveat.

They are reasonably fairy resistant, unless you live somewhere with flints or similar sharps - the sidewalls in particular are quite vulnerable, but the meat of the tread does a reasonable job, but can hold onto shards. resulting in eventual deep cuts.

I did have to deal with a fairy visit recently, front right tyre had a slow leak for a while, but I was lazy.... When I did take it off I found an embedded thorn, but the thorn was plugging it's own hole in the inner tube ;)
Other than that I've had a couple of inner tube failures, and one 'on the road' visitation in several years of riding them.
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
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squeaker
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Joined: 12 Jan 2007, 11:43pm
Location: Sussex

Re: Balloon tyres

Post by squeaker »

50 x 406 BAs worked OK with the mudguards on my 2011 Sprint 26 and were significantly more comfortable than Marathon Racers or Trykers. Can't really comment about puncture protection with the BAs, but agree with what [XAP]Bob said about Trykers, especially as they seem to get tougher as they age.
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climo
Posts: 590
Joined: 29 Apr 2009, 8:08am
Location: Warminster

Re: Balloon tyres

Post by climo »

[XAP]Bob wrote:I'm going to defend the trykers - with a massive caveat.

They are reasonably fairy resistant, unless you live somewhere with flints or similar sharps - the sidewalls in particular are quite vulnerable, but the meat of the tread does a reasonable job, but can hold onto shards. resulting in eventual deep cuts.

I did have to deal with a fairy visit recently, front right tyre had a slow leak for a while, but I was lazy.... When I did take it off I found an embedded thorn, but the thorn was plugging it's own hole in the inner tube ;)
Other than that I've had a couple of inner tube failures, and one 'on the road' visitation in several years of riding them.

We live on chalk with flints a'plenty plus blackthorn / hawthorn which the farmers delight in strewing across the road when cutting. No punctures with the M+ apart from me cutting a blackthorn hedge 10ft from my garage. Immediate puncture in 2 places. Obviously I didn't sweep up well enough, doh.
climo
Posts: 590
Joined: 29 Apr 2009, 8:08am
Location: Warminster

Re: Balloon tyres

Post by climo »

squeaker wrote:50 x 406 BAs worked OK with the mudguards on my 2011 Sprint 26 and were significantly more comfortable than Marathon Racers or Trykers. Can't really comment about puncture protection with the BAs, but agree with what [XAP]Bob said about Trykers, especially as they seem to get tougher as they age.

Interested in the 50x406 BA's. I had assumed they where only a tad smaller than the 20 x 2.15 Inch , 55-406. Surprised they fit your mudguards.
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[XAP]Bob
Posts: 19793
Joined: 26 Sep 2008, 4:12pm

Re: Balloon tyres

Post by [XAP]Bob »

climo wrote:
[XAP]Bob wrote:I'm going to defend the trykers - with a massive caveat.

They are reasonably fairy resistant, unless you live somewhere with flints or similar sharps - the sidewalls in particular are quite vulnerable, but the meat of the tread does a reasonable job, but can hold onto shards. resulting in eventual deep cuts.

I did have to deal with a fairy visit recently, front right tyre had a slow leak for a while, but I was lazy.... When I did take it off I found an embedded thorn, but the thorn was plugging it's own hole in the inner tube ;)
Other than that I've had a couple of inner tube failures, and one 'on the road' visitation in several years of riding them.

We live on chalk with flints a'plenty plus blackthorn / hawthorn which the farmers delight in strewing across the road when cutting. No punctures with the M+ apart from me cutting a blackthorn hedge 10ft from my garage. Immediate puncture in 2 places. Obviously I didn't sweep up well enough, doh.


Yep - you live in caveat city ;)
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
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squeaker
Posts: 4112
Joined: 12 Jan 2007, 11:43pm
Location: Sussex

Re: Balloon tyres

Post by squeaker »

climo wrote:Interested in the 50x406 BA's. I had assumed they where only a tad smaller than the 20 x 2.15 Inch , 55-406. Surprised they fit your mudguards.
Need to adjust the brackets outboard a touch in all directions, but IMO they look and work just fine.
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UpWrong
Posts: 2409
Joined: 31 May 2009, 12:16pm
Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire

Re: Balloon tyres

Post by UpWrong »

I've just ordered a Maxxis DTH BMX Race tyre in 49-406 size. I currently have it as 38-406 and am impressed but think it worth trying a larger width. I previously used a 50-406 BA which was fine but I want something lighter and quicker.
nigelnightmare
Posts: 709
Joined: 19 Sep 2016, 10:33pm

Re: Balloon tyres

Post by nigelnightmare »

I use Go-Cycle tyres 50-406 on my Qnt.
Made by Vredestein.
Much lighter than Big Apple's.
Been on for over a year now and no fairies (yet!).
UpWrong
Posts: 2409
Joined: 31 May 2009, 12:16pm
Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire

Re: Balloon tyres

Post by UpWrong »

UpWrong wrote:I've just ordered a Maxxis DTH BMX Race tyre in 49-406 size. I currently have it as 38-406 and am impressed but think it worth trying a larger width. I previously used a 50-406 BA which was fine but I want something lighter and quicker.


Been running the 49-406 DTH for a while now, though on a different, wider rim. It does a better job of handling bumps than the 38-406 version. I ran it a 45psi most of the time but did a good ride with it at 50psi today and will probably keep it at that (cf. 60psi with the 38-406 tyre).

The weight penalty with the wider rim, inner tube and tyre is 235g and it does feel heavier. The steering is not as light as it was before with the now larger contact patch. I plan on sticking to the wider tyre, partly because I need the extra height at the front to stop me sliding down the seat having switched from a suspended fork to a fixed one. It's also more relaxing on descents with the bigger tyre.Hitting drain covers on speedy descents is less nerve-wracking than previously.
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