No-mor flat tires or foam tube review

bakaneko

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Nov 16, 2015
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Wisconsin
Hello. So, it must be my bad luck in life but for some reason ,I keep getting flat tires especially in the rear tire on both my road and motorized bike. It is most painful on the motorized bike since I need to remove two chains and futz with the tensioner, which as you may know is a fickle beast. And, I've screwed up so many inflatable tube installs by accidentally puncturing the tube or pulling on the valve too hard... Finally, I had enough and decided to give the foam tube a try for the rear wheel. I am using the Bell version.

http://www.amazon.com/Bell-Solid-No...69656&sr=8-2&keywords=no+more+flat+bike+tubes

The online reviews for it are mixed where some folks compare it to riding on a deflated tire and others give it great reviews. I am a lighter rider so for me the tube didn't feel flat at all but on contrary it felt like I was riding on a inflatable tube with too much air. Regular tubes absorb a lot of the shock so without a lower psi inflatable tube I could feel more bumps of the road. The foam tube do rob you of some top speed; it seems to be around 2-3 mph. And, the install is simply ridiculous. I screwed up a little so there is a slight unevenness. And, I can tell that is will be impossible to remove without cutting it from the tire. The foam tube expands your tire much less than an inflatable tube so you will have to adjust your brakes if you have V brakes. And, since the foam tube is smaller in the tire, the front wheel is now slightly higher than the rear.

Overall, despite some of the disadvantages, if you are prone to flats, I would recommend to replace one tube preferably the rear wheel. I have peace of mind that I won't ever have to deal with that back wheel anymore. However, if you replace both the front and the back I think it would be a too bumpy to ride. :eek:
 
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