Anyone have any thoughts or experience on Tannus brand airless tires? The thought of zero flats when putting in winter miles on rough roads is enticing, but I’d like to know if anyone has used them before…ride quality/feel? Durability over time? They’ve got me curious…
I’ve not tried the 700c versions, but I do have tannus tyres on my Brompton. Personally, I think they’re fine for what I use them for. Dealing with a flat tyre on a Brompton (and most other folding bikes) is a total PITA, especially if it’s a rear puncture and you have hub gears. The tannus tyres mean I never have to deal with that.
They are though slow, with a lot of rolling resistance. Also, they don’t deform to road imperfections in the same way that proper tyres do, which means that they feel very different under you. This is especially noticeable with cracks in the road, thick painted lines, etc that run parallel to your path. The grip is ok but nothing to write home about.
Would I stick them on a road bike? Probably not unless the 700c versions feel and react dramatically different to the small wheel versions I have on my Brompton. They don’t inspire confidence in me, but they serve the specific purpose I use them for well enough.
My road bike has tubeless 28mm Hutchinson Sector tyres on it for the winter, which are brilliant in terms of the balance between grip, speed, and puncture resilience (with the sealant dealing with almost anything unless it’s a hole on the shoulder of the tyre which always seems to be more of a struggle)
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I have a Tannus on the rear of my Felt E-bike. E-bikes are heavy, and the rear wheel takes most of the weight, which made it very susceptible to pinch flats. The Tannus fixed all that, and in the context of an E-bike I felt no difference in handling. The front remained a Gatorskin.
Looking at the tire, my guess is that on the front you would trade reliability for poorer steering feel. But, unless you are doing something that really needs feel, the puncture-proofing is a huge benefit, and I’d happily put Tannus on any kind of workhorse bike.