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TECH NEWS
Tannus solid tyres get Ukraine national track team seal of approval
Tannus makes solid tyres and they’ve been deemed good enough by the Ukraine national track squad to be used on their bikes for training.
A dozen members of the cycling team are using the Tannus Aither 1.1 tyres for training, including double European track gold winner Liubov Basova, 28, and Andrii Vynokurov, 34, currently lying second in the UCI Keirin rankings. Olena Pavlukhina, a member of the women’s Astana team, who competed in the Rio Olympics road race is also training on the tyres.
- Tannus launches new Aither 1.1 solid tyres
Despite obvious scepticism, solid tyres have been getting better in recent years. Tannus is a Korean company that has been developing solid tyres since 2003 and its latest product, the Aither 1.1, claims to offer nearly the same rolling resistance as a regular tyre while lasting 6,000 miles and weighing 430g.
While the puncture resistance benefits of solid tyres are clear, it’s the rolling resistance and ride feel that are the main hurdles to wider adoption by performance cyclists. The tyre is made from a nanofoam polymer. It’s similar stuff to that used in trainers and has a constant pressure that's about the same as an inner tube pumped up to 100 psi, and it can withstand temperatures of -15º to + 50º.
- Your guide to road cycling tyres + 17 of the best
The unique polymer that the company has developed has resulted in a tyre with a rolling resistance just 2% higher than normal tyres, according to its clams. According to Tannus, tests against a Panaracer tyre revealed that when pedalled at the same power output the Aither 1.1 can travel at 29kph, compared to 30kph for the Panaracer.
The Tannus tyres were introduced to the Ukraine team by former member Alex Lopatyuk after he tested the tyres for six months.
“Ten to 12 of the team are using the tyres for off-track training. Most have them on two bikes a regular road bike and a track bike fitted with brakes for outside training,” says Alex.
“We tested them for six months prior to making contact to check that they performed at the level required. You would never offer top athletes new equipment unless you are very sure it is going to work for them and sure of the benefit. They are completely safe and make you work harder. Even the highly sceptical mechanics accepted the tyres by the end of 2016.”
So there you go, solid tyres are gaining more traction in the cycle racing world. Have you ever considered solid tyres or are they something you might be interested in trying in the future?
Tannus will be at the London Bike Show on 16-19th February if you want to take a closer look.
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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11 comments
I have a pair of Tannus tyres on my single speed commuter, and am really pleased with them. I wouldn't put them on my weekend bike though.
Using tires with maximum protection gives me virtually zero punctures. They may be a bit hard for some, but definitely better than solid ones (I guess, haven't ever tried them). But for hire bikes as BBB said seems indeed a great idea.
This may say more about the state of the roads in the Ukraine - anyone cycled there?
Or lack of funding for the Ukrainian national team meaning that sponsorship freebies are vital.
The place for solid tyres is cheap commuters and hire bikes.
For any other application you can pick many tyres that are cheaper, more comfortable and roll faster, especially when run tubeless.
Does anyone remember 'Green' tyres?
They worked about as well as old people f$ck.
And you would usually break a cheap wheel fitting them.
I still prefer tubs.
A friend acquired a pair and after much swaering the three of us managed to fit them to his bike. Initially he was impressed with them but a week or so later his opinion was different, he said he had to keep pedalling at the bottom of the hill otherwise he'd slow right down and white lines were a no-no even in the dry.
I'm tempted by the brompton wheel version of these. Dealing with punctures on the brompton, especially the rear wheel, is such a huge faff that I usually decide I can't be bothered and just drop it into a shop - something i'd never consider doing with my other bikes. Never having to worry about puncturing would be a massive benefit on the brompton, especially as ride feel is less of an issue. For my other bikes I'm happy sticking with tubeless
I use them on my Brompton and think they're great. Changing a rear tyre on a Brompton is the sort of task which makes you want to give up cycling. However, there is an extraordinary amount of ill-feeling generated on the Brompton Facebook page when anyone suggests them so there is clearly a difference of opinion.
In my view they're not as good as pneumatic tyres, they just feel a bit sloppy and I get the sense the the tyre isn't as secure against the rim, but for certain situations they are a great option.
this made me smile
100 PSI doesn't sound very comfortable?
I am currently using Tubeless Schwalbe S-One 30mm at 50 PSI with Hunt Aero Disc, it is utterly buttery smooth, super compliant. extremely comfortable (feels like extra suspension) and two years commute in London without one puncture, and I can't imagin going back to such high psi anymore.
Why would they make a rubber that feels like 100 psi when it is solid tyre and it would never suffer a pinch puncture?!
Unless their 100 PSI feels like tubeless 50 psi?
But I have been eyeing them and keeping up with their progress.
I've considered them time and time again.
Only for my commutes into london though
If I was going to do that, I would need a second pair of wheels for the weekend (something I'm saving up for!)
Due to wear they wouldnt cost less in the long run, probably the same.
Have had litterally no punctures from using marathon plus tyres, but marathon puls tyres arent very nice, so I'm moving to Bontrager AW3 tubeless, because feel is really important too, not just puncture resistance.
Also screw more rolling resitance, I have enough resistance from the weight of my panniers, commuting parafenalia, other drivers etc etc.