Road Profile Amerityre Air Free Tyres: A Review.

I read about some new “air free” tyres made by Amerityre corporation on the Internet a couple of months ago. The reviewer I read did not have too many negative things to say and, in a fit of madness and pandering to a desire for absolute puncture resistance, I ordered a couple of pairs of tyres, namely “622x25” or 700c road tyres and “622x35” or 700c heavy duty touring tyres. The tyres are not cheap, costing about £30 each including VAT, shipping and a tyre tool. They come either a black or yellow.

The tyres duly arrived by UPS one fortuitous Friday morning when I happened to be on leave so I set about fitting the road format pair to some spare rims I had waiting for them. This is an account of my initial (and final) experience of these road profile tyres.

Initial examination of the tyres revealed solid shaped tyres as described in the manufacturers “blurb”. The weight of the tyres is significant; about double the tyre/tube/rimtape combination of my existing Stelvio road tyres. I can be live with this extra weight for recreational and Audax rides on the promise of no punctures (with no need to carry spare tubes, repair kit, pump, etc.) all other things being equal.

Fitting the tyres was a trivial matter of stretching the solid tyre over the rim and then using the tyre tool to ease the edges of the tyre into the clincher rim. The tyre seated well and is well shaped to nestle in the rim. The installation seemed so easy that I was a little apprehensive about the tyre popping off the rim on corners but, despite all attempts to get it to unseat it by pushing the wheel against the ground at various angles, the tyre held firm so I took the plunge and went for a 30 mile ride through the Peak District with its varied road surfaces to assess the tyres on the road.

I immediately noticed 3 things.

• Firstly, the tyres felt a little “skittish” when riding on the level and on going over undulations, almost as if the tyre “wobbled” slightly on the rim. Initially, I thought this may be due to the tyre “bedding in” but the feeling did not improve through the ride and, if anything, became more noticeable. I also noticed, when going downhill at “speed” the wheels, especially the rear, gave a slight wobble to the ride which felt like a rim being out of true. Cornering at speed was “interesting”! It seems that, despite the manufacturers “blurb” about the tyres being “perfectly balanced”, they may not be quite perfectly balanced.... Alternatively, the feeling may be due to the tyre moving slightly relative to the rim when stressed.

• Secondly, the actual ride was a little harsher and less forgiving than my normal Schwalbe Stelvio tyres which I run at 120psi. However, this is something I could live with given the ride quality of my steel frame and carbon forks if the rest of promised gains were realised.

• Thirdly, riding on the tyres felt like cycling through molasses. The rolling resistance was appalling compared with normal tyres. On an easy downhill stretch where I usually managed 30-40kph with ease, I struggled to hit 30.

At the end of the ride, I felt uncomfortable and the 30 miles had felt like 40!

After a further trawl for articles about “Air Free” tyres it seems reviewers to fall into 2 broad camps; love them or hate them. I am sorry to say, for these road profile tyres at least, I fall into the latter camp. It appears that those who love the tyres tend to be lightweight riders or people who have bought the tyres for children's bicycles. Those who hated them were the more “elite” riders (who rode faster and demanded good performance) and heavier riders. Light riders did not complain about rolling resistance while the heavy ones mentioned it as a major detraction. Being 192cm (6'3”) tall and weighing in at 95kg (15 stone) I guess I would be classed as a heavy rider!

The other group of cyclists that may benefit from these tyres are trike riders where the “unevenness” of the ride on two wheels would not be as noticeable. With the load spread to 3 wheels, I suspect the rolling resistance may also be lower.

I have since taken the tyres off and done the same 30 mile ride on my original road tyres and the difference in performance is, at least for me, staggering. It is highly unlikely that I will even attempt to use these tyres again. The difference in performance does not, for me, warrant the puncture proof advantage.

As I see it, the following pros and cons apply:

These tyres may be OK for cyclists with a different style of riding and with different demands but, sadly, not for me.

I have yet to pluck up the courage to fit the heavier and thicker “all terrain” tyres to my heavy duty tourer. I suspect that with the larger profile and lower expected performance, especially on trails, they might work?? When I do and give them whirl, I will add a further report on those tyres too.

© Pieter Meiring, 2005.

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