Bikes and Stuff

Tubeless tyres have been very popular for mountain biking for quite some time, and have become increasingly popular for road use over the last decade. Tubeless tyres should offer an alternative to fixing punctures on the road, because a sealant in the tyre should fill and seal any puncture holes before the tyre goes flat. It sounds great in theory, but does it really live up to the hype? Peoples experiences of tubeless tyres for road use seem to be a mixture of tales of success and horror stories in equal measure.

One of the factors that seems to be important in whether people have had any success with tubeless tyres for road use seems to be the size of the tyres that they are using. Users of relatively narrow tyres, perhaps less than about 30 mm, often seem to report problems and in many cases have returned to using inner tubes for reliability. On the other hand, riders who are using fatter tyres, with widths typically 30 mm or more, have often had success.

However good the sealant in the tyre is, there is always a chance that eventually there will be a puncture hole that is just too big for the sealant to seal effectively. There are a whole host of different puncture repair kits available that are supposed to help seal the hole, at least sufficiently so that the sealant can make the tyre air tight again.

Of all the different ones that we have tried we have only every had any kind of success with Dynaplug products. Whilst there are people who report having had success with the miniature pitchfork and rubber sausage type I can only report a lot of faffing and no success with them. The Dynaplug type simply require finding the offending hole in the tyre and stabbing it with a little brass tipped dart. Whilst these probably aren’t intended as a permanent repair we have had tyres with multiple repairs of this type go on for several months more use without any problems.

Dyanaplug make and sell a variety of different devices that are mostly a way to hold the tiny darts whilst you stab them into the tyre, and can usually hold a few spare darts too. Both the tools themselves and the replacement darts are relatively expensive, but for their ease of use and reliability that are arguably good value.

You can buy Dynaplug kits from Leisure Lakes.

Riese & Müller Birdy

This bike is a surprisingly good ride for a small wheeled bike. Whilst it might feel as though it has a very soft back tyre when you first get on and you might notice quite a bit of bobbing up and down as you set off you can get used to riding the Birdy within a very hundred metres. The suspension does a surprisingly good job of smoothing out the bumps on the road or path without seeming to hinder it at all, and there is no noticeable brake dive that is usually so common for suspension forks.

The bike is fitted out with very good quality components, including hydraulic disc brakes and dynamo lights as standard. It is also the only bike that I tested that can take standard bike luggage (i.e. panniers). The frame will take a folding rack that does not significantly increase the folded size. If you already have a set of panniers that will fit then this can save quite a bit on the overall cost compared to the Tern or Brompton if you need to be able to carry some luggage on the bike.

The Birdy is relatively quick and easy to fold. However, it does require the bike to be in top gear with the cranks aligned in a particular way for folding. This is an extra step in the folding process, and also means that you need to put the bike into a more useful gear to ride it once it has been unfolded. There are hub geared versions available, but neither have a belt drive. It is easy to carry when folded, but cannot be rolled when folded.

The derailleur is close to the ground when riding, but it isn’t very vulnerable to damage when folded because it fits neatly between the front and rear wheels. This also means that you are less likely to get dirty marks on your clothes from the chain when you are picking it up or carrying it. It is expensive, but would be a great choice for somebody who wanted it as their only bike because it rides so well and could easily be used beyond occasions where a folding bike is a requirement.

You can get a test ride or buy the Riese & Müller Birdy from E-Radicals in Lancaster.

Tern BYB

The Tern BYB is OK to ride, and whilst hardly inspiring it is perfectly usable for journeys of moderately length. It has functional components, 9 speed derailleur gears and V brakes, but I did notice some intermittent issues with brake rub whilst riding.

Does have a rack, but will probably only take very small panniers, and even they are likely to cause problems for anybody with large feet. There is a Klickfix bracket that can be fitted to the headtube that doesn’t affect the fold, and Tern do sell at least one bag that will fit to this that is significantly bigger than other barbags. However, the likelihood is that if you want to carry much you will probably be looking at Terns own accessories, and whilst they generally seem to be of good quality they are rather expensive.

Is a bit slower and more awkward to fold than the Birdy, but the entire folded bike holds together very well because there is a catch that holds the wheels together and a strap to hold the stem in place. The derailleur and chain are also on the inside of the folded bike, so should be safe from damage or leaving oily marks on things. The left hand pedal is removable, and can be stowed securely on the bike when folded. The folded bike is noticeably more awkward to carry than the Birdy, but it can be rolled on some small wheels that are fitted to the rack. The folded bike can sit either horizontally or vertically when folded, so although it’s a bit bigger than the others it is potentially quite flexible about where it might fit.

There aren’t currently any Tern dealers in Lancaster, although you can hire and buy them from Manchester Bikes, in Manchester.

Brompton

I found the Brompton to be somewhat precarious to ride and rather inadequately geared. Whilst the brakes will stop you okay from a modest speed on the flat they might well struggle a bit in some of the steep descents around Lancaster. I found that riding the Brompton I was considerably more keen than usual to avoid traffic, hills, and uneven surfaces that really weren’t an issue on the other bikes.

The fold is quite quick and easy, although the fasteners that are used to secure the folding joints are a little bit more fiddly and slow than the mechanisms on both the Birdy and BYB. Once folded the Brompton is noticeably smaller than either of the other bikes, but it is still quite a big thing. Like the Tern, the Brompton is also restricted to specific Brompton luggage if you want to carry anything on it.

The Brompton is available in a huge array of different types, the version that I tested was a 3 speed with dynamo lighting and mudguards.

Overall, the Brompton convinced me that Bromptonism is more of a religion than it is about a great bike. It is certainly a design icon, but it is amongst the worst bikes to ride that I have ever encountered, and whilst you can fold it up and take it on the train you can also do that with the others without feeling that a taxi might have been a better option.

You can test and buy Brompton bikes from Leisure Lakes in Lancaster.

Alternatives

Tern Vektron

This is basically an E-bike that folds, it has a very robust rack that will take a Thule Yepp child seat, and rides very well. However, the folded bike is still rather big and heavy when folded, to the extent that some might find it difficult to lift into a car, or carry down a flight of stairs, although the folded bike can be rolled on its wheels. Although the rack is quite long there are still likely to be foot clearance issues with panniers.

Brompton Bike Hire

You can hire a Brompton for £5 per day from lockers that are conveniently located near some stations. However, it does rather seem to defeat the purpose of a folding bike to hire one after your train journey. Given that lots of the places with these docks probably also have a local city bike hire scheme, and such bikes usually have a basket that can hold a bag and ride more like a normal bike I’m not sure that this is that great a solution. However, the Bromptons are cheap to hire, avoid the problem of not being able to find a city bike when you want one, and can be easily folded and carried into a meeting or hotel, there are clearly some benefits. You appear only to be able to make an advance booking for the next day, and the locker system that you get the bikes from does clearly have some issues though.