Wheelchair Tyre Options
Nowadays there is a confusing array of product and sizes.
I was going to go into some detail about tyre sizing but thought again. The important point about sizing is to look beyond the Imperial size eg 24 x 1 and most tyres give another (ETRTO) size. In this case 25 – 540. This unequivocally gives the fit of the tyre to the rim 540mm, which is what matters most. The rest of my ramblings can stay in my documents where they won’t bore anyone!
There have been a lot of developments with tyres in recent times and some are worth a mention.
Manual chairs will always benefit from the low rolling resistance of pneumatic tyres, provided kept at correct pressure. ‘Solid’ or polyurethane tyres are less shock absorbing, are prone to build up static charge and have more drag, but are maintenance and puncture free. For many people they are the ideal choice.
The good news for active chair use is that many pneumatic tyres are now fitted with a puncture resistant latex layer under the tread and some have a flexible layer that even stops a thumbtack. These layers do not increase rolling resistance either!
For those with a ‘belt & braces’ approach, there is now a puncture sealant designed for manual wheels that doesn’t make your tyres feel like they are filled with liquid cement.
Doc Blue comes in 100ml bottle, which is enough to protect 2 standard tyres for about
3 months. Price ~£6 inc postage.
The age old debate of grey v black rubber compounds still rolls on!
Black compounds normally have carbon added to increase hardness but lead to unsightly marks on indoor floors. Whilst early examples of carbonless grey compounds were significantly softer, many current grey tyres will outlast traditional black (cycle) tyres and offer built-in puncture resistance for similar costs(from ~£10 per tyre)
High pressure >85psi tyres have always been apt to wear tread more rapidly. Some tyres are made for indoor/track use and were never designed to withstand the rigours of street use. Sadly not many tyres are designed specifically for lightweight chairs but there are a few exceptions.
Schwalbe’s Marathon Plus Evolution is a prime example featuring flexible underlayer to stop shards of glass etc., non marking black rubber compound, smooth hand friendly sidewalls & low rolling resistance.
Although these tyres have been expensive to develop (RRP >£30) a pair can be bought for less than £50 inc. postage.
Evolution black compound is now available on other tyres including Off-road 24′ Racing Ralph 507mm and new lightweight tyres such as RightRun (~£20ea) good for chairs using narrow 540,559 or 590mm rims and in a choice of colours. I think the red/black look best. There’s also a folding Speedrun (~£28) in 559mm. It weighs only 190g with effective puncture protection and finished in black/silver with smooth black sidewalls.
Fit these with superlight <90g tubes ~£13pr and see how you go!
At last you can have non marking tyres for indoor sport that are also roadworthy.
Whilst most innovations drive prices upwards don’t forget that latex protection is now available on most standard width tyres at no extra cost.
At least, in some respects, we have more options!