I have a couple kayak carts with the inflatable tires.
The problem is that they ALWAYS go flat when stored. I have replaced the tubes and no luck, still flat.
When I was a kid, we would spray goop into our bicycle tubes to repair small leaks, but it never worked in Arizona.
I was wondering if anyone knew of some foam spray I can spray into my inner tubes of my carts to keep them round? I don’t need a flat-fix, more like turning the inside of my cart wheel from air into foam.
Any suggestions?
Just buy new solid wheels mine worked great until they were washed away in a storm
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Ive tried solid wheels, they transmit every movement into a very rough ride. If it’s only occasional use they may be fine or for very even terrain… I’m very tough on wheels and need the best I can get. I think the Canadian Boat Walker style with the small bike wheels are best. No center axle so they have good clearance and you can dial back inflation if the going gets rough. I replaced the tires with a good grade mt bike tire and use quality liners and tubes. Go to a bike shop for the tubes, not target. Also, I deflate the tubes during the off season and store indoors
Carry a spare tube/co2 inflator and repair kit as insurance and you are good to go
Of course I ditched the kick stand and added permanent lock nuts and washers also. Plus changed out the padding to offer better support for my boats
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Foam fill them. But they won’t have much give.
I bike a lot and get flats. The most important thing to do is locate where the hole is and then find where on the tire that hole corresponded to before you took it off. Usually whatever pierced your tube is still embedded in the tire, ready to pierce the next one. The trick is finding it.
Before taking the tube off mark it and the tire in two spots so you know where it was relative to the tire. Then either paint the tube with soapy water or just put it under in the sink. Pump it up a bit, squeeze it and see where the bubbles come out. Find out where that is on your tire and feel for something sticking out of the inside of the tire there. In my case its usually a thorn but I’ve had tiny glass shards too.
They also make tubes that have hole-sealing goo in them. I’ve not tried that but supposedly they work.
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Get a C-tug trolley.
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After you buy a cart with inflatable tires you’ll know why you’ll never buy another one.
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After I bought a couple with solid wheels I realized why inflatable is better. And why adult bikes don’t use them
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Tires with tubes do slowly lose air over time. Serious bicyclists know this and routinely top them up. The amount of pressure is also important because if they are on the low side they will compress far enough when hitting bumps, rocks etc. that the rim will bite into the tube and cause a leak. This is known as a pinch flat.
So…pump them up before you go. Around 40 to 50 psi is about right. If you want to limit the risk of puncture from thorns and the like on the trail you can install some liners between the tube and the tire. These things are commonly called K-shields. That is a brand name that has become a generic term for the things. They are made from a tough material that small sharp things cannot penetrate and are available at bike shops or online.
Peter
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I put a little air into my $40 folding dolly tires I think twice this summer. I check and top off if needed my bike tires every time I ride or daily. It is not much of a deal but I do have an electric air compressor in the garage.
I will say the plastic wheeled tires on the dolly are about as cheap as China goes on wheels, but i only roll it from the car to the water and back. If my plan were to do a long trip where i might be rolling the boat miles on trails I would buy a better rig carry a pump and patches etc.
After driving a few years I did opt for inflatable car tires! But the topic was carts, not bikes.
I have air filled ones on my cart (I think, it’s been a long time since I’ve used it) and now that I have more need of it out west I’ll probably change out the wheels for ones like I have on my hand truck when I bring it out. They’re not solid, more like a very firm foam fill. I had the same issue w/ the dolly wheels always being flat when I went to use it, so I switched them out years ago.
C-Tug with sand wheels.
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Right and my boats hull integrity is just as important to me as my behind. I’d say if you use carbon, Kevlar or glass, some extra consideration for inflatable tires should be given.
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I have a heavy duty appliance dolly with inflatable tires as well as a couple of boat trollies and two bicycles, all stashed in the walk out basement. I bought a little $40 electric inflation compressor and keep it plugged in near the basement door so I can easily top off the tires before I use any of the wheeled beasts.
And I find that hanging the items on wall mounted hooks instead of having them sit with pressure on the tires seems to keep them inflated a bit longer, though that may just be wishful thinking.
I have an experience on a long trail that was not widely cut out after a major blowdown with this type of cart. The knurled knobs will ride up on cut log ends and the left one will tend to spin off before you know it. On a 3 mile deep woods portage I had to be very creative with materials I had on hand to compensate for the lost knob. So I also learned to replace them with permanent nuts. Of course, unless you carry a wrench for the nuts, that will limit the ability to fold the wheels to make the cart compact for carrying or storage in a canoe.
I do tend to lose air pressure if stored for a long time (seasonally). During use I do carry a short compact bicycle pump duct taped to the cart (with a wrench and tire tools, a spare tube is easy to carry separately on long trips). I also lose air in my regular bicycle tires during the same time of winter inactivity, not a big deal to pump up at home.
I replaced the original soft foam on the boat supports with stiffer noodle foam, and for a long heavy voyageur canoe on another such cart, I installed longer supports as well.
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Agreed, firm foam filled tires ate the way to go!
The problem with the kind of foam you suggest is that over time and use, the foam will break down into powder with each bump. Then you have a tube filled with powder foam.
If I could afford one, I would. If I could afford better wheels, I would.
But I am retired and living on a pension that isn’t as good as promised.