After I bought a couple with solid wheels I realized why inflatable is better. And why adult bikes don’t use them
2 Likes
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
2 Likes
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.
2 Likes
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.
1 Like
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.
1 Like
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.
That is what i was thinking of. But at $50 per tire, too expensive. Harry suggested replacing the inner tube with a pool noodle.
Like that idea!
I do think that I payed much less than that for mine. Will have to search up what I used when I have time tonight.
Not a bad idea if your rims are split and the noodle is a good fit.
Tube tires are notorious for slowly losing pressure, but usually over many weeks, not days. If they are going flat over just a few days, there are a few possible reasons. One that others have mentioned is something sharp penetrating the tire. Another is defective a valve core. Many cheap valve cores can corrode if exposed to water, especially salt water. A final cause, which I have experienced, is that the tubes are old and dry rotted. Your tires may have been sitting in a hot warehouse for many years before you bought them.
The valve core can be checked by simply removing the valve cap and submerging the whole fully inflated wheel in a bucket of water and looking for air bubbles. The other two causes might be detectable by the same method, but you might as well pull the wheel and tube since you will have to patch or replace the tube anyway. If inflating the tube without the tire, only inflate until firm, not to what the tire is rated for. Carefully inspect the inside of the tire for anything sharp.
Be aware that small cart tires are fairly rigid and can be a pain to mount and unmount from the rims. Small tire irons are available to make this a bit easier.
One method for converting a tube tire to a tire that will not go flat, but still be somewhat flexible, would be to take a sheet of closed cell foam and roll it into a cylinder the correct length and diameter to replace the tube. Have to admit that I haven’t tried this.
These are the ones I used on my hand truck. At this point they’ve been on there for about 3-4 years and the thing lives outside, so I’m pleased.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-10-in-Flat-Free-Wheel-3337RW/301463402
Nature of the beast. I was looking at replacing mine with these airless tires and wheels.
Looks like they have some nice 10" airless for $15 a piece.
I may be picking up a set of those. 
Get the airless tires if it is a problem. However I have two carts with aired tires for 8 years rarely need air.