Tannus Armour Flattened

[jbfoster]

About a year and a half ago I installed the Tannus inserts. Last Friday I got my first flat on my rear tire. When I pulled the tire to repair the tube I noticed the inserts were flat as a pancake. I removed the insert and tube and put the original tube back in. I contacted Tannus and they said that you have to deflate your tires once a month so the inserts return to their normal shape. I did alot of reading up on them and do not recall that you have to deflate every month. I went to Tannus web site and looked every where and could not find any mention of needing to deflate once a month. I told Tannus I should not have to do that with inserts costing over $100. They replied back saying since I won't delate every month they will not send me another insert. Sounds a bit shady to me. Buyer Beware.

Jim

[santacruzpaul]

I think you are correct, Sounds shady to me too,

About a year and a half ago I installed the Tannus inserts. Last Friday I got my first flat on my rear tire. When I pulled the tire to repair the tube I noticed the inserts were flat as a pancake. I removed the insert and tube and put the original tube back in. I contacted Tannus and they said that you have to deflate your tires once a month so the inserts return to their normal shape. I did alot of reading up on them and do not recall that you have to deflate every month. I went to Tannus web site and looked every where and could not find any mention of needing to deflate once a month. I told Tannus I should not have to do that with inserts costing over $100. They replied back saying since I won't delate every month they will not send me another insert. Sounds a bit shady to me. Buyer Beware.

Jim

[rjp]

I had the same thing happen to me. After seeing the tannus armour flattened out, I think they suck.  I'm going to install Mr. tuffy liners between the tire and the flattened tannus and put flat out in the tubes.   My tannus are only about 10 months old.

[santacruzpaul]

I have never had a flat thank GOD, Because I would need help getting home from the Wilders trails here in Santa Cruz. BUT, Question is, IS Flat out the way to go? I do not have Tannus armor or any thing like that, Just Origin 8 TPI 30 replacement tires on my Radrover 2021.
Thanks, Paul
SORRY if I am hijacking this subject, BUT I am not computer savvy, And have no clue If I am offending someone.

I think you are correct, Sounds shady to me too,

About a year and a half ago I installed the Tannus inserts. Last Friday I got my first flat on my rear tire. When I pulled the tire to repair the tube I noticed the inserts were flat as a pancake. I removed the insert and tube and put the original tube back in. I contacted Tannus and they said that you have to deflate your tires once a month so the inserts return to their normal shape. I did alot of reading up on them and do not recall that you have to deflate every month. I went to Tannus web site and looked every where and could not find any mention of needing to deflate once a month. I told Tannus I should not have to do that with inserts costing over $100. They replied back saying since I won't delate every month they will not send me another insert. Sounds a bit shady to me. Buyer Beware.

Jim

[rjp]

UPDATE. I knew I read it somewhere, so I got out my Tannus installation guide and on page 3 under Tips For Installing Tannus Armour it states (It is common for the Amour to compress over time. It still is providing shock absorption and puncture resistance but will perform better when properly maintained. To minimize compression deflate the tires while not use. This allows the Armour compound to rebound to provide ideal performance.) So does that mean when your not riding your bike, your suppose to let the air out of the tires? I'm sorry but that's not happening. I don't know how everyone else feels, but if I would have known that earlier, I would not have purchased the Armours.   

[rjp]

Santacuzpaul I also run Origin8 Super Cell 30 TPI tires  I really like the tires run smooth and quiet but they have no puncture resistance. I would at least install Flat Out and cross your fingers for luck. I have had 2 tire punctures, 1 the first day I installed the Armours before they had a chance to flatten out and they saved me from getting a flat. Then 1 on May 18th the day my bike was one year old. When I repaired that flat tire is when I found out my Armour had flattened out.  Both punctures put small cuts in the thin tire carcass. If I didn't have the Armour in the tires I think the tubes would make the cuts larger and the tubes would pop thru the tires.

[Radio Runner]

Thanks for bring this up. Deflating your tires when not in use is crazy designed use. I use my bike 3 or 4 times a day. At work it sits for 8 hours unused, should I deflate them then, lol.

[jbfoster]

Also it says this on their website. So much for riding flat with a fat tire bike.

One of the great features of the Tannus Armour is that if you get a flat during the ride you can ride a few miles without hurting your rim.* However, if you do get a flat please avoid rougher terrain.

*Does not apply to the follow sizes: 20x3.0-4.0, 20x4.1-4.8, and 26x4.0-4.8.

[jbfoster]

UPDATE. I knew I read it somewhere, so I got out my Tannus installation guide and on page 3 under Tips For Installing Tannus Armour it states (It is common for the Amour to compress over time. It still is providing shock absorption and puncture resistance but will perform better when properly maintained. To minimize compression deflate the tires while not use. This allows the Armour compound to rebound to provide ideal performance.) So does that mean when your not riding your bike, your suppose to let the air out of the tires? I'm sorry but that's not happening. I don't know how everyone else feels, but if I would have known that earlier, I would not have purchased the Armours.   

I could not find anything on Tannus website about delating. If I had known that I would not of bought the inserts. I think it's a shady business practice putting this in only the instructions. By the time you read this info, it's to late you have already bought them. This info should be on the main page of the tire insert. Actually I watched several videos on how to install the inserts so I did not read the instructions.

Jim

[Altema]

It's foam and compresses, and the higher your tire pressure, the more it will compress. I only run 16PSI in my tires, so it hasn't been an issue. But, I have to say the tubes they send are garbage. Two out of three tubes have failed while the bike was sitting, and the last one happened with the bike parked in front of 60 witnesses during a group ride photo shoot. No punctures or penetrations through the tire or foam, just tubes failing from shoddy manufacturing.

[Altema]

Thanks for bring this up. Deflating your tires when not in use is crazy designed use. I use my bike 3 or 4 times a day. At work it sits for 8 hours unused, should I deflate them then, lol.

Or you could do it while you sleep 
You don't need to deflate them completely... just reduce pressure to 5 or 10 PSI to allow the foam to decompress.
It does catch a lot of people by surprise though, and they should be more upfront about it.

[Eric7]

About a year and a half ago I installed the Tannus inserts. Last Friday I got my first flat on my rear tire. When I pulled the tire to repair the tube I noticed the inserts were flat as a pancake. I removed the insert and tube and put the original tube back in. I contacted Tannus and they said that you have to deflate your tires once a month so the inserts return to their normal shape. I did alot of reading up on them and do not recall that you have to deflate every month. I went to Tannus web site and looked every where and could not find any mention of needing to deflate once a month. I told Tannus I should not have to do that with inserts costing over $100. They replied back saying since I won't delate every month they will not send me another insert. Sounds a bit shady to me. Buyer Beware.

Jim

Thank you for the tip. 

With respect to your flat, it may be because your tube has to expand so much to compensate for the compressed liner that it overexpanded and became thin and weak.

I don't think it regenerates.  I studied science and engineering and I don't see what mechanism would allow air to magically insert itself back into the material even with monthly deflation.  I think it is more like the material has a certain lifetime at pressure, and the higher the pressure, the less the lifetime.  If you relieve the pressure, you can extend the lifetime.  There is some bounce back after pressure is removed but my guess is that it will not bounce back to its original size.  Every use diminishes it.  I am not saying anything special, but every use diminishes the tire, the tube and the motor too.  It is just that this product has such a short lifetime and is so expensive.  I guess that once a month deflation does nothing because it is at best deflation 1/30 of the time.  Probably nightly deflation for 12 hours will expand the use 2x.

But even if you deflate after every use, think of the wear and tear on your tube, tire, and pump?  365 inflation/deflation/pumping a year.  It is probably not good for the product too.  All that compression and deflation probably accelerate the wear on a product.

My own opinion now, after your post (thanks), is to use sealant and tape and just replace the tube and add sealant after each flat.

[jbfoster]

I had a piece if metal in my tire. I doubt the insert would of prevented the flat. There is no insert that will prevent 100 percent of all flats. Getting the flat was not an issue considering what I ran over and got stuck in my tire. Being I did have flat is when I seen that the insert was flat.

Jim

[Altema]

About a year and a half ago I installed the Tannus inserts. Last Friday I got my first flat on my rear tire. When I pulled the tire to repair the tube I noticed the inserts were flat as a pancake. I removed the insert and tube and put the original tube back in. I contacted Tannus and they said that you have to deflate your tires once a month so the inserts return to their normal shape. I did alot of reading up on them and do not recall that you have to deflate every month. I went to Tannus web site and looked every where and could not find any mention of needing to deflate once a month. I told Tannus I should not have to do that with inserts costing over $100. They replied back saying since I won't delate every month they will not send me another insert. Sounds a bit shady to me. Buyer Beware.

Jim

Thank you for the tip. 

With respect to your flat, it may be because your tube has to expand so much to compensate for the compressed liner that it overexpanded and became thin and weak.

I don't think it regenerates.  I studied science and engineering and I don't see what mechanism would allow air to magically insert itself back into the material even with monthly deflation.  I think it is more like the material has a certain lifetime at pressure, and the higher the pressure, the less the lifetime.  If you relieve the pressure, you can extend the lifetime.  There is some bounce back after pressure is removed but my guess is that it will not bounce back to its original size.  Every use diminishes it.  I am not saying anything special, but every use diminishes the tire, the tube and the motor too.  It is just that this product has such a short lifetime and is so expensive.  I guess that once a month deflation does nothing because it is at best deflation 1/30 of the time.  Probably nightly deflation for 12 hours will expand the use 2x.

But even if you deflate after every use, think of the wear and tear on your tube, tire, and pump?  365 inflation/deflation/pumping a year.  It is probably not good for the product too.  All that compression and deflation probably accelerate the wear on a product.

My own opinion now, after your post (thanks), is to use sealant and tape and just replace the tube and add sealant after each flat.

It's not so much a case of regenerating as it is returning to it's original form. Think of pressing a dish sponge flat, then letting go. The Tannus foam is open cell, and although it is possible to damage it, in most cases it will mostly recover from compression. I have 2000 miles on mine, and they were in pretty good shape when I moved everything to the new front wheel a couple weeks ago. I did have to clean off some tire dust and debris from friction between the liner and the tire, but it was about as thick as when I first installed them. Keep in mind that I run low tire pressures (16 to 18psi), so I'm sure that's a significant factor. As far as riding when flat, forget it! The liners are useless with fat flat tires.

[jbfoster]

I was running 20 PSI. Mine was completely flat. Tannus needs to be more up front about these inserts and not just put it in the instructions. I watched the video on how to install so I didn't read the instructions. If this info was on their web site I wouldn't of bought them.

Jim