China-made Solid Tires - A Cheaper Alternative road bike commute?

2 weeks ago I was trying to find a cheap alternative airless tire since buying the Tannus would cost up to Php6,000 per pair. I heard of china made solid tires from different sources and I know this was kind of a long shot having faith in these untested products but it's worth a try or else how would I know the pro & cons right?

Anyways, after endless searching I finally found it at Shopee.ph! The product is simply called FHTyre Solid tires for 700x23c Fixed gear and as many would guess; this came from China.

Price above is meant only for one tire. Don't forget. After clicking the order button, it took almost 1 week & 1/2 for the package to arrive. Seller overseas was very accommodating but lacks the knowledge and information that we need for this product.

To be honest, I can't contain my excitement to the point of chatting with the seller everyday until the package arrived. I'm sure she is trying her best to reply to my questions even if she doesn't have the slightest clue of what I am asking. lolz

Again, just to remind myself: these tires are NOT meant to be for racing but mostly for commute purposes. They are designed to be stress-free from flats while on the road.

She also sent me an instruction guide. Surprisingly the tires must be forced fitted into the rim. Just the same as the original Tannus (minus) the inclusion of locking pins. Is this safe? I do not know and now is the time to find out.

Well here's the instruction guide... & it looks simple but it does not! Honestly it took us quite sometime to fit one tire but at least we know how to now.

I measured the lower part of the tire and found out that it was 15mm wide. So technically you need at least a 14mm-15mm (internal rim width) to fit this one. Using a much wider rim width might not be a good idea since the tires might wiggle during riding.

PSI - There is actually no PSI measurement indicated but the one I purchased felt like 95-100psi..

Description: Made of high quality PU material makes it sturdy, stable and durable for long term use. Tire surface with curve tread grooves improve the drainage capacity and arrow print provides strong grip ability and stability. Increase the heat vent hollows of the tire not only can help to get rid of the water, but also keep the tire more stable, preventing slipping off in the rainy day.

Some pics of the tire. The small holes were actually for locking pins but I guess the manufacturer didn't spent too much time pondering on those. Using Tannus locking pins would do the trick but the holes are small that can fit only a small precision screw driver.

There are a lot of brands available in the market: Tannus, Daytona, Nexo, SUN, YJ and this one FH Tyre.

HOW TO:: Here's a few simple steps on how to install solid tires w/o pins:

1. Clean the tires, wipe out all excessive greases or dirt from the internal surface of the rim

2. Let it dry

3. Apply rugby or cement glue to the internal rim surface & let it dry for a while

4. Use a tie strap to hold one side of the tire, then use both hands and a hard wooden or steel tool to push the tires in place

5. Let it sit for a day until ridden on the road

After few hard minutes, we finally fitted 1 tire. Yehey!

Will check back with you again to and give my review. Again, these tires are not built to be fast but to last! Thanks!

Tires Cost - Php439 x 2 = Php878.00

Delivery Charge = Php90.00

Total Cost Php968.00

Initial Testing

What a way to test the tire ...during a typhoon! Yes, as I am writing this blog we are experiencing a typhoon here in the Philippines.

Initially I was scared since the tires were relatively softer than the Tannus plus no locking pins. Earlier I made sure to apply rugby glue before fitting the tires and it turned out well at the end. The tires were smooth on humps and to my surprise it did well with normal turns and stops. Though there was a little bit of rolling resistance considering I just used it now and the thread groove might need a little bit of warm up and stretching before it be normalized.

Honestly I am expecting to skid off the road since the rain was pouring and roads are slippery but I didn't! The best combination as of the moment, Tannus tires at the rear -- a more harder and sturdier to support the weight of the rider & this china tire in front to ease vibrations and smooth control.