Avon Roadrider for Comet

Matty

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I have been running 100x90x19 Avon Roadriders on my Comet rear for some years now because older block tread ones soon wore square (TT10s and Dunlop SMs) and I found the handling on both wet and dry roads much improved.
The Avon Roadrider is in fact a tubless tyre but the manufacturers told me it was OK with a tube.
There was a problem however, where some users found that a small lable that Avon put inside the tyre for tracing purposes often chafed the tube ,resulting in a puncture - this happened to me and a few others in the Vintage Club.
Avon said the label caused no problems if the tyre was used as tubeless (obviously) or the fitter had found and removed the very small label when a tube was fitted !!
The last but one Roadrider I bought did not have the label inside so I presume Avon have decided to leave it out now
I have just bought a new Roadrider for my Comet (the old one did around 6000miles) and have found that the new one has a moulded slightly raised pattern inside while the old one was smooth.
I am worried that this pattern will chafe the tube and cause a puncture and have emailed Avon for their advice if there could be a problem, the solution perhaps could be a heavy duty tube if a suitable one can be located.
I pointed out to Avon that many Classic bike users with spoked wheels now use the 100x90x19 Roadrider instead of the older pattern 350X19s and hoped there wold not be a safety issue.
Has any body else any experience of the new Roadrider with the moulded pattern inside or have they just loaded more French Chalk next to the tube?
Matty
 

highbury731

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I have a set of RoadRiders on my Norton Dominator. They have the molded pattern inside. I didn't find any label inside them. I just used regular inner tubes. The hard part of fitting the tyres was caused by the 'security bolts' front and rear. I have done a couple of thousand miles on them, no problems so far. They are a bit fatter than original tyres, and the tread pattern is out of keeping with the bike.
I prefer to be safe on modern tyres than go 'period' and use SM + Speedmaster, or TT100 for that matter. It's not a show bike
I don't like the idea of using lots of chalk, it will get damp and cause problems.
Professional tyre fitters have told me that they use Fairy Liquid (a concentrated dish-wash detergent) as a tyre fitting lube - if a 'professional' tyre fitter uses detergent, take your tyres elsewhere..... I use liquid soap as a lubricant for tyre fitting, as it will wash away and does not affect rubber.
FWIW when I got the Norton, the inside of the rims were rusty, so I wire-brushed and painted them. Years later, no sign of rust inside the rims at all.
Paul
 

Nulli Secundus

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Avon used to do a universal (front, or rear fitment) 19" 'modern' tyre (can't remember if it was AM22, or AM26, the latter being a RoadRider). I think that was the only smooth internal carcass one they did. With its demise I have used the ones with the ribbed internal carcass and standard good quality tubes without issues on my Vincent and Rudge race bike.

Speaking of tubes I recently removed a tyre on a second hand Rudge front wheel I had purchased from the Republic of Ireland. Some of the untrimmed spokes were so long they had penetrated through the rubber rim tape, yet the tube appeared unmarked (still destined for the bin though).
 

vibrac

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All tyre 'talk' is of necessity circumstantial
Take heavy inner tubes. I bought one of these 'MX' tyres for my beta alp trail bike for the MCC long distance trial I guessed it would be an improvement as once ridden to the general area say 100 miles I habitually drop the pressure to say 15 psi and do the next 6 hours riding 100 or so miles between sections and time is of the essence and 15 psi is about right for road and off road traction.
This time however with psi returned to standard on the ride back to start it blew with a spectacular bang and slide in 30 odd years of MCC trials with conventional tubes that never happened.
So there you go circumstantial take what you will.
Tube tyres are a distant memory to most tyre technicians most don't even know how to fit them. Who has researched making our wheels suitable for tubeless tyres? I have seen some notes on the practice
 

Vincent Brake

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i wore 2 of the new types out and it seems the inside patern does leave a mark on the inner.
but no problems had.
btw.
the inner hard alu sticker: our mr Tim Kirker has pointed that to the AVon factory and since than its out.

i always look and check everything tree times. but have encounterd a close call with above people once, when a inner was leaking a very small bit.
It scared me,
lucky i had clean wash with me...
 

Chris Launders

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Washing up liquid should be avoided especially with alloy rims as it has a high salt content, I spray the tyre with WD40 as I'm fitting it, it is basically fish oil and evaporates off within a short time and also helps prevent corrosion.
I had 4 tyres on our MG punctured with the alloy labels years ago so have been vigilant ever since, security bolts should not be needed with modern tyres, especially "tubeless" ones as they are an even tighter fit unless you are running really low pressures.
 
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Matty

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Well this is most encouraging and I shall fit standard Michelin tubes.
The 100x90x19 looks a little narrower than a 350 x19 and I am thinking of fitting a 325x19 tube, are there any thoughts on this.
Having a 300x20 AVON Speed master front for which no tubes are now available I have been advised to use a 300x21 tube now having previously used 325x19 tubes - this seems to be OK.
However some time ago I laid a genuine 300x20 tube on top of a 325x19 one and could not see any difference, hence the reason I had been using 325x19 tubes in the front for some years !! Being somewhat cynical I wondered if they were in fact the same with different markings.
The main moan I have however is that all the new tubes I have bought recently lose pressure at the rate of about 5lbs a week, so I have to blow up the tyres every time I use one of the bikes.
I can not find any leaks so the air must be leaking through the whole fabric of the tube.
I am 83 now and nipped the tube putting the new tyre on because I am not strong or agile enough to put the tyre on now by hand and foot only and had to use levers which is fatal !!
Matty
 

Matty

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PS
I agree that Fairy washing up liquid is not good because the strong detergent cleans the rim which then rusts.
I use medicinal Aquous cream with a little water. This is very slippery and contains waxes which prevent corrosion.
 

stu spalding

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I am 83 now and nipped the tube putting the new tyre on because I am not strong or agile enough to put the tyre on now by hand and foot only and had to use levers which is fatal !!
Matty
Hi Matty, it helps if you put some air in the tube once it is in the tyre but before putting the tyre on the rim. The round shape of the tube will then keep it away from tyre levers. Cheers, Stu.
 
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