DIY Thorn (and Puncture)-resistant Tyres

Hey guys, Triplephase here and this is my first Instructable.

In this Instructable I will be using recycled tyres from old bikes to create a thorn-resistant tyre for me and my brother's bike.

Backstory: following some punctured tyres resulted from the thorns (which are everywhere in our area), we decided to construct a tyre which should be able to effectively withstand the punctures resulted by thorns.

In this Instructable, I use items commonly found around the household to build the tyre, which means you and anybody else can do it!

A range of tools and materials will be required. These tools are common in many households and include:

A 15mm spanner

2 flat head screwdrivers (I used a knife)

A Stanley knife

A pneumatic pump

A new tube

An old tyre (This was lying around the house for a few years)

A new or used tyre

You want to start by removing the tyre from the bike by using a 15mm spanner to unscrew the nuts holding the wheel in place. Also, ensure you disconnect your brakes so that the removal of the wheel is much easier (as shown in the picture).

Now you want to remove the tube.

You can do this by: Prying the tyre off the wheel with two screw drivers (i.e. insert a screw driver into the gap between the tyre and the rim, and pull down. Then, insert the other screwdriver approximately 5cm from where the other screw driver is positoned, and move the screw driver around the tyre to remove it. For more detailed instructions, there are other Instructables that detail how a tyre (and tube) should be removed from the rim of a bicycle.

For this step, you want to minimise the size of the old tyre so that it can fit into your new or reused tyre. I did this by using a sharpie knife to cut and remove the edges of the tyre (as shown in the pictures). You want to make sure that the only part of the old tyre that you have left is the flat section of it. As you can see from the second image, I made the mistake of cutting the tyre too large, and when I tried to fit it into my tyre, it was simply too large, so I cut the recycled tyre so that it would fit.

Following this step, you want to insert the cut tyre into the new or reused tyre that is going to go back onto the bike. This can be simply accomplished by inserting the cut tyre into the tyre you seek to reuse on the bicycle. However, when you are inserting the tire, you will be faced with the predicament of the tyre not completely fitting into the tyre that is intended to be reattached to the bike, so, the tyre which is being inserted must be cut so that it could fit into the tyre intended for reuse on the bike. To cut the tyre, I used a Stanley knife, and measured the overlapping parts and cut that to make a perfect fit!

After this, you want to insert the new tube you purchased into the tyre, however, the tube must be pumped with a slight amount of air so that it can get back to its circular shape. After this, the tube can be placed into the tyre.

Before you do this, you want to make sure that the air valve of the tube is in line with the valve hole of the time, then, insert the valve into the valve hole, and attach the tyre onto the rim. Attaching the tyre onto the rim can be accomplished by pushing one side of the tyre into place, and then the other side. You can use a screw driver to assist you in this process, but you must be careful not to puncture the tyre.

After installing the tube back into the tyre, its time to pump it.

After pumping the wheel, you want to install it back onto the bike, using the 15mm spanner to tighten the bolts. Don't forget to hook the brakes up once again!

Now you should have a bike which has thorn-resistant tyres, meaning it will be more resilient if punctured by thorns. This project is not only intended to protect your tyres from thorns, but also other puncture-incurring objects (such as glass, etc). Another advantage this wheel offers is that in the case of a puncture, the wheel will still be somewhat rigid, meaning the bike can continue to be ridden in fairly comfortable conditions. Also, the wheel requires less pressure to be fully pumped, since the tyre's volume takes up space in the wheel thus, the riding conditions will be a little better. If I were to make improvements to this instructable, I would:

Insert more layers of tyre to make the wheel more resistant to puncturing entities

Use lighter materials for weight reduction

Create a completely tubeless tyre using only recycled tyres

Using a thorn resistant tube along with the addition of an extra layer of protection

Apply this DIY to both rear and front wheels

Thank you for taking your time to read my first instructable!!!

Feel free to ask me any questions relating to this instructable in the comments or you can PM me!