tires

[Tandempair]

We have a tandem Terra Trike that we bought used last fall, ( it is such a pretty red,) it had about 1000 miles on it, we put 300 on it before winter. It has the original ties it came with, which I think are Schwalb marathon tires. The tread on the tires looks quite worn, we are new to this trike stuff, not sure how to judge when the tires need to be replaced. I'm not sure what the tread on new marathons looks like so it's hard to compare them to new ones. I know they didn't do very well on our gravel road, especially if the road had just been graded, it was hard to get good traction going up hill. We ride about 1/2 mile on gravel before we get to a paved road. It doesn't seem to me that tires with only 1300 miles on them should need to be replaced so soon. How do I know when to replace the inner tubes? DH is blind, so if we get a flat on the trail , it's up to me to fix it. ( trying to avoid that since it is something I still need to learn.) Any suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks.

[Jess_Kess]

Without seeing the tires in person we can't say whether or not they need to be replaced. There are a lot of variables that go into the life of your tires, including but not limited to: road conditions, riders, tire pressure, and alignment. It is possible that you may need to replace your tires with 1,300miles on them.

If the tubes are not losing air you don't need to replace them.

A couple options you have to limit your risk of getting a flat and needing to change your tube are products called True Goo and Slime (these are the first names that come to mind, I'm sure there are other similar products out there). True Goo is a tube that comes with a sealant inside, and Slime is a bottle of sealant you put inside your tube. You may need a tube with a Schrader valve to use Slime, which means the rims will need to be drilled out to fit the Schrader.

As far as what would work best for your triking on different roads, there are so many variables that would make your ride more efficient. But different settings/products work best for a certain road condition. Therefore your trike can be set up for the most efficient way to ride on gravel OR the most efficient way to ride on pavement, not both. If you care to discuss this further, please give us a call!

[William]

If you don't like slime in your tubes try a kevlar liner that goes between the tire and tube.

I've used the liner for years with no flats. I stopped using slime in my tubes as it made a mess everytime I check/inflate my tires.