What is a Mr. Tuffy anyway?

 

Mr. Tuffy is a remarkable dual-layer tire liner made of durable, lightweight polyurethane. When inserted between the bike tire and tube, it provides a protective layer between road hazards and the inner tube. Thorns or glass that may penetrate the tire are blocked from the inner tube.

 

How does Mr. Tuffy work?

 

Mr. Tuffy’s hard outer layer deflects road debris and keeps it from puncturing the inner tube. The soft inner layer cushions the tube (actually protects it from the hard outer shell) and helps to prevent sidewall punctures. At times thorns or broken glass may stick in the Mr. Tuffy liner, but the constant movement of the polyurethane liner grinds thorns into harmless sawdust and broken glass into sand.

 

Does Mr. Tuffy come in sizes to fit all bicycles?

 

Yes. Mr. Tuffy currently is available in 8 sizes covering all bicycle tire sizes we know of. Please see our Tire Size Chart.

 

Is Mr. Tuffy reusable?

 

Mr. Tuffy can be reused from bike to bike as long as the tire size remains the same. It will never wear out ... a lifetime investment for your bicycle.

 

Can I ever get a flat while using Mr. Tuffy?

 

Mr. Tuffy is over 97% effective in preventing flat tires from road debris. If your tire takes a direct hit from a large nail ... perhaps one supported by a board for instance, chances are you’ll get a flat tire... if not a blow out. Most likely a nail or piece of glass lying in the street will be deflected by the liner. Even if glass tears a hole in your tire, you can still get to your destination while Mr. Tuffy keeps your tube in place... and subs for your tire.

 

In the unlikely event you do get a flat, check the liner and count how many flats Mr. Tuffy prevented. Many times you’ll find dozens of broken thorns or other evidence of potential punctures foiled by Mr. Tuffy!

 

Is Mr. Tuffy the only brand of Tire Liners?

 

Mr. Tuffy is not the only brand ... just the best selling ... and the most effective! “Millions upon Millions of Satisfied Cyclists.”

 

Why is Mr. Tuffy better than the other tire liners?

 

Mr. Tuffy pioneered the dual-layer liner concept. It is made of a special blend of polyurethane polymers that have proven effective in preventing flat tires over a 25+ year history. Other liners may be made of a rubber compound that is no more effective in stopping flats than a heavy duty tube. Others use a hard plastic material that actually causes more flats than it prevents. There is a reason Mr. Tuffy is the most “asked-for” brand. “Mr. Tuffy, Please!”

 

Wouldn’t a rubber liner ... like a piece of an old inner tube ... work just as well?

 

Rubber weighs more than Mr. Tuffy and is not effective in stopping most thorns and other road hazards.

 

Don't heavy duty thorn resistant tubes work just as well as Mr. Tuffy?

 

Heavy duty tubes are just that ... heavy, This  results in higher rolling resistance ... making the bike harder to pedal. As mentioned above, rubber is not as effective at preventing punctures as the lightweight polyurethane material used in Mr. Tuffy tire liners.

 

Does Mr. Tuffy work as well as Kevlar liners?

 

Kevlar is a microscopic weave of materials that work well at stopping bullets, but they don’t provide much protection against a determined thorn, staple or piece of broken glass. Objects that stick in the liner tend to work their way through the weave and into the inner tube.  Kevlar liners are far more expensive than Mr. Tuffy tire liners and are not as effective in preventing flat tires. Telling your friends that your tires are protected by Kevlar is pretty cool though ... until you have a flat.

 

Why is Mr. Tuffy better than a flat free tire?

 

Tires that are truly flat free are either made of a plastic compound or are solid rubber. Both are very expensive and provide a hard ride. Installation is difficult to say the least and slippery plastic tires around corners on wet pavement .. you do the math. In some applications they may make sense ... but for most cyclists, Mr. Tuffy maintains the traction of a rubber tire and comfortable ride provided by an air filled tube, with very little risk of puncture flats .. at a price that everyone can afford.

 

How does Mr. Tuffy compare to foam filled tires?

 

Many industrial clients use bicycles with foam filled tires. Again, the drawback is a harder ride, extra weight and the tubes are not reusable. In most applications, Mr. Tuffy tire liners provide a lifetime of equal protection with less weight and a more comfortable ride.

 

How much weight does Mr. Tuffy add?

 

For many cyclists, wheel weight is an important factor. Any additional weight means more rolling resistance and more energy needed to get the bike where you want to be. If you are riding for recreation or for exercise ... or are commuting to school or work, the extra 2 oz. or so of wheel weight is an excellent trade off compared to the frustration and inconvenience of having a flat tire. If by riding your bike you lose 5 lbs., you’re way ahead... and with no flats!

 

Some professional and amateur racers alike use Mr. Tuffy in their tires for training purposes and then ride unprotected in the actual race.

 

We have just introduced Mr. Tuffy Ultra-Lites. A liner engineered to weigh 50% less than our regular liners. They provide a serious level of puncture protection for the avid rider with as few as 65 grams of added weight.

 

Should I try to install Mr. Tuffy myself?

 

There are Installation Instructions on our web site, however, we recommend professional Dealer installation. They have installed hundreds of pairs of Mr. Tuffy and know how to do it right .. the first time.  Have them give your bike a safety check while they’re at it. The best protection from trouble is prevention.

 

My Mr. Tuffy seems too long. Should I cut it to size?

 

Mr. Tuffy is designed for the ends to overlap. As the tire is inflated, this overlap shrinks to just a couple inches. If it were any shorter, there might be a gap ... which of course that thorn is going to find! Do NOT trim the ends. Improper trimming may leave a rough edge that over time will cut your inner tube and cause a flat.

 

If the ends overlap, won’t I feel I bump when I ride?

 

Some extremely sensitive riders say they can feel it ... (remember the story of the Princess and the Pea?) Most say they cannot. We’d be surprised if you can tell the difference. Once you purchase Mr. Tuffy installed by an authorized dealer ... if you can feel a “bump” ... and it bothers you more than a flat tire would, return the product to your dealer for a full, factory backed refund.

 

I’ve read where some suggest taping the liner together where it overlaps with duct tape to aid in installation and to keep the cut ends from rubbing against the tube. Do you agree?

 

We don’t recommend taping the ends together. First of all, the liner needs to expand as the tube is inflated. Secondly, the Mr. Tuffy liner needs to be mobile within the tire to fully effective. As you ride, the liner is constantly shifting .. not enough to affect the ride .. but just enough to grind the embedded thorns into sawdust and the broken glass into sand.

 

I’ve read in some forums that Mr. Tuffy will wear a hole in my tube where it overlaps. Is that true?

 

We’ve read that as well, and there is some evidence that it’s possible.  In the early days, Mr. Tuffy tire liners were trimmed by hand. Once the volume of sales was measured in millions rather than hundreds, we had a special precision cutting machine developed that uniformly trims the liners to the exact size and shape needed for maximum effectiveness. It is unlikely that the overlap causes flats using the current Mr. Tuffy product.

 

Many generic tire liners are called “Tuffy’s” much as all tissues are called “Kleenex”. It is possible that another brand of tire liner ... especially the hard plastic ones are the true culprits in many cases.

 

Dealers have told us that they grind or file down Mr. Tuffy’s end edges and they apply talc to the inside of the tire before installation. This advice seems to make this particular problem disappear.

 

Can I actually ride with a hole in my tire?

 

Mr. Tuffy tire liners are so tough, they can fill in for your tire in an emergency. We’ve had many testimonials of people riding with a giant hole in their tread .. with the Mr. Tuffy liner showing through.  The liner holds the tube in place and protects it from road debris. “Wherever You Ride, Mr. Tuffy Gets You Home!”

 

Do you make Mr. Tuffy for mopeds, motorcycles or cars?

 

We’ve tried .. and failed. Mr. Tuffy liner needs a certain amount of air pressure against it to keep it in place. In a test in a 25 psi moped tire, the moped size liner worked it’s way around to the rim side and actually cut off the valve stem ... not exactly the result we were hoping for.

 

With the technical advances in Motorcycle and automobile car tires flat tires are not nearly the problem they were even 5 years ago. There really is no market for a tire liner in these industry’s. We’re still working on the moped liner .... maybe next time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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