When changing tires here at my in home shop, I balance the empty, cleaned wheel without the tire. After the tire is mounted, I run Ride On to fine tune the balance. It works for me.
Dynabeads, or similar products: Yes or no?
- Thread starter r2c9y
- Start date
"""""Ride-On contains corrosion inhibitors that helps to protect rims from all sorts of rust and corrosion. It is also chemically inert and does not react with rims or tires."""""
Last edited:
...or try Ride On. You get the added benefits of the sealant in case of a puncture.
Trying is the way to go. And simply stop using it if no benefits are observed. Everybody's choice. There are many balancing products manufaturers out there who wouldn't be in business if there were no advantages.
And there is physics behind it.
It is conceivable though that it may not be working for all. Bead balance relies on the oscillations being linked to the weight inbalance...which is not always the case. This is why the latest gen balancing machines are more sophisticated and now take into account what they call "Road Forces" in their balancing algorithm. But even if it was not working for me (it does), I still wouldn't boldly extrapolate that those stating it does work for them are frauds.
I haven't used these products in a while though. I could feel a significant difference with the OEM suspension that was on the "sloppy" side. Much less (although still there) after upgrading it. But as @Igofar (and sometimes a bit too far...) and @Firstpeke suggested, maybe I should also be paying attention to wear and longevity besides just the feel of it.
Interesting also that modern washmachines rely (in part) on the "balancing beads" effect during the spinning cycle, starting slow and waiting for the load to (bead) balance itself before accelerating.
Last edited:
A couple years ago on another forum, one of the members contacted the tire manufacturer to ask about the dot on the sidewall. Their reply was (a) put it next to the valve stem (as we all have heard before), but the other part of their comment raised my eyebrows some. It was that their manufacturing process is good enough that their tires are balanced pretty good when they make them. If their tire is significantly off, they scrap it. I don't remember which tire manufacturer it was, but it is one of the better known name brands.
For the last several years of owning my F800GT, I had two sets of rims. One set would have a new set of rubber on it for touring, the other set would have more worn tires that were good enough for local commuting, but not something with enough life left on them for long trips. I had on them Bridgestone T32 tires. I didn't need to balance those tires with anything. Smooth even up to 80-90 mph.
Before adding in balance beads or Ride-On, you might want to consider just trying your new tires without anything.
Chris
For the last several years of owning my F800GT, I had two sets of rims. One set would have a new set of rubber on it for touring, the other set would have more worn tires that were good enough for local commuting, but not something with enough life left on them for long trips. I had on them Bridgestone T32 tires. I didn't need to balance those tires with anything. Smooth even up to 80-90 mph.
Before adding in balance beads or Ride-On, you might want to consider just trying your new tires without anything.
Chris
There was no deprecated tone directed at anyone in my comments, sorry you read that in to it.
How do you know that your tires were ever out of balance? By feel?
I observed a couple thousand miles more mileage, and the cupping and wear patterns went away.
This is what I was judging it on, not by feel.
Like I tell my kids, don’t believe everything you think.
Not sure if this is stirring the pot or not, but i have a TPMS system similar to FOBO Bike 2. I installed it after I had purchased and had mounted new tires for my motorcycle. When I had new tires mounted, I removed the sensors prior to leaving the bike at the dealer, so that they wouldn't get lost in the process, and put then back on afterwards. I've never noticed a difference in how the bike/wheels performed or reacted. Maybe I'm just not sensitive to changes they might cause? Is the minute weight of the sensors enough to affect the balancing of the wheels? Should I have left the sensors on when the wheels were mounted? Should I consider either having them re-balanced or using one of these products (Dyna-beeds/Ride-on). I didn't notice any abnormal wear prior to replacing the tires except that the rear was starting to show threads after ~12k miles.
drrod
Site Supporter
If these products have proven results, curious as to why tire companies, like Michelin, do not require the installation of beads/Rideon when new tires are installed; In fact, make it a condition of warranty and supply a packet of the product for each tire. You would think that the return on increased customer satisfaction, less warranty claims, etc would more than offset the cost. Easy enough to verify installation if/when warranty claims arose.
Maybe someone can point out a double blind study showing benefit/no benefit of these products. Anecdote is not the same as data.
Maybe someone can point out a double blind study showing benefit/no benefit of these products. Anecdote is not the same as data.
Don't they just recommend re-balancing when needed?
No need for beads if you do that.
As many have said, it can also help with longevity. But it may not be important for some.
The beauty of beads.....nobody is forcing anbody to use them! But if somebody wants to try them and see for themselves, why not?
Last edited:
I doubt whether or not manufacturers care about tire longevity when the tread pattern gets compromised/uneven from owner neglect.
Tires that are overloaded, under air pressured and unbalanced makes the owner have to buy replacement tires sooner. Why would they not want that to happen?
It's up to the tire owner to do what's best to get the most longevity out of their tires. There are many ways to do that and many ways not to.
Last edited:
Andrew Shadow
Site Supporter
Doesn't having corrosion inhibitors, if they actually inhibit corrosion, preclude it from being chemically inert? Doesn't chemically inert mean that it does nothing chemically, good or bad. If it is chemically inert how can it at the same time be chemically active enough to inhibit corrosion?
drrod
Site Supporter
From a customer service point of view, not having to remove and rebalance would be a plus perhaps?
If mileage is a negative factor for tire companies, then they shouldn't tout increased mileage as a selling feature.
Truth be told, there are no double blinds studies that would stand up to a statistical analysis, regarding these things. No different than many of the other things that we purchase (eg. Seafoam). It is all based on marketing strategies and anecdotal evidence. We either use/don't use based on our own experience, or on the advice of people we trust.
""""""""""A "chemically inert corrosion inhibitor" refers to a substance that effectively prevents corrosion on a metal surface without actively reacting with the corrosive environment, essentially forming a protective barrier on the metal by physically adsorbing to it, rather than through strong chemical bonds; examples include certain types of polymers, fluoropolymers like PTFE (Teflon), and some highly saturated hydrocarbons like polyalphaolefins (PAO) which can be used in lubricants to inhibit corrosion without significantly altering the lubricant's properties. """"""""
Used them once, had similar issues with front tire (could have been a variety of reasons) did not use again.
Inquiring minds want to know....
The claim for Ride-On is: "balance tire/wheel assemblies for the life of the tire."
Yet, there are others who claim that the balance of a tire changes with wear.
Ride-On cannot change its position in the tire once it has cured.
If the claim that tire wear affects balance is true, then Ride-On's claim to "balance tire/wheel assemblies for the life of the tire" is false. And vice versus.
What is possibly true:
Ride-On does not maintain balance of tire/wheel assemblies for the life of the tire, but the changes to the balance of the tire as it wears are too small to make a significant difference.
The claim for Ride-On is: "balance tire/wheel assemblies for the life of the tire."
Yet, there are others who claim that the balance of a tire changes with wear.
Ride-On cannot change its position in the tire once it has cured.
If the claim that tire wear affects balance is true, then Ride-On's claim to "balance tire/wheel assemblies for the life of the tire" is false. And vice versus.
What is possibly true:
Ride-On does not maintain balance of tire/wheel assemblies for the life of the tire, but the changes to the balance of the tire as it wears are too small to make a significant difference.
Ride-On does not “cure” as you say, but remains in the center area of the tire, and every time the wheel spins it adjusts itself and rebalancing happens.
As for the “life of the tire” most tires are replaced about every 10k miles, or a year or so.
I’ve used it for years and for ME it works better than all the other systems I’ve tried over the years.
I even picked up a combination 5/16 wrench In my back tire (made it all the way through/inside)!
Was making all kinds of noise and vibrations.
To get home, I squeezed in half a bottle of ride on, and it was enough to cause the wrench to cling to the strip, then balanced itself enough that not only the noise went away, but the vibration disappeared as well.
I found the wrench clinging to the center of the tire when I removed the tire.
As for the “life of the tire” most tires are replaced about every 10k miles, or a year or so.
I’ve used it for years and for ME it works better than all the other systems I’ve tried over the years.
I even picked up a combination 5/16 wrench In my back tire (made it all the way through/inside)!
Was making all kinds of noise and vibrations.
To get home, I squeezed in half a bottle of ride on, and it was enough to cause the wrench to cling to the strip, then balanced itself enough that not only the noise went away, but the vibration disappeared as well.
I found the wrench clinging to the center of the tire when I removed the tire.
My misunderstanding. I thought Ride-On cured and stayed put.
To be completely anal... and I am... balancing a tire with a Marc Parnes balancer the way I do would let me know exactly how much Ride-On to put in each tire in order to keep unsprung and reciprocating weight down to a minimum. I laugh just typing that. Ha.
The real question for me is should I change the way I've been balancing tires for decades with no negative results that I can see or feel based on the way I ride? The method I'm using now costs me pennies, but requires a lot of time and is aggravating. The Ride-On would cost me much more, but would reduce my time and aggravation considerably. Decisions, decisions.
I laughed as I read your second paragraph.
How would you know how much to use?
The amount is given for the size of the tire.
And as the tire wears it adjusts etc.
When I sold my k&L tire machine I went back to using spoons, and I actually enjoy it more.
With the right amount of heat, the correct tire paste, and a portable tire stand, I have not found a tire that could not be removed or mounted.
On the really hard ones, I use duct tape and can normally push them on by hand without tools even.
Anyway, I started balancing tires with ride on because of the wear that weights were causing, and like you, I hate balancing tires nowadays.
How would you know how much to use?
The amount is given for the size of the tire.
And as the tire wears it adjusts etc.
When I sold my k&L tire machine I went back to using spoons, and I actually enjoy it more.
With the right amount of heat, the correct tire paste, and a portable tire stand, I have not found a tire that could not be removed or mounted.
On the really hard ones, I use duct tape and can normally push them on by hand without tools even.
Anyway, I started balancing tires with ride on because of the wear that weights were causing, and like you, I hate balancing tires nowadays.
(This is going to be so much fun. 
) Let me toss in another product. Slime. (I suspect this thread will get another 10 pages now. It's called SDS - Slime Derangement Syndrome.)
Slime is similar to Ride On, but a different colour and it doesn't cost as much. If you want to read further, it's just my personal experience with using Slime.
I had purchased a 2007 Suzuki Burgman 400 scooter and was commuting 74+ miles per day. My "excuse" for getting my wife to go along with this purchase was the money it would save. She was definitely not happy with the purchase. At all.
I had picked up a small screw in the rear tire, and asked the "experts" on the BurgmanUSA forum what they would do. A couple said they'd repair it, but the majority said they would replace the tire. While I waited for the new tire to come in, I tried repairing the tire with a worm. That still seemed to have a small leak, so I bought a bottle of Slime to put in it. It seemed to fix the leak, but I'd already paid for a new tire and had an appointment to replace the tire. So I did...and wondered if I'd been to quick to replace the tire.
About 3 months later, I picked up a small cotter pin in the new tire. Maybe I'd get lucky and it wouldn't have gone all the way through. No such luck. It leaked. Not much, but it was definitely leaking. I thought about going upstairs and telling my wife I was going to buy another new tire...and the reaction my wife had the first time. It centered around how this bike was supposed to save us money, but was costing us a lot. And for her any excuse to keep me from riding was one to be used. I did not want to incur the wrath of She Who Must Be Obeyed! My eyes looked over to a shelf in the garage, searching for any solution...and saw the remainder of the Slime bottle. I decided to give it a try...and it worked!
That year, I picked up 4 or 5 metal objects on my commute. The Slime still worked on all of them.
In the meantime I had read all the horror stories about Slime. It would rust your rims. It made a huge mess when you took the tire apart. You wouldn't be able to have kids, and you'd be struck by lightning. Well, maybe not the last two outcomes. When the tire wore out, I asked if I could be there to watch when the tire was removed from the rim.
When the mechanic took the tire off, he made a loud exclamation, "What a mess!" Except there wasn't any. The Slime had become tacky and was in the center of the tread area. A bit had fallen on the hub in the center and dried there, but not much. It's water soluble, so it came off without much effort. There was no damage to the rim at all. Where you'll get a mess, is if you put the Slime in and shortly after, break the tire down. But if you ride with it in there for awhile like I did, it stays put where it needs to be and makes no mess.
My theory on how it works is there are these fibers suspended in the solution. When a puncture happens, the liquid and fibers travel to the puncture site. The effect is like a logjam on a river. The liquid flows out, leaving the fibers behind.
So have I stirred the pot any?
Chris
) Let me toss in another product. Slime. (I suspect this thread will get another 10 pages now. It's called SDS - Slime Derangement Syndrome.)Slime is similar to Ride On, but a different colour and it doesn't cost as much. If you want to read further, it's just my personal experience with using Slime.
I had purchased a 2007 Suzuki Burgman 400 scooter and was commuting 74+ miles per day. My "excuse" for getting my wife to go along with this purchase was the money it would save. She was definitely not happy with the purchase. At all.
I had picked up a small screw in the rear tire, and asked the "experts" on the BurgmanUSA forum what they would do. A couple said they'd repair it, but the majority said they would replace the tire. While I waited for the new tire to come in, I tried repairing the tire with a worm. That still seemed to have a small leak, so I bought a bottle of Slime to put in it. It seemed to fix the leak, but I'd already paid for a new tire and had an appointment to replace the tire. So I did...and wondered if I'd been to quick to replace the tire.
About 3 months later, I picked up a small cotter pin in the new tire. Maybe I'd get lucky and it wouldn't have gone all the way through. No such luck. It leaked. Not much, but it was definitely leaking. I thought about going upstairs and telling my wife I was going to buy another new tire...and the reaction my wife had the first time. It centered around how this bike was supposed to save us money, but was costing us a lot. And for her any excuse to keep me from riding was one to be used. I did not want to incur the wrath of She Who Must Be Obeyed! My eyes looked over to a shelf in the garage, searching for any solution...and saw the remainder of the Slime bottle. I decided to give it a try...and it worked!
That year, I picked up 4 or 5 metal objects on my commute. The Slime still worked on all of them.
In the meantime I had read all the horror stories about Slime. It would rust your rims. It made a huge mess when you took the tire apart. You wouldn't be able to have kids, and you'd be struck by lightning. Well, maybe not the last two outcomes. When the tire wore out, I asked if I could be there to watch when the tire was removed from the rim.
When the mechanic took the tire off, he made a loud exclamation, "What a mess!" Except there wasn't any. The Slime had become tacky and was in the center of the tread area. A bit had fallen on the hub in the center and dried there, but not much. It's water soluble, so it came off without much effort. There was no damage to the rim at all. Where you'll get a mess, is if you put the Slime in and shortly after, break the tire down. But if you ride with it in there for awhile like I did, it stays put where it needs to be and makes no mess.
My theory on how it works is there are these fibers suspended in the solution. When a puncture happens, the liquid and fibers travel to the puncture site. The effect is like a logjam on a river. The liquid flows out, leaving the fibers behind.
So have I stirred the pot any?
Chris
The questions for both Ride-On and Slime are do they remain liquid enough to continue balancing, how far off-center can a puncture be, and how old can it be and still plug a hole?