Airfree Tires Inc Collected my money via PayPal then stalled me with fibs for six months and now ignores me. New Smyrna Beach Florida

After being stuck in a bad part of town, fixing a flat, during a dark freezing midnight downpour...and then solicited from a tweaked-out overweight older man ...I turned to airless tire solutions; I've always hated flatting, and found it silly that a good chunk of my randonneuring kit was in pumps, tubes, tires and patches. My first venture was ordering one-piece tires from AirFreeTires.com, my first order arrived with no issue, and while the tires were a bit quirky, they were alright. My second order took months, and a series of public/online complaints before arrival. The third order never arrived...and that order was placed in October of 2008.

For over a year I've exchanged "order tickets" and emails with the folks at AirFreeTires, and while they've had one convincing excuse after another, I'm now among the ranks of those whom have been scammed by "Hugh Waters" of AirFreeTires. Nu-Teck Corporation and Air Free Tires have claimed a business relationship for the last ten years...one is forced to wonder; after so many years of complaints, is Nu-Tek actually in cohorts with AirFreeTires - why else would a business retain such a relationship?

Despite a far better ranking when I ordered, AirFreeTires now gets a solid "F" from the BetterBusinessBureau, and from me:
 http://centralflorida.app.bbb.org/newsearch2.asp?ComID=07330024000243

Since I was beginning to wear-down my existing airless tire, and had become frustrated with the scam site that is now www.airfreetires.com, I began looking elsewhere.

To my pleasure, I discovered that Kenda has a wheelchair and scooter tire division, including airless tire inserts asserting upwards of a simulated 90PSI: (((Redacted))) Now, Kenda is a name I can count on being around! There's some local suppliers which even carry the inserts, although I ended up buying from(((Redacted))) - the 1st order arrived just inside of a week, and the 2nd larger order came just as fast.

Past experience with inserts was that they were heavy and soft...not Kenda's. They're a Royal PITA to mount, but once on the rim, you're set (hint: use four huge ParkTool tire levers, and when the instructions say to use lots of WD40 for the installation, they mean to use copious amounts of WD40). Aside from a more reputable manufacturer, I can now also select what kind of tire I want; currently using Schwalbe Marathon Plus, the extra gel layer is a perfect mate to the firm foam insert, and it feels like I'm cruising around on 80-90PSI tires + I get that awesome traction from this well-built tire.

I know all the arguments against airless tires; stiffer rides, broken spokes & busted rims. In reality, despite thousands of miles on my existing aireless tires, no daemons of broken spokes nor busted rims have plagued me.

While I feel a tiny bit slower, when one compares the time lost from flatting, arriving at destinations covered in grease & dirt, or even the personal safety issues...the airless option is an easy win.

Are the inserts heavier? Hmm, after pitching a pump, patches, two tubes, a few tire levers, and the bag they all went in...nope, the whole bike is lighter now.


CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.

I was also ripped off by this company.

They took my money and kept giving excuses on why there was a delay, then also sent me the details stating that Nu-Tek were at fault and quoted the same as they have put in there rebuttel here.

I then contacted Nu-Tek and they advised me that they did NOT have any problems and that I was not the only one having and issue with Airferrtires.

I would advise anyone wanting air free tires to contact Nu-Tek directly as if you deal with Airfreetires you will never see the tires, but they will gladly take your money.

Nu-Teck Corporation on behalf of Air Free Tires

To Whom It May Concern

Nu-Teck Corporation and Air Free Tires have had a business relationship for the last ten years. In that period we have helped thousands of cyclists, businesses and individuals alike. Approximately two years ago, Nu-Teck had a series of events (illness, family emergency, equipment problems) that affected supply problems of our products. This created a ripple effect with our distributors. Companies like Air Free who relies on drop shipping could not fill orders with in the period specified on their websites and this created customer service issues for Air Free, which were not completely Air Free's fault.

We accept responsibility for our actions and would like to take this opportunity to explain how we can help.

As our friends at Air Free have been loyal advocates of airless tires and our company, we will stand behind them and honor all outstanding orders. Our process for handling orders has changed. Nu-Teck will handle all the post-sale inquires for Nu-Teck brand tires. Since we make these tires, we will let the customer know when their product ships. Air Free has all the good information anybody would ever need about airless tires, so please buy with confidence from Air Free and we will take care of the rest.

Details are on both of our company's websites.

Respectfully,


Nu-Teck
2751 W. Oxford
Unit 1
Engelwood, CO, 80110