Last edited by russellb on Mon Apr 03, 2006 6:05 pm; edited 1 time in total
derrickito
Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 12:22 am
now with 50 percent more EVILJoined: 22 Jul 2005Posts: 10566
ive had a few tires lately that have gotten lots of tiny miniscule shards of glass in them. i think ive found them all and pulled it all out, put in a new tube and in a few minutes i get another popped tube and then find more glass that i didnt see before.
my fix, change the tire, call it a loss, and try to be careful on what im riding over
besides that, if you have 120 psi tires, fill them to 120. i find that when im ten or twenty psi below the requirements, i tend to get more flats (pinch or other)
i always end up getting cheaper tires, and ride the hell out of them. ive fucked up expensive tires just as quick as cheap ones, but the cheaper ones i could care less if i get a low amount of miles on because frankly, they were inexpensive
run proper psi, and be religous about always topping off the air regularly. if you keep having tons of flats, maybe look into getting some tuffy strips to put inside. kevlar or such.
thats my laymans view of flats.
lieutenantsean
Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 2:16 am
Joined: 10 Oct 2005Posts: 1255
First thing. Flats due to problems with your wheel happen on the bottom of your tube. Unless you have burrs or spoke nipples sticking out, it's not fucking likely. Even if you do, they would have to be sticking way the hell out.
So, we'll say that your rims probably aren't the problem.
Since you say that your flats are happening in different places, that suggests you are just running over lots of nasty shit.
If you want to totally avoid flats, park your shit in the garage and walk.
But, there are things you can do to seriously reduce the number of flats you do get.
1) Tires: Schwalbe Marathon, Specialized Armadillo or Vittoria Radonneur. Those are the three brands I can recommend with confidence. I'm running armadillos now. About a thousand miles with no flats. I ran a pair of the Vittorias (700x35c) in the 5,000 mile range with no flats. Schwalbes are just damn good tires. You'll pay for it, but you won't get as many flats.
2) Tubes: Slap down the extra ducats and get the slime-filled tubes. Or buy a bottle of slime and do it yourself. Whatever. Slime will fill small holes and reduce how fast you lose air from big holes. Slime coming out of really big holes looks cool.
3) When you mount your tires, line up your valve stem with an obvious spot on the tire. Personally, I go for the trailing edge of the logo. When you get a flat, this will make it easier to match up the hole in your tube with the likely place where something punctured your tire.
4) When you fix a flat, always inspect your tire. Carefully. Nothing sucks worse than realizing after you put your only spare tube in the tire that you still had a piece of glass sticking through your tire.
5) You are keeping your tires properly inflated, which is good. Keep doing this.
6) Larger tires are usually less flat prone than smaller ones. Stepping up from a 700x25 to a 700x28 will make some difference.
7) If you true your own wheels, deflate your tires prior to working on them.
8) Quit riding over nasty shit so much. It'll fuck your tires all up.
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berserk
Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 6:20 am
Joined: 17 Feb 2006Posts: 120Location: Seattle/Bothell
I've been running the Continental top touring 2000s for about 9mos and they've been very good. They came recommended from a buddy who rode them coast to coast style and didn't have any flats at all.
The only other thing I'd add to this thread, would be one additional step when changing your tube.
What I tend to do is after the new tube is in, and I've gotten both sides of the tire back in the rim, I'll slightly (and I mean slightly) inflate the tube and then starting at the stem, press the tire/tube away from the rim, and verify that the tube isn't sort of poking out from underneath the tire. You can take 4-5in sections of the tire and rotate it around doing this. Then when you get back to the stem, flip the wheel and repeat on the other side.
Inflate a bit more, making sure that the tire is properly seated (both sides) and then go up to max psi.
I tend to do this just so it helps eliminate pinch flats right away.
I do recall with some of the non-folding tires that it'd be a super bitch to get the last 4-5 inches of the tire on and I'd immediately flat while pumping up the tire. I think what was happening is I'd accidentally puncture the tire using my tube lever thingies trying like hell to the the damn tire on (this of course after I had all but separated my thumbnail trying to push the bastard on).
What I'm trying to say is perhaps you should look at a foldable tire as well?
leah
Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 8:44 am
elderJoined: 10 Feb 2006Posts: 594Location: The Bucket
kevlar tires and mr. tuffy tape. you're going to hit that shit not matter what. might as well go down fighting.
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zuvembi
Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 9:38 am
Joined: 24 Jul 2005Posts: 942Location: Little Addis Ababa
If you absolutely, positively do not want tread flats, use Schwalbe Marathon Plus. Keep in mind, if you manage to cut the sidewall, they'll still go down (though the sidewalls are reasonably tough). And they are heavy as shit (and I do not say that lightly).
My personal hierarchy goes something like this:
Schwalbe Marathon Plus
Conti Top Touring 2K
Conti Gatorskins
All other 'kevlar' tires
I don't have experience with a lot of the other touring type tires (Roughy Tuffy, Armadillo, etc.), so I can't really comment on them.
edit: Oh and regarding slime, I've heard really mixed reports on it. A lot of people complain about fouled schrader valves, and it does makes it harder to patch tubes. I know that people in goathead country do tend to like slime though; in addition they're usually running thornproof tubes.
Torch
Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 10:15 am
TerranceJoined: 24 Jul 2005Posts: 1637Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
last year i had a nasty run of flats. turns out my tires were never inflated properly. i bought a tire gauge, but before using it, pumped up my tires to where i thought they were properly inflated. checked with the gauge: 75psi.
oh, and stay the fuck away from Continental tubes. they're utter crap. i prefer the Pyramid tubes myself. i've had good luck with them.
i flatted last night, haven't checked the tube yet to see what the issue was.
_________________ "the only difference between me and a madman is that i am not mad."
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lieutenantsean
Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 10:17 am
Joined: 10 Oct 2005Posts: 1255
Torch wrote:
i flatted last night, haven't checked the tube yet to see what the issue was.
It has a hole in it. That's the issue.
What all of this is saying is there are tons of ways to reduce flats. Experiment a little and find out what works.
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Torch
Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 10:22 am
TerranceJoined: 24 Jul 2005Posts: 1637Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
lieutenantsean wrote:
Torch wrote:
i flatted last night, haven't checked the tube yet to see what the issue was.
It has a hole in it. That's the issue.
What all of this is saying is there are tons of ways to reduce flats. Experiment a little and find out what works.
but what KIND of hole? i didn't find anything poking through my tire before installing the new tube, and we did hit lots of train tracks and potholey streets last night, so it may be a pinch flat. us fat kids get those so much easier than you skinny little fucks.
_________________ "the only difference between me and a madman is that i am not mad."
- Salvador Dali
lieutenantsean
Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 10:34 am
Joined: 10 Oct 2005Posts: 1255
Dude, I'm 5'9 and 180 pounds. That doesn't qualify me as a skinny little fuck.
But yeah, it could be a pinch flat.
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zuvembi
Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 10:48 am
Joined: 24 Jul 2005Posts: 942Location: Little Addis Ababa
Torch wrote:
but what KIND of hole? i didn't find anything poking through my tire before installing the new tube, and we did hit lots of train tracks and potholey streets last night, so it may be a pinch flat. us fat kids get those so much easier than you skinny little fucks.
It could be a pinch flat, if you see two parallel cuts [1] it definitely is. It could also be a piece of metal or glass that just pierced your tube and then came right off. I've had lots of flats where it's a puncture flat and I never find the offending sharp bit. I've also had a few where I kept getting flats and it turned out a tiny chunk of glass was totally enclosed in my tread, and only cut the tube when the casing really flexed (like on a big bump or drop). That really really really sucked.
Also to echo Sean, at 6'1" and 203 pounds I am not a skinny little weasel.
[1] like a snakebite - hence the older term for them
Alastair
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 9:06 am
Joined: 12 Jan 2006Posts: 475Location: U-district/Ravenna
Only thing I can add is to properly check the tire before you put in the new tube. I always used to just run my finger around the inside looking for poky bits. When I got a big string of flats (about 3 in one week on the same tire), I took the wheel into my LBS. I was thinking I had to get the rim tape changed. The mechanic inverted my tube and around a pound of glass fell out. It gets embedded in the rubber, but doesn't quite poke out when you run your finger.
henry
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 1:13 pm
somewhat piggishJoined: 05 Aug 2005Posts: 5415Location: on porch with shotgun
from what he says on the cascade forum i don' t think this russel character likes us too much.
so i recommend that to stop getting flats he shut the hell up and learn how to not ride his bike over nails.
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now with 50 percent more EVIL
Joined: 22 Jul 2005
Posts: 10566
Joined: 10 Oct 2005
Posts: 1255
elder
Joined: 10 Feb 2006
Posts: 594
Location: The Bucket
Joined: 24 Jul 2005
Posts: 942
Location: Little Addis Ababa
Terrance
Joined: 24 Jul 2005
Posts: 1637
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
