2012 The Year Of Flats?
Anyone else having more flats than usual this year? Seems like I so much as think about a flat and I'll get one. Maybe it's simply a matter of it being my turn.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on
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Maintenance, inspection, and proper equipment.
Flat-resistant tubes & tires are nice, but having flats all the time can be an indication of your current tires have stuff in them, your rimtape is shot, spokes are loose and/or sticking up through their nipples, have rusty rims (if they are steel) or a host of other equipment issues that can contribute to flats. Putting on high-end flat-resistant tires can solve the problem of a cruddy old tire with junk embedded in it, but so can cheaper normal tires.
I agree with Dug that tire-liners can contribute to flats if not properly installed or if they get dried-up and can curl and/or present a sharp edge to the tube. Sometimes they can also pinch the tube, especially if you are the type to ignore tire pressure for days at a time. I've never had an issue with them and use them in my tweed bike as well as my heavy city bik. They also add weight to your wheels which is the worst kind of weight -rolling weight. People spend a lot of money to get lighter rims/wheels/tires & tubes. Putting it back in sort of sucks sometimes. Many of the more expensive flat-resistant tires don't add a lot of weight over other less-resistant tires. It's the way to go as you get flat-resistance without a lot of weight. But you pay $$$ at the counter. TANSTAAFL.
I have not had a flat on the road for about 2 years. I suppose I'm due. I carry a flat kit, patches, AND a spare tube everywhere I go.
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Permalink Reply by Shawn C. on
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I've been using Vittoria Randonneurs for 3 years and I haven't had a flat (yet).
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Permalink Reply by rb on
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my old 3 speeds have Schwalbe Delta cruisers and I have found them to be pretty tough over glass, gravel and everything else that I throw at them. I am vigilant regrading tire air pressure, though.
I think that having a decent rim strip is key- I use the Velox fabric ones and install anytime that I am refurbishing a bike. Spokes have seemed to be a great flat source for me over the years. Velox gives a decent amount of protection.
I have heard a lot of good things about Vittoria Randonneurs- might try them on the next project that I get involved with.
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Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on
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+1
Shawn C. said:I've been using Vittoria Randonneurs for 3 years and I haven't had a flat (yet).
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I've got a set of Panaracer RiBMo 700x28c tires on my road bike and really love them. I've got just under 1000 miles on them so far and they still look like new. I've ridden them in some gnarly spots and over glass quite a few times that I didn't see until too late on asphalt and on gravel.
They are not quite as super-supple as some of the other super-grippy tires but they wear like iron and are very flat-resistant. They are also foldable so you can carry a spare on the road (not that I think that is even really that necessary as it would really take a monster to tear these open to the point where a tire boot wouldn't get you home.
I like them a lot and will be buying another set when/if these ever wear out. Seems like it won't be any time soon. I hope to get 3-4k out of them.
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Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on
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Oh and don't forget she also had a broken spoke on that wheel. Glad you had a big pump with you and John had the tube.
On Sunday, after a late brunch, I picked up my bike from the bike lock, and found that my rear was completely out of air. Which was strange, because I did check before I locked it up that it was still full of air.
This would make it #5 for me this year alone. Different wheels and tires, though.
Vondo said:Seems that way. I got a flat 5 minutes into the Naked Ride yesterday, literally flatted while rolling my bike into the street in front of Gabe's building as we were heading to the rally. Helped a few riders with flats along the ride as well, including loaning my pump to help while another Security team member (I think his name was Will) fixed a flat for a girl with no rim tape on her wheel.
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Permalink Reply by Joe Willis on
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I went through a spirt of 9 flats in two months two years ago then switched to gatorskins and have only had 5 in the last two years (3 where my fault, 1 with crappy rim tape and two with not checking the air). I now swear by them and will never go back. I have realized that a lot of cyclest have no idea what their tire pressure is or how to check it.
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Many people treat their bicycles like a car. Just get on and drive it (without the putting the gas in part every few days.)
This sort of works with a car as they are built pretty tough (but it'll cost you a ton more money in the long run.) This doesn't work very well for a bike at all . But people still do it. Not only will it cause you to spend a ton of money fixing stuff that would have been simple and cheap to fix before it got bad, but flat tires really suck.
People who are regular riders and don't even own a pump, or rarely bother to use it if they do, just astound me. Seriously, how lazy can people be? I keep the pump right by my back door, and use it every other day. I almost never get flat tires.
Joe Willis said:I have realized that a lot of cyclest have no idea what their tire pressure is or how to check it.
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Permalink Reply by Duppie on
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What constitutes underinflation? Let's say the manufacturer suggested PSI for a tire is 85. Do I increase the risk at getting a flat at 65 PSI? 45 PSI?
Just curious, because underinflation get talked about as a risk, but is never clearly defined.
James BlackHeron said:Many people treat their bicycles like a car. Just get on and drive it (without the putting the gas in part every few days.)
This sort of works with a car as they are built pretty tough (but it'll cost you a ton more money in the long run.) This doesn't work very well for a bike at all . But people still do it. Not only will it cause you to spend a ton of money fixing stuff that would have been simple and cheap to fix before it got bad, but flat tires really suck.
People who are regular riders and don't even own a pump, or rarely bother to use it if they do, just astound me. Seriously, how lazy can people be? I keep the pump right by my back door, and use it every other day. I almost never get flat tires.
Joe Willis said:I have realized that a lot of cyclest have no idea what their tire pressure is or how to check it.
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Right on the sidewall of your very own tire there is a minimum and maximum pressure listed right there with raised letters. Go outside of those limits at your own peril.
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Permalink Reply by spencewine on
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This is probably sacrilege, but I do not know how to fix a flat because I've never had one in the 9 years I've been bicycling around Chicago. I mean, I've watched a youtube video on how to do it, I have the tools to fix one, but I've never actually experienced one while riding. I do keep tire pressure good, but that's about the extent of the preventive maintenance that I do. I've only started commuting daily this year though, so perhaps this year will be the year... in the past years, I would only put in a couple hundred miles a year riding recreationally and the occasional commute.
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Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on
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I love everything about my RiBMo except for the difficulty in mounting. It is the only tire I've ever used that required a tool (tire iron) to mount. Using a tool to mount a tire is asking for trouble of course.
I've had one huge puncture since I started using them last year - the hole was so big that the patch eventually blew out through the hole (twice). I addressed that problem by installing the above-mentioned Mr Tuffy (from a really old pair I had in the parts bin.) I've put a hundred or so miles on it since.
But the difficulty of mounting will probably nudge me to try something else on my next build (the two-speed).
As for the other tires mentioned in this thread - I've managed to eventually get flats with Armadillos, Gatorskins and the regular Marathons. I have not yet tried the Marathon plus.
As for the conspiracy theory, it does seem like there is a lot of glass out there on the streets, but I'm not sure it is any worse than previous years.
James BlackHeron said:I've got a set of Panaracer RiBMo 700x28c tires on my road bike and really love them. I've got just under 1000 miles on them so far and they still look like new. I've ridden them in some gnarly spots and over glass quite a few times that I didn't see until too late on asphalt and on gravel.
They are not quite as super-supple as some of the other super-grippy tires but they wear like iron and are very flat-resistant. They are also foldable so you can carry a spare on the road (not that I think that is even really that necessary as it would really take a monster to tear these open to the point where a tire boot wouldn't get you home.
I like them a lot and will be buying another set when/if these ever wear out. Seems like it won't be any time soon. I hope to get 3-4k out of them.
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