The Chainlink

After two flats in three days--1st the front wheel and then the back) I am thinking about upgrading to some puncture resistant tires. I ride a Trek Belleville WSD with Bontrager H2 Eco Design 700/35c tires.  I commute to work daily, and use my bike for transportation.  The environmentally responsible tires are super cool, but the truly eco-friendly thing is to be out on my bike as much as possible--I can't be worried about flats.  I do all the things you are supposed to do, watch for shiny stuff, avoid the shoulder, ride as far left as safe. I also keep my tires well inflated.

 

Does anyone have any recommendations?  I did a search for puncture resistant tires on the forum and I found a brief mention of Amadillo tires. Are these a good option for me?  Thanks for your help!

 


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I've had Schwalbe Marathon or Marathon Plus tires on three different bikes over the last several years.  I've ridden thousands of miles on these tires and only gotten a flat on a rainy day when my tires were getting old (a bit too cut up) and a small piece of glass stuck in the tread.  I ride regularly on the Major Taylor Trail and in other areas where broken glass can be a problem.  Sometimes the road or path is thoroughly covered with broken glass of various sizes and other people around me are getting flats, while I'm not.  The extra cost of the tires is well worth it in time saved NOT changing flats and in money NOT spent on tubes and patches.

 

I've also used Mr. Tuffy liner strips on my road bike for years and only had a flat on a day when I was lazy and didn't pump up my tires before going, then ended up with a pinch flat (snakebite).  That bike has been ridden a lot on the south side and west side in areas with a LOT of broken glass.  The tires end up looking cut up, but don't get flats as long as they'd pumped up at or near max rated pressure for the tire.


Allen Wrench said:

my family and I have been riding with Schwalbe Marathon tires on most of our bikes for 10 years in Chicago and every flat so far (and we have not had many of them) has been a valve problem or a rim tape issue. Check your rim tape.

 

Ours are the regular Marathon, not the Plus with blue foam in it. The plain ones have a little too much tread but last forever and the new ones all have reflective strips.

 

I agree with the suggestion to keep your existing tires and try tire liners; if that doesn't cut it get fancy tires... Good luck.

I'm running Continental Contacts onn my Jamis Aurora.  So far no problems with flats in spite of finding glass around various Milwaukee streets.
Different tires on different bikes, but I haven't had a flat in I don't know how long. More than a year. Great experiences with the following: Continental City Ride 700x32; Vittoria Randonneurs 700x28; Specialized All Conditions and Armadillos 700 x28; and Continental Ultra Sport 27 x 1 1/8". I have NEVER had a flat on my utility bike in 5 years. It runs cheap Forte 26 x 1.5 " kevlar tires with puncture resistant tubes.

A Continental "city ride" on the front and a similar type on the back.

Both are punture resitant touting a 5 mm thick road contact seam and I have puncture liners and in 15 years of riding a Trek mountain bike through Detroit, NYC, Columbus Ohio downstate Illinois and Chicago I've gotten 2 flats from the road and one from a Hawthorne tree near the skate park.

 

I've worn out tires and the last one had the inner tube actually pop out through the tire and then go flat. Quite a few side wall flats. Haters.

+1 on the Schwalbe Marathons.  I used to count on getting a flat at least once a month, if not once a week.  No flats yet (knock on wood) since putting on the Schwable Marathons, with more than a year and 5000+ miles on the set.  About to switch to a new pair.

I also use Schwalbe's puncture resistant plus thorn resistant inner tubes. Haven't had a flat in... honestly can't remember.

I was getting a lot of back tire flats last year until I put on an armadillo (700x25, I think). Also have armadillos on my mountain bike; when I was in California I'd get flats from foxtail grass on that one, until I changed the tires.

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