So I've had 8 punctures in the past 2 months whilst commuting on London roads.
I've got Specialized Roubaix Armadillo Elite tyres on a Specialized Sirrus Pro bicycle which replaced lower grade (although described as bomb-proof) normal Armadillo tyres but which also gave me plenty of punctures.
It's a light bike and I like slick tyres which are light too.
However, as I had a puncture Friday, yesterday morning and again this morning I've decided to look at my options. I've had tiny flints and glass cut into the tyres. They are now pretty cut up and I'm now looking at replacing the tyres as I think they are not up to the job.
Anyone in a similar boat commuting wise (20 miles a day) - relatively light hybrid bike adn hasn't had any punctures for at least three months?
"Sepulchre" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
So I've had 8 punctures in the past 2 months whilst commuting on London roads.
<snipped>
Anyone in a similar boat commuting wise (20 miles a day) - relatively light hybrid bike adn hasn't had any punctures for at least three months?<
I really did hesitate in answering this, Sod's Law and all that, but I've been puncture free for 14 months -15 miles per day in Glasgow- using Schwalbe Marathons on my Trek 850.
If that situation should change in the next month, I will hold you directly responsible!
I really did hesitate in answering this, Sod's Law and all that, but I've been puncture free for 14 months -15 miles per day in Glasgow- using Schwalbe Marathons on my Trek 850.
Commuting bike (80s racer) has had a Marathon on the back for almost three years (two weeks short) and had no punctures AND I have said so in this very newsgroup with no ill effect.
does sound like for thr OP the marthons would be to far one way.<<
If the OP has averaged one puncture per week for 8 weeks, how much time (and inconvenience) has that added to his journeys? If he had used the slightly heavier Marathon or Marathon Plus tyres, how much time would he have lost from the weight differential?
In a commuting context, the sheer reliability of the Schwalbe tyres outweighs any weight disadvantage.
does sound like for thr OP the marthons would be to far one way.<<
If the OP has averaged one puncture per week for 8 weeks, how much time (and inconvenience) has that added to his journeys? If he had used the slightly heavier Marathon or Marathon Plus tyres, how much time would he have lost from the weight differential?
In a commuting context, the sheer reliability of the Schwalbe tyres outweighs any weight disadvantage.
Calum
for me yes and by sounds of things you as well but not nessarlly for the OP.
after all a light tire can be a 3rd of the weight.
I really did hesitate in answering this, Sod's Law and all that, but I've been puncture free for 14 months -15 miles per day in Glasgow- using Schwalbe Marathons on my Trek 850.
If that situation should change in the next month, I will hold you directly responsible!
Calum
Yes it's a definite throw up between speed and reliability.
I was recommended Marathon's by Ealing Cycles www.ealingcycles.co.uk but I thought it was just them trying to flog me something I really didn't need. Especially as I do like the lightness of the thinner tyres - but for heaven's sake the punctures are getting beyond a joke, I wonder how many punctures racers - pro riders get when they ride on roads?
It most certainly doesn't help that my commute (the Uxbridge Road in London) is just full of glass and flints, and the cycle lanes are pretty bad in parts. I do make a serious effort to avoid them now.
And if you do get a puncture Calum feel free to ask me to patch it - I'm a dap hand now.
If the OP has averaged one puncture per week for 8 weeks, how much time (and inconvenience) has that added to his journeys? If he had used the slightly heavier Marathon or Marathon Plus tyres, how much time would he have lost from the weight differential?
The weight is not the issue; the increased rolling resistance is.
Mind you, if the OP gets one a week, something is _wrong_. -- David Damerell <[email hidden]> Distortion Field! Today is Second Monday, August.
Mind you, if the OP gets one a week, something is _wrong_. --
Something is blooming wrong. I cannot believe Action Bikes sold me a Sirrus Pro with tyres which are quite appalling for punctures. I've had approx 20 since I bought the thing in April adn I do about 120 miles per week. And I haven't had a huge problem with the rain either, it's very largely been dry when I get them.
Here are the Specialized tyres that I got with the bike. It's meant to be a proper commuting bike, fast, light. But the Specialized Armadillo's were not commuting tyres whatever this review suggests - it was rubbish in the end.
It'd be interesting to know the alternatives to them as opposed to the Marathons which will reduce my speed and lightness.
I don't think you will get decent puncture protection in a 'light tire', else they would have been recommended to you a long way up this thread. The Marathon's aren't that bad, especially when you consider the hassle caused by punctures to a commute are much more expensive in terms of time lost vs. the seconds lost to carrying an extra 500g or whatever the weight increase is.
If the OP has averaged one puncture per week for 8 weeks, how much time (and inconvenience) has that added to his journeys? If he had used the slightly heavier Marathon or Marathon Plus tyres, how much time would he have lost from the weight differential?
The weight is not the issue; the increased rolling resistance is. Mind you, if the OP gets one a week, something is _wrong_.
I got punctures nearly that often on one commuting route, and never really worked out why. Same bike with the same tyres was fine before the job moved, and was fine later with similar tyres when I got a different job. But I gave up and got solid (well, closed cell foam) tyres on that route, which were horrible but did fix the problem. http://www.greentyre.co.uk/ (When their FAQ says "easier to install than regular bike tyres", either they've changed the tyres significantly or they are lying. I strongly suspect the latter.)
This was over ten years ago, so Marathon Plus weren't around.
It'd be interesting to know the alternatives to them as opposed to the Marathons which will reduce my speed and lightness.
I don't think you will get decent puncture protection in a 'light tire', else they would have been recommended to you a long way up this thread.
But even on light tyres - GP3000s then Michelin Carbons - I used to reckon one every 500 miles. If the OP gets one every 120, something's _wrong_.
Doing that at an average 17mph (all FACTS are correct for once) and taking 15 minutes [1] to fix a puncture meant that a puncture-resistant tyre need only slow me down by 1% to represent a net loss of time.
[1] Slight overestimate, but sometimes you miss a train and lose 30... -- David Damerell <[email hidden]> Distortion Field! Today is Second Tuesday, August.
I had a spate of punctures and I concluded that, although I checked the inside of the tyres for anything sticking through, I probably had some loose shards of glass lying inside the tyre. Now I try and flip the tyre over and also brush out any grit that might be in there.
Jim J
"Sepulchre" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
So I've had 8 punctures in the past 2 months whilst commuting on London roads.
I've got Specialized Roubaix Armadillo Elite tyres on a Specialized Sirrus Pro bicycle which replaced lower grade (although described as bomb-proof) normal Armadillo tyres but which also gave me plenty of punctures.
It's a light bike and I like slick tyres which are light too.
However, as I had a puncture Friday, yesterday morning and again this morning I've decided to look at my options. I've had tiny flints and glass cut into the tyres. They are now pretty cut up and I'm now looking at replacing the tyres as I think they are not up to the job.
Anyone in a similar boat commuting wise (20 miles a day) - relatively light hybrid bike adn hasn't had any punctures for at least three months?
It'd be interesting to know the alternatives to them as opposed to the Marathons which will reduce my speed and lightness.
I don't think you will get decent puncture protection in a 'light tire', else they would have been recommended to you a long way up this thread.
But even on light tyres - GP3000s then Michelin Carbons - I used to reckon one every 500 miles. If the OP gets one every 120, something's _wrong_.
Even that strikes me as a lot. I operate a two punctures and I get a new tyre policy and the least I got from a set of tyres was 2000 miles more often than not I wear them out before I get the two punctures. My last set of Continental GP4000s I got 4000 miles out of before replacing them.
