Flats..Arrrggghhh!

Open Corsas will do that.. (flat a lot)

Personally I wouldn't trust a tyre that exposes the tube, except in an emergency/limp-home type situation.

In a pinch, you could cover over the hole on the inside with some tough material (like a folded plastic $5 note or something similar) but I wouldn't go riding on it for too long.

You can get tyre liners that go in between the tube and the tyre, but I'm thinking that it might dilute the qualities that make the Open Corsas so nice to ride with.

I've had my best run ever -- only one puncture in about 13,000kms -- since I started training on Vredestein Tricomps and Vredestein Race tubes. I should say that most of my miles are on Beach Rd. 🙂

Those Vittorias have a pretty thin casing and tread, but, without seeing the cut, I'd say that some sort of patch should fix it. If i have a small nick I'll just patch it with a puncture repair patch, but if it's a bit more serious I'll gaffer on a piece of narrow plastic. I found the 'Shoe Goo' method to be much less effective.

531Aussie said:

I've had my best run ever -- only one puncture in about 13,000kms -- since I started training on Vredestein Tricomps and Vredestein Race tubes. I should say that most of my miles are on Beach Rd. 🙂

Those Vittorias have a pretty thin casing and tread, but, without seeing the cut, I'd say that some sort of patch should fix it. If i have a small nick I'll just patch it with a puncture repair patch, but if it's a bit more serious I'll gaffer on a piece of narrow plastic. I found the 'Shoe Goo' method to be much less effective.

i'm confused... are they tubeless?

robalert said:

i'm confused... are they tubeless?

nah. "Open" on the Vittoria names refers to clincher

http://www.vittoria.com/index3.asp?lingua=en

This was sent to me by a friend who is using Specialized Armadillo tyres. The tube was not punctured. I have had my first puncture after using Armadillo's for over 9000 km on my road bike, and it was a small nail, not glass. I have had small holes in my tyres for some time and soon I will need replacements and at this stage I see no reason to change brands.

Quoted post said:

Open Corsas will do that.. (flat a lot)

I'm thinking I should just replace the tyre.Have you heard bad things about flatting with the Corsa?
I would like to keep the tyres in uniform ie. front matching the back. They feel great to ride on...but, if they are prone to getting flats, then I think I will have to reconsider my options. Cheers

charliechops said:

I'm thinking I should just replace the tyre.Have you heard bad things about flatting with the Corsa?

I accidentally got a set (ordered crappy tyres by mail-order, they sent me good ones instead for some reason) and managed to flat and eventually gouge the sidewalls somehow, after a few hundred k's of some typical city riding on roads that weren't so nice. It's unfair to call them "[censored]" for this though, they're intended as a race-day super tacky tyre, not a go-anywhere, do-anything one.

Except for their questionable puncture-protection, they would be The Perfect Tyre in my opinion (before gclark asks, I haven't tried GP4000s yet :p )

Quoted post said:

I would like to keep the tyres in uniform ie. front matching the back. They feel great to ride on...but, if they are prone to getting flats, then I think I will have to reconsider my options.

As a bit of a random sample/recommendation, I'm running Conti Grand Prix 4-Seasons (the recently obsolete kind) and had good luck with punctures. Something along the lines of NONE 🙂 They're also quite "race-like" in their behaviour which is a nice thing.

I should add, that while the Open Corsa KS (slick version) was the best tyre I've ever had, it cut, popped, blew, and went down quicker than you could imagine!! I don't even know what I hit -- I didn't see any glass.

http://vmartin.bigpondhosting.com/photos/tyre_cut_9.jpg

Thanks. I ordered a couple of the Conti Gran Prix 4 season from
totalcycling.com5cf9e7d2 4ad2 4e7c 9e1e ed3752a443f5Open ↗

I'll give them a go.I only got 3km down the road this morning and flatted again.

Can You fix the tyre without buying a new one?

Definitely you can. Some of us are either stingy with money or just don't have any. I am in the second category. 🙁 The way that I have prevented more flats from a tyre that has been compromised is to use the $2.95 tyre patch on the inside of the tyre. It works a treat. Covers the hole permenently and prevents new punctures in that spot. Tyres can be expensive and if you can get away with this method like I have done it is very cost effective.

I too had 8 flats in 4 weeks, because I had tyres that were not up to the ride I was doing. I bit the bullet and lashed out some $$$ and bought some Maxxis overdrive tyres they are pretty good with no more flats. They are Kevlar with silicone on the inside wall. They are a harder compond and deeper tread so I have lost about 3kph ave speed. But I would rather that than lots of flats.🙂

Do you guys clean your tyres?

I wipe mine over with a rag and Armourall after each ride. 🙂

charliechops said:

Thanks. I ordered a couple of the Conti Gran Prix 4 season from
totalcycling.com5cf9e7d2 4ad2 4e7c 9e1e ed3752a443f5Open ↗

I'll give them a go.I only got 3km down the road this morning and flatted again.

Seems strange to flat after 3km on new tyres. I once changed my tyres to Vitorria Rubina Pros ... and the got a flat even before I rode on them. I put them in the garage, and 3 days later ... heard a "whoosh" sound.

I inspected the tube and it had blown. I came to the conclusion that the tube was pinched between the tyre wall and rim.

You should inspect the tube to make sure its seated properly.

Some of these flats may be pump problems, are you all using floor pumps with gauges? I'm going back to 85f 100r on the Felt. 🙂

gclark8 said:

Do you guys clean your tyres?

I wipe mine over with a rag and Armourall after each ride. 🙂

wouldn't this make your tyres slippery?

531Aussie said:

nah. "Open" on the Vittoria names refers to clincher

http://www.vittoria.com/index3.asp?lingua=en

oh, thanks...

seems then once you puncture a clinicher, that's it for the tyre... that would make it a pretty exxy exercise

what advantage has the clinicher over tubed tyres then? for a tubed tyre, you just change a tube (approx $5) and you're off....

does that mean you carry spare tyres when you ride?

Rob, its the other way around.

622c = Clincher, what you have now, it uses replacable tubes inside the trye.

Tubular of Singles have the outer skin stiched over a tube, one pop its gone. :eek: The rim profile is different and they are glued on.

gclark8 said:

Do you guys clean your tyres?

I wipe mine over with a rag and Armourall after each ride. 🙂

Actually I just did this about 1.5mths ago on my Vittoria Rubino Pros. Gave it a nice shine. But after one ride, the shine was gone. A bit too much effort just for shine. I also had to be careful not to get the armour all on the rims.

I was also thinking of using very fine steel wool to clean the braking rims ... would I be doing something silly? At the moment, I have just been using alcohol swabs to wipe down the rims when they get a bit grotty.

I used to use Rubino Pros for a long time; they're a good, cheap (very much so from probikekit), dependable tyre. But once I took a ride on the Open Corsas (and later the GP 4 Seasons and 3000s) I just couldn't go back to a "mid-range" tyre again 😄

I usually carry three or four glueless patches and a spare tube wherever I go. (as well as a multitool, spare powerlink, and some tyre levers)

thomas_cho said:

I was also thinking of using very fine steel wool to clean the braking rims ... would I be doing something silly? At the moment, I have just been using alcohol swabs to wipe down the rims when they get a bit grotty.

Mavic make a special brick/eraser block type thing for cleaning brake surfaces. Like you though, I just use an isopropyl alcohol wipe every now and then. And most of the time not even that -- just a wet rag and hold it against the braking surface while pushing the bike forward.. seems to get a lot of black gunk off that way.

I'm way too lazy to clean the actual tyre though :o a brush-off to get rid of any wandering stuck bits, yes, but that's it!

I must go thru fig tree droppings every ride. The Armorall makes the tyre easier to clean. Nice blue, and the yellow writing is brighter. 😄 Now to clean the chain...