Puncture prevention

chn68b said:

I'm getting sick to death of flats. I commute to work each day, a round trip of 25 miles and have had 2 now in the last 2 days.

I'm using some michelin tyres that are supposed to be quite tough and keep the tyres well pressurised.

I'm riding a road bike on narrow tyres 700/18's (I think).

Does anyone recommend anything, tyres, inner tubes, is there a type of gel substance available to fill the inners???

Check these out, not the cheapest but they are realy good.
http://www.schwalbetires.com/on_tour_touring.php?Nickname=MARATHON%20PLUS&Image=TireImages/marathon_plus.gif
Cheers

xilios said:

Check these out, not the cheapest but they are realy good.
schwalbetires.comon tour touring.phpOpen ↗
Cheers

Great, I certainly try those out. I'm not really worried about the weight, just as long as I get to work without another "incident"

chn68b said:

I'm getting sick to death of flats. I commute to work each day, a round trip of 25 miles and have had 2 now in the last 2 days.

I'm using some michelin tyres that are supposed to be quite tough and keep the tyres well pressurised.

I'm riding a road bike on narrow tyres 700/18's (I think).

Does anyone recommend anything, tyres, inner tubes, is there a type of gel substance available to fill the inners???

For regular commuting you are riding in the gutter most of the time. Move to 700x25+ wheels and tyres. Also try to ride at least 1 metre from the kirbside. This will keep you out of all of the grit, manholes, grates and other stuff that cause punctures plus if a motorist comes to close then you have the metre to move inwards. Dont think lightweight with tyres, inner tubes etc as the more material there is the less likely you will puncture.

Ian's advice is spot on - this is what driving instructors call the "safety line" - it give you somewhere to go if someone passes to close, and as Ian says, keeps you out of the grit and muck.

In the 1940s and 1950s, when English roads were rougher (but with much less motor traffic) we used to fit "flint catchers", devices that ride on or slightly above the tread. The theory is that no flint or thorn penetrates on the first pass, but is pushed progressively into the tyre on each wheel revoloution.

Carlton cycles used to make a very sophisticated beastie under the name "Carlton Tyresaver", but mine were usually just bits of leather bootlace, taped to seat-stays and fork blades, so as to allow a loop to rest lightly on the tyre and dust the flints off.

Oh yes - another thing. When re-fitting the tyre, never use tyre levers: if you do, you can almost guarantee to pinch the tube.

Safe riding!
🙂 John.🙂

We have a lot of sand and grit on the road in winter. So in winter, I use Gatorskins and tire liners. Also go with a wider tire, 25mm. That seems to do the trick.

i use "slime/2 tyre liners they are a long plastic strip that you put in your tyre on top of the tube pump up and forget punctures .. just keep the tyre hard and forget them.. i have used these now for years no punctures in that time.. you do however find pieces of metal or glass in your tyre tho just pull it out slap in some rubber solution to any big holes and away you go..

they cost around a tenner each but are so worth it..

chn68b said:

I'm getting sick to death of flats. I commute to work each day, a round trip of 25 miles and have had 2 now in the last 2 days.

I'm using some michelin tyres that are supposed to be quite tough and keep the tyres well pressurised.

I'm riding a road bike on narrow tyres 700/18's (I think).

Does anyone recommend anything, tyres, inner tubes, is there a type of gel substance available to fill the inners???

you can get slime inner tubes that will seal small punctures. Just remember to find the puncture when you get home.

I also use the slime tyre liners, they are good too.

What PSI do you pump your tyres to? I used to pump mine to what "felt" right. I since found i was pumping them to about 50-60 PSI (and getting ALOT of punctures, similar to your situation). Recently ig ot a gauge pump, and put it upto 90 PSI (tyre states 110 PSI). I have not had 1 puncture since doing this, and i also find that the control of my bike is improved too. Wet road corners are alot easier.

I also have tyres that have a kevlar strip inserted in it for extra protection.

I am beginning to think that this combination of stuff may be incincible to punctures lol. (i wont speak too soon ill run over a nail tomorrow lol)

What PSI are your tyres?

penguinonabike said:

i use "slime/2 tyre liners they are a long plastic strip that you put in your tyre on top of the tube pump up and forget punctures .. just keep the tyre hard and forget them.. i have used these now for years no punctures in that time.. you do however find pieces of metal or glass in your tyre tho just pull it out slap in some rubber solution to any big holes and away you go..

they cost around a tenner each but are so worth it..

Atm I'm on Michelin Pro 2 Race Service Course Limited Edition Road Tyres and I've had a couple of punctures (couldn't avoid large areas of smashed glass...twice). There's no major damage to my tyres but my rear has a few cuts that I've put "Rubber Solution" (that came with a tool kit) on. What is this rubber solution? Will it help cuts much?

I've done less than 500km on them so I'd be dissapointed to ditch the rear because a few minor cuts (not side wall).

chn68b said:

I'm getting sick to death of flats. I commute to work each day, a round trip of 25 miles and have had 2 now in the last 2 days.

I'm using some michelin tyres that are supposed to be quite tough and keep the tyres well pressurised.

I'm riding a road bike on narrow tyres 700/18's (I think).

Does anyone recommend anything, tyres, inner tubes, is there a type of gel substance available to fill the inners???

Well, unless your bike is sub-20 lbs. (not a tough threshold to meet) and you weigh less than 120 lbs. (an arbitrarily chosen weight) fully dressed AND you are on riding on a smooth surface, then a 700x18/20 tyre is too small a profile if you want reliability.

I concur with the suggestion that you opt for 700x25 TRAINING tyres if you want to lessen the liklihood of getting flats while riding your current bike on the route you are taking. So-called "TRAINING" tyres are heavier, but have more tread (one reason why they are heavier).