Tourer tires

Tim Dunne said:

Hi there

Just had a visit from the p*nct*r* fairy from hell - 5 punctures on a
rainy Saturday afternoon in 30 miles of riding. Was using Marathon Pluses,
but a 6mm shard of glass (just found) had managed to embed itself in the
tire just below feelable depth, so attempts to locate it on the road failed.

What size? In 26", S-Licks were good, until they stopped making them.
The new Moiree tyre might be as good, might not.

The best 700c tyres I've ever used for punctures (total: zero in a few
thousand miles on various examples) are some NOS Specialized Turbo-S
tyres I got from eBay. They're so old and hardened that nothing sticks
to them, despite having no specific puncture protection. Only about
20mm though.

depends on what you call touring
I have done over ( being ungenerous) over 12000 miles on Marathon Plus. I had
my first puncture this last week with an imbedded small glass shard which had
probably been there for some time.
Most of my biking is done under some sort of load -- whether it be my full
camping touring load complete with trailer or just a daily run for
shopping/training/ usw!
I am hardly a speed merchant and my bike is geared ( with a rohloff hub) for
touring under full load.

I travel 95% on road and I suspect that I pick up most puncture type debris
within my own village where the broken glass stays where it is on pavements
and lanes forever until it is eventually ground into dust . It certainly is
never swept up! ( Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council area)

When I repaired the puncture ( well I put a new tube in and also repaired the
puncture and then repackaged the tube into my travelling spares bag) I took
out several bits of flint and glass shards from the tyre surface but that was
the first time I had ever done it. The tyre in question ( rear wheel) had
done over 4000 miles without a puncture.

It is now on the front wheel. and the tyre of the same mileage from the front
in on the rear wheel.

To get back to your comment since I travel somewhat slower than your audax man
I have never found the M+ to be any disadvantage -- especially touring on full
load where I remember one day I repaired 3 punctures in one day on my front
wheel caused by a miniscule wire fragment which took me 2 days ( and two more
punctures ) to find! Now when you have to unload you bike and take off the
panniers and it is raining you tend to find that the security of M+ is well
worth and loss of speed!

I have used then on my last 3 bikes -- front and rear and I am extremely happy
with them

the only drawback I find is that when you do have a visit from the p*nt*re
fairy it is such a rare event that it is just that bit more traumatic!

Have fun on your bike

--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom.
www.tapan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

"Tim Dunne" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi there

Just had a visit from the p*nct*r* fairy from hell - 5 punctures on a
rainy Saturday afternoon in 30 miles of riding. Was using Marathon Pluses,
but a 6mm shard of glass (just found) had managed to embed itself in the
tire just below feelable depth, so attempts to locate it on the road failed.

The tire is now cut fairly badly - I've used marathon plusses since I
had the bike and they've been good, but am now wondering if there's not a
better solution as I feel the rolling resistance is a little high.

What are the panel happy with these days? Decent fairy protection and
performance?

Thanks

Tim

--
Sent from Birmingham, UK... all about me at www.nervouscyclist.org
'Now some people say that you shouldn't tempt fate, and for them I
cannot disagree - but I never learned nothing by playing it safe - I
say fate should not tempt me.' - Mary Chapin Carpenter

Zog The Undeniable said:

What size? In 26", S-Licks were good, until they stopped making them.
The new Moiree tyre might be as good, might not.

700c by 32

Quoted message said:

The best 700c tyres I've ever used for punctures (total: zero in a few
thousand miles on various examples) are some NOS Specialized Turbo-S
tyres I got from eBay. They're so old and hardened that nothing
sticks to them, despite having no specific puncture protection. Only
about 20mm though.

Heh. Thanks for the info...

Tim

--
Sent from Birmingham, UK... all about me at www.nervouscyclist.org
'Now some people say that you shouldn't tempt fate, and for them I
cannot disagree - but I never learned nothing by playing it safe - I
say fate should not tempt me.' - Mary Chapin Carpenter

Trevor A Panther said:

depends on what you call touring
I have done over ( being ungenerous) over 12000 miles on Marathon
Plus. I had my first puncture this last week with an imbedded small
glass shard which had probably been there for some time.

These tires are probably 8000 miles/12 months old - the rear is tending to
bald but the front, host to the fairy, was in excellent condition - the
glass was right at the apex of the tire, it surprised me it got through. To
be fair I think it's only the second incident on that tire, so the
performance has been good.

8<... good stuff

Quoted message said:

To get back to your comment since I travel somewhat slower than your
audax man I have never found the M+ to be any disadvantage --
especially touring on full load where I remember one day I repaired
3 punctures in one day on my front wheel caused by a miniscule wire
fragment which took me 2 days ( and two more punctures ) to find! Now
when you have to unload you bike and take off the panniers and it is
raining you tend to find that the security of M+ is well worth and
loss of speed!

I'm not toyring in the same manner as yourself, but I'm frequently carrying
weight - tools, shopping etc. I know well the agony of having to unload the
steed, [censored] about with wheels etc. Yesterday was particularly nasty -
replacing a tube, then a short while later patching it in the rain and mush
of a wet Cannock Chase. Ugh!

Quoted message said:

I have used then on my last 3 bikes -- front and rear and I am
extremely happy with them

I've been happy with the performance of them but they seem a bit stiff &
heavy - I just wondered if there was a better way...

Quoted message said:

the only drawback I find is that when you do have a visit from the
p*nt*re fairy it is such a rare event that it is just that bit more
traumatic!

Indeed it was.

Quoted message said:

Have fun on your bike

And you, mate. Thanks for the help...

Tim
--
Sent from Birmingham, UK... all about me at www.nervouscyclist.org
'Now some people say that you shouldn't tempt fate, and for them I
cannot disagree - but I never learned nothing by playing it safe - I
say fate should not tempt me.' - Mary Chapin Carpenter

Tim Dunne said:

Hi there

Just had a visit from the p*nct*r* fairy from hell - 5 punctures
on a rainy Saturday afternoon in 30 miles of riding. Was using
Marathon Pluses, but a 6mm shard of glass (just found) had managed to
embed itself in the tire just below feelable depth, so attempts to
locate it on the road failed.

The tire is now cut fairly badly - I've used marathon plusses
since I had the bike and they've been good, but am now wondering if
there's not a better solution as I feel the rolling resistance is a
little high.

Rolling resistance (and weight) will be reduced by using thinner and more
flexible tyres (eg Panaracer Pasela or Vittoria Rubino Pro*), but of couse
you would then have less puncture resistance.

If puncture resistance is most important to you then you should not change
your policy just because of one day of terrible luck. You already have
probably the most puncture resistant pneumatic tyres available.

* Rubino Pro: not really touring tyres - but tougher than racing tyres.

~PB

In article <[email hidden]>, Zog The Undeniable
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

The best 700c tyres I've ever used for punctures (total: zero in a few
thousand miles on various examples) are some NOS Specialized Turbo-S
tyres I got from eBay. They're so old and hardened that nothing sticks
to them, despite having no specific puncture protection. Only about
20mm though.

The old Specialized Turbos were excellent tyres - light and tough.
Nutrak used to make some similar products, but only seem to produce more
basic tyres now. Does anyone here use Panaracers?

If you want to find what's puncturing your tyre, all you have to do is
pump up the punctured tube and find where puncture is, making sure you
keep tube in same direction as it was in tyre. You should then be able
to find what caused it. Occasionally with a small punbcture you make
not be able to.
When you've found the hole, examine the relevant bit of inside and
outside of tyre. You may have to rub it with your finger. If on inside
diameter of tube, you may have unprotected spoke head. If at side, it
may be exposed wire in sidewall of tyre. If twin snakebite puncture
that's due to bottoming out. If there was a bang, then either the tyre
lifted off rim (rare) or you have a hole in the sidewall of the tyre.

In news:[email hidden],
Rob Morley <[email hidden]> tweaked the Babbage-Engine to tell us:

Quoted message said:

The old Specialized Turbos were excellent tyres - light and tough.
Nutrak used to make some similar products, but only seem to produce
more basic tyres now. Does anyone here use Panaracers?

Panaracer Pasela folders on Depravo the Roadrat. 18 months and no p+nct+r+s
so far. They seem to be pretty well thought of by those members of Audax UK
who have previously suffered from Conti Hamsterskins too.

--
Dave Larrington
<http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk>
Never tie your shoelaces in a revolving door.

Tim Dunne said:

Hi there

Just had a visit from the p*nct*r* fairy from hell - 5 punctures on a
rainy Saturday afternoon in 30 miles of riding. Was using Marathon Pluses,
but a 6mm shard of glass (just found) had managed to embed itself in the
tire just below feelable depth, so attempts to locate it on the road failed.

The tire is now cut fairly badly - I've used marathon plusses since I
had the bike and they've been good, but am now wondering if there's not a
better solution as I feel the rolling resistance is a little high.

What are the panel happy with these days? Decent fairy protection and
performance?

Tim
I went on the Sustrans Challenge ride last year (very wet) and got 9
punctures in 300miles (worst day 4 punctures) cut through the Kevlar
of my Marathon tyres, predominantly in the rear.

Changed to Marathon Supremes - so far so good and reassuringly
expensive.
If you believe the marketing they are the greatest thing since the
invention of the tyre.

Mark

Rob Morley said:

The old Specialized Turbos were excellent tyres - light and tough.
Nutrak used to make some similar products, but only seem to produce
more basic tyres now. Does anyone here use Panaracers?

Yes, Pasela: good lightweight 'touring' tyres.

~PB

In message <[email hidden]
ups.com>

Garry from Cork said:

If there was a bang, then either the tyre
lifted off rim (rare) or you have a hole in the sidewall of the tyre.

Loud bang, and it was around the Schrader valve.

--
Charles
Brompton P6R-Plus; CarryFreedom -YL, in Motspur Park
LCC; CTC.

Garry from Cork said:

If you want to find what's puncturing your tyre, all you have to do is
pump up the punctured tube and find where puncture is, making sure you
keep tube in same direction as it was in tyre.

Top tip.

When you install a new tube use Tippex or similar to make a mark on
one side of the valve stem. Then make a tiny dot on the sidewall of
the tyre where it is next to the valve so the two marks line up. This
makes it easy to align the tyre and tube perfectly once you have the
tube out even if the tyre has moved.

--
Dave...

Mark Taylor said:

Tim Dunne said:

Hi there

Just had a visit from the p*nct*r* fairy from hell - 5 punctures on
a rainy Saturday afternoon in 30 miles of riding. Was using
Marathon Pluses, but a 6mm shard of glass (just found) had managed
to embed itself in the tire just below feelable depth, so attempts
to locate it on the road failed.

The tire is now cut fairly badly - I've used marathon plusses since
I had the bike and they've been good, but am now wondering if
there's not a better solution as I feel the rolling resistance is a
little high.

What are the panel happy with these days? Decent fairy protection
and performance?

Tim I went on the Sustrans Challenge ride last year (very wet) and
got 9 punctures in 300miles (worst day 4 punctures) cut through the
Kevlar of my Marathon tyres, predominantly in the rear.

Changed to Marathon Supremes - so far so good and reassuringly
expensive. If you believe the marketing they are the greatest thing
since the invention of the tyre.

<Fires up browser>

dkahn400 said:

Top tip.

When you install a new tube use Tippex or similar to make a mark on
one side of the valve stem. Then make a tiny dot on the sidewall of
the tyre where it is next to the valve so the two marks line up. This
makes it easy to align the tyre and tube perfectly once you have the
tube out even if the tyre has moved.

A useful convention is to fit the tyre with the main tyre label next to
the valve; does the same job.

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

In message <[email hidden]
ups.com>

Quoted message said:

Loud bang, and it was around the Schrader valve.

Likely causes:
* the tube was pinched because the valve wasn't pushed in when
fitting the tube, and it was cut by the tyre bead
* the tube was stressed because the valve wasn't lined up with the
hole, either at fitting or because it crept around the rim due to
inadequate inflation, and the tube ripped
* the valve prevented the tyre from seating properly and the tyre
blew off the rim

In message <[email hidden]>

Rob Morley said:

Quoted message said:

Loud bang, and it was around the Schrader valve.

Likely causes:
* the tube was pinched because the valve wasn't pushed in when
fitting the tube, and it was cut by the tyre bead
* the tube was stressed because the valve wasn't lined up with the
hole, either at fitting or because it crept around the rim due to
inadequate inflation, and the tube ripped
* the valve prevented the tyre from seating properly and the tyre
blew off the rim

My guess is that it was stress caused by struggling to
connect/disconnect track pump connector. 16" wheels are involved with
very restricted space for rheumatic fingers/hands.

A smaller connector is being sourced. Present connector is a large
stiff to operate convertible Presta/Schrader.

The least awkward connector I have used so far is on the CycleAir
ribbon drive pump.

--
Charles
Brompton P6R-Plus; CarryFreedom -YL, in Motspur Park
LCC; CTC.

Quoting Zog The Undeniable <[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

dkahn400 said:

the tyre where it is next to the valve so the two marks line up. This
makes it easy to align the tyre and tube perfectly once you have the
tube out even if the tyre has moved.

A useful convention is to fit the tyre with the main tyre label next to
the valve; does the same job.

This seems very odd. I'm not aware that the tyre shows any tendency to
move with one bead still in the rim bed - I think it would take a certain
amount of shoving to rotate it.
--
David Damerell <[email hidden]> flcl?
Today is Saturday, January - a weekend.

David Damerell said:

Quoting Zog The Undeniable <[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

dkahn400 said:

the tyre where it is next to the valve so the two marks line up.
This makes it easy to align the tyre and tube perfectly once you
have the tube out even if the tyre has moved.

A useful convention is to fit the tyre with the main tyre label next
to the valve; does the same job.

This seems very odd. I'm not aware that the tyre shows any tendency to
move with one bead still in the rim bed - I think it would take a
certain amount of shoving to rotate it.

The tyre can move (or be refitted to a different position) when the tyre is
flat. A tyre tends to be flat when you are fitting a tube! :-) I think
this is what Mr Zog is referring to.

~PB

I said:

David Damerell wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

This seems very odd. I'm not aware that the tyre shows any tendency
to move with one bead still in the rim bed - I think it would take a
certain amount of shoving to rotate it.

The tyre can move (or be refitted to a different position) when the
tyre is flat. A tyre tends to be flat when you are fitting a tube!
:-) I think this is what Mr Zog is referring to.

ps. It does depend on the model of rim and tyre - and how sticky or not the
tyre is at the time. Some slip easily, some don't at all. If you've never
had one slip, you cannot have used many different rim and tyre combinations.

~PB