Flat Tire Prevention Advice

[AHicks]

I'm a big fan of the Schwalbe balloon tires. I settled on 2.4" Super Moto-X, but take your choice really. I'm sure there are a bunch of different ideas on what the perfect tire looks like. I chose them as about the best compromise for "on pavement most of the time, with some off road" and the ride they offer due to the lower pressures they run at. The Schwalbes are in short supply, so if you can find anything in the size you're interested in, I'd go for it. My experience has been inner tubes, from cheap to expensive, work about the same. That's me though....

Schwalbe has the green guard layer to help prevent flats, but that doesn't make them near as flat proof as running a sealant in the tubes will. The sealant is the trick. That's the most important piece of this as far as I'm concerned. Pick out your favorite goop, and run it.

 

[Engine44]

I'm a big fan of the Schwalbe balloon tires. I settled on 2.4" Super Moto-X, but take your choice really. I'm sure there are a bunch of different ideas on what the perfect tire looks like. I chose them as about the best compromise for "on pavement most of the time, with some off road" and the ride they offer due to the lower pressures they run at. The Schwalbes are in short supply, so if you can find anything in the size you're interested in, I'd go for it. My experience has been inner tubes, from cheap to expensive, work about the same. That's me though....

Schwalbe has the green guard layer to help prevent flats, but that doesn't make them near as flat proof as running a sealant in the tubes will. The sealant is the trick. That's the most important piece of this as far as I'm concerned. Pick out your favorite goop, and run it.

Thanks

 

[rawlus]

IMHO, you can use “high quality”innertubes but generally they are just slightly thicker latex. Punctures are usually from objects pointed and/or sharp and a few extra mm of latex is only a sometimes defense. Physical barrier and puncture resolution are obvious upgrades.

physical barriers range from Mt Tuffy, Rhinodillo and other similar strip-type products and Tannus Armor which is more like a foam run flat liner. (Note tannus may require a smaller inter tube size depending on your application)

puncture resolution products are like Slime or Flatout or similar gel/liquid products that can find and seal punctures as they happen.

In decades of riding, ive not found more expensive/higher quality inner tubes alone to be a suitable resolution to the problem of frequent flats. Tougher tires and tougher tubes can be part of a solution, but both are not universally available in all sizes and for all applications and when those situations arise, I think strips + tube sealant is a more viable option that’s given me great results.

 

[dmourati]

I also want to minimize my risk of flats as I frequently ride it with a young kid on board back and forth to school. The bike is also a longjohn style so difficult to work on road side.

I went with Tannus Armour plus puncture protected Schwalbe Big Ben Plus tires.

 

[indianajo]

NO! That may be contrary to what you hear from some, but the downside of using Slime in your tube is pretty much -0-.

I've had a couple of slime tubes get where I couldn't add air to them anymore. I've quit buying them. Any ordinary tire needs 10-20 psi of air every 2 or 3 months. I couldn't get the core out of the slime tubes, they were stuck.
I average a flat every 3 years or 6000 miles. I run cheap schwinn tubes, but I run knobby tires with 3/16" thick knobs. When the knobs get <3/32" I replace them Usually in the spring after 2000-3000 miles on road.
Both flats I had were faults of the tire, not road debris. I had a good looking used tire split the cord 4 years ago. No more tires >3 years old. I had a new Panaracer Fire XC knobby fall off the rim this June, 2 miles after installation. Moral of that story, don't buy tires that are shipped flat. I complained to modernbike.com that they didn't warn me this $60 tire was a piece of ****. no refund or apology ensued. Buy Kenda smokes or giant equivalent, $26 tires that are shipped round. Kendas were out of stock when I bought the 2.4* as expensive panaracer garbage.

 

[AHicks]

I've had a couple of slime tubes get where I couldn't add air to them anymore. I've quit buying them. Any ordinary tire needs 10-20 psi of air every 2 or 3 months. I couldn't get the core out of the slime tubes, they were stuck.
I average a flat every 3 years or 6000 miles. I run cheap schwinn tubes, but I run knobby tires with 3/16" thick knobs. When the knobs get <3/32" I replace them Usually in the spring after 2000-3000 miles on road.
Both flats I had were faults of the tire, not road debris. I had a good looking used tire split the cord 4 years ago. No more tires >3 years old. I had a new Panaracer Fire XC knobby fall off the rim this June, 2 miles after installation. Moral of that story, don't buy tires that are shipped flat. I complained to modernbike.com that they didn't warn me this $60 tire was a piece of ****. no refund or apology ensued. Buy Kenda smokes or giant equivalent, $26 tires that are shipped round. Kendas were out of stock when I bought the 2.4* as expensive panaracer garbage.

Been using the stuff (Slime) quite a while and have never encountered a stuck valve.

Any tire not using a sealant is going to need air WAY more frequently than one that is.

New tires are something to be careful with when inflating for the first time. I've had a couple of lessons in that regard. Both were due to my stupidity. Now, for the last 10-15 years, I put 10-15 psi in them and check the bead on BOTH sides of the wheel to make absolutely sure the bead is seated properly on the rim. There's actually a faint ring cast into the tire you can check to make 100% sure. If that "ring" isn't evenly spaced ALL of the way around the rim, let all but just a few psi out and reposition the tire on the rim. This is a required step when inflating after a flat repair as well. If the tire comes off the rim because the installer was a little too casual in checking carefully, I'll guarantee you the tube isn't going to be repairable, and your ears will be ringing for an hour due to the big BANG as the tire comes off the rim....

 

[Rickman1]

A local bike shop offers “Desert Proofing” bike tires. They install a liner, a thicker thorn proof tube and then add sealant. Sounds good to me as I mostly ride on the street and occasional gravel/dirt roads. I will probably do this for more peace of mind.

 

[Engine44]

Thanks everyone. This forum is very helpful.

 

[Engine44]

I'm primarily an urban rider and it seems the best preventative solution for me is a tube sealant product (e.g. Slime-Red). I have read that Slime can be difficult to use with Presta valves. Does anyone have experience with this issue? Thanks.

 

[rawlus]

I'm primarily an urban rider and it seems the best preventative solution for me is a tube sealant product (e.g. Slime-Red). I have read that Slime can be difficult to use with Presta valves. Does anyone have experience with this issue? Thanks.

there are some youtube vids on this, but if it’s a presta with non removable core then some users puncture the tube itself with a needle connected to the slime container and then patch the tube afterward.

 

[Engine44]

there are some youtube vids on this, but if it’s a presta with non removable core then some users puncture the tube itself with a needle connected to the slime container and then patch the tube afterward.

Interesting. I will have to be sure to get a removable core.

 

[AHicks]

Interesting. I will have to be sure to get a removable core.

Or drill the rim to accept a conventional schrader valve?

 

[Engine44]

Or drill the rim to accept a conventional schrader valve?

Yes, that's an option.

 

[harryS]

The biggest problem with slime in inner tubes is that eventually it clogs up the valve core, which you can generally easily fix by removing the valve core and cleaning it, and possibly replacing the valve core.

I have that problem right now with my wife's bike. Valve is all gummed up, and I'll to find my little core remover and see what I can do.

Prior to that, last year it seemed like her tire got unbalanced when it got cold. I thought the slime had congealed on the bottom, so I removed it and stuck the tube in warm water. The thumping went away, but maybe it was the tire.

 

[DaveMatthews]

Mine is pretty much the same story as @Alaskan
Had 3 flats (all blackberry thorns) the first year of ebike ownership (2019 Giant Fathom E+2), then went tubeless with regular Stan's.
Now after 2 years and 2000+ Kms I've not had a flat. I have pulled blackberry thorns and small nails out but no flat. Now on 2021 Stance E+2.
Sold on tubeless.

 

[Sierratim]

After several flats on my then new Vado ebike, I installed Mr Tuffy tire liners as I've used on my mech bikes for years. No flats since, now at 30 months. I ride with my tires at ~50psi, YRMV.

I do mostly urban paved path/road riding so your experiences will vary with your riding conditions. My local MTBing mech engineer sons swear by their tubeless setups. They do lots of hops and jumps and run pressures well below mine so I'm sure they're right for their riding conditions.

I do like the simplicity of just using tire liners, but wouldn't hesitate to upgrade to tubeless if I was still getting flats.

 

[Sierratim]

Just as a tid-bit; I do carry a full flat kit at all times;

Spare tube
Tube patch kit
Tire levers
Mini-tool
Manual pump
CO2 inflator
Multiple CO2 cartridges

Just 'cause stuff happens...

BTW - my MTBing sons do the same though they eliminate the manual pump and add a tubeless plug kit, mostly because they don't want to walk to the trail head...

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Sold on tubeless.

You don't replace the tyres for the winter, do you

 

[DaveMatthews]

You don't replace the tyres for the winter, do you

Not much need here in Lotus land/Vancouver.
Ice is rare, and snow even more rare.

 

[m@Robertson]

Tuffy, Slime, Tannus, FlatOut. All were tested in this recent face-off, which I think is the best illustration of the limitations of all of the various players.

I came to the same conclusion myself a few months ago, with the same dramatic success stories. Just no cameras to memorialize them. I also use FlatOut as a tubeless sealant and it solves the one major weakness of tubeless: The sealant is no good for big holes. Well, if the sealant is FlatOut you are good for holes in the 1/2" range. My tire poker and side of bacon has never left its little container.

(e?)Bike Flat Prevention

As a daily rider for decades, I have some thoughts on this subject. Mostly along the lines of “no flats allowed, ever”.

talesontwowheels.com

In the 1980's and 1990's I swore by Tuffy... In 2021 its a shadow of what it once was and no longer worth consideration. In the present day I use belted tires where I can, with Tannus under them if it fits, a thornproof tube under that if I can get one in that size, with FlatOut inside the tube. And a little air. All extremes aside if all I can get is a normal tire, a normal tube and (gasp!) Tannus doesn't fit... FlatOut alone is just fine.