Goat head thorns

[Nutty Girl]

It has been about 20 years since riding significant distances. The goat/ram head thorns are everywhere. In the past I have tried slime with slime liners and still had flats. Just ordered new bikes and will be picking them up in a couple days. I am hoping that the extra protection Tire treatment I paid for works better. Does anyone know of a wheel brush that will scrape off thorns before they get pressed in farther on each rotation ?
Happy Riding,
Nutty Girl

 

[The Front Ranger]

You might consider these:
https://www.compasscycle.com/shop/components/fenders/tire-wipers/

 

[Ann M.]

Welcome to EBR, @Nutty Girl, what sort of tire treatment did you go with? We usually recommend choosing tires with thicker tread or with a kevlar type compound along with Thorn resistant tubes (4x thicker than regular tubes) along with a good tire liner like Mr. Tuffy. In Texas, I never found that the Slime worked except on very tiny holes but I'm open to hearing about other good options. And as you've found out, the later in the year it is, the more dried out and mean those goat head stickers are

 

[Nutty Girl]

I knew I saw something like this year's ago. Thank you so much. I noticed that the picture shows it mounted on a fender it looks like? Where else can it be mounted to?

 

[Nutty Girl]

Thanks Front Ranger and Ann.
Not sure, just paid extra for treatment package about $100. We stressed the importance of thorn issues. So I'm hoping for the best outcome. Flat free rides! But I think special liners (not sure of brand or type) and slime.

 

[mrgold35]

I live in NM and I cannot ride around the block without getting 5-10 goat heads stickers in my 4" fat tire bike. When I ride the dirt trails, I have goat heads and cactus thorns to worry about also. I also find myself dodging and weaving road debris on my ebike 13 mile total round-trip work commute on side/main roads (wood splinters, sharp rocks, broken glass from cars/bottles, car parts from accidents, more goat heads, etc...).

I find the combo of Mr. Tuffy tire liner and Stan's tire sealant has prevented flats for me for +4 years (4 years for the 700X40c Transeo bike and +4 month on my Radrover 4" fat tire). I usually remove the broken off goat head thorns buried deep in the rubber on the weekend. I don't want to be away from home and remove the thorn that might be keeping the air in my tire. I just use needle nose pliers; but, the ones buried really deep are easier to remove with the blade of a box cutter (scrape the top of the thorn until I can snag the side of goat head with the blade.

I ended up have 3 holes from goat heads with air leaking once I removed the thorn last weekend. I just rotated the tire until the tire sealant bubbled out, I made sure the tire was back to 20 PSI commuter pressure once the sealant/air stopped leaking, and just double-checked the PSI over a day or two.

I don't have any tools to repair bike flats or done nothing more than rotate my tires and checked the PSI in 4 years with the Mr. Tuffy+Stan's sealant combo.

 

[Nutty Girl]

You might consider these:
https://www.compasscycle.com/shop/components/fenders/tire-wipers/

 

[Nutty Girl]

I live in NM and I cannot ride around the block without getting 5-10 goat heads stickers in my 4" fat tire bike. When I ride the dirt trails, I have goat heads and cactus thorns to worry about also. I also find myself dodging and weaving road debris on my ebike 13 mile total round-trip work commute on side/main roads (wood splinters, sharp rocks, broken glass from cars/bottles, car parts from accidents, more goat heads, etc...).

I find the combo of Mr. Tuffy tire liner and Stan's tire sealant has prevented flats for me for +4 years (4 years for the 700X40c Transeo bike and +4 month on my Radrover 4" fat tire). I usually remove the broken off goat head thorns buried deep in the rubber on the weekend. I don't want to be away from home and remove the thorn that might be keeping the air in my tire. I just use needle nose pliers; but, the ones buried really deep are easier to remove with the blade of a box cutter (scrape the top of the thorn until I can snag the side of goat head with the blade.

I ended up have 3 holes from goat heads with air leaking once I removed the thorn last weekend. I just rotated the tire until the tire sealant bubbled out, I made sure the tire was back to 20 PSI commuter pressure once the sealant/air stopped leaking, and just double-checked the PSI over a day or two.

I don't have any tools to repair bike flats or done nothing more than rotate my tires and checked the PSI in 4 years with the Mr. Tuffy+Stan's sealant combo.

 

[Nutty Girl]

Mrgold35. Wow this forum is amazing. Great tips from everyone! And specific instructions too.
Can't wait to get my bike this week. Getting fatter tires (not quite fat boys) and a few other adjustments and parts. Then I will be riding in style to grocery store 5 miles away to pick up a few things. Then once we get back in the swing of things day trips and rides.
So excited.
Thanks everyone

 

[The Front Ranger]

I try to run tubeless tires on all my bikes. It requires tubeless-compatible rims/tires, but it's worth it in my experience.

@Nutty Girl Which tires does your bike have?

 

[E-Wheels]

Welcome to EBR, @Nutty Girl, what sort of tire treatment did you go with? We usually recommend choosing tires with thicker tread or with a kevlar type compound along with Thorn resistant tubes (4x thicker than regular tubes) along with a good tire liner like Mr. Tuffy. In Texas, I never found that the Slime worked except on very tiny holes but I'm open to hearing about other good options. And as you've found out, the later in the year it is, the more dried out and mean those goat head stickers are

Nutty Girl,
You might want to try these tyres as they have good reviews for puncture resistance https://www.schwalbe.com/en/tour.html

 

[Nutty Girl]

Not sure of Tire type, sorry. Paid extra to get wider tires but does know what kind. Crossing my fingers Dealer Doug heard my concerns and will get great solution. I will keep a watch on this post to refer back to. Thanks a bunch. E w heels, Ranger, gold, ann......

 

[Duncan]

Setting up my Rad Rover with 4" fat tires. Will be using it in winter conditions and wondered if Stans tire sealant works in winter conditions? How much and what type of Stan's sealant do you use in a tubed tire?

 

[mrgold35]

Setting up my Rad Rover with 4" fat tires. Will be using it in winter conditions and wondered if Stans tire sealant works in winter conditions? How much and what type of Stan's sealant do you use in a tubed tire?

Winter for me is temps in 20s-30s in the morning and 40s-50s by the afternoon. I don't ride if there is snow on the ground or a chance of rain. I haven't noticed any differences in how the Radrover handles when it is below freezing compared to above freezing with Stans sealant. I'm assuming Stans doesn't freeze or get too thick/gloppy at those temps?

I did the Mr. Tuffy tire liners for 4" fat tires and put in two 2-ounce bottles of Stans sealant per tire. I did this back in Oct/2016 and haven't had to change a flat since. I picked out plenty of goatheads that started squirting air mixed with tire sealant out. I just rotate the tire down, wait for the sealant to work, and check the PSI afterwards.

If I had to guess, I figure I have about +15 goat-head thrones that penetrated my tires+liners on both bikes and punctured my inner tubes. I know I will need a new inner tube when I'm due for new tires.

 

[Lost]

I live in the northeast, and am just getting into biking. 53 years old. Never heard of GHT's until I hit these forums. Score one for the Northeast. (Only one). I want to move south in a few years, where about do they start to be a real problem?