I'll find out if it works..= Flat Out..........

[Nvreloader]

I just pulled over 2 dozen Goat Heads out of the front tire and several more out of the back tire.

I have Flat Out in the tubes and liners, when I pulled out a couple of the biggest, longest thorns,
I got a tiny bubble on the outside of the tires. I am thinking maybe I should remove the tires
and check inside the casing to find any thorns that have broken off and will cause problems later.

I have been so careful when riding and always checking the tires, so far no Goat Heads in over 1200+ miles, until yesterday, checked the pressure and I was down about 10/15 #'s, refilled both tires with air and went for a 12 miles ride.
I hope Flat Out works.

 

[Nvreloader]

Well, Flat Out works perfectly. No more flat/low tires from the blasted Goat Heads.

 

[Nvreloader]

Kept the same tire pressure for the last day or so 100% impressed so far.

 

[DiggyGun]

Goat Heads

What are these?

DG…

 

[Taylor57]

What are these?

DG…

 

[Nvreloader]

DG
Look here, VERY NASTY and will flatten Bike/MC tires,

Goat Head weeds - Google Search

https://www.nwcb.wa.gov/weeds/puncturevine,

Each seed head has 4-5 stickers per bunch, hell on dogs feet and bare feet also,
hope you don't have any around you.
The long spikes break off an stay in the tire casings, have to dig EVERY spike out or you'll get continues flats, spines are over 1/4" in length, can get almost 1/2" long with good water conditions, like we had this year.
The plants grow to over 5-6' in diameter, and one seed will sprout a new plant anywhere is lands in dirt, carried via tires of vehicles, bottom of shoes/boots, live stock feet or any thing the heads can stick into.
If you want some, I can send you garbage can full, you'll have to pat the shipping........LoL

 

[DiggyGun]

@Nvreloader

Vicious looking little blighters.

Never heard of these, so may not get them in the UK

Pleased you got your punctures sorted.

DG…

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

horrible little things! used to get them in AZ, the worst sound in the world when you pull one out mid-ride and hear a loud hissing of air. i had luck with tannus armour liners. a bit expensive and added some weight and a softer feel to the tires, but overall was happy with how they held up against the goat heads.

 

[Nvreloader]

Let me tell you how I first met the Goat Head,
The family moved from K Falls, Or to Red Bluff, Ca, in the early 60's,
Dad got a good truck drivers job, driving for PIE, Trucking Co.

Mom and I were returning home from town going East bound to what was called Petty Coat Jct at this time, a local Bar/store combo sat at the Jct of the Hwy of 36E and 99E roads going up to Lassen Park.
In the early 60's there were miles upon miles of orchards with Almond, Walnut (both types) and Prune trees planted on the South side of Hwy 99.

Mom dropped me of at the local store and went home about 1/4 mile from the store, I had been running around bare footed all the time, in OR.
Started for home and the pavement started getting a little too hot to walk on, spotted a big green patch of grass along side the road.

So I jumped onto this green grass spot, my world came to a screaming halt,
this green patch of grass was a big Goat Head plant, full of these _()*^DC:KMF^SM&$ GH stickers, (when you get stuck by them, feels like Yellow Jacket stings and you poured gas into the hole).

I flopped down on my butt and I was lite on fire, I filled my butt with hundreds of these GH's, I put my hands down to get up, and both hands were full of these GH's, went to roll over and filled my legs with GH's, sitting there crying/screaming my head off.

It seems like the world was coming to an end and I was burning up,
the next thing I knew, there was Mom, coming to rescue me.

I was coated head to feet in these+_()*%^$@ GH stickers, apparently I had flopped down and loaded my back up with GH's also.
One of the local friends of Mom's, was watching me walking (Flopping around) and called Mom.
All I remember, I was sicker than a dog and spent several days in bed, and it was a week or so before I could walk, when the swelling went down, in my feet.

There is NO Goat Head stickers in OR.
I soon learned that you could put a worn bike tire inside a good one and have a week or so of riding, before patching up the tires, to ride some more.

ps,
There is NO Goat Head stickers in OR, that I know of.
I HATE these +_)(*^%$#@ GH's.
pps,
I have never walked bare footed since..........to this day.

 

[PCeBiker]

I first learned about 's from a post by @tomjasz ,..

Fortunately, there are no goats where I live or their prickly plant relatives.
All we've got are regular thistles and rusty nails.

Here's a good picture of Goat Heads,..
They look really nasty.

PS,.. I stole the picture.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

Say “hello” to their cousin, the caltrop

 

[PCeBiker]

Say “hello” to their cousin, the caltrop

View attachment 162543

I wonder if the man-made version was a copy of an actual Goat Head thorn ?

Just like the guy that invented velcro by copying common plant burrs,..

 

[Slaphappygamer]

Oh, we had these at an apartment complex that I lived at. I was on the second floor and the staircase steps were cement. These “balls of death” would fall on our steps during the fall (no pun intended, but accepted). Not sure whose idea it was to have A) cement steps or B) these damned trees, but WOW, I’d love to thank them, profusely.

Side note: I found a shop, on Esty selling these fking things. Might be a resident of the complex that I lived at. Lol

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Oh, we had these at an apartment complex that I lived at. I was on the second floor and the staircase steps were cement. These “balls of death” would fall on our steps during the fall (no pun intended, but accepted). Not sure whose idea it was to have A) cement steps or B) these damned trees, but WOW, I’d love to thank them, profusely.

View attachment 162549

Side note: I found a shop, on Esty selling these fking things. Might be a resident of the complex that I lived at. Lol

Those look like dried sweetgum balls. As I recall from my childhood, not much of a puncture risk, green or dry, but I can see them functioning as ball bearings on stairs.

I actually have fond memories of these balls of death. When I was a kid (way back in the Late Bronze Age), we just called them "gumballs". We'd collect dozens of buckets of the green ones in summer, soak them in water, and then throw them at each other in neighborhood-wide gumball wars that would rage on for days.

Cheap fun. Hurt a little and left a nice wet spot when you got hit at close range but never broke the skin.