Repeated Flats

[Luto]

Everytime you get a flat, you just have to ensure you run your fingers (carefully, of course) in the tire to ensure there is no surprise waiting for your freshly patched tube. It becomes part of the tire patch repair routine.

It also pays to keep a good, sharp eye on the road ahead while out riding. The amount of debris laying on the shoulder of our roadways is substantial, including all kinds of nails, machine screws, sheet metal screws and glass of all shapes and sizes.

If you use water, it is easy to find the hole in a tube. Then check that location in the tire first. Never hurts to run your fingers on the inside.

Also punctures like that usually are caused by the item sticking in the tire, then you ride over it for a while and drive it in. As Mike say, stop running over stuff. But if you do, stop and check your tires and pull out anything before it embeds deeper. I have pulled out a lot of stuff, thorns included before they become punctures. It is pretty rare that you run something over just once and it causes a puncture. You usually need to drive it in deeper by continuing riding. We used to use our foot to "scrap" off stuff while riding, but that takes extra balance-skill.

Tubeless with sealant is the way to go IMO.

 

[Taylor57]

I rode my Ride1Up 700 440 miles without a flat, then had one a few days ago, just as I got to work. I patched it at work, and it got me the twelve miles back home. But, the next morning, the same tire (rear) was flat again. The tire is a 27.5" X 2.4", but all I had was a 26" tube, but hey, it's rubber. It'll stretch and work, right? I installed it, and by the next morning, the tire was about halfway flat, again. So, I went and bought a Goodyear, 27.5" tube, for tires up to 2.3" wide. Thought surely that would work. It's supposed to be 30% thicker than a standard tube to boot. And, you guessed it - 6.5 miles from home, another flat. I patched it, and it got me home.

Now, looking at the first tube I patched, it appears that there is a hole in the patch? I've got a sneaking suspicion what you're going to say, but I want to hear it from experienced bikers...

What's going on here???

Slime is your friend. If you still get flats, bite the bullet and install the Tannus Armour...

 

[mgilbert]

If you use water, it is easy to find the hole in a tube. Then check that location in the tire first. Never hurts to run your fingers on the inside.

Also punctures like that usually are caused by the item sticking in the tire, then you ride over it for a while and drive it in. As Mike say, stop running over stuff. But if you do, stop and check your tires and pull out anything before it embeds deeper. I have pulled out a lot of stuff, thorns included before they become punctures. It is pretty rare that you run something over just once and it causes a puncture. You usually need to drive it in deeper by continuing riding. We used to use our foot to "scrap" off stuff while riding, but that takes extra balance-skill.

Tubeless with sealant is the way to go IMO.

Sounds like you are riding mountain bikes. I'm riding on full width shoulders on major highways, and they are littered with junk. Going over the inside of a tire after a flat is obviously a good idea, but I think going over the outside of the tires the same way, after a ride, might also be a good idea.

 

[mgilbert]

Slime is your friend. If you still get flats, bite the bullet and install the Tannus Armour...

Flats are enough to make me give up riding, so Tannus Armour might be a good investment for me.

 

[Taylor57]

Flats are enough to make me give up riding, so Tannus Armour might be a good investment for me.

Im actually thinking about installing Tannus on my bikes just because. Yeah a little pricey, but how annoying and time wasting are flats?

 

[Elkman]

I rode my Ride1Up 700 440 miles without a flat, then had one a few days ago, just as I got to work. I patched it at work, and it got me the twelve miles back home. But, the next morning, the same tire (rear) was flat again. The tire is a 27.5" X 2.4", but all I had was a 26" tube, but hey, it's rubber. It'll stretch and work, right? I installed it, and by the next morning, the tire was about halfway flat, again. So, I went and bought a Goodyear, 27.5" tube, for tires up to 2.3" wide. Thought surely that would work. It's supposed to be 30% thicker than a standard tube to boot. And, you guessed it - 6.5 miles from home, another flat. I patched it, and it got me home.

Now, looking at the first tube I patched, it appears that there is a hole in the patch? I've got a sneaking suspicion what you're going to say, but I want to hear it from experienced bikers...

What's going on here???

I would check the rim and see if any spokes are pushing up to where they can hit the tube. A Kevlar liner is a worthwhile investment. Improper mounting of the tube and tire can lead to a pinched tire that is OK initially but will fail when it has the weight of the rider on it.

 

[indianajo]

I quit using slime tubes when they plugged up the schrader valve and I couldn't pump up the tire. Couldn't cut the valve stem off, I had to poke a hole in that tire with a pick to get it off the wheel. Fortunately it was worn out.
I don't use armor, or $60 special tires, or any of that. I do ride on the berm of the road where there is a lot of trash, broken bottles, smashed car windows, particularly many shredded truck tire fragments with wire sticking out. I do use $26 knobby tires, and change them out after a year when the knobs are <3/32" high. I usually use a tire up before it goes flat. The road tires that came on the bike only lasted 700 miles before a flat. The replacement knobbies usually go ~2000 miles. Yes, they make a noise. Keeps any pedestrians alert.
I do use $7 schwinn tubes from the grocery store. I carry two on the road; sometimes the first replacement blows up immediately. They are made in ***** after all. I've had an $8 tube from the bike shop made in ******* blow up immediately; so there is no US made rubber products anymore. I do pump the tube up then release it down to 10 psI then pump it up again to eliminate any kinks inside the tire.
I've had spokes that were too long poke the tube. Check for that when getting a flat, and file them down. Use a rim liner, or 600 v rated electrical tape. I have had cheap rims cut the schrader valve at the hole. I file those out first time I change the tire. If a tube walks and the stem get too sideways, it will cut the schrader valve at the base. I have had some of these $26 tires not have any rubber inside the metal fabric inside. I painted those with $11 a quart bead sealer from the auto supply.
Age 71 I use reading glasses now to inspect the tire to see if something is causing a flat tube. Out on the road, I feel inside the tire pretty thoroughy before putting air in it.
That story about a tube inherently leaking down in a couple of weeks is hogwash. I usually air up a tire when it feels soft, about 3 times a year. I carry 80 lb cargo, on a 94 lb bike, and air the tubes up to ~55 psi. Maybe 30 mm road bike tires premium selected to "save weight" and aired to 120 psi have that problem.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

I quit using slime tubes when they plugged up the schrader valve and I couldn't pump up the tire. Couldn't cut the valve stem off, I had to poke a hole in that tire with a pick to get it off the wheel. Fortunately it was worn out

That is totally beyond the realm of my experience with Slime. It has never clogged a valve in my experience, and if it did, I can't really imagine not being able to blow it out of the way with an air pump. If that didn't work, there's no way the core couldn't be removed and wiped off or run under a faucet.

TT

 

[steve mercier]

I hate flats and so I started buying the most flatproof tires that suit the bike (for example my wife and I have had a flat each on a Smart Sam but never on a Smart Sam Plus ) and then I add the Tannus Armour inserts. I believe David Berry hates flats even more and does this also PLUS uses either Slime Smart tubes or a can of Slime sealant AND also adds some kind of rim protection tape! I have ordered some Slime smart tubes and will put one in the next time I get a flat. I also carry a can of Vittoria Pit Stop but have never had to use it yet. And I carry a spare tube and a pump but I have not used them yet either because the last time I got a flat I was able to ride in limp mode the 10k home. If it was not an Ebike I doubt I would have been able to ride it though ,because of the resistance it needed the full force of Turbo mode even on level ground. The rim however was never in jeopardy of getting damaged with the Tannus. As you can see I will go to great lengths to avoid a flat.

 

[voidedwarranty]

How many patches is too many for one tire? In 6 months and 900 miles I've had 5 punctures, all in the rear tire. 5 patches and still holding strong. My tube is starting to look like a teenager with an acne problem.

 

[Taylor57]

How many patches is too many for one tire? In 6 months and 900 miles I've had 5 punctures, all in the rear tire. 5 patches and still holding strong. My tube is starting to look like a teenager with an acne problem.

I think 5 is max

 

[voidedwarranty]

I think 5 is max

I guess I'm heading into uncharted territory . I have a spare tube but my rear wheel is such a pain to remove. If I can make it to winter I will change it then.

 

[theemartymac]

I think 5 is max

I ran on my flattened tube for a couple hundred meters before realizing it last month. After swapping out for a fresh one and getting home, I tried to patch the old one as it was just a simple nail puncture. 5 patches later, and it still wasn't holding air! lol

I must have rolled a dozen holes through that thing as the rim rolled into it, but the were all so small they only showed up under significant pressure. Finally gave up at 5, which was 4 more than I have ever done before. :-D

 

[AHicks]

Are you guys using some sort of sealant in the tube as a flat preventative (e.g. Slime)? If not, geez... give it a try! It's cheap, everyone stocks it, it's easy to install, and it WORKS!

 

[steve mercier]

Are you guys using some sort of sealant in the tube as a flat preventative (e.g. Slime)? If not, geez... give it a try! It's cheap, everyone stocks it, it's easy to install, and it WORKS!

Yes, I bought Slime Smart tubes and have put them in two of our three bikes now. Glad to hear you have confidence in them!

 

[Sierratim]

Flats are enough to make me give up riding, so Tannus Armour might be a good investment for me.

Don't stop riding just because of flats!

OK, with that said, there's no perfect no-flat solution, but you can reduce them so their rare occurance will probably be acceptable to you.

Technologies like tubeless and the Tanus inserts will go a long way in this direction, but my MTBing sons that have ridden tubeless for some years do carry flat kits for their setups. Users of the Tanus inserts have also reported flats.

Accepting that there is no perfect solution will lead you to the conclusion that being proficient in fixing a flat is a good cycling skill to have. I highly recommend this. I even teach this to local youth groups that I coach re cycling.

 

[Sierratim]

I think 5 is max

I've never had a properly applied patch fail so I've never had a limit to the number of patches on a tube. What usually 'kills' a tube is a slit along a seam, or a puncture near a stem or another patch.

 

[AHicks]

Don't stop riding just because of flats!

OK, with that said, there's no perfect no-flat solution, but you can reduce them so their rare occurance will probably be acceptable to you.

Technologies like tubeless and the Tanus inserts will go a long way in this direction, but my MTBing sons that have ridden tubeless for some years do carry flat kits for their setups. Users of the Tanus inserts have also reported flats.

Accepting that there is no perfect solution will lead you to the conclusion that being proficient in fixing a flat is a good cycling skill to have. I highly recommend this. I even teach this to local youth groups that I coach re cycling.

Amen....

 

[voidedwarranty]

Are you guys using some sort of sealant in the tube as a flat preventative (e.g. Slime)? If not, geez... give it a try! It's cheap, everyone stocks it, it's easy to install, and it WORKS!

No. I keep all tools necessary to patch and inflate my tires in my tool bag on my rear rack. 15 minutes and I'm up and running like new. No need to remove wheels.

I've never had a properly applied patch fail so I've never had a limit to the number of patches on a tube. What usually 'kills' a tube is a slit along a seam, or a puncture near a stem or another patch.

Same so far. Been plugging and patching automotive tires for nearly 2 decades. Proper repair should always result in a permanent fix.

 

[AHicks]

No. I keep all tools necessary to patch and inflate my tires in my tool bag on my rear rack. 15 minutes and I'm up and running like new. No need to remove wheels.


Same so far. Been plugging and patching automotive tires for nearly 2 decades. Proper repair should always result in a permanent fix.

Running the sealant in your tubes is more a preventative (pro active?) approach. When you get tired of patching, or even keeping a close eye on your tires to prevent running them when they've gone low, give it a try. No smoke and mirrors here. It really does work.