So Many Flat Tires - Advise on New Tires?
- Thread starter NolaGray
- Start date
AHicks
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Snow Bird - Summer S.E. Michigan, Winter Gulf Coast North Central Fl.
Feeling like a dummy this morning. Not sure why it didn't occur to me earlier, but after rereading this thread, it occurred to me that in the case of a "flat on every ride" that our OP is writing about, it could be that something is sticking into the interior of the tire. Who knows what that might be. It may not even be visible from the outside. Now believe a really close inspection of the inside of that tire is in order.
Apologies to Ruffruff for my single track train of thought.....
Apologies to Ruffruff for my single track train of thought.....
kmccune
Well-Known Member
Hyperbole perhaps?
steve mercier
Well-Known Member
Robspace you are putting a Whammy on yourself by saying " Goodbye to flats" That should only be whispered , never shouted. I got a flat last week when a 4 inch wood screw went through my Schwalbe Marathon MTB Plus at full speed like a knife through warm butter. Fortunately I was able to ride in limp mode the 5 km to the nearest bike shop because I had the Tannus Armour inserts as well. The can of sealant that I applied after the flat did not hold as the hole was too large, so I will not bother with that Vittoria Pit Stop again. Also I replaced the Schwalbe Marathon MTB Plus with a grippier tire. If there is no such thing as a flat proof tire , I think I may as well use the tires that I enjoy more which have more off-road grip.
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Tom@WashDC
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Loudoun County, VA.
NolaGray,
So you get a flat "literally every time" you ride. Can you tell us how many times that has been since you started riding this route with this bike/tire configuration? Have you ridden 5 times and gotten 5 flats? or 30 times and gotten thirty flats?
When you fix all of these flats, can you give us a list of any items you have found lodged in the tire that caused the flat? Glass? nails? screws? metal pieces? You must have found something with so many occurrences. Or, are you fixing the tube, and not investigating your tire for tire punctures or debris lodged in the tire. The offending item could still be in the tire. I would find it hard to believe that you have not found any tire punctures, or the offending item with so many flats.
Is there a consistent pattern for the location of the flats on the tube? Are the flats occurring between the tube and the sidewall? The tube and the road contact surface, or the tube and the rim. With so many flats, there should be a consistent pattern. Are you getting "Snake Eye" flats?
Are the flats occurring on the front tire, or just the rear, or randomly distributed between both?
I believe, with so many flat tires, you should have enough information already to isolate the problem, or at least set up a controlled experiment that would isolate the problem after getting two or more flat tires. You are probably pretty good at fixing flats by now.
The source of your flats should be easy to isolate by now.
“Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.” - Sherlock Homes”
Well, while no tire is completely bulletproof, the Schwalbe lined tires are about as good as it gets. Most riders will run over glass, sharp rocks and small nails all the time and never get a flat with these tires. I do all the time. There will always be the exceptions. When I first got my ebike, I had 3 flats in the first 3 months. Just going over weeds and small rocks! I had liners added and still got flats. I finally did the smart thing and got these super tough tires and have had no flats in almost 2 years. So worth the money!
Some questions (sorry if they've already been answered):
What's causing the punctures?
Are you running the tyres at the appropriate pressure for the terrain?
How are you fixing the punctures?
Cheers
pmcdonald
Well-Known Member
Peeps, the OP is 18 months old. Let's hope or assume NolaGray has the issue under control.
There's some excellent threads here on puncture protection. My commuter preference is for tubes, Tannus Armour inserts and Marathon Plus tyres. Heavy and lifeless feel on the road but I'll take that for 5.5k puncture-less kilometres.
There's some excellent threads here on puncture protection. My commuter preference is for tubes, Tannus Armour inserts and Marathon Plus tyres. Heavy and lifeless feel on the road but I'll take that for 5.5k puncture-less kilometres.
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Didn't spot that! Let's hope it has been resolved.
My experience - in 5,000km have had two punctures (nail and glass), both in rear tyre. Both punctures fixed quickly in the field without removing.wheel. No inserts nor goo.
The tyres are Schwalbe Rock Razors.
Gionnirocket
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Y. O.
Love watching everyone struggle to help with a one post wonder from months ago.
It's obvious to me that the bone head keeps fixing the flat without checking his tire/rim for the cause.
It's obvious to me that the bone head keeps fixing the flat without checking his tire/rim for the cause.
Tom@WashDC
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Loudoun County, VA.
That's funny. I never checked the date of the original post, just saw it popped up the "What's New" feed.
Ditto.
kmccune
Well-Known Member
These threads should perhaps have an expiration date,I know in the "Electrek" site the "Disqus" threads or replies are closed in about 48 Hrs.
6000kms and no punctures from Big Bens. Swapped for Jonny Watts and discovered BBs have rolled quite few pieces of glass with some still buried in them. Does pay to give them once over ever so often and remove any pieces before they work their way through protective layer. Had small rock stuck in tread do this on another tyre, could've been there for months.
PedalUma
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Petaluma, CA
Anytime you get a flat mark the tube relatively to the tire and rim noting left and right. Call the valve stem 12 o-clock. Remove the old tube and pump it up. See where the puncture is located with soapy water and analyze that location of the tire or rim. Replacing a tube when there is a sharp wire imbedded in the tire, at 3 o-clock left will not help. The cause must be eliminated at its source. Liners can crimp if not installed with care. Inflate at tube 1/2 way before installation. Use baby powder inside the tire as a dry lube. Do not let levers touch the tube. Use your hands if you can.
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