What do people do about tire punctures?

Got my first flat (front) after 1900 mi. Of course had to make a big deal out of it - I had just installed Hexlox, managed to lose the key and got a flat the very next day, had to wait a week for delivery of new keys from Germany. Hadn't fixed a flat in 50-60 yrs but I guess it's like riding a bike😆, comes right back to you. Took me about 25 mins on my Metro. Biggest worry was that I couldn't find anything in the tire to match the tube puncture so my first rides on new tube were pretty tentative, and near home.

I carry an extra tube, levers, inflators and a "in case of emergency" (2nd flat same ride) patch kit.

If a rear goes I'm just calling roadside assistance (I have Velosurance/Markel) and taking the bike to lbs.
 
Darceman said:
You do not need them the bike comes with them they're very thick liners.one of the other members of this forum ordered liners for some reason and then discovered the ones in our bikes are actually thicker then the ones he had purchased . If you look at the website on the Lectric XP it says puncture-proof tires it's because of the liners..
Click to expand...

I got flat in the rear tire after less than five miles. Initially I thought it was a loose Schrader valve. Acquired a little tool to check tightness, the valve was secure with no leaks. I was in disbelief that I picked up a flat so soon. Put the XP on the Park bike stand (pushed limits of capacity) and used the old school leak detection method, dish soap and water. Spun the rear wheel under close inspection and found three short thorns stuck in the tire. Two of the three punctured the tube. Very disappointing!

Conclusion: After removing the rear wheel and inner tube this is what I found.
* The tire compound is soft.
* The tire wall thickness is standard and not heavy duty.
* There was NOT a tube protection liner installed between the tube and inner tire wall.

Currently waiting for Amazon to deliver the Mr. Tuffy liners, new inner tubes and Slime. Close to $100 I wasn't planning on spending so soon. The $100 was budgeted for accessories.

Bottom line: Still love the bike and will overcome this setback.
 
I had a slow flat recently, my first with this bike. I just filled it with the green slime tire liquid and it worked like a charm. It ha been 2 weeks and 100 miles, no problem or additional flats.
 
EdMc5876 said:
I got flat in the rear tire after less than five miles. Initially I thought it was a loose Schrader valve. Acquired a little tool to check tightness, the valve was secure with no leaks. I was in disbelief that I picked up a flat so soon. Put the XP on the Park bike stand (pushed limits of capacity) and used the old school leak detection method, dish soap and water. Spun the rear wheel under close inspection and found three short thorns stuck in the tire. Two of the three punctured the tube. Very disappointing!

Conclusion: After removing the rear wheel and inner tube this is what I found.
* The tire compound is soft.
* The tire wall thickness is standard and not heavy duty.
* There was NOT a tube protection liner installed between the tube and inner tire wall.

Currently waiting for Amazon to deliver the Mr. Tuffy liners, new inner tubes and Slime. Close to $100 I wasn't planning on spending so soon. The $100 was budgeted for accessories.

Bottom line: Still love the bike and will overcome this setback.
Click to expand...

You may want to consider using the pre-filled slime inner tubes available on Amazon.
 
Well, i rode through a very rough patch in the park (full of junk and debris) and picked up another flat. The tire went flat before I reached home and I rode it for about a block to the house. Upon a visual inspection, I found a drywall screw pressed deep into my rear tire. I added more slime to the back wheel and filled it back up. Nope, didn't work. I took off the back tire (which I was dreading because I heard it was difficult). It turned out the tire had too many pinch flats (from riding it while flat) and a larger than 1/8 hole from the screw. No slime or patch kit was going to fix that. Installed a new tube. It turns out that putting the tire back on the bike wasn't as difficult as people said. Just needed a large screwdriver and a few light taps of the hammer on a wood block or a soft face hammer to take the wheel off and put it back on. For some reason, I was getting the impression that I was going to need a fork spreader or two people pulling the fork to get the wheel back on. It was pretty easy with just the two tools. Anyway, ordered a Mr Tuffy liner and in the spring will replace the tires with a heavier reinforced one for urban commuting.
 
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Bummer regarding your new bike! Good practice anyway for a flat farther from home.

I don't think it's just me, but I wouldn't ride any distance at all on a flat. Push the bike home, if necessary. Aside from chewing up the tube, as you apparently did, you can damage the wheel.

Your tire is probably okay; you definitely need a new tube.

TT
 
Patrick M said:
Well, i rode through a very rough patch in the park (full of junk and debris) and picked up another flat. The tire went flat before I reached home and I rode it for about a block to the house. Upon a visual inspection, I found a drywall screw pressed deep into my rear tire. I added more slime to the back wheel and filled it back up. Nope, didn't work. I took off the back tire (which I was dreading because I heard it was difficult). It turned out the tire had too many pinch flats (from riding it while flat) and a larger than 1/8 hole from the screw. No slime or patch kit was going to fix that. Installed a new tube. It turns out that putting the tire back on the bike wasn't as difficult as people said. Just needed a large screwdriver and a few light taps of the hammer on a wood block or a soft face hammer to take the wheel off and put it back on. For some reason, I was getting the impression that I was going to need a fork spreader or two people pulling the fork to get the wheel back on. It was pretty easy with just the two tools. Anyway, ordered a Mr Tuffy liner and in the spring will replace the tires with a heavier reinforced one for urban commuting.
Click to expand...
Welcome to the world of forums...lol....I've removed the rear tire three our four times and it's no more than a five minute job...
Darceman
 
Here is another way to protect your tubes whether it is installed on the rim to protect from the spokes or installed inside your tire to protect from punctures, use gorilla tape like this bike shop does. I can see how it would work well on the rims but I dunno how effective it would be inside the tire but it would be a lot cheaper than mr tuffy liners if you're short on cash!

 
steve mercier said:
I use these https://tannusamerica.com/products/tannus-armour
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Steve, I have been reading up on these and am thinking of adding them for our ride south to goathead country. Please tell me more about the Tannus Armour. They look very interesting and like they might be quite effective in reducing flats even on tires that have good protection already. What impact do they have on your speed and rolling resistance? Do they quiet things down at all? What diameter tubes are you using in them? I already use Tubolito tubes but do you have to go to a smaller diameter tube or can you use the same ones? Do you notice the added weight makes your bike feel a bit more sluggish?
 
Alaskan said:
Steve, I have been reading up on these and am thinking of adding them for our ride south to goathead country. Please tell me more about the Tannus Armour. They look very interesting and like they might be quite effective in reducing flats even on tires that have good protection already. What impact do they have on your speed and rolling resistance? Do they quiet things down at all? What diameter tubes are you using in them? I already use Tubolito tubes but do you have to go to a smaller diameter tube or can you use the same ones? Do you notice the added weight makes your bike feel a bit more sluggish?
Click to expand...
Sure I will try to answer all points if I can. We have 2.4" and 2.35" or 2.25" tires but the Armour takes up some room so the result is we now use smaller 1.95" tubes. The Tannus site has a chart as I recall or maybe it came on the box. I will look for it shortly. They feel great and at medium speeds you will notice improvement. Going over bumps like roots or rocks they travel smoother. Also you can safely play with the tire pressures so you can drop down to 20 psi if you want traction or go back up as high as 40 psi if you want more range. I used to run at 30 psi but now I like 25 psi. I never worry about what I am rolling over now. The mountain bikers at the LBS tell me it will take a really serious gash to penetrate though to the tube.. As far as I can tell there is no down side to this product. I have no range anxiety so I now run about 5 psi less than I used to. They will eventually break down but they have a 7 year guarantee. I think you will like them. David has started using them so maybe he can add his thoughts. Oh and also if you ever did get a flat you could still ride the bike in limp mode. At similar psi I notice no difference to rolling resistance or top speed. My hearing is not the best since I have played the drums for 50 years but anyways I cannot notice a difference in sound or quietness.
 
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I was thinking of replacing my tires for one designed for urban commuting. I was eyeing the Kenda Krause and the Vee Speedster. I am hearing that the Speedster can get flats easily, what about the Kenda Krause? Are there any other tires I should look at? Please provide links. I am not interested in knobby tires, looking for a quiet tread.
 
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