B****y punctures!

[RegG]

Went out for a ride a a couple of weeks ago and got about 2 miles before the rear tyre went flat. I was not far from home and as the verges were wet and muddy I walked home to change the tube. Checked the tyre inside but could find no sign of a thorn or anything sharp to cause the flat. New tube fitted and decent ride completed without incident. Couple more rides again completed without problem. Got bike out of garage this morning, back tyre flat. Tyre off, checked all around the inside for anything sharp but found nothing. Spare tube fitted, pumped it up and set off on ride. Four miles in (and too far to walk home this time!) back tyre goes flat! This time, I checked inside and outside of tyre and eventually found the smallest piece of sharp flint embedded in the tyre which, when removed, I found had just gone through the tyre casing and had obviously caused the flat..... New tube fitted and decent ride complete without further problem.

Moral of the story is, IMHO, carefully check the tyre inside AND out for signs of any foreign object that could pierce the tube!

 

[Lonestar]

What tyres have you got? I generally check and have a few bits and pieces in my tyre.I've found Marathon Pluses very good for my commute but if you are using racing tyres I guess you haven't got as much protection.

 

[screenman]

Using a piece of cloth rather than you fingers to feel around in there works well, it covers more area and will snag on the slightest thing.

 

[MichaelW2]

If you live in a flinty area, it is the usual suspect. When you inspect the inside of the tyre, flex the tyre by pulling the beads apart to open up any small holes hiding flint. A small narrow knife blade can help ease them out.

 

[steveindenmark]

Marathon Plus is the answer.

What was the question?

 

[mjr]

Inflate the tyre and spin it slowly to figure out where the air's leaking from. It's usually the sharp object or the hole left by it. Once the tube's out, inflate it until you can see the hole and feel the air on your lips, to confirm the location (part of the reason to line the tyre logo up with the valve). If it's a sneaky one, you might need a bowl of water to find the tube hole and thereby deduce the tyre sharp location.

 

[shnjmsn]

Great advice there...... I have similar issues, dammit ! Bought a CaadX back in the summer and had some great days out on it on local and not so local paths and trails. All fine on all surfaces but it started popping punctures around October time. Did some research and bought some new Continentals for it after reading various reports of the Sammy Slicks it came with not being great.......

Two rides in and the punctures started again. I'm in Somerset and in the sticks so expect more punctures than most due to the huge amounts of hedges and cutting that goes on over the winter..... I've had countless punctures over Nov/ Dec, which finally saw me leave the bike in the garage and get the winter Ribble trainer out instead again. Ridden perfectly for 4 weeks on exactly the same roads with no punctures at all on Conti 4 Seasons. Decided yesterday to give the X another try and lo and behold, 2 rear punctures in less than 20 miles..... very frustrating ! The rear wheel is about to be rebuilt at the expense of Cannondale as it's been popping spokes, so maybe once it has new rim tape etc and i've run a cloth round the inside of the rear tyre and inspected it under a microscope, things will take a turn and i'll actually be able to ride the thing without getting a flat on every ride ! Shame as it's a fab bike and perfect for the winter months on my muddy lanes !

 

[Ajax Bay]

Marathon Plus is the answer.
What was the question?

What tyre combines the following features:
a. one of the heaviest
b. one of the tallest (for width) thus fouling mudguards which were fine before
c. fabled puncture resistance, especially sidewalls
d. hard to fit when new on most rims
e. upper end of price range
f. Manufactured in sizes to fit wheel sizes (ETRTO) 635 - 349?
Optional condition: available at 6:45 of a fine weekday evening in a Garstang garage nearing end of Day 4 of end-to-end.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Went out for a ride a a couple of weeks ago and got about 2 miles before the rear tyre went flat. I was not far from home and as the verges were wet and muddy I walked home to change the tube. Checked the tyre inside but could find no sign of a thorn or anything sharp to cause the flat. New tube fitted and decent ride completed without incident. Couple more rides again completed without problem. Got bike out of garage this morning, back tyre flat. Tyre off, checked all around the inside for anything sharp but found nothing. Spare tube fitted, pumped it up and set off on ride. Four miles in (and too far to walk home this time!) back tyre goes flat! This time, I checked inside and outside of tyre and eventually found the smallest piece of sharp flint embedded in the tyre which, when removed, I found had just gone through the tyre casing and had obviously caused the flat..... New tube fitted and decent ride complete without further problem.

Moral of the story is, IMHO, carefully check the tyre inside AND out for signs of any foreign object that could pierce the tube!

And make sure the new tube is properly seated inside the tyre, by gently pushing the valve up before fully inflating the tyre, after a tube replacement. Not doing this is a very common error, and leads to a lot of unnecessary hassle.

 

[steveindenmark]

What tyre combines the following features:
a. one of the heaviest
b. one of the tallest (for width) thus fouling mudguards which were fine before
c. fabled puncture resistance, especially sidewalls
d. hard to fit when new on most rims
e. upper end of price range
f. Manufactured in sizes to fit wheel sizes (ETRTO) 635 - 349?
Optional condition: available at 6:45 of a fine weekday evening in a Garstang garage nearing end of Day 4 of end-to-end.

https://www.schwalbe.com/en/start.html

 

[MichaelW2]

Whilst you are fettling around with the tyre off, check that your rim tape is OK and if it isn't, replace with Velox. Check for protruding spoke heads from long spokes, and for any sharp edges around the valve hole or from rim impacts, which need de burring with some emery or a file.

 

[RegG]

Thanks for all the replies.....

What tyres have you got? I generally check and have a few bits and pieces in my tyre.I've found Marathon Pluses very good for my commute but if you are using racing tyres I guess you haven't got as much protection.

I'm using Vittoria Rubino G+ - they've done 2000 miles or so and seem to be wearing well. The puncture problem was probably more down to me not finding the flint in the first place rather than poor tyres!

Using a piece of cloth rather than you fingers to feel around in there works well, it covers more area and will snag on the slightest thing.

I was wearing thin rubber gloves when I ran my hand around the tyre so they should've snagged on the flint but I think it was so small that I simply missed it.....

And make sure the new tube is properly seated inside the tyre, by gently pushing the valve up before fully inflating the tyre, after a tube replacement. Not doing this is a very common error, and leads to a lot of unnecessary hassle.

Always do this - I check and double check to make sure the tube isn't being pinched anywhere!

 

[Lonestar]

What tyre combines the following features:
a. one of the heaviest
b. one of the tallest (for width) thus fouling mudguards which were fine before
c. fabled puncture resistance, especially sidewalls
d. hard to fit when new on most rims
e. upper end of price range
f. Manufactured in sizes to fit wheel sizes (ETRTO) 635 - 349?
Optional condition: available at 6:45 of a fine weekday evening in a Garstang garage nearing end of Day 4 of end-to-end.

Only problem for me is fitting them..apart from that they are fine.I also have spares.I was using gatorskins before.

Heaviest? What am I in the Tour De France?

@Ajax Bay,what tyres do you use then? Just for reference.

 

[Ajax Bay]

@Ajax Bay,what tyres do you use then? Just for reference

Since you enquire (and when I say 'heaviest' bear in mind that a pair of M+ will add a kilo to the bike weight (cf GP4S and in 28)), on the road bike I spend most time on:
In the last couple of years: Continental GP 4 Seasons (28s) - 2 snake bite in potholes (ie own fault/massive hole downhill into dappled shade and one in dark @ 355km/16 hours.) I got 8000km out of the front and 5000 out of the rear. Changed them before 2016 Mille Pennines (ie they were starting to show too many nicks etc). That set lasted about the same distances - one flint puncture in rear. Have recently (ie Nov/Dec) replaced with Michelin Pro4 Service Course but have done less than 2000km on them so far. Slightly better rolling resistance, a bit lighter, and similar puncture protection - see this comparison. And a fair bit cheaper (a pair on offer). I expect to get the GP4s for £61 a pair: these were £42 iirc. The blurb says they seek to get the best balance between rolling resistance, endurance and protection: we'll see. To be frank, I expect to revert to GP4S (just wish I could get them in a true 28 (the 28s are actually 26mm wide at 90psi on 15mm IW rims). Hope that's useful, for your reference.
PS I had a Gatorskin once; once.