Fed up with the punctures :-(

[JtB]

I've received a puncture just about every time I've been out on my bike during December.

There's never anything stuck in the tyre and the spokes are not sticking through the rim either. I've been getting punctures on both front and rear wheels. I even replaced the inner tubes and I'm still getting punctures. I presume the problem is with the tyres and that for whatever reason they are offering little or no protection to the inner tubes. Anyway, will buy a couple of new tyres as soon as the shops are open again in the new year.

 

[Arch]

Are your tyres pumped up nice and hard? Soft tyres will allow the tube to pinch and puncture. Have you looked at the location of the punctures to see if there is any pattern? You've checked the tyres and inside of rims for protruding bits, have you checked the sides inside the rims, in case there's a sharp projection on that? Sounds unlikely that you'd get that front and rear though.

It does sound like a lousy record, if your tyres are that feeble they must be virtually no thicker than the average tube...

 

[palinurus]

What sort of bike? what tyres are you currently using? Are they worn or newish?

Best replace them with one of the puncture-resistant variety, Conti Gatorskins, Specialized Armadillo or similar.

 

[JtB]

I do keep the tyres nice and hard, but they are somewhat worn and of a cheap variety (not sure which).

This is what the tyres looked like when they were new (yes, I know the front one is on the wrong way round):

 

[potsy]

I would imagine your tyres are either badly worn or just not up to the job.
Like others have said look for some decent quality ones with p protection-kevlar or similar.

 

[mickle]

You can do a lot to minimise the frequency of punctures. The first line of defence is a set of puncture resistant tyres. Each of the well known manufacturers (Continental, Schwalbe, Specialized, Vredestein et al) offers a model of tyre with decent puncture resistance. A tough polyeurethane or aramid shield is inserted into the casing, under the tread during a tyre's manufacture, it's designed to deflect foreign objects before they reach the inner tube. Some tyre makers have so much confidence in their tyres that they offer a guarantee but there is no such thing as puncture proof, only puncture resistant. If you want the ultimate protection from punctures combine puncture resistant tyres with one of the many tube healing sealants such as Slime or Stan's No Tubes.

Also check for spoke intrusion, burrs around your valve hole and always talc the inside of your tyres before installing the tube. And like Arch said, keep up the pressure. Bite the bullet and buy a decent track pump, you wont regret it.