Help and advice

[Richie]

Hi guys

Can I pick your brains please. I commute from Brighton to Worthing each day (it's about 14 miles a day as I get the train back at night). I'm riding a Dahon Cadenza solo 700c folder. It's rubbish I had to spend a lot of money getting the wheels rebuilt and it's just not reliable. I am averaging a puncture every 10 days and it's driving me mad I swapped to a schwalbe marathon plus rear but still got a puncture (can't change the bloody thing on my own now either as can't get it off the rims with my arthritic wrists). I ride at about 100 PSI and always get rear punctures.

So first off how do I stop getting so many punctures it's a real bag of surfaces I am on, from road (a lot of glass and rubbish on the A 259) to path to to almost towpath style track. Oh and Is Zefal repair spray any good?

Second I want to get a more reliable ride but budget is really tight now. I really like the responsive ride from the set up of the Solo and like the idea of another Sports Hybrid. But I want gears and some thing that will eat the distance. I was looking at the Ridgeback Meteor but this is getting out of my price range. I looked at the Ridgeback Comet which is virtualy the same bike without the mudguards, sus seat post and rack but a fair bit cheaper. So do you rate the Comet or do you have a suggestion on another bike.

Sorry my first post was an essay.

Richie

 

[BentMikey]

Ride further out from the gutter where the car tyres have swept the road, and don't use cycle paths, assuming those are options on your route.

 

[SavageHoutkop]

You sound to be having a bad time of it. What's giving the punctures - glass etc (i.e. you find the thing in the tyre/tube) or pinch punctures?
Not to 'boast' but I'm (tempting fate) riding 10 mile a day on my Brompton with the marathon plus tyres front and rear and no punctures since I've put them on (two before on Brompton Greens with the Kevlar belt, but one was a huge screw so the tyre is excused). Been riding daily since start June last year. I'm avoiding offroad style riding though as the Bromptons aren't designed for it. Usually I'm on road or shared pavement (with the occasional glass strewn cycle-only path!)
I haven't personally put the plusses on the bike, I read the 'horror stories' some people have had and paid the bike shop extra to fit them for me (with the idea that once fitted they wouldn't be removed, and as the B folds well I could catch a bus home with it if necessary).
On the Bromptons anyway it's recommended that you change the rim tape from the factory standard to something better/softer (Velox? is recommended) as the spokes themselves can puncture the tube from the 'inside' side. Perhaps that's what's happened to your M+? (i.e. not the fault of the tyre?) Although, if the wheels were rebuilt they might have done that anyway.

 

[Moodyman]

Other than inflate the tyres to their max and riding away from the gutter as Mikey said, there's not much else to suggest.

When you sort out the puncture, I'd just check that you're tube is not caught between the tyre and the rim - this causes pinch flats.

I run the M+ on my rear and a regular aramid line tyre on the front. Not had any p******** in months.

 

[HobbesChoice]

As you get punctures every 10 days or so you're probably ok but check inside the tyre for anything sharp that could cause punctures. I also put some protective strip between the tyre and inner tube when I was getting a lot of punctures which held them off a bit longer.

Keep a check on ebay regarding the bike you want as you may be able to pick something decent up secondhand. Just be really careful that the seller isn't into stolen goods. The only way I know how to check this is to see what else they're selling or have sold recently. If it's lots of bikes and bike accessories which sell at fantastic prices then, to me, it seems likely they're not legitimate.

Good luck with it, and it's nice to hear you haven't given up.

 

[biking_fox]

How old are the tyres? YOu can feel with your fingers when the central part of the tyre is getting thinner. This is the time to change them. Otehr than that as above - ride wide, keep the pressure well up, check the rimtape and the inside of the tyre for sharps. Maybe check your brake[pad positioning too - it shouldn't be rubbing on the tyre. Unlikely to be an issue. If it is a really bad road, check your tyres daily/weekly for bits of embedded glass and carefully pick them out before they work deeper. Riding style - don't crash down into potholes or curb edges etc, ride around them so you aren't hitting things.

Regarding changing the bike - SUs seatpost isn't necessary, mudguards and rack are IMHO. You can swop them off your old bike onto the new one. However this won't do anything about the punctures.

 

[Crankarm]

When you get a puncture are you able to identify exactly what caused it and the likely area?

It seems you're very unlucky to be getting frequent punctures with SMP+ tyres. Are you cycling via Baghdad?

AS BM suggested if you are riding on the roads don't kerb hug as you will be riding over all the sh1t and potentially sharp stuff if you do. Avoid cycle paths through scummie areas as scum and chavs like to smash glass bottles on paths and dump other potentially sharp pieces of crap which you might not see at night.

Don't know what the max pressure of the SMP+ tyres are but pump them up to it. Have you got a track pump with pressure guage? If not it might be better you investing in one given the frequency you are inflating your tyres. Getting a different bike won't solve the puncture problem. I don't know whether your current bike is adequate or a good choice for the use you are putting it to. Acquiring another cheap bike which is an unknown quantity might not be the best way to solve the problems you are currently experiencing.

 

[Steve Austin]

Get some inner tubes with removable cores, and some Stans NoTubes sealant. put some sealant inside the tubes and your puncture nightmares will be over

 

[ChrisKH]

I use a Dahon Cadenza daily and whilst I never had the puncture problem I did find it wasn't that good in ice in the winter so swapped out the tyres for something a little more robust. I'm now running something like this on them:-

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/continental/travel-contact-tyre-ec004867

Mind you mine's a 26" wheel so I've got 26 x 1.5's on them. I fully expected the rolling resistance to be rubbish but to be honest there's nothing in it and I'm very happy with the tyres now as I can take the bike by some back routes across fields, paths, etc. and I would never have done that on the slicks. I have had two punctures (on the old slick tyres) in eighteen months, none on the new tyres. If your Cadenza is anything like mine, there's plenty of scope/room to get a wider, tougher, more hybrid type tyre fitted and I would consider this before swapping out to a new bike.

 

[Jezston]

And if any of that doesn't help, have you asked your employer if they offer a cycle to work type scheme? That'll certainly bring more expensive bikes well into affordability.

 

[BentMikey]

I use a Dahon Cadenza daily and whilst I never had the puncture problem I did find it wasn't that good in ice in the winter so swapped out the tyres for something a little more robust. I'm now running something like this on them:-

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/continental/travel-contact-tyre-ec004867

If you're riding on ice, nothing is going to do much good apart from studded tyres.

 

[jonny jeez]

And if any of that doesn't help, have you asked your employer if they offer a cycle to work type scheme? That'll certainly bring more expensive bikes well into affordability.

good idea that.

also has anyone mentioned solid tyres...can a Dahon take these?

 

[Richie]

Thanks for all the advice guys. So took the wheel to evans to get the inner tube replaced (as can't get the tyre off myself), the mechanic said the tube was faulty and replaced it for free and I have been ok since. So I hope the new tyre will be the solution. Met a guy pushing his bike this morning on my way in to work who had just got a puncture but left his kit at home so I gave him mind, I really felt his pain.

Any way guys has one got one of the following bikes and can pass judgement on them

Kona Dew, Scott P6 sportster, Ridgeback Meteor.

 

[aqaleigh]

sorry to hear abouit your troubles

I had similar issues and 18 months ago swapped to specialized sirrus sport - with the tyres supplied, i have now done 3000 miles and have not a single puncture - i thought it was just good luck but many of the people i ride with have had punctures on the same stretch of road and i have heard a lot of other sirrus owners also singing their praises
the range starts from around 250 quid
i cant recommend them enough - they are great
hope you have better luck with your next bike