Looking tyred...

[Aperitif]

Earlier today, I was examining my bike, cleaning, tinkering etc and got around to checking the tyres...
It so happens that a) I need glasses probably, and my sister gave me a little magnifying glass with a light built into it.
Well. I looked closely at each tyre and spent the next 45 minutes extracting slivers of glass, flint, metal etc etc from the rubber. Big slices and craters to my magnified vision but I was pleased to have removed as much stuff as possible. Dripped super glue into the resultant cavities...

The point about this posting is a reminder to give your tyres and bike in general a 'once over' before the big return to regular commuting.(For those of us lucky enough to have stopped for a while) My experience was a bit of a shocker - I may still get p*******s but hey - I tried!
Fairly new 700 x 25 Conti Gatorskins btw - I'm obviously not talking big fat knobbly jobs here

 

[Brock]

I found the compound used in gatorskins to be particularly good at sucking up miniscule bits of flint. They do work their way through the 'puncture protection' too if you don't regularly flick them out.

 

[Terminator]

Hmmmm that would explain my recent "problems".

 

[beanzontoast]

I'm running Gators too and I follow exactly the same routine - every couple of days, I give 'em a quick once over looking for flints and glass. I keep them at max pressure all the time too. May not be foolproof puncture prevention, but it makes me feel better to know I'm trying!

I use rubber solution to seal any slits they leave.

 

[Twenty Inch]

You can make your tyres last longer by periodically swapping front to back, as the back wears quicker.

 

[Terminator]

I would make mine last longer if I used the tube.