Puncture Preparedness

[roubaixtuesday]

There was one occasion when I couldn't find the cause, and I ended up with another puncture through the middle of the new patch a day later. That was a fragment of glass so small it was below the tyre surface inside and outside, so it didn't pop out until I poked something in the hole.

I've had more than one like that. Am now totally paranoid about inspecting inside and out; and always pump up the punctured tube while still attached to rim so as to be able to exactly locate where on the tyre to look.

 

[presta]

always pump up the punctured tube while still attached to rim so as to be able to exactly locate where on the tyre to look

The way I do that is to mark a V on the tyre to align with the valve, and mark a rotation arrow on the tube, so with direction and position defined on both tube and tyre I can always place them together and locate the debris. Otherwise tyres tend to slip round the rim whilst you're faffing with them, and tubes don't always go back the same way round.

 

[wafter]

There are certainly a lot of subtleties to repairing a puncture well that aren't necessarily initially obvious. I always fit tyres with the logo / branding symmetrical on both sides about the valve (for example on the brompton IIRC the blue "Marathon" logo is bisected by the valve on both sides of the tyre) while the tubes go in so that any text on them is the right way around when viewed from the drive side.

Sticking to this convention makes it pretty easy to match areas of a puncture between tube and tyre.

 

[roley poley]

I line up the pressure guidance molding on the tyre to the valve stem so as to give me a clue on pumping the thing up and forget the aesthetics for practicality

 

[DogmaStu]

I didn't have one in 14 years on tubed, 5000 odd mile of commuting annually in all weathers, plus my own off road jollies, and professional MTB training.

Being too heavy to run at low pressures made choobless a pointless exercise in messiness for me, so went back. It's not that I wouldn't like to, but the benefits aren't there when you're nudging 280lbs and need some major PSI to keep your rims off the tarmac.

Choobless isn't for everyone, even Pro's! Some have got the UCI involved to double-check the mechanics of ever wider rims vs tubeless tyres since some have rolled off the rim; akin to what we have seen with tubulars sometimes.

It seems some tyre/ wider hookless rim combos aren't ideal which makes it a potential minefield for the average customer to work out if even the Pro mechanics aren't entirely convinced. That said it is more a road bike issue than MTB.

As always, we need to decide for ourselves after personal experimentation as you have done and not just follow a trend/hype train.

 

[Drago]

As always, we need to decide for ourselves after personal experimentation as you have done and not just follow a trend/hype train.

Cyclechat is no place for wise words or sensible advice!

 

[Gwylan]

Common sense and old fashioned superstition prevent me from even thinking about this matter.

 

[wafter]

Choobless isn't for everyone, even Pro's! Some have got the UCI involved to double-check the mechanics of ever wider rims vs tubeless tyres since some have rolled off the rim; akin to what we have seen with tubulars sometimes.

It seems some tyre/ wider hookless rim combos aren't ideal which makes it a potential minefield for the average customer to work out if even the Pro mechanics aren't entirely convinced. That said it is more a road bike issue than MTB.

As always, we need to decide for ourselves after personal experimentation as you have done and not just follow a trend/hype train.

Latest one was with a hookless setup (which just sounds like a terrible idea from the off tbh). However, I agree - tubeless should be assessed on its merits and used accordingly; not blanket-adopted because the marketeers say so.

 

[presta]

There are certainly a lot of subtleties to repairing a puncture well that aren't necessarily initially obvious. I always fit tyres with the logo / branding symmetrical on both sides about the valve (for example on the brompton IIRC the blue "Marathon" logo is bisected by the valve on both sides of the tyre) while the tubes go in so that any text on them is the right way around when viewed from the drive side.

Sticking to this convention makes it pretty easy to match areas of a puncture between tube and tyre.

I just marked it because it's easier than bothering to remember which bit off all the text I chose as a reference. Black felt tip on a black tyre wall is surprisingly visible.

tubeless should be assessed on its merits and used accordingly

The first tale I read from someone who couldn't get their tyre to seal and inflate was all it took for me to write off tubeless as a practical option.

 

[Jameshow]

@steveindenmark I strongly disagree , Corsodyl toothpaste tubes cut up are far superior

I use sensodyne it knows where the pain is going to be and avoids thorns...🤣

 

[DogmaStu]

I just marked it because it's easier than bothering to remember which bit off all the text I chose as a reference. Black felt tip on a black tyre wall is surprisingly visible.

The first tale I read from someone who couldn't get their tyre to seal and inflate was all it took for me to write off tubeless as a practical option.

There is a method to ensure sealing and inflating works every time.

It can be frustrating, new tubeless tyre, won't inflate. It can take compressor power to blast the tyre to the edges to form the seal, hence most going to their bike shop and paying them to do it.

However...ladies and gentlemen...try this:

1. Old tyres off, clean rim, make sure rim tape is good, no bubbles, tears etc. pay attention to the valve seating, no way for air to escape.
2. Fit new tyres. Now here is the step few do or know about: use a sturdy tyre lever to partially seat the tyre at the edges of the rim. Slide lever approx halfway one side watching the tyre bend into the edge of the rim (not over), repeat opposite side.
3. Valve core out, use a foot pump to inflate the tyre to seat it fully. Thanks to Step 2 above, it is now easy.
3. Use syringe to inject sealant via the valve.
4. Valve core back in, inflate tyre.

You can skip fully seating the tyre and put the valve core back in after injecting sealant if, like me, you use an Airshot bottle. The partial seating is enough with that.

Easy. No mess. I have done this for 6 wheelsets in the last year and just yesterday fitted a new pair of Maxxis to my MTB.

 

[matticus]

How do you spot a fan of Road Tubeless??

 

[wafter]

I just marked it because it's easier than bothering to remember which bit off all the text I chose as a reference. Black felt tip on a black tyre wall is surprisingly visible.

The first tale I read from someone who couldn't get their tyre to seal and inflate was all it took for me to write off tubeless as a practical option.

Yeah, that's fair - I guess whatever works

As per my post there's a point on (presumably) all tyres where the text on both sides overlaps, so it's easy to identify the area. Besides, as long as it's correct to within an inch or so it's sufficient to identify where the puncture occurred.

I'm still on the fence re. tubeless - seems to be trading one set of problems for another; which may or may not be preferable..

 

[froze]

If you're using the tire for loaded touring, I wouldn't go any smaller than a 38c, a 38 is a good compromise for the road, wide enough so you don't need to put a lot of psi into the tires thus giving you more forgiving ride on the 38, the tire will wear longer than a narrower tire. If you are not doing loaded touring then a 32 will be just fine if it fits the rims.

I don't like slime, it has never worked on high-pressure road tires well.

The first line, and the most important, defense against flats is the tire. On my touring bike I've gone with the Schwalbe Almotion tire, it has the second-best flat protection besides the Marathon Tour Plus tire that is supposed to be flat-proof? really? Anyway, the Almotion tire has the lowest rolling resistance of any touring tire tested, which was why I chose it over the Tour Plus.

The second line of defense against flats would be a tire liner. I only use a tire liner in my touring bike because I don't want to deal with a flat on a loaded bike if I can help it. The tire liner I use is the Clear Motion Rhinodillo because it's much stronger against sharp objects than a Mr Tuffy, I actually tested them both with a tack and I couldn't get the tack to penetrate the Rhino, but I did with the Tuffy, plus the Rhino is lighter in weight and it has a soft edge so as not to chaff the tube and eventually causing a flat like the Tuffy.

The third line of defense is the tube, forget about it, there is no tube made that will prevent a flat, not even a thorn-resistant tube, plus thorn-resistant tubes are very heavy, more than some tires, and they are poorly made. Slime adds weight as well, and it doesn't work that great, there is no need to use any sort of sealant with a great tire and a liner.

I haven't had a flat on my touring bike since I bought the bike in 2019, so the combination of tire and liner is working.

 

[Dogtrousers]

This is a very old photo that I've posted before. It's a flat ended nail that didn't actually puncture my tube (thanks Durano Plus)

I removed it with my mini leather man thingy