Puncture Proofing

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homercles

New Member
Hi everybody,

Sorry if this topic has come up fairly recently but I am new here.

What is the best way of avoiding flats on little used bridleways and trails? Are there tubes and tyres that do a particularly good job of defending against the pesky thorns and brambles that litter these off road routes?

I use slime liners that should in theory protect against punctures in the tread area but I have had a lot of thorns go right through them and even had pinch flats caused by the liner itself! I have tried slime filled tubes but have had absolutely no luck with them. After getting sick to death of having to walk miles across muddy fields back home, I reverted back to using cheap tubes and simply keeping a couple of spares on me at all times.

Thoughts and advice would be most welcome.
 
Puncture 'proof' tyres feature a polyeurethane band or other impervious barrier within the tread but are hard to find in proper off-road sizes and tread patterns.

The best thing I've found for sealing puncture holes in tubes as they occur is 'Stan's no tubes' liquid. It's latex based and has the added benefit of sealing leaky/porous tubes so it'll reduce the incidences of pinch flats too. Pump them up and they stay up. Designed for tubeless off-road tyre systems it's available from good cycle shops. Kona dealers usually.
 

02GF74

Über Member
freshcharlie said:
I recommend Schwalbe Marathon tyres. Excellent.
Also make sure you keep a good pressure to minimise pinches.

my friend who was getting a puncture a week until she fitted (I did the actual fitting ;) ) them plus sealant tube has not had a single puncture on them.

so they really do work.

downside is they are relatively smooth so no going to be very grippy plus a tad on the expensive side, about 2x.
 
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homercles

New Member
I didn't realise the Schwalbe Marathon did a cross tyre aswell that looks pretty good and around the £20 mark. I only saw the standard tyre that is a semi-slick so not much good off road.

The Specialized Armadillo construction also looks good, but the knobbly versions like the Eskar are £40 a pop! Is it worth the expense?

I would probably consider going tubeless if I went for a higher spec tyre mainly to offset the extra weight. Can you still fit a tube to a tubeless system if you do get a flat? I don't want to carry a spare tyre with me!
 

02GF74

Über Member
homercles said:
ICan you still fit a tube to a tubeless system if you do get a flat? I don't want to carry a spare tyre with me!

yes, you remove the tubless valve, then fit a tube.

But without a mega pump or maybe CO2 cannister, you will never be able to get enough air into a tubeless tyre so it seats and seals.
 
...The Specialized Armadillo construction also looks good, but the knobbly versions like the Eskar are £40 a pop! Is it worth the expense?..

I haven't used the knobbly version of the Armadillo, only the slick/road version.

I work in a school (think drawing pins!) - cycle home across various surfaces including a little used bridlepath, a dirt track and an accident blackspot which always has broken glass/fibreglass/plastic at the scene.
I had the slick armadilo's on my old mountain bike. Before I fitted them, I used to get a puncture almost on a weekly basis, afterwards the only flat I had was when the inner tube rubber perished of its own accord after 4 years of 6 days a week usage.

I am now looking at getting the knobbly version for my new mountain bike - just the hassle of walking home in the cold wet dark nights, through an unlight accident blackspot on foot, pushing a bike is enough for me to consider the expense well worth it. I have previously managed to go 4+ years and some 3000 miles annually without a puncture/flat before the inner tube finally perished - so if the knobbly ones live up to even half of what the slick ones did, I would have no issue shelling out £80 for a set.
 

Alembicbassman

Confused.com
Just bought some Schwalbe Hurricane hybrid tyres, great for trail and road, rubber seems thicker/more dense than my Kenda Nevegals. Paid £8.50 each plus £5 postage of ebay.

Even if you do get a puncture carry a spare inner tube. It takes just a few minutes to whip the old one out and replace, just make sure that there are no foreign objects left in the tyre.
 
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