Punctures Bloody Punctures!

[Mushroomgodmat]

title says it all really.

Sence getting my road bike Iv been getting one or two punctures every month, always on the rear wheel..

Just recently I swapped tires (front to back/back to front) in the hope this would fix it, but thismorning I wake up to a flat rear tire again.

I realise this sounds stupid, but is there anything Im doing wrong (they are at 120psi), is there anything I can do, is there anything I can buy, are there any tough tires that are less prone to punctures?

 

[BentMikey]

Don't ride in cycle lanes or paths, don't ride in the gutter, ride at least in the left hand wheel track of the cars.

 

[fossyant]

What tyres do you have ?

I commute in urban and city areas and I get about 1 flat a year, usually as the tyre wears. Check the tyres over every week or so and pick out any glass.

I don't use puncture resistant tyres, never have as they are horriby heavy.

 

[ianrauk]

+1 to Mikes post

I would also say make a note of checking your tyres after every ride. Especially if commuting.
It's a pain in the arse, but only takes a couple of minutes. Dig out any foreign object sticking in the tyre.
Those couple of minutes checking will save you a puncture.

 

[mickle]

Check for foreign bodies in tyre.

Check for spokes poking through rim tape and other internal sharps such as exposed spoke hole edges.

Avoid snake bite/ pinch flats.

Fit puncture proof tyres.

Install puncture healing gunge inside tube.



If you're still getting punctures after all that I suggest you find religion.

 

[addictfreak]

title says it all really.

Sence getting my road bike Iv been getting one or two punctures every month, always on the rear wheel..

Just recently I swapped tires (front to back/back to front) in the hope this would fix it, but thismorning I wake up to a flat rear tire again.

I realise this sounds stupid, but is there anything Im doing wrong (they are at 120psi), is there anything I can do, is there anything I can buy, are there any tough tires that are less prone to punctures?

I had a similar situation when I started on the road bike. For me it was purely down to tyres. My bike was fitted with michellin speediums and I could puncture two or three times in a ride. I simply fitted better tyres with good puncture protection, job done.

 

[Mushroomgodmat]

its tricky - theres a 3/4 mile track that I cycle on to get out of the villiage and onto the main road - it is tarmacked, but people do flytip, and as a result the track is sometimes sprinkled with glass/plastics/metals etc, i think this is where iv been picking up punctures. I cant remeber what tyres I have (bikes at home, im at work) but maybe some new tires are needed. These current ones have done about 1500 miles now, and my bike was pretty affordable when I bought it, so im working on the assumption that the tyres where also quite afordable too. Another posible issue that occured to me - I have a track pump, with a PSI dial on it, the punp itself was only £12 and I wonder if the dial is accurate, and maybe im over/undeer inflating the tires...anyone have any thoughts?

 

[GlasgowGaryH]

Personally after reading that I would get new tyres

 

[mrmacmusic]

I suffered another unscheduled deflation this morning myself, but thankfully my delivery from Discount Cycles has arrived at home, so a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Plus (and new tubes) shall be getting fitted this evening With a bit of luck, given how well recommended these tyres come, I'm hoping that I'll have seen the last of the puncture fairies!!

FWIW I avoid gutters and tend to ride in the left-hand car tyre track as suggested by BentMikey above, but the majority of my commute is either on an old railway line now designated cycle-path, or farm/back roads that form part of the "National Cycle Route". There's a lot of debris on the cycle-path right now and the farm/back roads are hardly the smoothest surface on the planet and prone to being covered in mud and other detritus. Hopefully – fingers crossed – the new Schwalbe tyres will prove a worthwhile investment.

 

[cloggsy]

I suffered another unscheduled deflation this morning myself, but thankfully my delivery from Discount Cycles has arrived at home, so a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Plus (and new tubes) shall be getting fitted this evening With a bit of luck, given how well recommended these tyres come, I'm hoping that I'll have seen the last of the puncture fairies!!

I've just fitted Schwalbe Marathon Plus's to my ol' commuter - I run these at 100psi & no issues yet

I've got Continental GP4000S's on my road bike - I run these at 110psi. The vast majority of my mileage has been done on those with no punctures either, although the rear tyre did bulge and I bought a new one after 800 miles or so...

 

[benb]

I suffered another unscheduled deflation this morning myself, but thankfully my delivery from Discount Cycles has arrived at home, so a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Plus (and new tubes) shall be getting fitted this evening With a bit of luck, given how well recommended these tyres come, I'm hoping that I'll have seen the last of the puncture fairies!!

FWIW I avoid gutters and tend to ride in the left-hand car tyre track as suggested by BentMikey above, but the majority of my commute is either on an old railway line now designated cycle-path, or farm/back roads that form part of the "National Cycle Route". There's a lot of debris on the cycle-path right now and the farm/back roads are hardly the smoothest surface on the planet and prone to being covered in mud and other detritus. Hopefully – fingers crossed – the new Schwalbe tyres will prove a worthwhile investment.

You won't be disappointed. I fitted M+ and haven't had a puncture in over 18 months.

Yes, they slow you down a bit, but not as much as getting a puncture.

 

[Moodyman]

You won't be disappointed. I fitted M+ and haven't had a puncture in over 18 months.

Yes, they slow you down a bit, but not as much as getting a puncture.

How true.

On one of the last commutes of the week last winter, I was spinning up a long hill and a guy on road bike flew past me.

When you're tired and get scalped in such a humiliating way you start looking at your gear. I wondered if I could have gone faster on my faster bike with lighter tyres. I ride a rigid mtb with M+ throughout winter.

The self-reflection stopped a mile later when I saw the poor sod replacing his tube at the side of the road in the cold.

"You got it covered" I asked?

"Yes", he replied.

I carried on smugly.

 

[Moodyman]

With good tyres you not only avoid punctures, but you avoid getting seriously ill too.

In my first winter, I got a puncture half way through my 12 mile commute. I was nicely warmed up and sweating.

In the 20-30 minutes that I replaced the tube, my sweaty clothes cooled and I sharted shivering violently.

I rode the remaining 6 miles shivering. A hot shower and a tin of soup couldn't warm me up. Was ill for the following few days.

 

[Mushroomgodmat]

Cheers for the advice guys!What's interesting - iv just fixed the puncture, and while I was doing I I inspected the tire - I removed around ( this is no exaggeration) 30 small rock/glass/hard plastic elements from small holes/tears from the tires. I suspect (?) that I maybe some of my puncture problems might have been an element left in the tires.Anyway, there's a good 40-50 small holes and tears in each tire, so I think I'll treat myself so some new ones

 

[BlackPanther]

A lot of folk are stressing the importance of checking tyres. I must confess that I rarely do . I've done over 8,000 miles in the last 2 years. 5,000 miles on the hybrid, and a tad over 3,000 on the road bike. Marathon plus's front and rear on the hybrid....No punctures!!!

I did get a rear puncture on a Durano plus on the road bike within 300 miles, but swapped it to a Marathon plus rear/Durano plus front combo, and I've had no more punctures for almost 3,000 miles!!!

As for puncture resistant tyres slowing you down. Hogwash really when you're commuting.....you want to get to work reliably. Maybe I would get there 30 seconds quicker on skinny lightweight tyres, but more likely I'd be late once or twice a week due to puncture repair stops! Besides, commuting is also about getting exercise, so if these tyres make the going a bit harder (and I must say I can't tell any difference) then all the better.

Final point. A super fit every day commuter (most people on here I'd guess) will destroy a weekend riding, lycra clad chap on a road bike no matter how skinny his tyres are.