Punctures

[Steve Lancashire]

Hello There,

I have recently purchased a road bike (a racer, it is strictly an entry level bike, cost £300.00, cheap yes, but does the job I intend it to for now). I have always rode MTB bikes, but over the past few months, I am riding on the road more and more., and decided to buy a road bike.
It looks as though the potential for a lot of punctures would be an ongoing problem looking at the tyres.
Can anyone advise if I should be buying a stronger, more durable tyre front and rear, or is there some other way of minimising the potential for punctures?
FYI, I am not too bothered about adding weight to the bike, as I am not fussed about speed, distance, breaking any records etc, mine is for leisure only, riding at my own pace.
I know no tyre is going to prevent a puncture, but the thought of getting caught with one 20 or 30 miles from home is a daunting prospect!
TYIA Steve.

 

[Kies]

Invest in a decent track pump that has a pressure guage on it. Get your tyres up to 100-120psi.
Lots of tyres on the market,look for ones with puncture protection.
Look out for debris and potholes and avoid if safe to do so whilst riding
Inspect your tyres regularly,and remove any flint or glass embedded in the tyre.
Buy a saddle bag,inner tube,tyre levers,mini pump,multi-tool ,cash/credit card and always keep a charged mobile phone with you.

That covers most basis, but cycling will always catch you out once in a while :-)

 

[Herzog]

Can anyone advise if I should be buying a stronger, more durable tyre front and rear, or is there some other way of minimising the potential for punctures?

I've found Specialized Armidillos to be very puncture resistant (until they reach the end of their life). Also, in addition to the above, after removing flints/glas etc., from the tyres, use superglue on the cover the hole.

 

[Steve Lancashire]

Thank you to both of you. Good advice, and good tips. Just one more thing (as Columbo would say), what kind of price per tyre would I be looking at paying for say a Armidillos as suggested by Herzog?

Thanks again you two.

 

[Mello]

I have bought some inner tubes that are filled with slime and repair themselves if you get a puncture. I haven't used them yet because they seem much heavier than your normal tubes. Could be an option for you.

 

[Steve Lancashire]

Thanks Mello, slime has been suggested by a few members now. Where did you buy yours, and roughly how much will i expect to pay for them?

Thanks again.

 

[Kies]

The best ones will be £40 a tyre or more. I would be looking at the £30-£40 price bracket

 

[MattHB]

You can buy slime in bottles for about £8 from halfrauds. TBH it's hateful stiff as it gums up valves for a pastime. It'll also only work on fairly small holes and it adds a lot of rotational weight.

Just carry a couple of spare tubes and some levers in a saddle bag with some glueless patches and a co2 inflator/mini-pump. You should be carrying them anyway on a ride of 20 or 30 miles.

 

[Steve Lancashire]

Thanks again you two, good advise, and tips. It's all being taken on board.
thanks again.
"Halfrauds"

 

[Peteaud]

Just carry a couple of spare tubes and some levers in a saddle bag with some glueless patches and a co2 inflator/mini-pump. You should be carrying them anyway on a ride of 20 or 30 miles.

Thats what i do.

 

[Moodyman]

The best ones will be £40 a tyre or more. I would be looking at the £30-£40 price bracket

I'd be looking even lower. Bontrager racelite Hardcase - can be had for £15 ish

 

[Mello]

You can get self sealing inner tube on line at Chain Reaction Cycles for about £5.50. I havent tried them yet so I can't fully recommend them. Has any body else given them a go?

 

[screenman]

Before we all went tubeless on the MTB's we always used a slime tube or slime, never experienced all the negative things others seemed to have suffered.

The road bikes have a mixture on, my most used runs on Gator Skins or something like, always 2 spare tubes, levers and pump on the bike at all times. Not forgetting latex gloves which are in there as well.

 

[lulubel]

If you're looking for tyres with excellent puncture protection, and that are also very hard wearing, I can recommend Vittoria Rubino Pros. I did over 6,000 miles on one set with zero punctures. I've now changed to wider tyres on my cross bike, and my OH has the Rubino Pros on her bike, to see if she can wear them out. Her original set lasted about 8,000 miles, I think, also with zero punctures.

 

[Steve Lancashire]

Hello Everyone,

I love the wide array of opinon on this subject. The overriding advice is no matter what tyres we have on our bikes, spare inner tubes,self sealing patches, levers, universal spanners, allen keys, latex gloves etc are a must in our bags. Good advice, and all taken on board.
Thanks again everyone for your advice and opinions, it's what makes this site so good.