thorn in tyre

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D

Deleted member 1258

Guest
[QUOTE 4527600, member: 9609"]so your peddling along and you hear 'click click click click' from the tyre as it spins round, on inspection you find the blunt end of a hawthorne thorn stuck in the tyre, the tyre is still inflated and their is no hissing sound It seems well and truly embedded and a gentle tug aint going to shift it. - do you.
1) prise it out with the danger it is acting as a plug and the air will follow

2) leave well alone and keep your fingers crossed, the danger here being it may work its way in deep as you ride and then puncture the tyre.

I know it seems unlikely but I have had a thorn before and when removed the dreaded hissing noise starts, can it really act like a plug ?


I had this scenario for my last 20 miles this afternoon, the tyre stayed inflated - I will inspect the morrow to see if the thorn had pierced the tyre.[/QUOTE]

Anything embedded in the tyre can act as a plug, personally I'd remove it as soon as possible, but if I'm not far from home I might try and get home before I sort it.
 
I got a thorn, still attached to a sizeable branch, stuck into my front tyre on canal towpath in Cheshire three weeks ago. Took the branch off, and got home with the thorn still plugging my tyre. It's still there, viewing this as some kind of experiment to see how long it lasts!
Just know it will go all Pete Tong when a monsoon strikes and I will have nobody to blame but myself as I fumble with spare tube!
 
D

Deleted member 1258

Guest
I got a thorn, still attached to a sizeable branch, stuck into my front tyre on canal towpath in Cheshire three weeks ago. Took the branch off, and got home with the thorn still plugging my tyre. It's still there, viewing this as some kind of experiment to see how long it lasts!
Just know it will go all Pete Tong when a monsoon strikes and I will have nobody to blame but myself as I fumble with spare tube!

In the past I've had a small thorn in a tyre and didn't realize it was there, I just noticed I was needing to top up the air in that tyre more frequently. Eventually it got to the stage where I was needing top ups about once a week and I decided to have a look, I found the thorn, removed it and sorted out the puncture.
 
I've had no loss of air for three weeks. Just seeing how long I get! Only using bike for short commutes and messing about with the kids, will see how long it lasts!
 

Pale Rider

Legendary Member
Just know it will go all Pete Tong when a monsoon strikes and I will have nobody to blame but myself as I fumble with spare tube!

Many a true word said in jest - the rainwater could lubricate the thorn allowing it to penetrate further or be blown out by the tube pressure.

The result will be the same in both cases - deflation.
 
Hook it out with a small key, or similar. Get the start of the thorn out by doing a 'spot squeeze' on the tyre, where the thorn is, when there's a bit of thorn showing, hook it out with a small key / bit of a multi tool. If you leave it in the tyre, it could work it's way into the the carcass, and then be covered over. Then you'll get a puncture ( subject to not having M+ / D + type protection), and it will be more difficult to spot the thorn than it was.
 

summerdays

Cycling in the sun
Location
Bristol
I've seem a thorn in a tyre and heard the familiar hiss when I've removed it, and yet it seemed to be fine before I removed it. I would be inclined to leave it till I got home then remove... but instinct is to grab it and pull out.
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
I did this on the Cape Argus race; ignored the tick tick tick noise and the sight of something bright going round and rode past an area with lots of spectators, which would have been a good place to change the tyre. Rode on and it went flat in a dodgy area where I found myself surrounded by a gang of a dozen over-excited kids, asking if I had money, sweets etc and wearing bandoleros of dozens of punctured inner tubes around their shoulders. The object I had ignored was a drawing pin.... go figure, as they say.
 

smutchin

Cat 6 Racer
Location
The Red Enclave
I've had no loss of air for three weeks.

Really? I would expect to have lost some air from my tyres after three weeks even without a puncture. What inner tubes are you using? I must get some.

If I were out and about and picked up a thorn as per the OP, I might ride home before removing it, but once home, I would remove it before going out again - if you carry on riding with it embedded, you just don't know when it is going to work itself loose and I would far rather fix a puncture in the comfort and warmth of my own home than at the side of the road when it may be cold and/or raining.
 

overmind

My other bike is a Pinarello
Could you cut the thorn at the surface of the tyre (assuming you had a suitable tool with you) ? At least this would lower the possibility of it working its way into the innertube on the rest of the trip. Obviously once you get home you get it sorted.
 
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