Tyres - oh the pressure!

[mwktar]

Hey guys - i'm very puncture prone (which is in part due to where i cycle) - I have my first sportive on Sunday and my girlfriend has bought my some of that squirty gunk to go in my tubes - firstly, has anyone used this and does it work? There seems to be some discussion about the extra weight it adds to the bike too - are these people the ones who would consider having their teeth removed to cut the weight or is it a genuine notcieable difference

The other question I have (while we're discussing weight) is about tyre pressure - i have cont gatorskins on with spesh tubes and ride at 120 - i'm also a lump! 6ft 5 and 18.7 stone - is it possible that the combination of the 2 is contributing to the punctures? Should i be cycling at lower pressures?


Thanks in advance - i'm really glad i joined this forum - as i've asked some questions that are a but dumb, but the community here is VERY supportive

 

[TheJDog]

I'd say at your weight you might try even higher pressures if possible. But I doubt it will help with punctures. I found armadillos better than gator skins fwiw.

 

[ianrauk]

Do you check your tyres before and after every ride? If not, get in the habit of doing so. Dig out any little bits of crap that is sticking in/on the tyre. Other wise it will work in an puncture at a latter date.

It's a pain to keep checking but less of a pain then keep puncturing.

 

[Davidc]

^^ What ianrauk says^^, and try different puncture resistant tyres.

I've got some of that stuff, it was a Christmas present a couple of years ago, but I've never used it. Since moving to Marathon tyres on all in-service bikes I haven't needed it.

 

[mwktar]

I'd say at your weight you might try even higher pressures if possible. But I doubt it will help with punctures. I found armadillos better than gator skins fwiw.

I was hoping that gatorskins would change my life! but the issues getting them off and on are unreal! Will try the armadillos next time

Do you check your tyres before and after every ride? If not, get in the habit of doing so. Dig out any little bits of crap that is sticking in/on the tyre. Other wise it will work in an puncture at a latter date.

It's a pain to keep checking but less of a pain then keep puncturing.

Good idea! I don't know why, but i've never considered that a puncture might develop over time

 

[Globalti]

Try to keep out of the gutter where all the road debris ends up. Ride only on the clean part of the road that gets swept by car tyres, this position also asserts your right to the road. Same when cutting across the road; avoid areas where gravel and debris are piling up around traffic islands for example as there is always broken glass and metal bits off vehicles.

 

[Tim Hall]

It's very unlikely that you'll notice the extra weight of the gunk in your tubes. After all, it's a very small fraction of the total bike plus well nourished rider.
Having the tyres too soft can lead to "snake bite" punctures, where the tube gets caught between the rim and the road, leading to a pair of holes (hence the name).

 

[screenman]

Yes it does work, ask anyone who like myself ride tubeless on some of my bikes.

I use the same tyres and have never had a problem fitting them on numerous makes of rims, it is all in the technique, valve bit last for me as it allows you more tyre to play with.

As for extra weight, no way will you notice that. I have a story about a guy who punctured 3 times in a 40 mile BHF off road ride, when I suggested he used slime he said the extra weight would have slowed him down, not as much as 3 punctures and his beer belly did.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

The slime stuff works ime, marathon tyres nicely pumped up work even better.
As said above, check your tyres regularly, use tweezers to remove sharp objects before they embed themselves deep.

 

[Boris Bajic]

I do not use gunk and do not fear the puncture fairy.

I do check my tyres frequently by eye and by spinning the wheels and brushing with my fingertips.

But I do not use gunk and do not fear the puncture fairy.

I'd go so far as to say I despise her cowardly ways and hold her in low contempt for the fear she spreads across the land like the bad smell from a distillery.

The puncture fairy can go and do to herself something which I cannot write on these pages.

I do not use gunk.

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

I do not use gunk on my tubs or clinchers, the reason for this is that this product attempts to seal holes, if you have any degree of leakage in the vale it attempts to seal it, the result is a tyre which is impossible to inflate until such time that you have cleared the blockage.

 

[ushills]

I've used Slime on my MTB for years and it has been excelellent. When changing tyres last year the back had about 10 small green dots indicating I'd had punctures but I hadn't even slowed down once over about a 5 year period.

I've not used it on a road bike though, but on my MTB you can't tell its in the tyres.

 

[thegravestoneman]

One of the regular things is to scrub the tyre with the palm of my mitt after going over 'dirty' bits of road this I do with out stopping but slowing down slightly. (If you do this make sure you do it in front of the frame so you don't get your hand dragged in) I ride tubs and do not suffer too many punctures, probably up until today when I will get a rash of the bl**dy things. Not very practical for nobbly tyres I imagine.

 

[Davidc]

[quote="Mr Haematocrit, post: 2501929, member: 20634"]I do not use gunk on my tubs or clinchers, the reason for this is that this product attempts to seal holes, if you have any degree of leakage in the vale it attempts to seal it, the result is a tyre which is impossible to inflate until such time that you have cleared the blockage.[/quote]

I've wondered about that.

Over the past few years (since I've been using Marathon tyres) I've had very few punctures, but far more leaky valves. I also wonder what would happen when I push the screw end of Presta valves in to release the seal before inflation.

 

[ushills]

[quote="Mr Haematocrit, post: 2501929, member: 20634"]I do not use gunk on my tubs or clinchers, the reason for this is that this product attempts to seal holes, if you have any degree of leakage in the vale it attempts to seal it, the result is a tyre which is impossible to inflate until such time that you have cleared the blockage.

I've wondered about that.

Over the past few years (since I've been using Marathon tyres) I've had very few punctures, but far more leaky valves. I also wonder what would happen when I push the screw end of Presta valves in to release the seal before inflation.[/quote]

If you release the valve when it is at the top of the tyre there is no problem, if you release it at the bottom of the wheel the gunk/slime blows everywhere. However, when this happened (only once) blowing the tyre up again imediately stoped the valve becoming sealed.