noglider 

@NoControl, I am not willing to sacrifice ride quality for puncture protection. I don't find fixing flats to be onerous. But having said that, I know that there have been innovations where the protection costs little or nothing in ride quality. Still, I don't shop for it. I have a pair of Vittoria Voyager Hyper (now out of production) which have mild protection and an excellent ride. That's the only tire I have that professes to resist punctures.

I ride in both the city and the country, and I can't really say where I get more flats. Maybe it's even? New York State reinstituted mandatory deposit containers way back in the 1980s and then mandatory recycling later, so we have less broken glass than before and probably less glass than other places. See? Government regulation can be a good thing.

cooperryder

I came across this review recently of a
Specialized Alibi Sport bike that comes with airless tires.

The reviewer like it well enough he bought it for his Dad.

https://bikerumor.com/2017/01/02/rev...d-alibi-sport/

The rims will also accommodate tires requiring air.

Sometimes I go many months without flats but the last month I've had at least 6.

I take it in stride and figure it keeps my flat repair skills honed.

J.Higgins 

No deposit containers here in NH, but I also do not see a lot of broken glass until I get into the cities. I suppose its different everywhere, but I'm guessing that there is a lot more beverages being made with plastic containers and aluminum cans than there ever was.

squirtdad

1) Not for me.....but am thinking of trying Conti GP5000 vs my current Corsa G

2) City commuting, but that is where I ride the most

squirtdad

Another flat.... I must really have offended some flat power that be, and in this case insult was added to the flats

Mon day commute.... misting.... no problem it'st not rain, no need to put on raceblades

rain getting heaver....still no problem, but do feel more spray

darnit that spray was orange seal spraying out........Flat tire

fix it in the getting heavier rain (which I would have missed with out the flat)

bike is a total mess

plan for evening burn the tires in hope of appeasing the gods, clean the bike and put on gp5000 hopeing for a little better puncture resistance.


an on anothe note, I have been trying orance seal in my tubes, but I does not really seem to work. I think running a tube at 115 psi is different than tubleless at 40 or 50 or tubular (especially with latex tubes)

buycycle

Thanks for the post. You just reminded me to buy tire liners for my latest rescue bike!

Cassave

First one in a long time yesterday on my way to a club ride start.
Goathead thorn on a road I've ridden literally thousands of times, never seen one there before.
Slow leak on the front tire discovered on a fast right hander, didn't go down but it was a "moment". Added air there on the spot and it held till I got home to fix it.
Pull out the patch kit I carry on the bike to find the Rema glue turned to jelly.

Ordered a few fresh tubes of glue from amazonia. Sometimes a flat happens at a really good time.

bobwysiwyg

Hope it works for ya. Let us know, perhaps a new ritual has been born.

cooperryder

This past week I've dealt with half a dozen flats or is it seven?
I'm losing track and beginning to think I'm under a curse.

Like I'm sure most of you do
I always seek to find the cause.

Has this thread itemized the various causes of flats experienced?

A couple I thought were tube manufacturing defects but it turned out to be slightly oversized rim tape had hardened on the edges and eventually made a slice in the tubes.

Fresh appropriately sized rim tape solved that cause.

A couple of the others developed leaks at the base of the Schrader valve stem.
Closer examination showed rough edges to the rim's valve hole that eventually cut into the valve stem at the base.
One occasion it was exacerbated because I was lazy and did not straighten up the valve stem when it was at a slight angle when pumped up.

I will take the time to make sure the valve stem is perfectly vertical in the rim valve hole.

I curled up a small piece of 400 grit sandpaper and sanded the edges of the rim valve hole.
Hopefully that remedied that cause.

Yesterday I got in a hurry ( I know better)
and did not double check the new tube for pinches against the rim and 'boom!' after pumping it up.

Insert 'cursing'.

Another was also repair person (me) error.
Again I got in a hurry not waiting long enough for the glue to dry before attaching the patch.

This morning it was flat again. Patch failure.

It pays to be patient with flat repairs.

Oh, I actually had one flat this week with a small nail in the tire. Easy and obvious one.

I guess I better go buy some more tubes.

I've put 5 tubes in the recycling bin lately.
I think they recycle rubber in my area?

Hopefully I've served my penance and will go quite a while with no flats at least the ones caused by my errors.

'02 nrs

try it-you'll like it.https://www.treefortbikes.com/Panara...SABEgLvZPD_BwE

buycycle

On the issue of the valve leak, a wise LBS mechanic once reminded me of the importance of keeping my tires properly inflated, for all the obvious reasons, but also to help prevent the valve from slowing shifting into the rim opening and causing a possible leak.

rumrunn6

tried the technique where you don't removed the tire/tube from the wheel to patch a small puncture. in hindsight I could have even left the wheel on the bike! thanks to bikeforums I used another tip found here. love this place!

also, when presented with a choice of patches from my bag, remembering ppl liked Rema patches so much I went with that brand. luckily I had a viable unopened tube of adhesive

thanks to a fellow BF rider @ZIPP2001who has great familiarity with the process, encouraged me to use 2 thin layers of adhesive & even tho the directions don't mention drying before applying, that's what we did. another Zipp suggestion was to leave the cellophane backing on before re-inserting the tube into the tire. held up great over the next cpl hours on a rough & fast trail. I've got complete confidence in the patch & have no plans to replace the tube

granted I was lucky & knew exactly the cause & position of the puncture. start to finish approx 13 minutes. could have been faster if I didn't take the wheel off

a bit suspicious of a thumbtack on a bike trail ...



while pressing the patch in place Zipp also massaged the patch from the center toward the edges



used a Genuine Innovations brand CO2 inflator. not sure if it's working properly cuz I couldn't use the entire contents of the cartridge. meaning it still had gas when I removed it to use another. have to look into that further & if a single 20 gram cartridge is enough for a 700 x 2.25 tire/tube combo to get to 27 psi

revcp 

I've been using two tires I'm very pleased with. On my tourer/commuter I'm riding Marathon Supremes. At 35mm, they're a very supple ride. They don't have the blocky wooden feel if the regular Marathons. I put about 300 miles on them pre tour this summer, 2,000 miles on the tour and probably 250 since. No flats. They're pricey, but if you shop around you can find them for around $40 each.

On my go fast bike I'm riding 25mm Vittoria Corsa G+. GREAT feeling tires. Soft, grippy. One flat in probably 1,500 miles on those this summer. You can pick up a two pack for under $65.

J.Higgins 

Nice endorsement, @revcp, and since I've grown to trust your wisdom, I'll try them on my next build.

squirtdad

FWIW

I just put on a set of Conti GP5000 28 mm replacing a set of Corsa G+ 28mm

I really liked how the Corsa G+ rode and handled, but I just had too many flats (averaged one per 115 miles) I checked everything I could think of and no luck, and after changing a flat in the rain.....ordered the GP5000

I ran latex tubes......got a huge blowout that would have been a crash at speed so gave up on them, have been using thin butyl tubes and tried sealant (orange seal). No luck, Flats were not in same location, pulled tires off and inspected.

Just did first ride on gp5000..... smoother than the corsa g+ which is saying a lot, maybe a touch less lively, hard to say without more miles, handling feels good again need more info with more miles

I am using conti race 28 tubes, but they feel thicker than the butane butyl tubes I was using. I am also trying caffelatex sealant (overall I am thinking sealant is not a good fit with 115 PSI, tube and tire setups, but hope springs eternal)

and for further reference.... I am 260 and ride at 115 PSI so my experience is probably different from a lighter rider. I am riding city streets/ MUP mostly but street cleaners are maybe montly so if someone breaks glass it hangs around for a while

amillhench

@squirtdad what experience has led you to run 115psi in a 28mm tire?

I ran mine around 75psi and never had pinch flats. These were Conti 4000s which ran large at ~30mm. My experience leads me to believe lower pressure increases comfort and reduces punctures. YMMV.

Best,

Aaron

dddd

Yesterday I ran over a patch of goat-head thorns while riding my (fairly recent used purchase) Trek 7500 hybrid. I pulled 35+ out of the front tire and only 15 out of the rear tire.

My Bontrager Hard Case tires prevented even one of the goat heads from puncturing my standard tubes.

Online reviews of my 10-year old bike cited the sluggish-performing Bontrager tires and now I know why!

From this data, it appears that a front tire will mop up at least half of the thorns that might otherwise puncture a rear tire.

squirtdad

Aaron....pretty simple that is based on the manufactures recommendation which states over 180 lbs (i am 260) inflate to max on sidewall

75 psi for me and i would be at risk for pinch flats and the ride would such (based on riding my last tires the last mile to work at pretty low pressure after replacing a tube)

I run the front 5 to 10 psi lower and unlike latex tubes I don't inflate everyday so I probably drop down to 100 psi or so later in the week

squirtdad

At risk of raising the ire of the flat gremilins....... I had a sealant success yesterday !!!

Got home from my commute and noticed rear tire was low, but not flat..found a splinter of glass and took it out.

Pumped it up to 115 and it held....road in this morning no problems

While I didn't see any sealant it sure seems like it worked. (previously I got flats even with sealant....sealant (orange seal) just sprayed everywhere)

My specific set up is Conti GP5000 28m at 115 psi. Conti race tubes (light but not super light) and Caffelatex for sealant)

masi61

Just curious how much Caffelatex sealant you used in the tube? Is this the “foaming” sealant I heard about? Also, when you put the sealant in, did you remove the valve core then inject the sealant with a syringe?

Thanks.

squirtdad

30 ml/1 oz I would think so their marketing talks about foaming, yes, removable valve core and then I have a syringe thing with maybe a 10-15 cm hose (4 to 6 inches)

jimmuller 

Had a flat on my commute this morning. First flat I've had on the Bianchi, which has worn Gatorskins in the past but for the last year or so has had GP4000-IIs. Ever changed tubes with numb fingers at 30degF? Lots of fun. Something I look forward to every day. Absolutely. Really. Honest! Yeah, right.

squirtdad

with daylight savings time and it being totally dark on the trail I take home..i just added a small headlamp to the kit to provide light better than taking a light off. hopefully I won't have to us it

jonwvara 

I think that most people in New Hampshire cross the river into Vermont before they throw their depositless bottles into the road.

J.Higgins 

Was that an NH joke?