Flatballer

Another thread about tubular repair has me curious about how often people flat. I know this is a subject that people don't like to talk about for fear of incurring the wrath of the velo gods, but I've talked to them and they've decided to make an exception in the name of science.

So, the poll pretty much speaks for itself.

HastyDeparture

I've got 600-700 miles on my bike, and two flats. It's worth mentioning, though, that both of those were pinch flats with crappy tires on a heavy Alex wheelset with 200 miles on them. New wheels and tires? No flats.

KirkeIsWaiting

Rode on sew ups (tubulars) for twenty yrs and never had a flat.
Day two on the first bike with clinchers, I find a roofing nail. Since then, I've had a few flats.

SushiJoe

I just had my first flat in more than 3 years on Saturday. [So my guess is that makes it between 12 and 15,000 miles] I was stunned, actually. Since it's so rare, I didn't bring a tube or pump. I figured "what's the point?" since I was only doing an easy 20 miles. Well, 10 miles out, it happened...

tollhousecookie

I doubt very much that you have talked to the velo gods or any sovereign deity that that controls when and where a puncture occurs, let alone the idea of them making an exception. You have surely invoked their wrath with such blasphemy.

CbadRider

I went for months without one, then got three in two weeks over the summer.

mattm

not often enough

Matt Gaunt

Nice.

I got one last week, first one for ages, on a near enough brand new rear tyre (like 150 miles tops), which was odd. A shard of stone was the culprit, would you believe, and went straight through the puncture strip on my GP3000, leaving a nice gash behind when I pulled it out. I'm gonna risk leaving it on though, it's not too bad...

Anbaric Cog

Usually within a day or two of saying, "...yeah, I haven't had a flat in a while...."

a.c.

Nachoman

Even opening this thread is a dangerous proposition.

agarose2000

I road my new Cervelo P2C this wknd for its first maiden voyage.

Popped a flat in 5 miles after hitting a tiny round pebble that I thought would be no big deal.

3 other guys in my group popped flats in the next 20 miles.

Ironically, on the way back, I ride through an entire 20 foot stretch of broken sharp glass shards from a prior accident of some sort. Despite my sinking feeling of "I'm screwed", no flat for anybody there. Go figure.

Flatballer

So much for a statistical bell curve. This is looking more like the inverse. Lots of people at the extremes, not many in the middle. Interesting.

Wanderer

I used to average a flat every 100 miles, or about 2.5 times per week. All of my flats were from punctures on the tread side of the tube, and I always found and removed the culprit.

No goatheads here, just ordinary flat tire stuff - shards of glass, flints, regular straight thorns, wood splinters, wires, etc.

That was with Specialized CX Burrough Pro's 700X45. 120 TPI.

Since I switched to Schwalbe Marathon Supremes 700X45, a little longer than about a month ago, I have had no occasions to remove either of my wheels.

A side benefit, worth mentioning, is that I also changed tubes to Schwalbe's.

Where I used to lose about 5-10% of my pressure every day, just through normal seepage, (at 85psi) I now lose 5# in a week. I will be replacing all of my tubes with Schwalbe tubes in the near future, and save the others for spares, rubber bands, anti slip duty, and straps.

Expensive???? Not from my way of thinking.............

johnny99

Since started using Gatorskin tires, I've been averaging around 1 flat every 10,000 miles. That's about 1 flat for every 3 rear tires. The front tire never flats.

sharkey00

A friend of mine got a P2 SL and had chronic flats. Found out 300 miles and 6 flats later he had day use track tires on it

Psimet2001 

<1/year usually. so >3,500 miles

rmfnla

I've had roofing nails go through the tire, tube and the rim. Now, that's a flat!

Daytrip

I've had one in the past 1,000 miles.

colorider

2560 and counting

obie

New bike, 2400 miles/4 mos. = no flats.

Changed from Bontys to Conti 4000 GP = 7 flats in last 6 weeks. 5 of these in one 2 mi. stretch: rim tape failure, thorns.

Changed to the heavy (250g) Forte tubes and going to Gatorskins.

After this bad spell I hope I'm payed up on the Karma and can go awhile w/o that damned popping sound.

roshea

11,200 km (7,000 miles) on my current bike. 2 punctures.

Avalanche325

They run in spells for me. I went 18 months without one. I have also had three flats on a 50 miles ride.

palesaint

Last year I went 3 months (~1000 miles) between flats.

This year I have had 2 flats (~2400 between flats). I am rolling on fresh rubber now and expect to make it thru the year without another. Now that I've said that, I'm sure to get one tomorrow.

Last year's tire: Panaracer stradius pro
This year: Kendra Kriterium. Fabulous training tire that I think would do just fine in a crit. :nod:

robdac

In the last 5000 miles I've had four flats. All of them have been within the last 30 days.

sac02

I'm not going to post in the poll because my flats always seem to come in bunches. The current pair of Gatorskins tires I've got on the bike right now went the first couple thousand miles of their life without a flat, and in the last month (maybe 5 or 600 miles?) I've had five flats now. I'm about to pull my hair out.

Mac