windhchaser

do thorn proof tubes help against flats i hate flats id let my bike weigh 100 pounds if i didnt get flats so will the tubes help?

SquidPuppet

They are an improvement but are not puncture proof.

windhchaser

how about if i add green slime will it make it better?

fietsbob

Thorn Resistant, not thorn Proof .. they also hold air longer.. being thicker rubber in them .

put them Inside some Schwalbe marathon plus tires instead of slime ing the Tube .

Yea the combination will be adding weight ,, flywheel effect will steady the steering.

windhchaser

good thats at least going to be better .i cant explain how much i hate flats it makes me want to give up bikeing

fietsbob

Havent had a Flat since putting a TR Tube in the 406-47 Schwalbe tires on my Bike Friday

Bill Kapaun

They are heavier, so you'll get tired sooner and ride less.
Less riding = less flats.

windhchaser

i never notice weight sometimes i have 40 pounds in my paniers and realy didn't notice

fietsbob

Put TR tubes in My Touring bike , no flats from punctures over a 10 month ride and stay in Ireland and Scotland.

Under-inflated tire creep was my only flat , the stem came loose from the Tube , but I was Back Here Then.

howeeee

I doubt it, its a a sales gimmick

windhchaser

i do have kevlar tires as well

Shimagnolo

I ordered a set of thorn-proof tubes once.
When they arrived, I picked up the box..HOLY CRAP these things are heavy!
Heck, I think the box was three times the size of a normal tube's box.
I never did use them, IIRC I eventually sold them on eBay.

digibud

Thorn proof tubes with Marathon Plus tires will result in virtually flat proof tires. Tubeless tires with goop inside won't be quite as flat proof but they'll be close and provide a much better ride. In Albuquerque I got back after a ride and found four goat head thorns in my tire. I pulled each out and my tire bled a bit of sealant...then stopped...and that was that. I'm still riding those same tires without concern. That's four flats in one ride that I did not even know about. I'm a real believer in tubeless road tires.

Bill Kapaun

Some people are more sensitive than others.
I packed five 12 packs of pop & 10 lbs. of meat in my rear baskets last Fri. I save every ounce I can.
I have emphysema and am living in my 8th decade. Extra energy is something I don't have.

FBinNY 

+1

help reduce the number, yes. But reliably prevent flat, definitely not.

LesterOfPuppets

Mr Tuffy works better than thorn proof tubes, for me.

ramzilla

I've had so many regular tubes blow out because of poor quality manufacture I quit using them years ago. Thorn proof tires are definitely heavy & difficult to mount but, they don't blow out randomly like cheaper ordinary tubes. Niagra cycle sells them for a low as $7 or $8 each. I consider them cheap insurance.

windhchaser

thats amazeing at ya age u still bike ps im not calling you old im just impressed

SkyDog75

Puncture-resistant tires, and to a lesser extent tubes, do help protect against flats from road hazards. They don't, however, prevent flats caused by other things like underinflation or improperly installed rim strips/tape.

Deontologist

Puncture-resistant tires, and to an extent, tubes, do, however, prevent flats caused by other things such as underinflation and improperly installed rim strips/tape.

I've run thorn resistant tubes at much lower pressures than regular thickness tubes and despite going over all sorts of road imperfections (potholes, grates, etc.) I've never pinched flatted on a thorn resistant tube, and that's likely due to the fact that it's much more difficult to stretch a thicker piece of rubber than a thinner piece of rubber. Butyl rubber can only elongate to a certain percentage of its original dimensions before breaking, so having more rubber makes it difficult to reach that critical percentage.

Tires can also help with pinch flats; some tires are made with very stiff sidewalls that deform less when rolling over road imperfections and thereby help with pinch flats.

catgita

I was getting 3+ flats a month due to goats heads and glass. I was running ultralight butyl tubes with non-puncture protected Compass tires. I loved the performance and ride quality, but the flats were a real drag.

I added SlimePro (which is a latex base product, not the crappy green stuff) and got no more flats. A side benefit is that the tires hardly ever needed air. When I finally replaced the tires, I found the tube peppered with holes. It was a bit messy, but to have performance and be flat free, not a big deal.

With most latex based sealants, you have to add more every 3 months or so because it dries out. I want to try CafeLatex which is a synthetic latex base, which should not dry out so fast.

SkyDog75

I'm happy you found something that works for you, but we're gonna have to agree to disagree on this one, at least to an extent. I stand by my statement that a thicker tube won't prevent flats from those causes. It might make them a *little* less likely, but addressing the underlying causes of those type of flats properly is a much more effective approach.

Punctures caused by bad rim tape or rim strips can happen to any tube of reasonable thickness. The fix isn't to put more rubber inside the tire; the fix is to make sure the spokes and spoke holes aren't a puncture hazard.

Pinch flats can happen to regular or "thorn resistant" tubes, too. Sure, it's a little harder for a pinch to cut through a thicker tube, but it's still pretty easy to accomplish if you run pressures low enough. The fix isn't to use a tube thick enough to withstand pinching, but rather to not pinch in the first place by making sure there's enough air in the tire.

Significant underinflation can also cause tires and tubes to shift relative to the rim, putting stress on the valve stem. I'm not sure a thicker tube would help here. Regardless, the correct fix is to simply make sure you've got enough air in the tire to prevent the problem in the first place.

Deontologist

Only thing latex about cafelatex is its name.