So tired of flat tires!
05-07-24, 09:34 PM
#26
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pambam, 1) you have to find out why you are flatting. You might stumble on a fix not knowing but if you don't guess right (or just go out and buy what say poster Y suggests, you might well be just flying little Euro paper airplanes out the window. If your flats are being caused by say a rim strip issues, the beefiest tires in the world are not going to help.
You might have a bilingual cyclist write on a piece of paper in German "What caused this flat? Please show me or write it here so I can learn." With a flat every 2-4 rides, I doubt these are random events. It may be that your riding style takes you to say where glass typically livers on streets and a small change in your riding could be all that's needed. Or perhaps it's a tire or rimstrip issue. Something like a nail or thorn or the tiny wires of steel radial tire belts in cars embedded in your tire that causing the flats.
You might have a bilingual cyclist write on a piece of paper in German "What caused this flat? Please show me or write it here so I can learn." With a flat every 2-4 rides, I doubt these are random events. It may be that your riding style takes you to say where glass typically livers on streets and a small change in your riding could be all that's needed. Or perhaps it's a tire or rimstrip issue. Something like a nail or thorn or the tiny wires of steel radial tire belts in cars embedded in your tire that causing the flats.
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05-08-24, 09:15 AM
#27
aka Tom Reingold
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As a special education teacher, I have to urge you to amend your story. You said, "I cannot do anything technical to save my life," but try "I'm not so good at technical stuff YET." You can learn. Take slow steps, and don't hesitate to ask for help at EVERY step if you need. Your bike mechanic might be a good teacher. He/she/they might be able to guess why you get so many flats, and it is a lot.
Where are you? NY State passed a mandatory deposit law on beverage containers in 1982, so we don't have much broken glass in our streets. Nowadays, people don't return bottles for the deposits; we just use recycling bins.
It is possible to aim your tires away from shards of glass. It doesn't always work, but I think it helps. Of course, this is yet another of the hundred things to think about while riding in traffic.
Where are you? NY State passed a mandatory deposit law on beverage containers in 1982, so we don't have much broken glass in our streets. Nowadays, people don't return bottles for the deposits; we just use recycling bins.
It is possible to aim your tires away from shards of glass. It doesn't always work, but I think it helps. Of course, this is yet another of the hundred things to think about while riding in traffic.
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
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05-21-24, 03:02 AM
#28
Senior Member
I started using Flat Attack sealant in my tubes about 6 years ago. It practically eliminated flats on the road. What would normally be a flat is reduced to a loss of some pressure; just air the tire up and ride on, 95% (or more) of the punctures seal themselves as you ride. The three or four flats I have had were catastrophic punctures which nothing would fix.
Marc
Marc
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05-22-24, 10:04 AM
#29
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Continental Gatorskin tires + tire liners = Zero Flats
Pam, changing a bicycle tire or tube is hardly technical. Youtube or ask for a lesson at the local bike shop you use. You will need a set of tire levers. Buy them at uour bike shop and ask for a lesson.
Pam, changing a bicycle tire or tube is hardly technical. Youtube or ask for a lesson at the local bike shop you use. You will need a set of tire levers. Buy them at uour bike shop and ask for a lesson.
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05-23-24, 08:11 AM
#30
Senior Member
This is really going to sound very newbie/novice considering all the cycling I've done in my life, but we are fairly new in Germany and I inherited what is called a 'city bike'. Not great for distance riding but great in town for hauling all my groceries! It's super heavy and I have no idea about the wheelset or tires, since I'm still just trying to figure out how to live here in general. And because others are fixing them and I can't speak the language, I don't know what it is. However, had a puncture last week, brought it in, paid 26 euros and then it happened again 10 minutes later. That I suspect is a lazy repairman who replaced the tube and didn't check inside the tire. Or he was getting even with the judge. Here, petty crimes are punished, not with jail time, but having to do bicycle repair. I'm not kidding!
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