SwimmerMike 

Enough Said!

DiabloScott

You need to fold the bill to make it fit the contour of the tire... also, $2 bills work if you're a moneybags type.

fixinbikes

beautiful bike man!

Fahrenheit531 

Yeah, I folded the half-bill in half and figured that was enough since I only run 55psi back there. Got me home easy-peasy. I should probably remember to order tires when I get home from work though. hahaha Thanks for the reminder, as it went full-on out of sight, out of mind.

seedsbelize 

Yet another rimstrip failure. Velox this time. I might switch to Zipp, or another stretch on type. I have been having nothing but rimstrip failures for the past year or so of flats. Have I forgotten how, in my old age?

mruneedahelmet

Realized I forgot to bring my pump about 1km into my ride on the classic today. Did the lazy and risky thing and carried on with fingers crossed that I would not flat.

Hilariously, it was neither on the steep climb absent under the blistering sun, nor the sketchy descent scattered with debris that I eventually suffered a flat; the puncture occurred at the same location where I realized I forgot my pump.

Really glad I only had to trek 1km with my shoes off to return home!

jimmuller 

Speaking of flat tires, which is what we do in this thread, my Bianchi has been putting in miles on only the trainer for the last year. Before that it was a commuting workhorse. A few months ago it developed a flat on the rear. Hmm, not a puncture. I just swapped bikes and figured I'd fix it later. Today I had the opportunity.

It turns out to be from a manufacturing flaw in the tube, not the first I've seen. The tire, a 25mm GP4000-II looked like this:



I think maybe I got my money's worth out of this one. These GP's had replaced some 23mm Gatorskins when I flat-spotted the rear. Fortunately I tossed only the worn rear tire, kept the front. So now I have a 25mm GP4000-II on the front and a 23mm Gatorskin on the rear. I figure the performance should be about the same between them, as I was never over-fond of the Gatorskins.

It has been a long time since I had to change a clincher tires. I prefer sewups, even fro commuting. I had forgotten how much of a PITA it can be.

squirtdad

well after 1750 mile flat free with the combo of Conti gp5000 28mm, conti race lite tubes and Calfee latex sealant, I flatted my rear tire today

It was my own flat as mentioned this in mechanics and the imps and jinxs of flat tire karma got me.

So no big deal, pop the tire, pull the tube, put in the spare.

Nope, more punishment from tire karma

put a little air in the tube, unscrewed the inflator hose and out came the valve.

Searched around in my stuff and found a valve wrench built in to some levers...cool tightend the valve
put it in got the tire on all smooth, go to pump and won't hold air....valve is bent an leaking and comes out with the pump again

pull the valve from the flatted tire, and put it in even with some sealant gook on it.
pump, holds a bit, leaks, and comes out again

search around my seat bag and find one of the little plastic valve wrenches....get that valve tight
pump it again, air going in up to a point then no progress.... valve is leaking faster than I can pump.
pump until it stops leaking and seal up quick.... not enough to ride on

realize am close to a local bike charity, walk there, borrow floor pump and all is well

Bike charity is right by a nice brewpub, to a lot of will power to got back to work, not just get a beer

new learning, going to check valve tightness of new tubes, also will test pump with road pump in the garage, and maybe replace a few valves
I hope i have meet my flat tire karma oblications

CliffordK

I think the local municipality does sweep periodically.

I complained very vocally to the county, and the local cycling group when someone dribbled about 5 miles of window glass along my rural road that I must ride to get to town. They came and swept it within a week or so.

I found this along one of the major off-road bike paths between Eugene and Springfield a few years ago. Access only by bike, foot, or boat.



I think I found it after a major holiday. You can see several stems, bases, etc. So, I just spent an hour or so picking up every shard I could spot. I suppose it would have eventually been swept, but I thought it was worth it to just stop and clear the path.

Obviously I can't pick up everything, but those bottles were a bit over the top.

Generally when I'm riding I am very vigilant for glass or other road hazards or debris. I try to memorize what to avoid, but occasionally forget some.

ThermionicScott 

Today I noticed my front tire was soft, nearly flat when leaving the liquor store to ride back home. Upon examination, I had picked up a tiny thorn along the way. Lacking a really sharp implement, I struggled to work it out of the tire before installing my spare tube. Which acted a little funny as I went to pump it up -- with only a little air in the tube it still bunched up when I tucked it into the tire, and seemed to want to stay "skinny" as I put in air. While I was able to get in enough air to ride home, it was clear from outside the tire that the tube had inflated unevenly. When I got home, I took the spare tube out again, and found it was marked 26" x 1-3/8" - 1-1/4" (the tires on this bike are 26"x1.75"). My only wonder at that point was how that oddball tube had gotten into my collection! I tried it on a spare 700C rim and found that was a much better fit, so I marked it "700C" and put it in a different tub to avoid making this mistake again.

squirtdad

the park tire boots work great. Got a slice almost all the way across on my gp5000 rear. tire is dead but tire boot let me get home

also had the fun of pumping up, then valve coming undone when unscrewing the pump head. am reconsidering the idea of Co2.... but will still carry a pump

jimmuller 

At least you were out on a worthy errand.

TLaurent 

Misery loves company and I must have penance to pay. Four flats in the last week and a half after many years and many bikes without any. Recently put together my first vintage Italian, a CBT Italia with all Campagnolo components including the first set of 27” wheels that I built. New Gatorskin tires with Conti tubes and it rides like a dream. The usual ride is a 15 mile loop around a lake and less than a mile from home, the rear lost air. Walked home and inspected the tire only to find a pin hole leak at the edge of the stem support material. Popped in a fresh new Conti and went out for another seven mile ride, excited for the new build, only to find myself walking back for three miles due to the rear again. Once home, I found an outer pin hole leak nowhere near the stem and no obvious culprit. After thoroughly cleaning the inside of the tire, inspecting the spokes, rim tape, and installing yet another fresh tube, I went out the next day for a twenty miler. This time, I brought the pump and a patch kit. At mile fifteen, the rear lost air again! My wife just happened to be driving by so instead of doing the repair on the road, she drove my sorry butt home. The next weekend, I patched all three tubes but installed a Michelin 27x1.25 thinking that either I received a bad batch of Conti tubes or the 700c tubes weren’t compatible with 27x1.25 tires. Wouldn’t you know it, the Michelin went flat with a pin hole leak once again at the edge of the thicker material near the stem. I have a set of Araya tubular wheels that, although aren’t “period correct,” may just end up on the bike. Does anyone know the prayer, sacrifice, or bribe to end the cycle?

rumrunn6

work the problem. find the culprit

rhm

I feel personally responsible for this thread going dormant. I actually had a flat a month ago that i didn't post here. Is that's how long it's been since I've had a flat?
I've been commuting on Pari-moto 650x38b's, which are not super tough tires, but i hadn't had a flat in so long that all my glue had dried, including unopened tubes. I had to use a Park patch. It's holding air well enough; now i have to pump it up every week or so.

rumrunn6

was looking at bike stuff in a big box store yesterday thinking about my patches & glue. I think I bought some extra glue last year. should check my bag for the increased summer seasonal riding I'm still planning on doing

ThermionicScott 

Revisiting this thread, I'm a little embarrassed at how long I took to apply this lesson. In 2021, I retired the old rear Pari-Moto and moved the front Pari-Moto to the back, installing a fresh one in front. But I kept having sporadic flats in the back. The last straw was when it went soft early into a 200k this spring. Whether due to the tire's age/wear or my increased weight, I decided that 7 years of service was enough and finally installed that Loup Loup Pass in back. So far, so good.

noglider 

I took a difficult and longish ride last weekend. 34 miles (54 km) but the first 13 miles (21 km) were uphill! Soon after I reached the hilltop and turned around, I was careening down the gravel road, and my rear tire went flat. I wouldn’t have minded but I was so spent after all that climbing that I was a bit faint. There was nowhere to sit, and standing made me dizzy. That made fixing the flat take a long time, but I managed. I checked for the source of the puncture and didn’t find it, so I changed the tube. Hmm, I better patch that tube before I go out again.

My GPS tracks and pictures

squirtdad

Got my first flat in a couple of years. Rene herse stampede pass 32 mm with schwalbe tubes, with caffe latex, run at 80 psi

in this case sealant did not work, I have had mixed results over the years with sealant, am sure it has worked with small punctures, but not in this case. Probably more of an X-files things, I want to believe (tube got pumped up at home and am seeing if over time at lower pressure it seals

pretty quick change, tires go on and off easily. First time i used CO2 and a new pump......reminder to self practice with new stuff before having to using it first time

nice couple walking their little kids stop and checked if I had everything i needed....he bikes and lived around the corner

so hopefully the Time flat demons will be ok for a while

Kabuki12

Wow , first flat in a couple of years? Good on ya! My tires seem to be magnets for goat head thorns . A lot of my tubes have 4-5 patches on them. I recently started changing tubes rather than mess with patching on the road . I rarely stop , whether for stretching and hydration or flat repair , without someone offering assistance . It gives me hope!

Bad Lag

Me, too, it is just so easy to swap tubes.

You just have to be sure you've removed whatever it was that caused the puncture in the first place.

Now, for the mystery - my last flat was removed from the bike but I cannot find a leak.

gearbasher

So, 46 miles into a 48 mile T-day ride and I feel my rear wheel hop off the ground. I stop and see a screw head sticking out of the tire at an angle, I tried to pull it out and couldn't. So, I unscrewed it. And unscrewed it. And unscrewed it. This is what came out.


This is what the tire looks like;