KDB

I rode about 20 miles last Friday on my older Schwinn Traveler; came home and put the bike into the garage. On Sunday I decided to go for my first 50 mile ride. I decided to go with the Traveler as it seemed appropriate. But, the rear tire was flat! So, I took the Dawes, did the fifty miles ; but these flats have me vexed. I seem to be getting a flat about every other ride. I am getting paranoid and fear going out to the garage...

I have: new wheels, rim strips, tubes, and tires on the Schwinn, but 2 flats in last four rides.
I have: new tube, rim strips, tires, and have completely checked the rims for burrs (sanded down a couple) on the Dawes. No flat last ride (haven't checked the garage since Sunday--ran 5 miles yesterday and need to give my legs some recovery time), but I have 2 flats in last 4-5 rides.

Am I "normal" here or am I having more than average problems with flats?

zimbo

I purchased my bike used last August. The tires were in good shape but not new and I did not replace the tubes. Since then I've put approximately 3000 miles on the bike. I've only had one flat and it didn't lose air during a ride (the tire was simply flat the next day when I went to ride).

I'd say your problems are abnormal.

--Steve

nobrainer440

My flats always seem to come in threes. I dont know why, but I will have 3 flats in like 2 weeks, then no more for months. Can you tell if the tube is getting punctured on the inside/outside/side? Have you triple-checked inside the tires for debris? If so, it may just be a run of bad luck.

merlinextraligh

stuff happens, and occassionally you'll get a run of bad luck. That being said, I get on average a flat about every 500 miles. Everytime you get a flat you need to figure out what caused that flat and correct it. Otherwise the new tube is going to flat pretty soon.

chroot

Make sure you inflate the tires to their operating pressure before every ride. It can be tough to tell the difference between 80 and 110 psi, but tires with less pressure are far more vulnerable to pinch flats.

Analyze each flat and find the reason it occured.

- Warren

CardiacKid

I went thru a period last fall where I was getting a flat every 50 miles. I bought a pair of Conti 2000s and .... I can't say anymore for fear of upsetting the tire gods.
What kind of tires are you running. Considering the weight of your bike already, I wouldn't look to save a few ounces on my tires. Look for something a little more heavy duty.

CastIron

Seems to run in spurts for me as well. Primary cause of late seems to be poor (read: cheap) tube selection.

johnny99

I rode about 120 times last year; maybe 6000 miles. No flats. Really.

I use Continental 4-Seasons tires, but there are others that are just as or more flat resistant.

You should also check your tire pressure and rim condition, as those can also contribute to flats.

AP1EKWAN

Blame it on luck. I've had about 6 or so in one week. Usually for me it's in the rear tire - my fat @ss on the rear tire can't dodge the debris like the front tire can.

SDRider

I've had 2 flats since August and I've ridden about 1600 miles in that time.

110psi front and rear.

rmwun54

1 or 2 flats a year at 5,000 miles a year. I use Mr. Tuffy glued into the tire with duct tape on the overlap. Works for me.

DXchulo

Sounds strange to me, but I do agree that bad luck streaks tend to happen. I haven't had a flat so far this year in over 3,000 miles (but I'll probably get one now that I said that). What tires are you using? What tubes are you using? I'd definitely keep looking into the problem.

SDRider

Funny you should say that. As I was checking over my bike for tomorrow's commute I noticed that the rear tire was flat.

Make that 3 flats in the last 1600 miles. Oh well, I'd rather have them at home than on the road and it gave me the opportunity to rotate my tires.

Edit-I just found out what caused it. A couple weekends ago I was riding with a friend of mine and I picked up a hunk of metal in my rear tire. It had lodged in the tire but didn't cause a flat because when I pulled out the piece of metal my tire still held air. I rode the bike probably 100 miles after that and didn't flat but it must have been very slow leak. Just noticed it tonight. Oh well, this tube is a candidate for patching.

FarHorizon

You're having more flats than "normal," but flats always seem to come in clusters (may not actually BE that way, it just SEEMS so). I'd consider putting either "thorn-proof" or "slime" tubes on the Schwinn where weight's not so big an issue? Of the two, I prefer the thorn-proof ones. There are also kevlar strips available that go between the tube and tire if you really want protection. Good luck!

krazyderek

0.041666666666666666666666666666667 % of rides

Retro Grouch 

If you are getting frequent flat tires you need to analyze what is causing them.

If the inner tube is punctured on the inside circumference the cause is usually a rim strip failure.
Punctures in the same place relative to the tire means that a piece of glass or a thorn is still stuck in your tire.
Two parallel slits usually means your air pressure is too low.
Blow outs usually means you pinched the tube under the tire bead.

Shanetrot

Why do the pinch flats occur at ~80 PSI and not at 100? Is there a brand of tube less likely to end up flat?

DannoXYZ 

Brand of tube doesn't really make a difference in pinched-flats. Tyre-pressure is the cause or it, or rather the lack of pressure:

When riding along, if you have low-pressure, the tyre is deformed sideways past the edge of the rim. Then when you hit bump, or just from the bouncing of pedaling, the rim-edge can cut through the piece of tube that's caught in the folded up tyre. The result is two small holes 3-5mm part. Also known as snake-bites.

Yes, that's more than normal. Before trying something new to combat flats, first find out exactly what has caused your previous flats. Don't just put in a new tube without finding the cause. I've had 1 flat in the past 8000 miles. Here's what you can do to lower your rates of flats, if you still get more than a couple flats a year, you haven't done enough to prevent them. Do EVERYTHING on the list:

1. Super thick tubes: what they sound like. A little heavier, much stronger. The exact thickness may not help pinched flats much, but they will help with thorns. Rather than flatting with just 0.5mm of penetration, it'll require 1.5mm to stick through. The thorn-resistant tubes actually only have the thicker section on the outside where it faces the road.
   
   
2. Slimed tubes: these are regular tubes with some goo on the inside that seals punctures on the spot. They work pretty well. Even better is to take the thick thorn-resistant tubes and add slime.
   
   
3. Tubeless: go look at notubes.com, these should work better against pinches, but thorns, glass and cuts are still problems.
   
   
4. Mr.Tuffy liners are 2-3mm thick plastic strips that sit between the tube and tyre. This then requires 3mm of penetration before the thorn can puncture your tube.
   
   
5. Air-pressure - make sure the tyres are pumped up on the high side of the pressure range. Narrow 20-23mm tyres should be in the 100-120psi range. Wider tyres of 25-28mm can run 95-105psi range. Use more pressure if you're heavier than average. When I weighed 245lbs, I was using 120psi on 28mm tyres. Underinflation is the leading cause of pinch flats (snake-bites). Pump up the flat tube after you removed it. If you see two holes 3-5mm apart across the tube, it's a pinched flat caused by the rim-bottoming out and smashing through the tube. More pressure prevents such drastic deformations of the tyre.
   
   
6. kevlar touring tyres aren't as fast as thin race-rubber, but they last a lot longer and are more flat-resistant. Some have kevlar in the casing, others have a kevlar belt in the casing. I like the ones with a separate belt because that leaves the sidewalls flexible and supple for a faster ride and better handling. The belt works by making it harder for debris like glass and thorns to work their way through the casing. They're not bulletproof (I've tested this ) and they won't stop ALL flats, but they'll slow down the penetration and give you more time for the following techniques to work.
   
   
7. wipe your tyres with your hands after running over glass & debris. You can hear glass fragments and stuff that can puncture your tyre when you run them over. Good reason to wear gloves so you can immediately rub your tyre and not let the glass/thorns work themselves through after repeated revolutions. On the front, just reach down in front of the brakes and lightly lay the palm of your gloves on the tyre to scrape off any debris.
   
   On the rear, also put your hands IN FRONTof the brakes, not BEHIND or else they'll get sucked into the brakes! Put it in front of the brake-caliper and seat-stay. Be careful because your hand can get caught between the tyre and back of the seat-tube. Hook your thumb around the back of the seat stay first, then slide your hand down the stay until your palm barely rubs the tyre to wipe off glass & debris. Your thumb hooked around the seat-stay lets you rub the tyre without looking and keeps your hand from getting dragged forward.
   
   
8. Tyre savers are the most under-utilized anti-flat tool out there! Touring folks swear by them. These are little wire scrapers that you bolt to your brakes and they have a little half-circular hoop that rides just above your tyre. You push them down onto the tyre and mold it to fit the profile of your tyre closely. Adjust so it rides only 0.5-1.0mm above the tire surface. Any glass or thorns that you pick up is immediately scraped off. I just make my own from some wire coat-hangers.
   
   
9. Don't hit stuff like rocks and pot-holes which can cause pinched flats. Most people ride their bikes like their cars and keep their eyes on the horizon. You're not going to reach that spot for another 20-minutes, so look down in front of the bike more. I like to keep my eyes 50-75ft ahead and I can see the horizon through my peripheral vision. Look up and down often to scan the entire road ahead of you. When you see a rock or a pot-hole, look away at the path you want to take. If you look at that rock or pothole, you're GONNA hit it!

johnny99

Wider tires (28 or 25mm) are less likely to pinch flat than skinnier tires (20-23mm), thus you can safely run a wider tire at a lower pressure than a skinnier tire. Heavier riders need to put more air in their tires to avoid pinch flats.

StanSeven

Frequent flats are caused by improper inflation (see the excellent post above by Danno XYZ), debris (glass, metal slivers, etc.) that still is embedded in the tire, or rubber tread worn thin. Many people often overlook this last point - little holes, nicks, and cuts allow road debris to work their way back to the tube. Another culprit can be rim tape not completely covering the spoke holes.

So my advice is keep tires inflated, replace them before they are worn too much, and always check why you had a flat to be sure you don't get a repeat. Also keep your eye on the road and look out for glass.

56/12 and 22/28

This year I've had 2 flats in about 40 rides.

Not bad.

fmw

I've had exactly one flat in the past 4 years. I think it relates to the roads you ride on. In that time, I've replace 2 sets of tires that never did flat. I ride on roads with nothing on them except pavement.

woodcycl

Since 1992, I have had ONLY 6 flats ... riding on 23c's !! I know ... now that I posted, I'll have a flat tonight. Dooohhhhh !!!!!

Edited to add ... that's with 2k to 4k a year ... minus 5 yrs of traveling and very little road miles. So, approx. 20,000 miles.

stonecrd

I get about 2000mi on tires and probably average 05. - 1.0 flat on a set of tires

TYB069

I've had 1 flat with my current set of tires (it was about 750 miles ago). I got that one from going through the remains of a freshly broken bottle. Now I am always careful to go around glass. Gravel and potholes have never actually given me a flat but I still try to avoid them - just in case.