guachi

I'm just here to vent.

Spend most of my time riding indoors so at least I don't get a flat doing that. But in my last 99.5 hours of riding outside on the road I've had five flats or one flat every 20 hours of riding. This seems excessive. After flat #4 I made the mistake of getting a GP5000 to replace the stock Bontrager tire that had a gash in it. It was a pain to install and a pain to take off after the inevitable flat #5 today.

Anyone have worse luck?

/End Vent

August West

Why did you pick the GP5000? It is not known for being very flat resistant. I ride them an seldom have punctures but that is more the conditions I ride in, not the tire. If you want to stay with tubes and Continental GP 4 Season or Gatorbacks are more puncture resistant. I sure most are going to tell you to go tubeless.

Racing Dan

3, 2, 1 ...

cue up the TL crowd :-)

Imo, just get some protected tyres and stop worrying about endless flats and supposed "suppleness" of race day tyres.

stevel610 

Yes, the 4 Seasons or Gatorskins will do you well if you are flat prone.

guachi

I picked the GP5000 because it got good reviews as a tire and I figured I couldn't possibly continue to be that unlucky. But, nope, I hit the only rock on otherwise perfect asphalt.

The GP5000 got me a whopping 30 hours before I got a flat! It's a beast of a tire compared to the stock tire. Maybe I'll look into getting the GP 4 Season. Or maybe I'll try to get a tire that's not as much of a pain to mount as the Continental tires. The stock Bontragers at least could be taken on and off by hand.

CAT7RDR

If you do not mind, whereabouts are you riding? Urban sprawl? Desert? etc
What is causing your flats?

guachi

Flat #1 was on a paved MUP at an intersection of the MUP and a lightly traveled subdivision road. Flat #2 I ran over a screw on a heavily traveled road near home. The roads are basically never swept so no real surprise. Flat #3 I went over a curb from a dead stop. Probably a pinch flat. Flat #4 I hit a small rock on a MUP that's packed dirt so is probably more appropriate on gravel tires though I've ridden up and down it at least a dozen times before with no incidence. Gashed tire and needed replacing. Flat #5 I hit the only small rock on a stretch of otherwise new and perfect asphalt. The kind you dream about, just minus the rock. The tube had two small holes that look like someone had driven a staple through it.

I haven't been serious about riding until recently but none of the riding seems unusual. Certainly not much different than the riding I did as a kid or through college when I had no car.

CAT7RDR

Metal is deadly no matter what but two flats on rocks? I have never had that issue on Gatorskins, Bontrager T1's or Armadillos.

RGMN

Rock and 2 small holes in the tube? Pinch flat. You need a little more PSI in the tires.

Rides4Beer

I agree, sounds like your pressure is too low, you shouldn't be flatting on rocks or low speed curb impacts. I've done over 1,000 hours on GP5000s without a single flat.

What your weight, tire size, and pressure?

Symox

Agree with the comments about checking your psi

I've had great luck with Continental Gatorskins at lower pressures (60-80psi for 28s) but I weigh 150ish

If you don't mind the weight penalty, those Mr Tuffy or Slime tire liners are bulletproof and can be added to your favorite tire. I once pulled out a nasty goat head thorn which was stopped in its tracks by the liner.

Using the Gatorskins I stopped using the liners as they were noticeably heavier to me.

Symox

Also, check to make sure the inside of your rim isn't damaged and that your rim tape hasn't shifted. You will know if you have these issues if the flats occur on the non-road side of the tubes.

tomato coupe

It's not hatred that drives cyclists to the dark side, it's statistical fluctuations.

guachi

I'm 5' 11" and weigh 195 (plus weight of whatever I'm wearing/carrying). I checked and inflated my tires before the ride (and most rides) and the front was 75psi and the rear 85psi on 32mm tries on 21mm rims. It's possible the gauge is off. It's certainly not an expensive pump.

JayKay3000

IMO, won't do any harm to try a heavier duty tire with thicker sidewall and puncture protection. You'll loose a bit of speed and gain a bit of weight. Also Check what the minimum ideal pressure rating for your tires is on the sidewall and max and get your tires somewhere in between. That or try and see potential debris before going over them.

rubiksoval

Not nearly as much to do with suppleness as it is to do with not losing multiple tenths of a mile an hour from riding the slowest tires imaginable.

To the OP, more air pressure.

masi61

All this sounds pretty good. The rim at 21 mm might not be ideal for 32’s though.

And could you comment on your rim tape set up? When you had those flats from rocks did you analyze the exact location of the puncture(s)?

WhyFi

More pressure to avoid pinch flatting. If you still get an unacceptable amount of debris punctures after that, consider tubeless.

Rides4Beer

Should be good, I'm 185lbs and run 32mm GP5000s on 19c rims at 60/70psi with no issues. Gauge could be off, the gauge on my pump is def off, I use a digital gauge after pumping up to bleed down the pressure to where I want it.

https://www.amazon.com/Topeak-601000...s%2C158&sr=8-2

Or it could be as others have suggested, an issue on the rim side, should check the tape, see if there's anything poking through the could be causing the flats.

Mojo31

32s on 21mm inside should not be a problem. My Domane came standard with that size rim and 32s. OP has been running too low of pressure for that setup.

Bob Ross

...which is probably why you keep flatting all the time: Ease of on/off is a good indicator that a tire is extremely supple...and you can't have an extremely supple tire that is also extremely resistant to punctures, gashes, tears, and holes.

WhyFi

I think that bead tightness/diameter plays a bigger role, these days. The GP5k have a reputation for having tight beads, which can make a tire a chore to get on/off regardless of whether or not it's supple.

bampilot06

I havnt had any issues with my GP5. The main road that I am on is prone to gravel and rocks from driveways spilling out on the road. Maybe it’s your rim? Is it always the same wheel?

GlennR

On my road bike I have GP4000IIS 25mm. Once went 18 months, that's about 8000 miles without a flat and actually wore the rear to the wear marks. The next season I got 2 flats in the same week.. go figure.

On my CX bike, which I ride in the winter, I have 5000 miles miles and not a single flat. Tires are Bontrager AW2 Hardcase 32mm tubeless.

You can minimize flats by getting a tire liner, using thorn resistant tubes and all selecting tires that are puncture resistant. All of these add rotational weight so there is a performance penalty.

In warmer weather I rather the better performance since fixing a flat on the side of the road is only a 5 minute delay. In the winter I really don't want to fix a flat in 25* weather with wet roads and snow on the sides.

Iride01 

You have to figure out why your are flatting. Not every flat is a puncture from something on the road. Many can be the tube got damaged during installation and it took a few miles for it to finally give out.

You might be in an area where flats from road debris is an issue. I can't help you. I ride in an area where flats from such are few. I fully expect to wear my GP5000's out before I get a flat. So far there is over 3000 miles on the current set.