MTB flats every ride!

[caligurl]

ok ladies! help me out here, please!

i seem to get a flat EVERY time i ride my MTB! if not during the ride... it flats overnight from something getting into the tire (stickers?)

soooo what do you all do to help prevent a flat every time? so you use the slime tubes? do you use regular tubes with slime put into it? do you get an insert? if so.. which brand? (i found these at performance.. but they are $40!!!!! kevlar liners (http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=14804&subcategory_ID=5412) i also found slime ones: slime (http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile_combo.cfm?SKU=4588&estore_ID=&subcategory_ID=5412&CFID=11650796&CFTOKEN=34798268) )

thanx!!!!!!

[CorsairMac]

the first thing I would recommed is: take off your tire and run your hand or a tire lever around on the inside of the tire - make sure there isn't something sticking through the tire that is puncturing the tube.

Here in New Mexico we have what is known as a "goat head" thorn - think of a goats head and you got it.....a 3 prong thorn that is very hard and very painful and Loves tires!!! On my MTB and commuter bike I run Slimed tubes. On the Peugeot I have kevlar tires (which they tell me won't work with goats heads but works great with glass) and Air-Loc tubes. On the Trek road bike I have a teflon strip on the inside of the tires and Air-Loc tubes. The only flat I've had so far was a pinch flat. I was also told by just about everyone that lives here, if you're running self-sealing tubes, leave the thorn in, the tube will seal itself around the thorn.

[caligurl]

ya... we have goat heads! :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

hubby actually changed the tire last time.. i'm sure he checked... and he checked when he got a flat yesterday!

we were close enough to home last night that we just aired up and i got home (it's flat this morning!)

i'm gonna change it to make sure i know how on the MTB!

will the bottle of slime work? since i just bought 3 regular innertubes? or should i just call it a bust and order the pre-filled slime tubes?

AND.... i notice that they only go up to 2.125 for the slime tubes.. and my tire is 2.2... will that be a problem? or do i need to use "regular" tubes with the bottle of slime cuz of my tire size?

[AutumnBreez]

purhaps the tube is getting twisted/turned inside when you put it in the tire, and/or pinched ??

[caligurl]

i don't think so.. i think it's the prickly stuff inherent to the desert :confused: :confused: but when we change it.. we can make sure it's in properly!

[CorsairMac]

ya... we have goat heads! :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

hubby actually changed the tire last time.. i'm sure he checked... and he checked when he got a flat yesterday!

we were close enough to home last night that we just aired up and i got home (it's flat this morning!)

i'm gonna change it to make sure i know how on the MTB!

will the bottle of slime work? since i just bought 3 regular innertubes? or should i just call it a bust and order the pre-filled slime tubes?

AND.... i notice that they only go up to 2.125 for the slime tubes.. and my tire is 2.2... will that be a problem? or do i need to use "regular" tubes with the bottle of slime cuz of my tire size?


The bottle of Slime should work just fine - although I prefer Air-Loc these days; it's the next generation Slime and it doesn't harden in the tire if left sitting too long. No matter what you have tho, the bottles (as far as I know to date) will only work with Schrader valves.

[caligurl]

air-loc... ok... i'll look for that!

we have shraeder valves.... i did plan to buy presta next time i bought tubes... but the bikes came with and i bought schraeder!

[han-grrl]

Take a look inside and OUTSIDE the tire.

one of my participants flatted all the time. and on very close inspection of her tire we found a tiny piece of glass puncturing through. you probably would have barely felt it inside, but looking through the treads, there it was...a piece of green glass...

[singletrackmind]

Still a big fan of Tuffy liners. Cheap. Not the lightest but way lighter than the slime tubes my sister had. Caveat: will not protect sidewalls.
Sometimes mountain bikers get snakebites (a double puncture caused by the tire hitting the rim-sometimes from running too low air pressure) while trying to find the appropriate air pressure to run.
Having constant flats would be aggravating but don't worry, you'll get the problem solved. Think of it as great tire changing practice!

[CorsairMac]

Sooo cali: needless to say you were very present in my mind last night and today! LOL..........remember my line " the only flat I've had so far was a pinch flat?"...........well last night my chain jumped, after untangling it and getting it back on I accidently knocked off a goatshead when standing the bike back up and you shoulda heard the air escaping outta that tire. The Air-Loc couldn't seal it fast enough. I spun the tire to get the Air-Loc there, got the tire sealed, used my open CO2 cartridge and my last CO2 cartridge to get the tire inflated and rode the rest of the way home.
Checked the tire this morning, hard as a rock, plenty of air, doing just great. 1/2 way into my commute what do I hear?.....the sound of me riding a bike on a flat tire! :eek: doggone front tire was flat again. I used the rest of my last CO2 cartridge and limped my way to work. I"m waiting now for one of the guys to be free so they can take me to my LBS and get another tube and some more cartridges.

I just kept thinking "me and my big mouth"! LOLOL

[caligurl]

:( :( :( :(

awwwwww i'm sorry!!!!!! lol! doesn't it ALWAYS happen that way???? :eek:

[JanT]

Slime Tubes rule in the desert! I got tired of having rides interrupted by flats, especially in the summer heat. With slime tubes, you whip out the CO2, pffft, spin the wheel, and ride on! It's amazing how easy it is. Every so often, you will get something major that will not heal this way, but I've nearly a year on some tubes. When they start to have slow leaks, or when I change tires, I change the tubes in the comfort of my garage, at my leisure. What's amazing is how many tiny thorns I find embedded in the tire, and little flecks of slime, where the tubes saved the day. Tweezers are best for getting those little babies out of there; it's easy to be patient and get every one out when you're not out on the trail, holding up your friends. So, count this as a big vote for SLIME! It's probably cheaper to buy the bottles and do it yourself, but it's so easy to buy the ready made tubes. They're really not that expensive when you consider they may outlast your tires!

[SadieKate]

doggone front tire was flat again. I used the rest of my last CO2 cartridge and limped my way to work. I"m waiting now for one of the guys to be free so they can take me to my LBS and get another tube and some more cartridges. Ahem, that's why I believe in pumps and patch kits.

[LBTC]

We've got Stan's No-Tubes in our tires. Just what it says: no tube, a little bit of gooey stuff, a different rim strip, a different stem. It's kind of a big production, but DH and I have been very lucky with the stuff! Now, we don't live in the dessert and don't have to deal with goat's heads (OMG!!), so I don't know how this would do for you. It sounds like Slime is similar in that it finds the leak and seals it up, and it sounds way less difficult.

I do think that a recurring flat is an indication of something stuck in the tire, or even the rim. Our bike shop buddy once had a rim with a bad weld that kept flatting his tire for him. Check it carefully, then check it again! Hopefully you find something and can fix it up perfectly really quick! :o

Namaste,
~T~

[gretassister]

How about heavy duty tubes? :confused: I've seen these in bike shops.

[JanT]

The heavy duty thorn-resistant tubes are heavy and bulky. I tried them once, but they really didn't help much with the deadly desert cholla here in Phoenix. The thorns still get through the tube, so you have to change it, plus pack out a bulky flat tube. Slime tubes cost about the same, and will get you on your way quicker if you encounter those nasty prickly things.

[LED_now]

I'll give my thumb's up to the tire liners as well (Mr. Tuffy's) -
I haven't had a flat in 6 years!!
I probably can't remember how to fix one anymore - ;) ... Maybe that's the down side? Still - I'll take it! :)

[deeonwheels]

ok ladies! help me out here, please!

i seem to get a flat EVERY time i ride my MTB! if not during the ride... it flats overnight from something getting into the tire (stickers?)



my 5 cts worth...riding in western US, "goatheads" work their way into any tire. As someone said here before, "slime rules the desert!".
Goathead holes are small, so, slimed tubes seal the air leaks just fine.
Of course, be sure to check tires after every ride - small needle nose pliers are great for removing goatheads embedded in tires.

Just in case, for those frequent flats...put the leaky tube in the tub filled with water, if that's what it takes, to determine if the air leak is located on the outside or the inside of the tube. Just to rule out the rim as the culprit.

[MomOnBike]

Back when I lived in goat-head country, I had heavy-duty tubes, AND the fore-runner to Slime. It was a bit like using suspenders and a belt, but it worked for me. I was mostly flatless during those (commuting to college) years, too.

I'll put in a plug for heavy-duty tubes. They are heavy, so you aren't going to win any races on them, but if your tire gets a big gash and the tube peeks through, it's not a crisis. DH ran for WEEKS before I got him to change out that gashed tire. (He's not real big on preventive maintenance) The tube is still going strong, thank you all the same.

[bcipam]

Cali:

I mountain bike all the time and never get flats. Are your tires worn? Check them carefully and make sure there are no cuts, nicks or debris you aren't clearing out. Are you running the tire at proper pressure? Say 35 - 40 #. Too low will cause pinch flats. There are some good tires out there (I use MutantoRaptors and love them especially for silty/sandy conditions like the So Cal Mountains) that contain Kevlar.

Stay away from Slime. OK for road tires but put enough in a mountain bike tire and the tire becomes very heavy and very sluggish. Just too much area to cover and it all piles in one spot (if the turn the wheel it immediately stop where all teh Slime is piled up - half turn, done, no more rotation). I tried it once and never again. Make sure you are using good tubes. Bless them, Performance tubes suck. Try Specialized instead.

It really sounds like you have a small sticker or glass in the tire that you haven't cleared out. When you get a flat, blow up the spent tube and check where the hole is. Find that same spot on the tire and check for debris. Each time you get a flat you should be checking to see if its the same spot. First thing first is probably buying a new tire.

[caligurl]

lol! well... i started out with specialized tubes (cuz it's a specialized!) bought the performance... cuz ya.... they are cheap and we have *knock on wood* great luck with them on the road bikes!

i'm pretty sure it's stickers.... (goatheads) causing the flats... i'm in the desert....

we looked at the tape stuff (don't think it was tuffy) at the bike shop in PS.... but waited cuz we knew we weren't gonna be mtb-ing too much till after oct 1st... and wanted to see what the closer bike shop had... unfortunately.. that visit ended up horribly (looooooong story.... i'll have to share eventually involving hubby's new "dream" bike... grrrrrrrr HATE the LBS right now!) but anyways.....)

when we get back down to PS when the bike store is open.... i think we'll pick up that tape stuff... it's only 2.125 or something like that... and my tires are 2.2... but cory (one of the bike shop guys who is a big mtb-er) said he runs them on his bike and his tires are wider than mine...

hubby doesn't want slime... so i'll not use it either... for now.. and try the tape stuff! heck... if we get further down the hill when shops are open... i'll check other stores for tuffy (maybe cylery usa will have it???) (we're thinking of driving down and doing oak glen this weekend.... so cyclery usa is right near there!)

[CorsairMac]

you can try Air-Loc.....it's the next generation Slime. It doesn't congeal like Slime does and it's lighter. I run Air-Loc in my road bikes And my MTBs and right now I have Slime in my commuter bike.

[caligurl]

i haven't seen that in the stores i've been in... but i can check if we get to go to any this weekend!