A disappearing cut (in my tire)

I know that flats are a part of every cyclists life, but two in a row on the same tire make me mad. And of course it was a rear tire...

I suspect that the problem that caused the first flat also caused the second. I checked the tire - really I did - but I didn't find anything suspicious after the first flat. And there was a span of weeks between the two flats. The second time, I pulled the tire off of the rim and checked for problems. Again, I didn't find any - so I remounted the tire with a new tube. I pumped up the tire, and then looked at the tire again.

Hey - what's that flap sticking up? Ah, there's the source of the problem. The tire was sliced, but when I looked before the sliced piece was stuck to the rest of the tire and was totally invisible. Once I saw the problem I pulled the tire off again and re-inspected the inside of the tire. While the slice on the outside was fairly long (at least an inch), the hole on the inside of the tire was very small, almost invisible. Ah - time for a new tire. Of course the flat was on one of my little-wheeled bikes, and most of the local shops don't stock the tires I like. I usually keep a spare around, but for some reason I didn't have one this time. I ordered two new tires even though I only needed one, so now my bike has a new tire and I have a spare (that hopefully I won't need!).

My bike is much happier now, and I'm happy that this happened now and not next month - since the bike with the problem is going to be my transportation next month as I wander in Nova Scotia. (And hopefully I didn't just jinx myself by saying that!)

The lesson from my experience - one that I know but somehow ignored after the first flat - is to always make sure you find the source of the flat. Lesson learned once more...

--- Denise

I'm not clear, Denise, what caused the cut?

Good lesson, Denise. My last flat was a slice about 4 mm on the outside but only 1 mm on the inside. Sometimes, if the leak isn't too fast, you can pump the tire before changing out the tube and locate the hiss, and thus find the tire damage. Also, squeezing the tire in various ways can make the slices more obvious. May your Nova Scotia trip be trouble-free.

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Originally Posted by mimitabby

I'm not clear, Denise, what caused the cut?

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Not a clue! I assume that I hit some road debris just right to have it slice into the tire.

The reason I shared my story is to remind others (as my tire just reminded me) that it's well worth the extra time to identify the cause of the flat - in this case, a cut in the tire. In others, it could be a rim strip that needs to be replaced, or...

--- Denise

Denise, what tires are you using? Have you ever used Gatorskins or Armadillos, and if so, did you think they are worth the weight/expense? I ask because I first used Bontrager light raicng tires and put 3000 miles on them before wearing them out and my only flat was because I ran over a broken bottle neck. Now I'm using Michelin racing tires for 1500 miles- no problems so far, but I keep thinking- what if??

Nanci

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Originally Posted by Nanci

Denise, what tires are you using?

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It depends on the bike. My road bike & one of my touring bikes are Bike Fridays, so they have little tires. Here's what I'm using:

Bike Friday Pocket Rocket, set up as a road bike: wheels are 451mm, tires are Schwalbe Stelvios (20 x 1 1/8).

Bike Friday Air Glide, set up as a touring bike: wheels are 451mm, tires are Schwalbe Marathon Slicks (20 x 1.35). This is the tire that was sliced and replaced (and I haven't had a problem with these tires before, so I think I'll stick with the same tires for now). Here's the manufacturer's description of the tire:

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Dual Compound technology combines a tread that gives maximum grip and low rolling resistance with high mileage. Built with an integrated Kevlar puncture protection belt and reflective sidewalls, the Marathon Slick is a fast touring tire.

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Peter Mooney (custom) touring bike, currently running Conti Top Touring 700 x 28. These tires have been discontinued, so when it's time to replace them, I'll probably switch to a Schwalbe tire.

I haven't tried either the Gatorskins or Armadillos. But you have to realize that since I'm running a rather off size of tire that I have a limited selection. On the road bike tire front, I've been very happy with the Stelvios. And since my little wheels go around more times than 700c wheels to cover the same distance, I'd say I get a reasonable number of miles on them. I replaced the Stelvios at the beginning of the year, and they are not making me nervous yet. They probably have close to 3000 miles on them (hard to tell exactly because while I track my overall mileage I don't track the mileage per bike. My current miles for the year is at about 3300, and my gut tells me that all but about 500 miles was on that bike (and those tires).

--- Denise

While I am also a fan of stelvios for fast riding, for touring I had great luck with the primo comet kevlar 1.35" 451 tire. Took it on packed dirt roads in chiapis, with never a flat on my PRP. A bit more plodding that the stelvio, but does inflate to pretty high pressure. A great touring tire in my booke.

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Originally Posted by Triskeliongirl

While I am also a fan of stelvios for fast riding, for touring I had great luck with the primo comet kevlar 1.35" 451 tire. Took it on packed dirt roads in chiapis, with never a flat on my PRP. A bit more plodding that the stelvio, but does inflate to pretty high pressure. A great touring tire in my booke.

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I'm not touring on the Stelvio (except for short weekend very lightly loaded jaunts). The tire I use for touring on my little-wheeled bike is the Schwalbe Marathon Slick, with looks to be the same size as the primo comet that you use. Funny though, when I first got my Pocket Rocket it had Primo Comets on it - and I hated that tire. As soon as the Stelvios were available for 451 tires I switched, and I never looked back. Maybe the 1.35 version of the comet is better than the 1 1/8 that I used.

--- Denise

Well if you didn't like the primo comet 1 1/8 maybe you won't like the wider one. My BF came with IRC roadlites, which flatted a lot. I tried the schwalbe stelvio which rolls real nice on good surfaces, but I found on my commute which is littered with glass, I got more flat resistance from the primo comet kevlar 1 1/8, so for touring I tried the wider one and it was great. But I know what you mean, it doesn't roll as nice as the stelvio. I've never tried the marathon to compare it to, I just liked its combination of high pressure and flat resistance for touring.