plagued with flats!

[marni]

I know I can wipe the rear without getting off, but I haven't mastered the skill. Nor do I seem to have the flexiblilty or bike construction to use my shoe. It's something I'm working on but in the meantime, 'd rather stop and wipe than flat.

marni

[Chicken Little]

I feel your pain. I put a fully inflated bike on the car bike rack, and when I got home, it was flat. I get a flat every 28 days whether I ride it or not. It's more regular than my period.

[2PharmDs]

Good one, Chicken Little! Made me laugh!

So, if tire liners go between the tube and rim, they don't help much for a sharp object penetrating through the tire and into the tube, correct?

I don't think our hwy dept uses cinders on the road, just a lot of salt.

I am looking into Continental Gatorskin hardshell and Verdestein Fortezza tires if anyone has an opinion. I will look into the Vittoria Rubino Pros, as well.

Thanks again!

[OakLeaf]

So, if tire liners go between the tube and rim, they don't help much for a sharp object penetrating through the tire and into the tube, correct?

Tire liners go between the tire and the tube.

Rim strips go between the tube and the rim, to keep the tube from getting cut by the spoke holes.

[e.e.cummings]

On my Kona, I have Mr. Tuffy liners, have not had a flat yet. My LBS never seems to recommend tire liners, they seem to frown on them - please someone tell me why - they move around, etc. - I don't know. My Giant road bike I had a flat on recently, I was told I had about a month of life left on the tires, so I changed them for Continental Grand Prix. So happy!

[tzvia]

I like to carry a cotton ball in my seat bag. If I get a flat, I take off the tire and wipe inside. Anything sticking through the tire will catch some cotton ball and be really visible. I think I got that idea here. It's also better than sticking yourself on something sharp using your fingers.

A worn tire does not have to be worn down to the cords to be worn out, as was mentioned already, escalating flats are one sign the tire is tired.

I also only use cloth rimstrips (Velox for example) and not those plastic ones as they are prone to shifting right off of the spoke holes, and that's flat city for sure!

As for tire liners, I don't use them. They change the feel of the tire on the road, and not for the better, and add weight. A tire in good shape, mounted properly, with good condition tubes properly inflated and good rim strip, are all that is needed wheel-wise, to help prevent flats. As for flat resistant tubes, they make no sense to me. If something is in the wrong place at the wrong time and is strong enough to go through a tire, it can puncture the thickest tube.

Sometimes it's just bad luck.

[OakLeaf]

Sometimes it's just bad luck.

So true.

I just last week had my first ever flat on a moto, on a brand new (<100 miles) tire. Picked up a big old screw. Darnit! At least it's a tube-type tire, so I was only out the cost of a tube, not a whole new tire.

One of my last flats on the bici (maybe my very last one, don't quite remember) was a carpenter's staple. It was so far through the tire that I was wishing for a pair of pliers, and wound up having to use my teeth to get it out.

Sometimes it's just bad luck. Flats happen on a bicycle.


ETA: It's also good to check your tires before or immediately after a ride, ideally every ride. Lots of times little pieces of glass can get embedded in the tire, and if you catch them early you can pull them out harmlessly, but if you ride on them they'll eventually work their way through and puncture the tube.