Flat Resistant Tires & Riding Alone

[Catrin]

I enjoy riding alone - I am not very fast so always wind up riding by myself on group rides anyway (as soon as we get to a stop light or steepish hill). There are a couple of people that I ride with on an occasional basis - they know I am slow so that helps.

Of course the chicken-egg element is the best way to get faster is to ride with someone faster than you and to do intervals. The first happens occasionally, the latter happens a lot.

I do long rides - >70 miles solo. I generally try to plan them so that I am rarely more than 25-30 miles from my car and generally have someone to call for a ride if needed.

I started out on rides < 10 miles and I remember being nervous about riding solo - but it passed as I gained experience. This was just in March, so things do change.

+1 on learning how to change a flat and so forth. I've been fortunate so far, no flats, and I love my Continental Travel Contacts - they are great tires and after putting more than 1000 miles on them they look almost new!

[Crankin]

I hate riding alone for this very reason. I have only had 3 flats in 10 years, mostly due to fanatic checking of tires and pumping them to the highest pressure I can. People can tell me to take a class all they want, which I have more than once, but once I have to do something, I forget it all (and I have a good memory, but not for mechanical things). My last flat was just a couple of weeks ago. I was with Pata, so she guided me... I probably could have done it alone, as it wasn't the rear. This was from an obvious source, as I had ridden over glass earlier in the ride.
I truly get anxiety attacks over this. Since I can barely button my shirts or tie shoes, using tools is something akin to nuclear physics to me. One of my former colleagues used to laugh at me because I had trouble separating sheets of paper when I passed stuff out to my students.
As far as finding a group to ride with... I am sort of like the OP. Too fast for the slow groups and definitely not for the fast. I am happy with my speed, though. I did find a group, but now the "main" group is a little slow for me, so sometimes I try and ride with the "spirited" group, which I can usually hang on with. I like the people and it's social, so that makes a world of difference. I have 3 people I ride with, besides DH. Two are much slower than me. Pata and I are very compatible riding together and I thank this list for helping me find a riding partner I can actually ride with!

[Selkie]

I ride alone and prefer it, but that's just me. I've had great luck with both Conti Gatorskins and Specialized Armadillos -- both are hard to put on/take off, but since they are very puncture-resistant, you don't have to worry about it.

Sending you lots of "no flat" karma.

[bunny_ninja]

If you have flatted that many times in a month, it could simply be a foreign object in your tire. I had a tire, with what seemed to be a dust-sized piece of glass in the rubber, and I kept flatting! I needed a new tire...

And there are ways to change the rear tube without taking the wheel off the bike... heh... I have done it so many times it is sad. My hands just get so dirty touching the rear derailleur when I am cranky!

Anyway, tires last a long long time, unless something makes them unhappy (like an itsy piece of glass or wire). It takes a long while or a trainer fly wheel to wear them out significantly.
http://sheldonbrown.com/tires.html#replacement

Don't sweat it. And getting more confident with changing flats (even if you leave the wheel on like I do for the rear), will make you so much more relaxed. I like to ride alone...

As for puncture resistance... those tires make changing tubes an absolute PITA! ouchie to my fingers and tire irons! i'd rather change tubes slightly more frequently than deal with those. I inflate before every ride anyway... 115-120psi...

[bunny_ninja]

oh, and btw... I had a nightmare last night that I had a rear and front flat and only one tube.

I will be bringing 2 tubes today. I also need a new tire (mine has a lump). Funny I should read your post today, about 2 hours before I set out for another LSD ride. :-)

[redrhodie]

Funny I should read your post today, about 2 hours before I set out for another LSD ride. :-)

That sounds like trippy ride.

[bunny_ninja]

when my *mother* was making my training plans when I raced (running - 10k, usually), she had way too much fun scheduling LSD days.

[ridebikeme]

You defiunitely have received lots of good advice here!

The one thing that I want to add is that it sounds as though you are riding closer to traffic/city? If so, riding in areas with increased traffic also means more crap on the roads, and unfortuantely that can increase the chance of flats.

Good luck with your new tires, all the advice here and enjoy your riding!

[OakLeaf]

oh, and btw... I had a nightmare last night that I had a rear and front flat and only one tube.

I will be bringing 2 tubes today.

I just carry one tube and a patch kit. Multiple flats are unusual enough that I hate to drag three or four tubes everywhere ... but common enough that I don't want to be unprepared.

Also (if you use CO2), two cylinders and a back-up mini-pump.

[featuretile]

Sundial - what great video clips. I wonder why it looks so confusing when I am doing it and so easy when the guy in the picture does it. And lph - a picture would be great!

I'm really excited. My son, 22, working after college is getting a bike. The last few times he has come home I have taken him out for rides on his step-dad's bike. He's a gym buff and with no gym for him here, he wanted some exercise. Liked it so much that he is going to start riding. Wanted all this help in determining what bike to buy and what gear he needs to get. He wants to skip all this intro bike stuff and get a Trek Madone. Will probably soon leave me in the dust..... Anyway, I'm going to send him the video clips because he asked me how to change a tire.

[Aggie_Ama]

One thing to remember is if you call 911 from a cell you don't always get the local operators. I believe this is still true so you must know where you are. To speed things up for me I program the dispatch number for the three local county sheriff's. Where I live I could easily be in one of three counties, I have found when I had a driver throw a beer can at me and swerve that the local sheriff was able to respond immediately. Now my cell phone has those so if I am able to call myself and know the county I am able to get help quickly.

[sundial]

I wonder why it looks so confusing when I am doing it and so easy when the guy in the picture does it.

You have to not think about it while mounting the rear tire if that makes any sense. Just remember to shift down to the smallest chainwheel in the front and smallest cog in the rear before removing and mounting the rear wheel.

Another thing to consider carrying with you on those long solo rides--a Spot.

[featuretile]

Thank you all so much for all the suggestions! To answer some of yours - the flats were mostly from foreign objects. One was a tiny piece of glass that was embedded in the tire and you could not see it from the outside or feel it on the inside (caused several flats). Another one was near the stem valve (not fixable). I have noticed excessive amounts of glass in the road, and there are so many thorns that I hate to take the bike off the pavement. Another one was from a goat head. I did have the LBS look at the tires, and they said the rear one was worn out and the front one almost worn out.

I do carry all the tools and tubes necessary to change a flat. But, so far, somebody else has helped me. When I did put on the new Gators, it was harder to get the last bit on the rim and my DH supervised the rear derailleur part. I'm just hoping that I won't have to change them so often. I usually fill my tires to 110psi and it was not a problem to inflate the Gators to that pressure. I also think the extra few ounces in the tires will not make that much difference compared to the extra weight on me. There's more weight in all those tools......

I also have some questions - TxDoc - what exactly are clinchers and tubulars? Bunny Ninja - could you please explain how to change a rear tire without taking the wheel off? It my head, it seems impossible.

Not all of my discomfort with riding alone is about changing flats (although mechanical things do not come easily to me). I did take a flat changing class and a bike maintenance class. My DH is an engineer and he can fix anything. Some fear is related to what if you have an accident and no one is there.

I try to ride with more than one friend. I am self employed and work is really slow now, so I have more time to ride. That's why I need to feel better about riding by myself.

[bunny_ninja]

it is pretty tricky, because you have to wedge the tube under the brakes and I have to lift the wheel up just a hair in the rear to get in. But -- at least you don't have to monkey with dropping the wheel in again.

Eventually, I figured the rear derailleur out when I decided to put on a new chain... which was scary at first.

Next time, I get a flat, I will take cell phone pics of how the lazy bunny_ninja changes her rear wheel tube. It keeps the fingers cleaner!

(she says, as she types with road dirt fingers... I just changed the tire on my front wheel. It was kaput. In fact, the LBS dude didn't know how I made it through my 50 miler yesterday. He had me buy Park Tool 'Tire Boots'. I also had a therapy session with the sales guy by the tire selection. Ended up buying a Continental 4-season)

[sundial]

Removing and installing rear wheel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mfu96dIcPdA

And a really quick, efficient tire change:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeeOh...eature=related