Enough with the flat tires already!!!

[Tri Girl]

I feel your pain. With the super dry summer here it seems there are more thorns/goatheads than normal (those seem to be the only thing surviving).
I have gatorskins on my bike and have had a ridiculous amount of flats this summer. Ugh... enough already. There has GOT to be a better system for bike tires than tubes that have to be replaced. I'm convinced there has to be...it just hasn't been invented yet.

[westtexas]

I have some really slick Vredestein tires (meant for racing and not durability) and I've put about 500 miles on them so far, without a flat (knock on wood). This despite loose gravel roads, tons of glass, tumbleweed thorns and god knows what else I crunch over all the time. However, I put tire liners in my tires. Makes getting the tire mounted on the rim and changing tubes a little more annoying, but I have only had one flat ever with them in. Before I got these tires I had some Specialized stock tires - my front wheel had the tire liner insert and the rear did not - my rear tire had about 8 flats. I put the tire liner back in and.... no more flats.

I am a definite subscriber to the Church of Tire Liners!

[luv2climb]

I am a definite subscriber to the Church of Tire Liners!

Me too! I've been using them on all my bikes for years. I've still gotten flats from nails, tacks, and the very rare super tough thorn that somehow works its way through, but they've prevented plenty of flats.

[azfiddle]

I have really had quite good luck with the Gatorskins in the past. I had one pair that lasted about 4000 miles, and didn't start to get flats until the last few hundred miles (when I decided to replace them).

[nscrbug]

I have 2 words for all that are troubled with frequent flats...TIRE LINERS! I started using tire liners on the suggestion of my riding buddy, and it's been the best advice I've heeded so far. Sure they won't prevent every flat from happening, but I am convinced that having them in my tires has prevented quite a few. I've picked out tons of glass and sharp debris from my tires, that would have likely caused a flat had it not been for the tire liners.

[Seajay]

At 2000 miles....you are starting to get flats frequently because you have hardly any tire left. It's not really the tire's fault. It's worn out.
I'd be EXTREMELY nervous about anyone riding a tire with the 4000 miles you had on your old tires. Not for flats...for control, cornering, braking and the possibility of blow outs at speed.
Please don't try to set mileage records on tires
That said...The Continental is a nice replacement tire.

[OakLeaf]

She said she had 2K on her front tire. I easily get 3500 from a front, and I typically replace mine well before it's down to the wear indicators.

Two thousand on a rear would be getting towards the end of its life, IME. On a front, azfiddle is perfectly justified in her frustration!