Flat Resistant Tires & Riding Alone

[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.

[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

[loopybunny]

This totally reminds me of the video from a year ago that was something along the lines of challenging an Olympian. The video showed Levi Leipheimer changing a rear flat. You could tell immediately he wasn't sure how to get the rear tire off & had trouble. Took him 50 minutes. Made me feel less bad.

I read through this rather fast... have you checked your rim tape? I destroyed mine changing a couple of flats and had to have it replaced. I had the LBS do it when I finally put on puncture resistant tires and it didn't cost much. I haven't had any flats since last December or so when I got the new tires (Specialized Armadillo Elite).

I almost always ride alone, but I stick to roads where I know there is likely to be other cyclists just in case I have an issue. It is out in the country, with only a little traffic, but my hope is that one of the other riders might ask if I need help if I did have a problem. Luckily, I haven't had to test this theory yet.

[nscrbug]

I use tire liners and would HIGHLY recommend them! Certainly gives me some piece of mind, in exchange for a few extra grams of weight. The only flats that I have gotten since using the liners, are those that come through the sidewalls. I run Vittoria Diamante Pro tires, which I love. They have lots of puncture protection, yet still have a low rolling resistance to keep them feeling "zippy". And they're great in wet weather, too.

I must admit...I am not too fond of riding alone, so I can totally relate on that aspect. I have weak hand strength, so getting my tires on/off is quite difficult for me. I tend not to venture out too far if I opt to ride alone...usually I stick to a 25-mile route. The rest of the time, I'm either riding with my DH or a male cycling buddy (who, lucky for me, happens to be a pro at changing a flat tire).

Sorry...can't help with the group riding thing, as I've never even attempted to ride with a group. I seriously doubt that I could hang with any of the club rides in my area. Those guys go blasting by us at well over 20mph. I can do 20mph for short stints (a mile here, a mile there), but certainly NOT for an entire ride.

[marni]

I ride alone, distances from 30-60 miles, from preference. I have ridden for 5 years with a total of three flats. I ride on bontrager hard case race ultra lights that have kevlar in them. I have great faith in these tires. As for riding alone, I carry a cell phone and cab fare along with telephone numbers for several local cab companies. I wear a road ID and have a copy of my drivers license in my wallet. I have fallen and been injured and was lucky in the care of strangers both times. For the enjoyment of solitude, I am willing to take chances.

That being said, I don't ride stupid. I know how to mechanically manage most small equipment repairs. I can change a flat and I am not ashamed to ask for help from one of the local farms or ranches as needed.

[Chile Pepper]

Don't forget to pump up your tire before every single ride, even if you just rode a day or two ago. Full pressure seriously helps minimize flats.

[lph]

I don't flat that often, maybe once or twice a year, and rarely fix it on the road anyway, but I would find it very very stressful to ride worrying about flatting because I couldn't fix it myself.

The hard part about fixing a rear flat is imagining how the chain and rear derailleur are supposed to go together once the wheel is off, because the rear derailleur collapses a bit in on itself once you pull the wheel off.

Having a simple diagram of what it looks like once the wheel is ON with you would help. You could put it in your seat bag, or tape it under your saddle. I'll make you one if you like :-)

[Catrin]

I am very careful to air my tires before every ride - generally before it goes on my bike rack.

I have arthritic hands so changing a tire is very hard for me - the problem is getting those last 6 inches of tire back on the rim. When I practiced it actually took me something like 2 hours from beginning to end for that reason.

Now I have a trunk bag, I understand there is a tool that is safe to use to assist getting the tire back on the rim

[OakLeaf]

I've never been shy about using levers to get a tire back on (plastic ones, so I don't mar the rim, and they slide a bit better on the tube as well). It's rare enough that I trap the tube, that it's totally worth it to me to go ahead and use levers when a tire is being balky. All you have to do is be careful, and check the bead carefully both before you air the tire and after you've got a good amount of pressure in the tire. I've never holed a tube during installation with plastic levers.

I think lubricating the tube with corn starch or baby powder, besides letting it slide freely inside the tire, helps avoid pinching during installation also.

[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.