MTB flats every ride!

[caligurl]

ok ladies! help me out here, please!

i seem to get a flat EVERY time i ride my MTB! if not during the ride... it flats overnight from something getting into the tire (stickers?)

soooo what do you all do to help prevent a flat every time? so you use the slime tubes? do you use regular tubes with slime put into it? do you get an insert? if so.. which brand? (i found these at performance.. but they are $40!!!!! kevlar liners i also found slime ones: slime )

thanx!!!!!!

[CorsairMac]

the first thing I would recommed is: take off your tire and run your hand or a tire lever around on the inside of the tire - make sure there isn't something sticking through the tire that is puncturing the tube.

Here in New Mexico we have what is known as a "goat head" thorn - think of a goats head and you got it.....a 3 prong thorn that is very hard and very painful and Loves tires!!! On my MTB and commuter bike I run Slimed tubes. On the Peugeot I have kevlar tires (which they tell me won't work with goats heads but works great with glass) and Air-Loc tubes. On the Trek road bike I have a teflon strip on the inside of the tires and Air-Loc tubes. The only flat I've had so far was a pinch flat. I was also told by just about everyone that lives here, if you're running self-sealing tubes, leave the thorn in, the tube will seal itself around the thorn.

[caligurl]

ya... we have goat heads!

hubby actually changed the tire last time.. i'm sure he checked... and he checked when he got a flat yesterday!

we were close enough to home last night that we just aired up and i got home (it's flat this morning!)

i'm gonna change it to make sure i know how on the MTB!

will the bottle of slime work? since i just bought 3 regular innertubes? or should i just call it a bust and order the pre-filled slime tubes?

AND.... i notice that they only go up to 2.125 for the slime tubes.. and my tire is 2.2... will that be a problem? or do i need to use "regular" tubes with the bottle of slime cuz of my tire size?

[AutumnBreez]

purhaps the tube is getting twisted/turned inside when you put it in the tire, and/or pinched ??

[caligurl]

i don't think so.. i think it's the prickly stuff inherent to the desert but when we change it.. we can make sure it's in properly!

[CorsairMac]

ya... we have goat heads!

hubby actually changed the tire last time.. i'm sure he checked... and he checked when he got a flat yesterday!

we were close enough to home last night that we just aired up and i got home (it's flat this morning!)

i'm gonna change it to make sure i know how on the MTB!

will the bottle of slime work? since i just bought 3 regular innertubes? or should i just call it a bust and order the pre-filled slime tubes?

AND.... i notice that they only go up to 2.125 for the slime tubes.. and my tire is 2.2... will that be a problem? or do i need to use "regular" tubes with the bottle of slime cuz of my tire size?

The bottle of Slime should work just fine - although I prefer Air-Loc these days; it's the next generation Slime and it doesn't harden in the tire if left sitting too long. No matter what you have tho, the bottles (as far as I know to date) will only work with Schrader valves.

[caligurl]

air-loc... ok... i'll look for that!

we have shraeder valves.... i did plan to buy presta next time i bought tubes... but the bikes came with and i bought schraeder!

[han-grrl]

Take a look inside and OUTSIDE the tire.

one of my participants flatted all the time. and on very close inspection of her tire we found a tiny piece of glass puncturing through. you probably would have barely felt it inside, but looking through the treads, there it was...a piece of green glass...

[singletrackmind]

Still a big fan of Tuffy liners. Cheap. Not the lightest but way lighter than the slime tubes my sister had. Caveat: will not protect sidewalls.
Sometimes mountain bikers get snakebites (a double puncture caused by the tire hitting the rim-sometimes from running too low air pressure) while trying to find the appropriate air pressure to run.
Having constant flats would be aggravating but don't worry, you'll get the problem solved. Think of it as great tire changing practice!

[CorsairMac]

Sooo cali: needless to say you were very present in my mind last night and today! LOL..........remember my line " the only flat I've had so far was a pinch flat?"...........well last night my chain jumped, after untangling it and getting it back on I accidently knocked off a goatshead when standing the bike back up and you shoulda heard the air escaping outta that tire. The Air-Loc couldn't seal it fast enough. I spun the tire to get the Air-Loc there, got the tire sealed, used my open CO2 cartridge and my last CO2 cartridge to get the tire inflated and rode the rest of the way home.
Checked the tire this morning, hard as a rock, plenty of air, doing just great. 1/2 way into my commute what do I hear?.....the sound of me riding a bike on a flat tire! doggone front tire was flat again. I used the rest of my last CO2 cartridge and limped my way to work. I"m waiting now for one of the guys to be free so they can take me to my LBS and get another tube and some more cartridges.

I just kept thinking "me and my big mouth"! LOLOL

[caligurl]

awwwwww i'm sorry!!!!!! lol! doesn't it ALWAYS happen that way????

[JanT]

Slime Tubes rule in the desert! I got tired of having rides interrupted by flats, especially in the summer heat. With slime tubes, you whip out the CO2, pffft, spin the wheel, and ride on! It's amazing how easy it is. Every so often, you will get something major that will not heal this way, but I've nearly a year on some tubes. When they start to have slow leaks, or when I change tires, I change the tubes in the comfort of my garage, at my leisure. What's amazing is how many tiny thorns I find embedded in the tire, and little flecks of slime, where the tubes saved the day. Tweezers are best for getting those little babies out of there; it's easy to be patient and get every one out when you're not out on the trail, holding up your friends. So, count this as a big vote for SLIME! It's probably cheaper to buy the bottles and do it yourself, but it's so easy to buy the ready made tubes. They're really not that expensive when you consider they may outlast your tires!

[SadieKate]

doggone front tire was flat again. I used the rest of my last CO2 cartridge and limped my way to work. I"m waiting now for one of the guys to be free so they can take me to my LBS and get another tube and some more cartridges.

Ahem, that's why I believe in pumps and patch kits.

[LBTC]

We've got Stan's No-Tubes in our tires. Just what it says: no tube, a little bit of gooey stuff, a different rim strip, a different stem. It's kind of a big production, but DH and I have been very lucky with the stuff! Now, we don't live in the dessert and don't have to deal with goat's heads (OMG!!), so I don't know how this would do for you. It sounds like Slime is similar in that it finds the leak and seals it up, and it sounds way less difficult.

I do think that a recurring flat is an indication of something stuck in the tire, or even the rim. Our bike shop buddy once had a rim with a bad weld that kept flatting his tire for him. Check it carefully, then check it again! Hopefully you find something and can fix it up perfectly really quick!

Namaste,
~T~

[gretassister]

How about heavy duty tubes? I've seen these in bike shops.