Preventing flats

Well tonight I got my first flat with my new bike... worst
possible place and time too (don't we just love Murphy?

Anyhow, tomorrow I will have to go to the bike shop, I plan
on installing a kevlar tire to reduce the risk.

I also heard of a product that can be installed inside
the tire to prevent flats... anyone ever used it? Is
it worth it?

yes, i have some kind of green strip thingys that go between
the tube & tire. havent had a flat since i installed them
but wonder there is any effect on efficiency.

"Daniel Crispin" <calendyr@videotron.ca> wrote in message
news:Qu1Ic.9896$E53.345982@weber.videotron.net...
> Well tonight I got my first flat with my new bike... worst
> possible place and time too (don't we just love Murphy?
>
> Anyhow, tomorrow I will have to go to the bike shop, I
> plan on installing
a
> kevlar tire to reduce the risk.
>
> I also heard of a product that can be installed inside
> the tire to prevent flats... anyone ever used it? Is it
> worth it?

"Daniel Crispin" <calendyr@videotron.ca> wrote in message
news:Qu1Ic.9896$E53.345982@weber.videotron.net...
> Well tonight I got my first flat with my new bike... worst
> possible place and time too (don't we just love Murphy?

Do you know for certain what caused the flat?
>
> Anyhow, tomorrow I will have to go to the bike shop, I
> plan on installing
a
> kevlar tire to reduce the risk.

Kevlar-belted tires can help against some kinds of
punctures. Not much use against pinch-flats or flats caused
by rim problems or rim tape issues.

Be sure you know what actually caused your flat before
you panic.
>
> I also heard of a product that can be installed inside
> the tire to prevent flats... anyone ever used it? Is it
> worth it?

Mr Tuffy and similar strips add a layer of kevlar or similar
material, for additional protection from punctures. On a
bike with wide tires and heavy wheels you probably won't
notice their presence. On a bike built for speed they will
slow you down a bit.

RichC

"dreaded" <bla@blabla.bla> wrote in news:ccq8t7$ov$1@gnus01.u.washington.edu:
> yes, i have some kind of green strip thingys that go
> between the tube & tire. havent had a flat since i
> installed them but wonder there is any effect on
> efficiency.

Doesn't work as well as a kevlar belted tire. Also, some
people report that the inserts flats themselves through
friction or rough edges.

Daniel Crispin wrote:
> Well tonight I got my first flat with my new bike... worst
> possible place and time too (don't we just love Murphy?
>
> Anyhow, tomorrow I will have to go to the bike shop, I
> plan on installing a kevlar tire to reduce the risk.
>
> I also heard of a product that can be installed inside
> the tire to prevent flats... anyone ever used it? Is it
> worth it?

We talked about this on a club ride yesterday.

I tried kevlar-belted tires for a year or more. I noticed
the increased rolling resistance more than I noticed a
reduction in flats. The guy on the ride who was using them
(they came on his brand new touring bike) seemed to agree.
And Mr. Tuffy tire liners got the same review. Several
people had tried them, then given them up.

I don't doubt these things can help somewhat, but they're
certainly not cures. Far more effective is to watch the road
surface and avoid the glass and trash. In particular, stay
in the area that the car's right tires sweep clean, at least
as much as you possibly can.

--
--------------------+ Frank Krygowski [To reply, remove
rodent and vegetable dot com, replace with cc.ysu dot edu]

Daniel Crispin wrote:
> Well tonight I got my first flat with my new bike... worst
> possible place and time too (don't we just love Murphy?
>
> Anyhow, tomorrow I will have to go to the bike shop, I
> plan on installing a kevlar tire to reduce the risk.
>
> I also heard of a product that can be installed inside
> the tire to prevent flats... anyone ever used it? Is it
> worth it?

Carry one or two spare tubes and a pump. Learn to replace a
tube in less than ten minutes and then you wont bother
worrying about flats anymore.

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

Ken wrote:

> "dreaded" <bla@blabla.bla> wrote in
> news:ccq8t7$ov$1@gnus01.u.washington.edu:
>
>>yes, i have some kind of green strip thingys that go
>>between the tube & tire. havent had a flat since i
>>installed them but wonder there is any effect on
>>efficiency.

I concur. I have some Mr. Tuffys I've used for over ten
years and never had a flat with them. They increase rolling
resistence a little - it's barely noticeable.
>
>
> Doesn't work as well as a kevlar belted tire. Also, some
> people report that the inserts flats themselves through
> friction or rough edges.

I disagree. I think the quality of the tire is a more
important factor. My on-sale kevlars a full of holes and I
got plenty of flats. I re-instlled the Mr. Tuffys and
haven't had a flat since.

Installation is important. A folded Mr. Tuffy WILL abrade
your tube and give you flats. Of course, the little bump
every tire revolution will annoy you first.

> I also heard of a product that can be installed inside the
> tire to prevent flats... anyone ever used it?

I've been using two such items for years: the Mr. Tuffy
liner, which goes between tube and tyre, and the Slime
sealant that goes inside the tube.

> Is it worth it?

It is to me, because I use my bike to commute to work on
ugly urban streets littered with broken glass and
construction debris, and I'd rather not be patching
punctures or changing tubes on my way to work in the
morning, or on my way home in the evening. The liners and
the sealant add some additional weight (few hundred grams)
and rolling resistance (few watts), but who's counting?

--
Robots don't kill people -- people kill people.
http://www.irobotmovie.com/

> I also heard of a product that can be installed inside
> the tire to prevent flats... anyone ever used it? Is it
> worth it?

I've been commuting for about 8 years now. After a number of
"learning experiences", I've settled on the following setup:

1. Slime in my tubes: worth every penny, in my experience --
I love the stuff. In most cases, if a tire gets low I'll
find something in the tire. As soon as I remove it, the
slime takes over and I can just pump it back up. I can
always change the tube when I get where I'm going.

2. Tire liners: seem to work well on thorns, sticks and
small bits of glass.

3. Spare tube: easier and faster than a patch, especially in
the dark or rain.

4. High-quality pump - I keep mine in a plastic bag in a
pannier or knapsack and not on the frame.

Some of this might seem like overkill, but I expect to
commute in all kinds of conditions. The last thing I'd want
on a cold, rainy night is a flat and only a patch kit and a
finicky pump to get me home.

On Sun, 11 Jul 2004 02:48:03 +0000, Ken <no@spam.no> wrote:

> "dreaded" <bla@blabla.bla> wrote in
> news:ccq8t7$ov$1@gnus01.u.washington.edu:
>> yes, i have some kind of green strip thingys that go
>> between the tube & tire. havent had a flat since i
>> installed them but wonder there is any effect on
>> efficiency.
>
> Doesn't work as well as a kevlar belted tire. Also, some
> people report that the inserts flats themselves through
> friction or rough edges.

I've only had that happen once, out of the many miles I've
used them. They help a lot (and better than my previous kevlar-
belted tire). I have had flats, though. One flat was caused
by a small nail that must've been perfectly upright, as it
went through everything.

--
Bob in CT Remove ".x" to reply

On Mon, 12 Jul 2004 16:03:25 GMT, Bob in CT <ctviggen.x@adelphia.net>
wrote:

>
>I've only had that happen once, out of the many miles I've
>used them. They help a lot (and better than my previous kevlar-
>belted tire). I have had flats, though. One flat was caused
>by a small nail that must've been perfectly upright, as it
>went through everything.

I'm just hoping my uh, competitors on the bike trail
don't pick up on this - you know the militant dog
walkers...nuff said.

-B

I use a Mr Tuffy liner on my rear 23x700c rear tire only. It
has worked very well for me. I've picked out more than six
pieces of glass from the tire rubber on my last rear tire
and I think only liner prevented the glass from penetrating
into the tube. The tire was full of cut holes when I finally
discarded it after it wore thin. But I had to to cover the
seam edge on the liner to avoid wearing hole in the tube.