Avoiding Punctures

"Vibrant" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<hmFY9.4095$pS2.236774@stones>...

Quoted message said:

Hi,

I wonder if some kind person here could give me some advice on how to avoid punctures this time
of year?

snip woe

Quoted message said:

I would be grateful for any advice or anyone has to offer.

TIA

Don't ride a bike!

seriously, I use panaracer parselas on my commuting bike - they go down to 23mm, and maybe even
23mm. They are a good tyre, but I still get punctures. I don't think you can ever avoid them, they
are just part of cycling.

That said, you do sound like you are either a) going though an unlucky streak, or b) have a brake
block rubbing on the tyre, c) you are checking the tyres to remove all foreign bodies aren't you?
With Kevlar tyres it's easy to get sharp things stuck in the tyre body which don't get through the
kevlar until you fully inflate, or ride over something at a critical moment. When you take the tyre
off the sharp thing dissapears beneath the kevlar again, so you can't feel it. I've been caught like
that a couple of times.

HTH SteveP

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Tim Cain' tcain@you_know_what_to_cut_clara.co.uk said:

My fave was a bollard placed to prevent the ingress of four wheeled traffic, but on a blind bend
on a shared-use path in Reading. It hurt and it caused a fair amount of damage. Perhaps Guy knows
that of which I speak?

That woudl presuppose that I'd knowingly ridden on a sh*r*d us* p*th (spit, spit). Whereabouts?
Not the one by Star Road?

Well, even the best of us do the unbelievable in moments of weakness...

It's been a while since I rode in Reading, but the path to which I refer went alongside the IDR as
it left town towards the Motorway (M4?). Not the kind of route you'd use unless you had a good
reason, eg. your place of work is at the end of it.

Cheers,

Tim.

Tim Cain said:

It's been a while since I rode in Reading, but the path to which I refer went alongside the IDR as
it left town towards the Motorway (M4?). Not the kind of route you'd use unless you had a good
reason, eg. your place of work is at the end of it.

Ah yes, still infested with bollards that one. The CTC went that way one Wednesday for no adequately
explained reason.

--
Guy
===
I wonder if you wouldn't mind piecing out our imperfections with your thoughts; and while you're
about it perhaps you could think when we talk of bicycles, that you see them printing their proud
wheels i' the receiving earth; thanks awfully.

highwaycode.gov.uk09.shtmlOpen ↗ highwaycode.gov.uk09.shtmlOpen ↗

In article <[email hidden]>, Just zis Guy, you know?
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

James of Staples said:

You have experience in this area Guy so having abandoned his ancient Galaxy, might he be
suffering from a curse? A sacrifice is due. I reckon his first born should about do it.

Clearly not a possibility that should be neglected, but a chicken should be sufficient. The
approved method of sacrifice involves the use of sacred chestnut and herb stuffing, and must
include the roasting of the holy tubers.

Shove a lemon up there, too, just to be on the safe side
--
The Big Baguette

You have experience in this area Guy so having abandoned his ancient Galaxy, might he be suffering
from a curse? A sacrifice is due. I reckon his first born should about do it.

James

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Vibrant said:

What can I do to avoid all these punctures?

Avoid cycle paths and places where they've been flailing the hedges, check your tyres for embedded
flints every few days, and keep the pressure high. 23mm tyres are a bit thin, mind, there's less
scope for a decent thickness of rubber on the tread (the treads on my tyres are slick, but there
is more rubber there).

You could also make a "tyre wire" if you're really having trouble, which is a loop of wire which
brushes flints and thorns off before they puncture (they stick into the tyre as you run over them,
then on the next revolution they centrifuge outwards so when they get back to the bottom they
stick straight in - or so the theory goes).

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. chapmancentral.comchapmancentral.comOpen ↗ (BT ADSL and
dynamic DNS permitting)
NOTE: BT Openworld have now blocked port 25 (without notice), so old mail addresses may no longer
work. Apologies.

James of Staples said:

You have experience in this area Guy so having abandoned his ancient Galaxy, might he be suffering
from a curse? A sacrifice is due. I reckon his first born should about do it.

Clearly not a possibility that should be neglected, but a chicken should be sufficient. The approved
method of sacrifice involves the use of sacred chestnut and herb stuffing, and must include the
roasting of the holy tubers.

--
Guy
===
I wonder if you wouldn't mind piecing out our imperfections with your thoughts; and while you're
about it perhaps you could think when we talk of bicycles, that you see them printing their proud
wheels i' the receiving earth; thanks awfully.

highwaycode.gov.uk09.shtmlOpen ↗ highwaycode.gov.uk09.shtmlOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

"I've been using these things called slime tyre liners which are "basicly tough flexible plastic
bands which go between the inner and

Ooh, another opportunity to praise slime! If you search on slime in uk rec cycling on google groups
you will find that some people love it.being one of those I cannot understand why some people reject
it. i have never been held up by a puncture with slime treated tyres and I have used them most of
the time for several years and tours on and off road. The other day my sensible bike was out of
action so I had to use my lightweight for work and got a glass puncture each of three days. A real
nuisance under time pressure fixing them in the rain and oily filth and dark of this time of year.
the liquid slime does not prevent holes, you just don't notice them. TerryJ

Tim Cain tcain@you_know_what_to_cut_clara.co.uk said:

Quoted message said:

[...]

Quoted message said:

Simon Mason wrote:
> The most important reason for me using off road cycle tracks is that I can't get knocked off
> my bike there ....

[...]

Quoted message said:

My fave was a bollard placed to prevent the ingress of four wheeled traffic, but on a blind bend
on a shared-use path in Reading. It hurt and it caused a fair amount of damage.

The one next to the Oxford ring road comes complete with the kinds of fun and exciting challenge
that give it a similar feel to a nice refreshing game of Shockway Rider[1]. On the two nights I've
used it in anger after dark in the past month:

Sun 05 Jan:

Smashed moped and pool of blood with Police in attendance next to poorly-lit openable iron gate
that's there for the same reason as the bollard above. The crossbar is at about chest height; the
pool of blood was on one side, the bike on the other.

Mon 27 Jan:

Mixed bag of unlit cyclists, broken glass, branches, and stealth child pedestrians on the unlit bit
up towards Barton. Oh, and one unlit mopedist riding on the wrong side of the track with the traffic
glare behind him (or her, but on reflection probably not).

Even lit up like a bloody Christmas tree I don't like the things, night vison and oncoming full
beams being what they are. This particular track is good and wide, but probably not safe to venture
onto without a sackful of halfbricks and enough light wattage to stun small rodents. In general,
it's by far preferable to stick to the roads and use them properly 🙂

[1] ysrnry.co.ukshockwayrider.htmOpen ↗

--
Andrew Chadwick <Secure beneath the watchful eyes

In message <[email hidden]>, MSA <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

"I've been using these things called slime tyre liners which are "basicly tough flexible plastic
bands which go between the inner and "outer tyre. "They seem to work OK, I've had very few
punctures since I've been "using them.

"They can be bought for all sorts of tyre sizes and I think they cost "about £5.00 each.

I've recently invested in a pair of these for the winter... £7.50 for 2 from the LBS.

I've got a set in the Moulton (but down from a 700c set), a set in the old MTB, and a set-and-a-half
in the trike. I've found them great for years. After I discovered the secret of feathering the sides
with a red-hot knife.

Before that, they were just as good at preventing extraneous punctures. But they did cause punctures
themselves. The box-section edges (that most of them had then - things seem to have changed) could
dig into a tube and give you a slow puncture that soon speeded up. I strongly suggest feathering the
edges. The MTB has been fine, no punctures for years now.

I've had purists (the sort who swoop past me at high speed) make derogatory comments. The bands do
add weight, must add some internal friction, and I suppose that they must affect performance. I can
only say that my personal performance is so poor that I don't notice. I think it's a fair trade-off
against far fewer punctures.

I haven't tried these newfangled Kevlar-lined tyres. Does anybody have any experience of them?
And information on who makes them in BMX size, because both the Moulton and the trike take that
size tyre?

--
Richard Keatinge

flabbily

In article <[email hidden]>, Richard Keatinge
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

I haven't tried these newfangled Kevlar-lined tyres. Does anybody have any experience of them?
And information on who makes them in BMX size, because both the Moulton and the trike take that
size tyre?

I cycle in an area where the roads can be dreadful and I had a spate of punctures last autumn. I now
use a combination of: Shwalbe Marathon Slicks; Slime tyre liners; and slime filled tubes. No doubt
I'm a bit slower, but speed isn't my aim -- coming back without a puncture is. I haven't had one
yet. The Schwalbes are kevlar-lined, but they didn't do it on their own. After each ride I put the
bike up on a wall-mounted stand which brings the wheels to eye level, spin them slowly and remove
any foreign body from the tyre.

Don't know about BMX sizes, though.
--
The Big Baguette

Quoted message said:

I cycle in an area where the roads can be dreadful and I had a spate of punctures last autumn. I
now use a combination of: Shwalbe Marathon Slicks; Slime tyre liners; and slime filled tubes. No
doubt I'm a bit slower, but speed isn't my aim -- coming back without a puncture is. I haven't had
one yet. The Schwalbes are kevlar-lined, but they didn't do it on their own.

I do believe Marathon slicks aren't quite as bombproof as regular Marathons. They also lack grip,if
inflated properly (90-100psi); below that there's lots of rolling resistance. Regular Marathons are
much better IMHO. If you must have slicks,Vredestein S-licks have good puncture resistance.Just get
the folding and coloured kind (they're stronger, grippier, and don't tear along the bead). Still
looking for a slick with proper grip in the wet though.

Mark van Gorkom.

In article <[email hidden]>, Mark van Gorkom <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I cycle in an area where the roads can be dreadful and I had a spate of punctures last autumn. I
now use a combination of: Shwalbe Marathon Slicks; Slime tyre liners; and slime filled tubes. No
doubt I'm a bit slower, but speed isn't my aim -- coming back without a puncture is. I haven't had
one yet. The Schwalbes are kevlar-lined, but they didn't do it on their own.

I do believe Marathon slicks aren't quite as bombproof as regular Marathons. They also lack grip,if
inflated properly (90-100psi); below that there's lots of rolling resistance. Regular Marathons are
much better IMHO. If you must have slicks,Vredestein S-licks have good puncture resistance.Just get
the folding and coloured kind (they're stronger, grippier, and don't tear along the bead). Still
looking for a slick with proper grip in the wet though.

Mark van Gorkom.

I inflate them to 4 bars, whatever that is in psi. This may be tempting fate, but I haven't
fallen off yet.

--
The Big Baguette

Quoted message said:

I inflate them to 4 bars, whatever that is in psi. This may be tempting fate, but I haven't
fallen off yet.

You won't fall off, but you may well get a pinch flat, esp. with kevlar belted tires, where the
sidewalls are rather more flexible than the thread. I keep mine at 6 bar, which is a nice compromise
between comfort and speed. The only time I ever had a puncture in a (non-slick)Marathon, I forgot to
pump up the tires: must have been
4.5-5 bar left, hit a rather big pothole and promptly had two flat tires... Also forgot to pack
spare tubes, so much for going out for a quick spin...

Mark van Gorkom.