Anti-Flat Inner Tubes?

[Buck]

<[email protected]> wrote in message

Buck Wrote:
>
> > They key is to not let the air pressure get too low and to take it easy over sharp-edged bumps.
>
> Would I keep the air filled to the recommended pressure, or underfill a little? I'm not sure what
> effect my weight would have on the tires...

From your earlier post, it sounds like I'm a bit bigger than you are. I keep my tires at max
pressure. This helps prevent pinch flats but does provide a bit harsher ride. You need to keep it
high to reduce the risk of pinch flats.

> What about standing on the pedals? I've gotten in the habit of doing that when I'm coming to sharp
> drop-offs or unknown gradients (almost always on the sidewalk).

Sidewalk riding is not kosher around here. In most situations it is more dangerous than riding in
the street. But that is another discussion....

Standing will not necessarily unweight the rear wheel. Since you ride the sidewalk, you must have
the skills to unweight the front wheel and get it over the curb. By unweighting the rear wheel as it
passes over a sharp-edged bump, you reduce the force applied to the tire which lowers the risk of a
pinch flat.

> > I'm also guessing that you have the stock knobby tires on your bike.
These
> > will help prevent flats by keeping small slivers of glass and wire from penetrating through the
> > tire. But these will also be the least efficient
and
> > least controllable tires on pavement. A slick or semi-slick tire will greatly improve the ride
> > and handling of the bike with just a little
more
> > risk of a flat.
>
> I have stock tires, but I don't know what a knobby is.

Knobbies. Deep treads. Tires that humm as they roll down the street. Off-road tires. Aw heck, here's
a link: http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/medium/MI-WHGT.gif

If you put a set of slicks on, you will improve the ride and handling on the road considerably:
http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/medium/VR-MTC.gif

But you will increase your risk of flats with a slick. The deep tread of an off-road tire means that
there is more rubber keeping the tube away from road hazards. However, most off-road tires have
lower maximum pressures (40 to 50 psi compared to 90psi for the slick), thus increasing your changes
for a pinch flat.

> I think I have most of the tools needed -- sans tire levers, and even then I wonder if I need them
> with my tires. I also keep a backpack with assorted supplies when I ride, so if I choose to I can
> just keep all my supplies there. I've got a standard toolkit so I'm sure I can dig up the required
> tool(s) for a flat.

The tools you need are a wrench for removing your wheel, tire levers to help remove the tire,
patches or a spare tube (many of us carry both), and a pump to reinflate the tire. Some tire/rim
combinations are harder to deal with than others. Many tires can be removed and reinstalled without
levers. It just takes some practice and know-how.

> Changing an auto flat meant removing the hubcap, removing the lug nuts, raising the car, changing
> the tire, tightening the nuts, lowering the car, and putting back the hubcaps. I guess the real
> irritating part of changing a bike flat was peeling off the tire (that was hell on earth for my
> racing bike and took at least 5 - 15 minutes) and dealing with rear flats where I had a chain to
> worry about. Oh yeah, I also need to worry about the brakes.

It really is a simple process. Remove the wheel, peel off one side of the tire (you don't have to
completely remove the tire), remove the old tube, check the tire for the cause of the flat, install
the new tube, reseat the tire, inflate, reinstall on the bike.

> And now I'm reading all this stuff about being careful to position the inner tube, tire alignment,
> etc... which would lead to more flats. It's like what little willingness I had to change flats is
> rapidly evaporating.

It's just a little caution. It really isn't that difficult, especially on a mountain bike. The
narrow tires on a road bike are harder to deal with. Just take an afternoon to practice a couple
of times and you will be set. The biggest mistake is trying to learn how to deal with it on the
open road.

Good luck, Buck

 

[Mike Kruger]

<[email protected]> wrote in message news:O6dFa.1092$%[email protected]...
> Mike Kruger writes:
>
> > ... This tire had perhaps the last Slime tube that I had bought.
>
> What you have not yet experienced is getting a flat from an obstacle that makes a large enough cut
> to let out air in spite of slime.

Yes, a pity I won't have that pleasure. Initially, I thought Slime tubes were great, but I gave up
buying them a couple of years ago. The main reason is that it's harder to reliably patch a slime
tube on the road because the slime interferes with the adhesion. You have to eventually patch most
of the holes, because the Slime turns them into "slow leaks". If you don't either patch them or pump
up your tires before every ride (i.e. twice a day for commuters), you run the risk of pinch flats,
which Slime is generally useless for.

 

[troyq]

I dont think anyone here has mentioned it yet but get some tyre liners (a strip of plastic/rubber that sits between the tyre and the outside of the tube).

They will put up with more abuse than any special tubes will. I have used them for the last 5 or so years and over about 60,000 kms i could count the number of punctures on less than 2 hands...

 

[Mark Freedman]

I know this is a troll, but I've got the mother of all colds and the &^%$#@ dentist made a horrible
mess of my teeth, so I'm in too much pain to sleep. :-(

[email protected] wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

>
> I'm not sure what the substance was, but it was some kind of solid that may have had air bubbles
> in suspension. I think the brand name

"Bubbly Bubbly Aero" ? (Cadbury milk chocolate bar)

Now there's a thought. You could pray for flats so you'd get to nibble the flat-proof filling
which leaked out.

I wonder why Martha Stewart doesn't make tubes filled with edible
green slime? Lemon-lime, available in Aspartame(tm) or regular sugar.

> >
>>
> I never heard of that. I'll have to see if I can dig up info on this.

There's a limited window of opportunity to purchase vpln products.

(I saw no reason to let Sheldon Brown have a monopoly on innovative technological breakthroughs).

" We at Voler-par-la-Nuit have several other excellent products in development. Without giving away
proprietary information, I can say that we have the ultimate solution to the never-ending
discussions of which tire is lightest, has the lowest rolling resistance, the best value, the best
puncture resistance, etc. In addition, our technology (patent (im)pending) resolves the debates
about tire liners, tubes, pumps, tire levers, and country-of-origin of tires.

We had hoped to have this revolutionary product ready to market this April 1st. However, our
head-of-production was test riding the product down a cobblestone hill with a railway track at
the bottom. Unfortunately, while momentarily distracted by a Mack truck, he forgot to cross the
tracks at an exactly 90 degree angle, and was last seen riding west just ahead of the 4 PM
freight train to Vancouver. Fortunately, his bike is equipped with our seatless seatpost(tm), so
there's no danger that he might fall or jump off.

Which brings me to another revolutionary product we've just started developing. A cycling
computer with a cadence display which goes to 300 rpm. It's amazing how fast those legs can spin
with suitable motivation.

We have added your name to our mailing list, and you *WILL* be receiving notification of new
products and offers.

Sincerely,

The VPLN Marketing Department"

> It sounds like it would be a snap to install as I would simply
> replace the entire wheel instead of trying to peel off the tire, add

Yep - it's obviously more convenient to carry two spare wheels (front and back) than to carry
tire levers, tubes and/or patches, and a pump.

There is (was?) actually a tubeless bicycle wheel/tire combination. The tire sealed to the
special rim - forget the name. Expensive (hmmm ... maybe THAT was the name). Forget if it was
particularly flat resistant, since it still was pneumatic.

> mentioned a tireless wheel. My cup spilleth over
>
You may also be interested in a pair of Sheldon Brown's "Power Wheels," which have the spokes
oriented to contribute to your pedalling effort rather than counteract it.

And of course, if you don't want a vpln seatless seatpost (tm),
Sheldon's "REAL MAN" bicycle seat optimizes your cycling experience.

(not sure if he only sells these one day / year)

> >
> Are you folks performance oriented? I've got a cheap bike as it is ($64 new) and it is far from a
> comfortable ride, and my only concern is in getting from point A to point B reliably, and not
> having to baby

Sounds like flat tires will be the least of your problems.

> >
> No. So far I have had my bike for about 2-3 weeks with no flats, but I have also been delicate in
> riding it as well. I'm just gun-shy

You mention elsewhere being "large boned." If you brutalize your bike, you may find your wheels
going out of true (which affects braking, and can be dangerous)and/or your spokes breaking. The
latter seems likely with the machine-assembled and trued wheels. You may want to keep an eye on
the brakes. If the shoes touch the sidewall rather than the wheel rim, they will chew through it.

> Changing a flat on a car is easy, changing a flat on a bike is a pain.

I've done both, and would take the bike any time. Of course, I haven't had to intall some of the
challenging combinations.

>>
> With my old racing bike the flats were caused by hitting bumps. I

Generally aggravated by underinflation, although a properly inflated tire will pinch flat if you
abuse it (railway tracks, sewer grates, potholes).

If you don't have a pump and/or gauge (you may want to find the correction factor from a known
accurate gauge, since many pump gauges are off), you may not be keeping the tires properly
inflated. Narrow road tires seem to lose more air - I find mine drop from 100 psi to about 70 psi
in a week.

> guess being 200+ lbs, moving fast and hitting anything more than a
> 1/4" bump caused it to go flat.
>
Sounds like underinflation may be a factor. Although I (and others) have pinch-flatted on railway
crossings around here.

ymmv

 

[Mark Freedman]

[email protected] wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

>>> What about standing on the pedals? I've gotten in the habit of
doing

Are you shifting your weight and using your knees and wrists as suspension?

I can't see shifting enough weight off the back wheel to avoid damage when mounting a curb at
speed, but I'd end up examining the quality of the concrete if I tried that. ATBers can do all
kinds of wonderful things which the balance-challenged wouldn't attempt.

>>
> I think I have most of the tools needed -- sans tire levers, and even

I find the Crank Brothers "Speed Lever" useful. I lost my prehensile tail in a horrible accident,
so used to hold the third tire lever with my forhead. The SPeed Lever locks onto the axle, which
leaves my forehead free for banging against a tree when my brand-new spare tube is defective.

I also carry a $2 set of 3 plastic tire levers. And spare tubes. And a Topeak Road Morph pump,
which is like a floor pump which folds up and mounts to the frame. ATB tires tend to hold more air
at lower pressure, so a cheaper pump may be fine.

Two spare tubes - you can buy the puncture-resistant ones, which are much thicker - and a
patch kit for those REALLY frustrating days when a nail truck has been leaking its load along
your route.

www.sheldonbrown.com has many articles on cycling and maintentance, I suspect you will need the
latter. Also a pointer to the FAQ, which answers many of your questions and probably describes
fixing a flat.

> then I wonder if I need them with my tires. I also keep a backpack

How did you ever dismount road tires without levers?

My condolances to your thumbs

(no experience with ATB tires)

>

> irritating part of changing a bike flat was peeling off the tire (that was hell on earth for my
> racing bike and took at least 5 - 15 minutes)

Once the wheel is off, it takes 2 minutes with proper levers. Remounting the last few inches can
be a pain - the Speed Lever is handy for holding the bead in place while I work the last bit over
the rim. It helps to pump a little air into the tube to give it shape, and to push the valve stem
down so that the tube isn't trapped between the tire bead and the rim.

The techniques described in the faq et al are useful to avoid pinching the tube. I'm sure there's
an illustrated guide - perhaps www.chainreactionbicycles.com.

hth

 

[Bob]

"Bill Davidson" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:F4sFa.77400$MJ5.67497@fed1read03...
> [email protected] wrote:
> > What you have not yet experienced is getting a flat from an obstacle that makes a large enough
> > cut to let out air in spite of slime. At that point a moving bicycle becomes unmanageable even
> > on a straight course because the flat tube, that is fully lubricated, will allow the bicycle to
> > slide from side to side as though on ice.
> >
> > Of course, slime users don't expect to get a flat so no one considers this hazard.
>
[cut]

I've never had this happen, and I rode slime filled tubes for years in Arizona. That's all I rode. I
have, however, had slime filled racing biking tubes not be repairable.

--
Bob ctviggen at rcn dot com

 

[Mark Hickey]

"mark" <[email protected]> wrote:

>"Mark Hickey" wrote
>> Even worse, I was cruising through the parking lot getting ready for the 2002 state time trial
>> championships when my rear tire (with a slime tube) let go with a tremendous bang.
>>
>> Fortunately, I was competing in the tandem event, and was riding the captain's spot - so my
>> hapless stoker was the one who got covered with bright green slime (much to the amusement of the
>> many, many folks who

>Did that person ever ride stoker for you again?

Yep - but only after I changed to Conti Gatorskins (a MUCH better tire than the Specialized
Armadillo that wouldn't stay on the rim at rated pressure).

Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles http://www.habcycles.com Home of the $695 ti frame

 

[James Messick]

"Megadeth Is Cool" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> I think. Therefore, I am not a conservative!

I heard "If you're young, and you aren't liberal, then you don't have a heart. If you're old, and
you aren't conservative, then you don't have a brain."

 

[Mark Hickey]

"James Messick" <[email protected]> wrote:

>"Megadeth Is Cool" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>
>> I think. Therefore, I am not a conservative!
>
>I heard "If you're young, and you aren't liberal, then you don't have a heart. If you're old, and
>you aren't conservative, then you don't have a brain."

The quote was from Winston Churchill. It went something like this:

"If you're 20 and not a liberal, you have no heart. If you're 40 and not a conservative, you have
no brain".

Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles http://www.habcycles.com Home of the $695 ti frame

 

[Jasper Janssen]

On 10 Jun 2003 19:29:02 -0700, [email protected] wrote:

>Would I keep the air filled to the recommended pressure, or underfill a little? I'm not sure what
>effect my weight would have on the tires...

The more you weigh, the harder you pump tires. The idea is that you must at all costs avoid
'bottoming out' the 'tire suspension', just like on a car. On a bike, 'bottoming out', ie, hitting
the rim to the ground, is a good way to kill your tube (fast), tire (slightly slower), and rim (in
one go, if you're unlucky). If you hit a *really* sharp bump at speed with underinflated tyre, you
can dent the rim which will actually prevent you from braking properly. This is dangerous, even
apart from expensive. With a bike like yours, denting a rim is gonna cost you 2/3 of what the bike
was new, ie, a good way to have a whole bike's worth of spare parts for your next one (if they don't
replace it under warranty).

So what you do to prevent all that, is make sure that you pump the tires at least hard enough so
that during your usage, the rim will not reach the ground. The pressure you should use depends on
two things: The load you put on the tire (your weight, and your riding style -- hitting 20 potholes
at 30 mph is obviously more stressful for the tire than riding smooth tarmac), the size of the tire
(thinner needas higher pressure for the same load), and also how much 'suspension' effect you want:
if your road is smooth, then you can lower resistance by pumping the tires up harder than would be
strictly necessary.

Jasper

 

[Jasper Janssen]

On 10 Jun 2003 22:35:08 -0700, [email protected] (mark freedman) wrote:
>[email protected] wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
>
> I can't see shifting enough weight off the back wheel to avoid damage when mounting a curb at
> speed, but I'd end up examining the quality of the concrete if I tried that. ATBers can do all
> kinds of wonderful things which the balance-challenged wouldn't attempt.

Back when I was a paperboy, there were a couple of semi-high curbs which I had to take (as opposed
to avoiding them by taking the low spots (2-3 inch drops)), it's not that hard. It is utter hell on
the wheels, though.

> I find the Crank Brothers "Speed Lever" useful. I lost my prehensile tail in a horrible
> accident, so used to hold the third tire lever with my forhead. The SPeed Lever locks onto the
> axle, which leaves my forehead free for banging against a tree when my brand-new spare tube is
> defective.

Onto the *axle*? That's gotta be one long tire iron. All my tire levers (3 or 4 sets of 3, all cheap
ones) come with a slot to allow you to hook them over a spoke.

> How did you ever dismount road tires without levers?

There's probably a trick to it, but even then.. yegh.

Most bits of Special Biking Tools you can safely ignore or use other **** you have lying around for
or regular tools, but some things just aren't replaceable. Tire irons (made of plastic for the road
), chain punch, freewheel/cassette pullers, crankpullers, bottom bracket and headset tools. Most
of the rest is doable with regular tools (I will of course have missed a crucial tool here. Sigh.),
or just unpractical for a home shop at all (BB/headset is mostly under that last category anyway).

A sturmey archer geared hub can be serviced with a hammer, punch (old screwdriver will work), and
one or two wrenches for removing the cones. Plus two agile hands of course, and a bench vise helps.

Jasper