Flat tires, what's the odds?

[BHOFM]

I have had three flats this summer, all the result of small, tiny pieces of wire.

They have all been flat in the morning after my ride, never on the road, although
I know they have in all likely hood been going down during the ride.

What is the odds of three flats from the same thing??

I do ride the same, or near same routes all the time.

I don't ride near factories or shops that might use this material. Or I don't
think I do??

 

[drummerboy1248]

Alot of those little wires on shoulders or the edge of the road come from blown radial semi truck tires. I've had it happen. But not 3x's in a summer. You must be lucky.

 

[blazingpedals]

Originally Posted by drummerboy1248 .

Alot of those little wires on shoulders or the edge of the road come from blown radial semi truck tires. I've had it happen. But not 3x's in a summer. You must be lucky.

That's the urban legend, at least. Hence their nickname, 'Michelin wires." Personally, I think they look more like wires from shift cables. I've never seen a wire that's broken free of the encapsulation in a tire.

 

[BHOFM]

Let's get scientific?? It is hardened, spring wire. It is magnetic.







These are full frame shots from a Fuji S1000fd hand held without flash. Resized to 800X600.
Damnedest little camera I have ever seen.

 

[64Paramount]

That is a good camera!

It's a mystery to me too on how you would manage to pick up 3 pieces of wire like that over the course of the summer. You'd think they would have come from a certain area in which you ride frequently, but I can't imagine what they would be used for....or how they would end up on a road or bike path. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/confused.gif

 

[Scotttri]

I'd consider two punctures extremely unlucky but 3........who did you annoy

 

[BHOFM]

Originally Posted by Scotttri .

.who did you annoy

I ride in two citys, combined population of about 90,000, so about

85,000?? Maybe a few more??

 

[davereo]

Looking at the size of the wire in relation to the dime I would suspect that you are picking this up close to home on your return trip. I cant imagine getting a piece of wire that size embedded into your tire on a 70 mile bike and not flattening while out on the road. Maybe someone close by is a carpenter and likes to sweep out the back of their truck out on the road. I am as ussual in the middle of a little home improvement at the moment and this piece of wire looks a lot like the finish nail from a pnuematic gun that has been pried out of some case molding. Just a thought.

 

[Froze]

That's an odd piece of wire, from where who the heck knows, I like the idea that it could be a piece of staple or perhaps a small finishing nail.

But there are fine bits of wire that are strewn on the roads caused by not just big trucks having blowouts, but also by cars who alignments have been out for long time, scrubbed either the inside or outside of the tire to where the steel belt starts to show, then it's shredding steel as the people continue to drive on the tires all over the road. And on occasion those fine bits of wire will flatten a tire.

 

[drummerboy1248]

Originally Posted by blazingpedals .





That's the urban legend, at least. Hence their nickname, 'Michelin wires." Personally, I think they look more like wires from shift cables. I've never seen a wire that's broken free of the encapsulation in a tire.

You're riding too fast. Slow down and you will see them.
I train drivers and have spent way too much time standing on the side of highways. the stuff's all over the place.

 

[BHOFM]

I think this is larger gauge than the wire in the belts of tires. I may be getting it from the mall, they have dumpesters
along the back side and this looks more like a staple size wire, and it is a bit harder than just plain wire.
There are several furniture stores and it may be the staples they use to hold the card board pieces on the
corners of sofas and such. I saw several pieces of packing there today with staples still in them.

I am going to stop riding on that side of the mall and hope that is were I picked them up.