Glass and tire wiping

[A Muzi]

proper attribution? >>> I used them back in the day, and they seemed pretty effective at
> >>> knocking off goathead thorns before they punctured the tube. They were not at all effective at
> >>> preventing glass, staple, wire, or thumbtack punctures.

<[email protected]>>> >> You must have been riding nearly flat tires because a
puncture vine
> >> thorn is a spine standing on a tetrahedron that is so sharp that lightly laying the palm of the
> >> hand on the roadside vine will have them stick in your skin painlessly, it requires so little
> >> pressure. If you have more than 50 psi in your tire, the thorn will penetrate practically to
> >> its final depth on the first contact. The only ones you could effectively knock off are ones on
> >> the sides of the tire that would otherwise penetrate on the first corner taken.
>
> >> http://www.or.blm.gov/Prineville/weed/puncture.htm http://tinyurl.com/d0xo
> >> http://www.cwma.org/puncturevine.html
> >> http://elib.cs.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?enlarge=0000+0000+0801+0392

> Robin Hubert writes:
> > Now that I know what this beast looks like I'd like to know the distribution of it in the U.S.
> > We don't seem to have it in Illinois and the Midwest. Any links?

<[email protected]> , scaring the hell out of us, wrote darkly in message
news:[email protected]...
> The trouble is that Tribulus Terrestris is cure-all for quacks and has many listings in that
> field, making it hard to find sites that discuss the plant biologically. It grows in all
> continents and thrives on barren soil. That is why it is common on western roadsides that are
> sprayed to suppress growth of flammable weeds. Puncture vine germinates after other plants have
> sprouted and gone and it grows only where there are no competitors.
>
> It is my observation that it sprouts only after the first real hot spell of sumer has passed,
> followed by some thunder showers here in California where we have essentially no rain all summer.
> Roundup (c) does not kill it either, so late spraying only prevents competitors from returning but
> allows its growth.
>
> http://pi.cdfa.ca.gov/weedinfo/TRIBULUS2.html
>

What a nightmare! Glad we don't have that beast here!
--
Andrew Muzi http://www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April 1971

 

[Velocat]

[email protected] wrote:
>
> It is my observation that it sprouts only after the first real hot spell of sumer has passed,
> followed by some thunder showers here in California where we have essentially no rain all summer.
> Roundup (c) does not kill it either, so late spraying only prevents competitors from returning but
> allows its growth.
>
> http://pi.cdfa.ca.gov/weedinfo/TRIBULUS2.html
>

According to the URL you provided, Roundup is effective in killing puncturevine.

> Chemical: Chlorosulfuron, 2,4-D, imazapyr, MCPA, paraquat, glyphosate, and dicamba are effective
> on puncturevine.

Note that glyphosate is the generic name for Roundup.

> http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/BODY_WG044

Dave

 

[Jobst Brandt]

Dave who? writes:

>> It is my observation that it sprouts only after the first real hot spell of sumer has passed,
>> followed by some thunder showers here in California where we have essentially no rain all summer.
>> Roundup(c) does not kill it either, so late spraying only prevents competitors from returning but
>> allows its growth.

http://pi.cdfa.ca.gov/weedinfo/TRIBULUS2.html

> According to the URL you provided, Roundup is effective in killing puncture vine.

>> Chemical: Chlorosulfuron, 2,4-D, imazapyr, MCPA, paraquat, glyphosate, and dicamba are effective
>> on puncture vine.

> Note that glyphosate is the generic name for Roundup.

>> http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/BODY_WG044

And note that I said it didn't kill puncture vine in the Stanford tests but retarded its growth
slightly. Repeated spraying will ultimately kill it but it is not a reasonable way of getting rid of
it.

Jobst Brandt [email protected] Palo Alto CA

 

[Chris Zacho "Th]

I do on my rear wheel (why is explained in the other thread).

I wipe the front.

May you have the wind at your back. And a really low gear for the hills! Chris

Chris'Z Corner "The Website for the Common Bicyclist": http://www.geocities.com/czcorner

 

[Qui Si Parla Ca]

Funniest thing I saw was a guy, reaching back to wipe his rear tire and getting his hand stuck
between the tire and seattube....he didn't fall either...

But I wipe me tires, don know if it helps or not, but i hook my thumb around the seat stay, to
prevent above...

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 http://www.vecchios.com "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

 

[Mark Janeba]

Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote:
> Funniest thing I saw was a guy, reaching back to wipe his rear tire and getting his hand stuck
> between the tire and seattube....he didn't fall either...

Been there, done that. I skidded the rear tire, if I recall, and was lucky not to fall. Scared the
**** out of me. (This was many years ago on my first racing bike, much less tire clearance than my
previous tour bike). I can look back and laugh *now*, not then.

> But I wipe me tires, don know if it helps or not, but i hook my thumb around the seat stay, to
> prevent above...

I too learned the "feel for the seat stay" trick. Quit wiping a few years ago, though, and haven't
noticed any difference in flat frequency.

Regards,
--
Mark Janeba remove antispam phrase in address to reply

 

[Sam Huffman]

Mark Janeba <[email protected]> writes:

> Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote:
> > Funniest thing I saw was a guy, reaching back to wipe his rear tire and getting his hand stuck
> > between the tire and seattube....he didn't fall either...
>
> Been there, done that. I skidded the rear tire, if I recall, and was lucky not to fall. Scared the
> **** out of me. (This was many years ago on my first racing bike, much less tire clearance than my
> previous tour bike). I can look back and laugh *now*, not then.
>
> > But I wipe me tires, don know if it helps or not, but i hook my thumb around the seat stay, to
> > prevent above...
>
> I too learned the "feel for the seat stay" trick. Quit wiping a few years ago, though, and haven't
> noticed any difference in flat frequency.

Out of curiousity, what happens when something more significant than glass is also on the tire? I
got a flat the other day after riding over a small patch of glass. The glass didn't cause the flat
but a wood staple I hadn't seen did. One of the sharp points was embedded in the tire and the
other wasn't.

It seems to me that wiping the tire could easily have resulted in slicing my hand open with the
staple, glove or no. Has anyone experienced this?

Sam

 

[Jobst Brandt]

Sam Huffman writes:

>> I too learned the "feel for the seat stay" trick. Quit wiping a few years ago, though, and
>> haven't noticed any difference in flat frequency.

Saved a lot of dirty hands as well, I'm sure. I came to that conclusion on the first few rides with
wiping riders, from observing how many wheel revolutions passed before the wipe began. It didn't
make sense and the analysis makes it even more preposterous.

> Out of curiousity, what happens when something more significant than glass is also on the tire? I
> got a flat the other day after riding over a small patch of glass. The glass didn't cause the flat
> but a wood staple I hadn't seen did. One of the sharp points was embedded in the tire and the
> other wasn't.

This is the old bugaboo that migrates to finding the offending cause of a flat tire while
patching. As was discussed in a related thread, these tales keep anxiety up and the image of
gushing blood vivid. Keep it up. However, It doesn't readily happen and has never occurred in my
bicycling experience. It is theoretically possible but don't bet on it. Finding the wire, glass,
or thorn by wiping the thumb around the inside of the tire is not hazardous and is essential to
keeping air in the tire. Even Michelin wires, that are fairly common on roads, need be found by
braille when patching.

> It seems to me that wiping the tire could easily have resulted in slicing my hand open with the
> staple, glove or no. Has anyone experienced this?

Only if you ignored the rotation piece of hardware that was going click-click-click as you rode.

Jobst Brandt [email protected] Palo Alto CA

 

[Sam Huffman]

[email protected] writes:

> Sam Huffman writes:
>
> > Out of curiousity, what happens when something more significant than glass is also on the tire?
> > I got a flat the other day after riding over a small patch of glass. The glass didn't cause the
> > flat but a wood staple I hadn't seen did. One of the sharp points was embedded in the tire and
> > the other wasn't.
>
> This is the old bugaboo that migrates to finding the offending cause of a flat tire while
> patching. As was discussed in a related thread, these tales keep anxiety up and the image of
> gushing blood vivid. Keep it up.

I'm not sure what you would have me "keep up". I certainly didn't experience anxiety and am not
worried about gushing blood, as I don't wipe my tires. You are reading between the lines and
inferring an intent that is not present.

> However, It doesn't readily happen and has never occurred in my bicycling experience. It is
> theoretically possible but don't bet on it. Finding the wire, glass, or thorn by wiping the thumb
> around the inside of the tire is not hazardous and is essential to keeping air in the tire. Even
> Michelin wires, that are fairly common on roads, need be found by braille when patching.

There is a significant difference between encountering a very small sharp object (not even readily
visible to the eye) while slowly rubbing one's finger around the inside of a tire and encountering a
0.5" staple leg at perhaps 150 rpm. Particularly when the hand cannot be removed quickly. Do you
have any reason to believe this couldn't happen?

It wouldn't surprise me that this has not happened to you, since you are not a tire-wiper. That is
why the query was posed to those who are.

> > It seems to me that wiping the tire could easily have resulted in slicing my hand open with the
> > staple, glove or no. Has anyone experienced this?
>
> Only if you ignored the rotation piece of hardware that was going click-click-click as you rode.

Unfortunately there was no "click-click-click". After maybe 25 yards the only sound I heard was the
*pfft* - *pfft* - *pfft of escaping air.

Sam

 

[Jobst Brandt]

Sam Huffman writes:

>> However, It doesn't readily happen and has never occurred in my bicycling experience. It is
>> theoretically possible but don't bet on it. Finding the wire, glass, or thorn by wiping the thumb
>> around the inside of the tire is not hazardous and is essential to keeping air in the tire. Even
>> Michelin wires, that are fairly common on roads, need be found by braille when patching.

> There is a significant difference between encountering a very small sharp object (not even readily
> visible to the eye) while slowly rubbing one's finger around the inside of a tire and encountering
> a .5" staple leg at perhaps 150 rpm. Particularly when the hand cannot be removed quickly. Do you
> have any reason to believe this couldn't happen?

> It wouldn't surprise me that this has not happened to you, since you are not a tire-wiper. That is
> why the query was posed to those who are.

>>> It seems to me that wiping the tire could easily have resulted in slicing my hand open with the
>>> staple, glove or no. Has anyone experienced this?

>> Only if you ignored the rotation piece of hardware that was going click-click-click as you rode.

> Unfortunately there was no "click-click-click". After maybe 25 yards the only sound I heard was
> the *pfft* - *pfft* - *pfft of escaping air.

Nature is also at work here and a forward leaning protuberance on a tire gets bent back and flat
against the tire. The likelihood of the scenario so often pictured here as you have does not occur
and not because people don't manually wipe tires, but because protruding glass is broken off and
exposed wires bent back. You need to look at the occurrences and decide why they don't exist. When I
first began bicycling tire wiping was THE rave. None of these folks had the slasher incident that is
so often portrayed in this space.

Jobst Brandt [email protected] Palo Alto CA

 

[Sam Huffman]

[email protected] writes:

> Sam Huffman writes:
>
> >> Only if you ignored the rotation piece of hardware that was going click-click-click as you
> >> rode.
>
> > Unfortunately there was no "click-click-click". After maybe 25 yards the only sound I heard was
> > the *pfft* - *pfft* - *pfft of escaping air.
>
> Nature is also at work here and a forward leaning protuberance on a tire gets bent back and flat
> against the tire. The likelihood of the scenario so often pictured here as you have does not occur
> and not because people don't manually wipe tires, but because protruding glass is broken off and
> exposed wires bent back.

Thanks; I can visualize that explanation. Though it is not true that the scenario does not
occur, based on your experience it sounds like it may merely be sufficiently uncommon as to pose
little threat.

Sam

 

[Dane Jackson]

[email protected] wrote:
>
> This is the old bugaboo that migrates to finding the offending cause of a flat tire while
> patching. As was discussed in a related thread, these tales keep anxiety up and the image of
> gushing blood vivid. Keep it up. However, It doesn't readily happen and has never occurred in my
> bicycling experience. It is theoretically possible but don't bet on it. Finding the wire, glass,
> or thorn by wiping the thumb around the inside of the tire is not hazardous and is essential to
> keeping air in the tire. Even Michelin wires, that are fairly common on roads, need be found by
> braille when patching.

I managed to cut myself rather nicely that way. It was a rather large chunk of glass in the tire
that I sliced my finger open with. I couldn't get it to stop bleeding, so eventually I just stuck my
hand in my glove (full finger because it was winter). I finished changing the tire, cycled to work
and use the first aid box there to bandage up.

I've been somewhat more careful since then, mainly using a glove for a first wipe around the inside.
I figure if it's big enough to cut me decently, it will catch on the glove.

--
Dane Jackson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g Linux! Guerrilla UNIX Development
Venimus, Vidimus, Dolavimus. (By [email protected], Mark A. Horton KA4YBR)

 

[Thekid]

As a cyclist, I am amazed at the power of a goathead. What a remarkable design.

"StuBintner" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I read with interest the thread on glass and tire wiping. Does anyone
else
> still use tire saver "wire wipes?" A few geezers that I know (and I) still
do
> and find that they work very well. Any comments?