Glass pieces in tires

[dgk]

I really hate flats. A few weeks ago I got another one in my Pasela
Tourguard and while inspecting the tire found quite a few pieces of
embedded glass. It's been wet here and that seems to cause the glass
to stick to the tires until it can work its way in.

Still, in spite of the tire supposedly being puncture resistant, I
ordered a Continental Contact tire and Nashbar Slime Tube, and just
installed them yesterday. I took another look at the Tourguard after I
remove it and there were another five or six pieces of glass.

I guess most of these would never become flats because they are really
too small to work their way into the tube, but two were of sufficient
size to make it I think.

It's drying out here and I guess there will be less glass sticking to
the tires (although there is a lot on the streets), but I was
wondering whether people pull the tires off every once in a while, say
monthly?, just to dig into the little rips and see if there is any
glass in there? I think I'll start doing that.

The other thing I notice with the Pasela is that the tube really
sticks to the tire. It makes getting the tire off difficult.

 

[Roger Zoul]

dgk wrote:
::
:: It's drying out here and I guess there will be less glass sticking to
:: the tires (although there is a lot on the streets), but I was
:: wondering whether people pull the tires off every once in a while,
:: say monthly?, just to dig into the little rips and see if there is
:: any glass in there? I think I'll start doing that.

Do you just visually inspect the tire before/after each ride? Getting glass
out quickly helps it not work in so far as to flat you out.

 

[DougC]

dgk wrote:
> I really hate flats. A few weeks ago I got another one in my Pasela
> Tourguard and while inspecting the tire found quite a few pieces of
> embedded glass. It's been wet here and that seems to cause the glass
> to stick to the tires until it can work its way in.
>

There is a little wire thing called that rubs the tires, and is said to
help knock off debris before it can go around several times and work its
way in. I've heard them called Tiresavers, and the principle is easy to
see (it isn't hard to make your own). If they'd help or not I dunno; I
never had the problem enough to be concerned about it myself.
-One image of the "real things" is below-
http://www.blackbirdsf.org/ta/ref19.html


>
> The other thing I notice with the Pasela is that the tube really
> sticks to the tire. It makes getting the tire off difficult.

You can sprinkle some talcum powder on the tube+tire, it will prevent
them from sticking. Especially after you patch a flat, if there's any
exposed rubber cement on the tube it can bond to the tire when you put
air back in. The talc will prevent this, and it helps the tire go onto
the rim easier too.
~

 

[[email protected]]

On May 4, 7:43 am, dgk <[email protected]> wrote:
> I really hate flats. A few weeks ago I got another one in my Pasela
> Tourguard and while inspecting the tire found quite a few pieces of
> embedded glass. It's been wet here and that seems to cause the glass
> to stick to the tires until it can work its way in.
>
> Still, in spite of the tire supposedly being puncture resistant, I
> ordered a Continental Contact tire and Nashbar Slime Tube, and just
> installed them yesterday. I took another look at the Tourguard after I
> remove it and there were another five or six pieces of glass.
>
> I guess most of these would never become flats because they are really
> too small to work their way into the tube, but two were of sufficient
> size to make it I think.
>
> It's drying out here and I guess there will be less glass sticking to
> the tires (although there is a lot on the streets), but I was
> wondering whether people pull the tires off every once in a while, say
> monthly?, just to dig into the little rips and see if there is any
> glass in there? I think I'll start doing that.
>
> The other thing I notice with the Pasela is that the tube really
> sticks to the tire. It makes getting the tire off difficult.

dgk,

I would think in terms of tread design and rubber compound. I had your
problem with the junk OEM tires (that came on my bike when it was
new). No end to glass stuck in the tread. Since I have been running
Schwalbe Marathon and SM Plus tires, not much glass gets stuck in the
tread, because of the better tread design, and the (harder)
composition of the rubber. Any sharp stuff that does cut the rubber is
usually stopped by the Kevlar belt underneath. If that is penetrated,
my Mr. Tuffy tire liners will almost certainly prevent a flat. The
Tuffy liners have saved me a couple times. I have not had any flats on
the road since using the SM tires and the liners. I commute on city
streets where there is all manner of sharp debris, including plenty of
bottle glass.

As others have mentioned, you need to inspect the tire tread
regularly. It only takes 30 seconds per tire. I use a pen knife to
remove any foreign stuff.

I believe the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires are the best tires
available for preventing flats.

http://schwalbe.com/gbl/en/bicycle/on_tour/produktgruppe/?gesamt=49&ID_Produktgruppe=21

J.

 

[[email protected]]

On May 4, 9:34 am, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote:
> On May 4, 7:43 am, dgk <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > I really hate flats. A few weeks ago I got another one in my Pasela
> > Tourguard and while inspecting the tire found quite a few pieces of
> > embedded glass. It's been wet here and that seems to cause the glass
> > to stick to the tires until it can work its way in.
>
> > Still, in spite of the tire supposedly being puncture resistant, I
> > ordered a Continental Contact tire and Nashbar Slime Tube, and just
> > installed them yesterday. I took another look at the Tourguard after I
> > remove it and there were another five or six pieces of glass.
>
> > I guess most of these would never become flats because they are really
> > too small to work their way into the tube, but two were of sufficient
> > size to make it I think.
>
> > It's drying out here and I guess there will be less glass sticking to
> > the tires (although there is a lot on the streets), but I was
> > wondering whether people pull the tires off every once in a while, say
> > monthly?, just to dig into the little rips and see if there is any
> > glass in there? I think I'll start doing that.
>
> > The other thing I notice with the Pasela is that the tube really
> > sticks to the tire. It makes getting the tire off difficult.
>
> dgk,
>
> I would think in terms of tread design and rubber compound. I had your
> problem with the junk OEM tires (that came on my bike when it was
> new). No end to glass stuck in the tread. Since I have been running
> Schwalbe Marathon and SM Plus tires, not much glass gets stuck in the
> tread, because of the better tread design, and the (harder)
> composition of the rubber. Any sharp stuff that does cut the rubber is
> usually stopped by the Kevlar belt underneath. If that is penetrated,
> my Mr. Tuffy tire liners will almost certainly prevent a flat. The
> Tuffy liners have saved me a couple times. I have not had any flats on
> the road since using the SM tires and the liners. I commute on city
> streets where there is all manner of sharp debris, including plenty of
> bottle glass.
>
> As others have mentioned, you need to inspect the tire tread
> regularly. It only takes 30 seconds per tire. I use a pen knife to
> remove any foreign stuff.
>
> I believe the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires are the best tires
> available for preventing flats.
>
> http://schwalbe.com/gbl/en/bicycle/on_tour/produktgruppe/?gesamt=49&I...
>
> J.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I should have included the following quote from the Schwalbe website:

Marathon Plus

Punctures are a memory. The SmartGuard layer made from a flexible,
special rubber offers particular resistance to shards of glass and
flints. Even a thumbtack cannot penetrate this protective layer. The
SmartGuard belt does not increase rolling resistance. The MARATHON
PLUS rolls as easily as a tire without protection - end quote - J.

 

[catzz66]

dgk wrote:
> I really hate flats. A few weeks ago I got another one in my Pasela
> Tourguard and while inspecting the tire found quite a few pieces of
> embedded glass. It's been wet here and that seems to cause the glass
> to stick to the tires until it can work its way in.
>
> Still, in spite of the tire supposedly being puncture resistant, I
> ordered a Continental Contact tire and Nashbar Slime Tube, and just
> installed them yesterday. I took another look at the Tourguard after I
> remove it and there were another five or six pieces of glass.
>
> I guess most of these would never become flats because they are really
> too small to work their way into the tube, but two were of sufficient
> size to make it I think.
>
> It's drying out here and I guess there will be less glass sticking to
> the tires (although there is a lot on the streets), but I was
> wondering whether people pull the tires off every once in a while, say
> monthly?, just to dig into the little rips and see if there is any
> glass in there? I think I'll start doing that.
>
> The other thing I notice with the Pasela is that the tube really
> sticks to the tire. It makes getting the tire off difficult.

My newest bike came with kevlar belted tires. I thought I was immune to
flats, but eventually I got a glass sliver flat. Inspcting the tires, I
found numerous other pieces of flint or glass that would have eventually
worked their way into the tube. Now I am a lot more careful about
inspecting my tires and picking out the slivers. A stitch in time...

 

[dgk]

On Fri, 4 May 2007 09:04:41 -0400, "Roger Zoul"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>dgk wrote:
>::
>:: It's drying out here and I guess there will be less glass sticking to
>:: the tires (although there is a lot on the streets), but I was
>:: wondering whether people pull the tires off every once in a while,
>:: say monthly?, just to dig into the little rips and see if there is
>:: any glass in there? I think I'll start doing that.
>
>Do you just visually inspect the tire before/after each ride? Getting glass
>out quickly helps it not work in so far as to flat you out.
>
I can't say I visually inspect them before each ride. I don't think a
visual inspection would find this stuff though. The glass hides in
these really tiny rips in the tires, I don't know how they can find
those tiny rips

I do look after going through a patch where the glass is impossible to
avoid, and I do spin the rear tire when I get home in the afternoon,
but it is tough to find those pieces of glass.

 

[landotter]

On May 4, 7:43 am, dgk <[email protected]> wrote:
> I really hate flats. A few weeks ago I got another one in my Pasela
> Tourguard and while inspecting the tire found quite a few pieces of
> embedded glass. It's been wet here and that seems to cause the glass
> to stick to the tires until it can work its way in.

Rain also seems to stand shards on end and lubricate them so they
slide into your tires more easily. I don't ride my "fast" single speed
road bike in the rain for that reason. No matter the brand, if it has
skinwall lightweight tires on it--it'll flat in the rain. Haven't had
a puncture in the dry on that bike in years.

The only real solution is running thicker tires in the wet. I've
become partial to the 30mm IRC Tandems I ran all winter on my "heavy"
bike. Not too expensive, lightish at 350g, and not too dead feeling as
the casing's pretty flexible. I've ridden them through urban detritus,
slop, and even some fire roads without a whimper. Downside is that the
tread's a bit loud and the oval casing feels slightly strange to
corner on at first.There are other strong tires like the Marathon and
Gatorskin as well--but they all have their own problems. If it's not
price, it's weight, if it's not too expensive, it's dead
feeling...waddaya gonna do?

As far as tire savers go, I'm just old enough to remember those spring
loaded wires that were supposed to scrape off glass bits. I also
remember when it was normal to brush off your tires on the move with
the palm of your gloves. Yikes.

Shame about those Paselas, I was thinking about getting a pair of the
TGs, but I hear more and more sour things about them.

 

[catzz66]

dgk wrote:
> On Fri, 4 May 2007 09:04:41 -0400,

>
> I can't say I visually inspect them before each ride. I don't think a
> visual inspection would find this stuff though. The glass hides in
> these really tiny rips in the tires, I don't know how they can find
> those tiny rips
>
>

I am running slicks that only have 2100 miles on them. They are pretty
gouged up though from my mostly city street riding. I don't get many
flats now that I started paying a lot better attention to them. I will
probably replace them with more slicks, since it is a little easier for
me to spot foreign objects in them than on my other bike with a little
tread design on those tires.

 

[nash]

As far as tire savers go, I'm just old enough to remember those spring
> loaded wires that were supposed to scrape off glass bits. I also
> remember when it was normal to brush off your tires on the move with
> the palm of your gloves. Yikes.
>
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

I still use my foot without stopping.
Rear tire I would stop for if I thought it was serious.
I have kevlar belted panselas and tuffy liners.

 

[dgk]

On Fri, 04 May 2007 08:20:13 -0500, DougC <[email protected]>
wrote:

>dgk wrote:
>> I really hate flats. A few weeks ago I got another one in my Pasela
>> Tourguard and while inspecting the tire found quite a few pieces of
>> embedded glass. It's been wet here and that seems to cause the glass
>> to stick to the tires until it can work its way in.
>>
>
>There is a little wire thing called that rubs the tires, and is said to
>help knock off debris before it can go around several times and work its
>way in. I've heard them called Tiresavers, and the principle is easy to
>see (it isn't hard to make your own). If they'd help or not I dunno; I
>never had the problem enough to be concerned about it myself.
>-One image of the "real things" is below-
>http://www.blackbirdsf.org/ta/ref19.html
>
>
>>
>> The other thing I notice with the Pasela is that the tube really
>> sticks to the tire. It makes getting the tire off difficult.
>
>You can sprinkle some talcum powder on the tube+tire, it will prevent
>them from sticking. Especially after you patch a flat, if there's any
>exposed rubber cement on the tube it can bond to the tire when you put
>air back in. The talc will prevent this, and it helps the tire go onto
>the rim easier too.
>~

Thanks, I'm planning on moving it to the front tire. But after Bike NY
on Sunday; I don't want to muck around too much before that.

 

[dgk]

On 4 May 2007 07:34:55 -0700, "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>I would think in terms of tread design and rubber compound. I had your
>problem with the junk OEM tires (that came on my bike when it was
>new). No end to glass stuck in the tread. Since I have been running
>Schwalbe Marathon and SM Plus tires, not much glass gets stuck in the
>tread, because of the better tread design, and the (harder)
>composition of the rubber. Any sharp stuff that does cut the rubber is
>usually stopped by the Kevlar belt underneath. If that is penetrated,
>my Mr. Tuffy tire liners will almost certainly prevent a flat. The
>Tuffy liners have saved me a couple times. I have not had any flats on
>the road since using the SM tires and the liners. I commute on city
>streets where there is all manner of sharp debris, including plenty of
>bottle glass.
>
>As others have mentioned, you need to inspect the tire tread
>regularly. It only takes 30 seconds per tire. I use a pen knife to
>remove any foreign stuff.
>
>I believe the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires are the best tires
>available for preventing flats.
>
>http://schwalbe.com/gbl/en/bicycle/on_tour/produktgruppe/?gesamt=49&ID_Produktgruppe=21
>
>J.
>
>

Thanks, bookmarked for next time.

 

[dgk]

On Fri, 04 May 2007 10:04:29 -0500, catzz66
<[email protected]> wrote:

>dgk wrote:
>> I really hate flats. A few weeks ago I got another one in my Pasela
>> Tourguard and while inspecting the tire found quite a few pieces of
>> embedded glass. It's been wet here and that seems to cause the glass
>> to stick to the tires until it can work its way in.
>>
>> Still, in spite of the tire supposedly being puncture resistant, I
>> ordered a Continental Contact tire and Nashbar Slime Tube, and just
>> installed them yesterday. I took another look at the Tourguard after I
>> remove it and there were another five or six pieces of glass.
>>
>> I guess most of these would never become flats because they are really
>> too small to work their way into the tube, but two were of sufficient
>> size to make it I think.
>>
>> It's drying out here and I guess there will be less glass sticking to
>> the tires (although there is a lot on the streets), but I was
>> wondering whether people pull the tires off every once in a while, say
>> monthly?, just to dig into the little rips and see if there is any
>> glass in there? I think I'll start doing that.
>>
>> The other thing I notice with the Pasela is that the tube really
>> sticks to the tire. It makes getting the tire off difficult.
>
>My newest bike came with kevlar belted tires. I thought I was immune to
>flats, but eventually I got a glass sliver flat. Inspcting the tires, I
>found numerous other pieces of flint or glass that would have eventually
>worked their way into the tube. Now I am a lot more careful about
>inspecting my tires and picking out the slivers. A stitch in time...

Yup, thats' what I'm thinking. Even with slime tubes, I figure every
few weeks I'll do a deep check.

 

[dgk]

On 4 May 2007 08:37:23 -0700, landotter <[email protected]> wrote:

>On May 4, 7:43 am, dgk <[email protected]> wrote:
>> I really hate flats. A few weeks ago I got another one in my Pasela
>> Tourguard and while inspecting the tire found quite a few pieces of
>> embedded glass. It's been wet here and that seems to cause the glass
>> to stick to the tires until it can work its way in.
>
>Rain also seems to stand shards on end and lubricate them so they
>slide into your tires more easily. I don't ride my "fast" single speed
>road bike in the rain for that reason. No matter the brand, if it has
>skinwall lightweight tires on it--it'll flat in the rain. Haven't had
>a puncture in the dry on that bike in years.
>
>The only real solution is running thicker tires in the wet. I've
>become partial to the 30mm IRC Tandems I ran all winter on my "heavy"
>bike. Not too expensive, lightish at 350g, and not too dead feeling as
>the casing's pretty flexible. I've ridden them through urban detritus,
>slop, and even some fire roads without a whimper. Downside is that the
>tread's a bit loud and the oval casing feels slightly strange to
>corner on at first.There are other strong tires like the Marathon and
>Gatorskin as well--but they all have their own problems. If it's not
>price, it's weight, if it's not too expensive, it's dead
>feeling...waddaya gonna do?
>
>As far as tire savers go, I'm just old enough to remember those spring
>loaded wires that were supposed to scrape off glass bits. I also
>remember when it was normal to brush off your tires on the move with
>the palm of your gloves. Yikes.
>
>Shame about those Paselas, I was thinking about getting a pair of the
>TGs, but I hear more and more sour things about them.
>

I don't mean to diss the Paselas. I don't know that they're any more
punctureable than other tires. There's just been so much glass on the
road that it's tough on any tire. I really think that folks just break
bottles to cause flats. There can't be that much glass around
otherwise.

 

[nash]

There's just been so much glass on the
> road that it's tough on any tire. I really think that folks just break
> bottles to cause flats. There can't be that much glass around
> otherwise.

No doubt, it is usually on every bike trail and at the bottom of every hill
so they know you will not stop in time. I would assume drunk, ****** off
drivers just throw them out the window as they drive. I wonder why they
make bikes if we are not suppose to ride them on the precious road like a
couple of you would have us think.

 

[Bob]

<landotter <[email protected]> wrote:

I also
remember when it was normal to brush off your tires on the move with
the palm of your gloves. Yikes.

This sounds like you think that is either abnormal or a thing of the
past (or possibly both) when in fact it's neither. I'll often reach
down and brush off my front tire while moving although I wouldn't
recommend trying to brush off the rear tire in that fashion for
obvious reasons.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

 

[Bill Sornson]

Bob wrote:
> <landotter <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> I also
> remember when it was normal to brush off your tires on the move with
> the palm of your gloves. Yikes.
>
> This sounds like you think that is either abnormal or a thing of the
> past (or possibly both) when in fact it's neither. I'll often reach
> down and brush off my front tire while moving although I wouldn't
> recommend trying to brush off the rear tire in that fashion for
> obvious reasons.

I usually "scrub" both tires at the end of my rides, or immediately after
riding thru glass/debris. Front is easy, of course; back just takes
practice. (I stop pedaling and pay attention to what I'm doing, although
I've seen experienced riders do it while hammering.)

I know a guy who broke his collarbone doing his FRONT tire (caught his glove
behind the brake calipers...ouch!), so I really make a point to be careful.
(I do the back tire by grasping the front of the seat tube first; then just
move hand back an inch or two and there's the tire.)

I know some (read: [email protected]) say it's a waste of time and effort (too late
to remove imbedded stuff), but it sure /seems/ like there's often crud
there. Besides, it makes rolling the bike through the living room less
carpet-abusive. ;-)

Bill "good housekeeping...yeah, right" S.

 

[David L. Johnson]

Bob wrote:
> <landotter <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> I also
> remember when it was normal to brush off your tires on the move with
> the palm of your gloves. Yikes.
>
> This sounds like you think that is either abnormal or a thing of the
> past (or possibly both) when in fact it's neither.

Lots of things are normal, but ineffective. This is one. By the time
you get around to reaching down with your hand after passing through
glass, there has been several wheel revolutions. By that time the
glass, if there, is being driven into the wheel, which will result in a
flat.

I'll often reach
> down and brush off my front tire while moving although I wouldn't
> recommend trying to brush off the rear tire in that fashion for
> obvious reasons.

Back when I did brush off my tires, being told to do the normal thing, I
had no trouble brushing off the back wheel.

Tire savers may do more than the hand, since they hit the glass on the
first revolution. I only noticed more dirt, not fewer flats, when I
used them, though.

--

David L. Johnson

"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by
little statesmen and philosophers and divines." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

[amakyonin]

On May 4, 11:14 am, dgk <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Fri, 4 May 2007 09:04:41 -0400, "Roger Zoul"
> >Do you just visually inspect the tire before/after each ride? Getting glass
> >out quickly helps it not work in so far as to flat you out.
>
> I can't say I visually inspect them before each ride. I don't think a
> visual inspection would find this stuff though. The glass hides in
> these really tiny rips in the tires, I don't know how they can find
> those tiny rips

I use a pointy awl-like tool to probe into suspicious looking cuts
when I'm inspecting my tires. You can tell by feel and sound if there
is something in there that can't be seen from the outside.

 

[Michael]

dgk wrote:
>
> I really hate flats. A few weeks ago I got another one in my Pasela
> Tourguard and while inspecting the tire found quite a few pieces of
> embedded glass. It's been wet here and that seems to cause the glass
> to stick to the tires until it can work its way in.
>
> Still, in spite of the tire supposedly being puncture resistant, I
> ordered a Continental Contact tire and Nashbar Slime Tube, and just
> installed them yesterday. I took another look at the Tourguard after I
> remove it and there were another five or six pieces of glass.
>
> I guess most of these would never become flats because they are really
> too small to work their way into the tube, but two were of sufficient
> size to make it I think.
>
> It's drying out here and I guess there will be less glass sticking to
> the tires (although there is a lot on the streets), but I was
> wondering whether people pull the tires off every once in a while, say
> monthly?, just to dig into the little rips and see if there is any
> glass in there? I think I'll start doing that.
>
> The other thing I notice with the Pasela is that the tube really
> sticks to the tire. It makes getting the tire off difficult.


Lots of replies to this one. Must be the season for glass punctures, 'round
the world. Certainly is here. Night before last I went out for a late ride,
without incident. Yesterday morning I mounted and rolled into the street
*without*checking*tire*pressure* first - something I rarely do - and darn near
dumped it! The ride was super squirrel-y! ... bike wanted to go down whenever
my weight shifted to one side. I gained control and stopped just before
reaching the curb accross street. What th' ...! Front tire was flat. Not
"low". Flat. Found glass embedded in the tire. Nice big hole, right past a
cord, and in the tube as well, of course. The tire hole is large enough to
easily admit grit and more glass. Rats! I bought that tire just last summer.
Rode all winter without flatting once. And so it goes.

--
Michael