How Often Do You Flat?



Bob, sounds like the failure of the tire burst the tube - not the other way around. Tubes do not have any pressure holding strength - breaching one should not increase the pressure on the tire.
 
Maydog,

I don't know about that. The bead actually still held its clinch very well. The bead tear was only about 2" of the yellowish cord being partially popped out of the rubber over-molding. The bead was never broken from the rim during the coast to a stop. I only saw the defect when I was checking the inside of the tire for any foreign object that might still be penetrating the casing with the tire completely demounted.

The tube lost integrity right on the seam that faced the middle of the rim strip. The split was almost like a surgical cut about an inch long. The tube was on its second or third tire installation. Could have been damaged by a tire iron, but I doubt it.

I think the damaged tire bead would have held 75-85 PSI safely, but it was a short ride back to a new tire and I wasn't going to push my luck. There was no sign of bulge at the sidewall / bead area with the (guessing) approximately 60 PSI in it, but it sure did flatten out when pedaling hard / up a grade / hitting a bump.

I would think the tube would have failed right in line with bead failure and with a jagged tear if the tire bead failed first...instead of 45°-50° away from the bead and along the mold line. Who knows though? You very well could be correct in the failure order. Strange puncture/failure modes are the norm in cycling!
 
I don't know why but it happens to me every single year. Is it bad luck or just my fault... I have no answer to that to be honest, but the good thing is that I'm really used to it by now anyway so it doesn't bother me that much as it used to.
 
For the first time in over a year I flatted, 27 miles into a 30 mile ride on the tri bike. Small fish hook was picked up by the rubber, took about a 1/4 mile before it worked its way through the rubber. Grrrr. Had the stuff to fix it but being so close to home I just called the wife.

Serves me right for being lazy and not switching out last years race tires for a better suited training tire.
 
I usually flat 2-3 times a year. It happens more often than I think which is kind of crazy. I feel like the roads I choose and such are not the best choices I make. I guess there are some stuff I need to evaluate in the future.
 
Thankfully, I haven't had a flat tire for a while now. I've done my best to avoid scattered broken glass and stuff on the road. When I do get a flat tire, I just bring out my trusty tire repair kit, pump some air in the tires, and continue riding.
 
In my biking career, since I am not a pro but just a hobbyist, I cannot remember how many flats I had experienced. I mean for my bike, I don't remember but for me, when I was using my bike, I suffered only 2 times. But those flat were not caused by a spike or anything. It was just a loose valve so the air escaped hence the flat tire. But my husband would always say - it is okay to have a flat tire than to have a flat nose.
 
You certainly have had some great luck, hope you carry on for many more years without any flat tires. The best I've ever managed to do is go for 3 years straight without any flats occurring. However, this was also a period that I wasn't riding on a regular basis. Generally, I also try to avoid any debris and potholes on the road. This does help lessen the risk of getting a flat but there are no guarantees.
 
I think you are doing very well and I must congratulate you. To have kept your tires in good shape for so long it sounds unbelievable. But I believe you... It really depends on 2 factors. The first has to do with a grade of the tires that you bought; And the second has to do with the roughness of the roads on which you trod
 

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