How often do you get a flat tire ?



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Gazza

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How often do you get a flat tire ( Roadie ) ?

I seem to get one every few months ? and I get pis$#& off about it.

Should I get Kevlar tyres ? do they really stop you getting flat tyres ?
 
"Gazza" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> How often do you get a flat tire ( Roadie ) ?
>
> I seem to get one every few months ? and I get pis$#& off about it.
>
> Should I get Kevlar tyres ? do they really stop you getting flat tyres ?
>
>


I'm about the same as you and I consider that fairly lucky, especially as
most of my riding is on the freeway where trucks shred tires all the time.
I have michelin tires with kevlar. I've had months go without a flat and
I've had 4 flats in two days, almost entirely due to the thin steel wire
from the truck tires.

The kevlar seems to work though, as I remember one day a 2-3 inch nail went
into the tire but not through, I'd say it hit the reinforcment and skewed
sideways (which then proceded to smack into my stays every time the wheel
turned till I stopped). Possibly that event alone could of cost me at least
the price of a new tire.
 
Gazza said:
How often do you get a flat tire ( Roadie ) ?
I seem to get one every few months ? and I get pis$#& off about it.
Should I get Kevlar tyres ? do they really stop you getting flat tyres ?

I've gone 12 months on a Kevlar beaded and belted mtb slick and I've
had multiple road bike punctures in a week. Glass sucks!
I think the Kevlar belt probably helps but it might have an effect on
the tyre's performance and I've heard that eventually the Kevlar belt
wears through the rubber.
Every few months could be good or bad depending on kays and what
you ride on. You could try tyre liners (Mr. Tuffy??)

hippy
 
probably average one every 2 months but thats riding 6 days a week average 250-300k/week on mtb commuter and roady on Sundays

Is always glass (last night's nail was a novelty. NOT!)
 
"Gazza" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> How often do you get a flat tire ( Roadie ) ?
>
> I seem to get one every few months ? and I get pis$#& off about it.
>
> Should I get Kevlar tyres ? do they really stop you getting flat tyres ?


in a year (only been riding a roady for a year) i've had 3 flats.
one on last years round the bay, one a while back after running over some
unavoidable glass and one 2 weeks ago which was a valve problem..
As for tyres, i've used a mix of panaracer, vittoria and conti's (the rear's
dont last long cos im a bit of a fat *******). I usually just get whatever
is on sale from phantom cycles
 
Gazza wrote:

> How often do you get a flat tire ( Roadie ) ?
> I seem to get one every few months ? and I get pis$#& off about it.


Is that all? I used to get them every week before I went kevlar. Though
I've found it depends mainly on the road. Some roads have more glass fragments
than others, so where you ride is a huge factor.

> Should I get Kevlar tyres ? do they really stop you getting flat tyres ?


Depending on how bad the situation is, they'll do anywhere from stop flats
outright, to greatly reduce the problem.

Another choice is using tyres with more rubber. They weigh lots more, but if
that's not important, go for it.

Other options are kevlar inserts (strips that fit between the inner tube and
tyre), thicker tubes, and I've been told that latex tubes are a little better
as they tend to stretch a little more before giving way and piercing.


--
Linux Registered User # 302622 <http://counter.li.org>
 
On Tue, 10 Aug 2004 16:43:58 +1000, Gazza <[email protected]> Wrote :
> How often do you get a flat tire ( Roadie ) ?
>


Depends. On a long tour I've worn through a rear tyre with no punctures.
On my daily commute I reckon 3 or 4 per 200km. More if it's wet. I score
three intersections that always have a sizeable car litter problem.


> I seem to get one every few months ? and I get pis$#& off about it.
>
> Should I get Kevlar tyres ? do they really stop you getting flat tyres ?


A bit but are they worth it - I dunno. Fixing punctures is cheap and quick
and besides. I like the old Conti TT2K...:)

>
>



--

Humbug
 
hippy wrote:
> Every few months could be good or bad depending on kays and what you
> ride on. You could try tyre liners (Mr. Tuffy??)
>
> hippy
>
>

Tyre liners, bah! I put an old tube in as tyre liners on my MTB tyres
and haven't had a puncture since. The bike weighs so much the extra
weight of tyres isn't a problem.

DaveB
 
Gazza wrote:
> How often do you get a flat tire ( Roadie ) ?
>


Back in the 80's when I had a road bike it was about 1 a month commuting
around town. On the MTB my last puncture was 1997, coming down the
Western Tiers in Tassie all loaded up, that was heartstopping experience.
 
Evan said:
Gazza wrote:
> How often do you get a flat tire ( Roadie ) ?
>


Back in the 80's when I had a road bike it was about 1 a month commuting
around town. On the MTB my last puncture was 1997, coming down the
Western Tiers in Tassie all loaded up, that was heartstopping experience.

JINX! youre for it now!
 
Never had a flat... but I'll probably get the next time out having said that.

One of the the guys in our group had FOUR! (three back and one front) in the space of 30 mins during this mornings ride. They were all totally unrelated... freaky!!!
 
i don't get them often at all, and when they do it's usually a puncture. I remember once someone had left a thin ruler with a nail poking up in the middle of the road. By the time i saw it, it was too late. It hooked into my tire, spun around and slapped me in the back! it was one of the funnier flats that I have had. Other than weird things like that, I don't usually get them. Every few months is doing very well.
 
MTB commuting, semi-slick tyres (Raceline Hiemispheres 26x2.00) I get a rear puncture every 500kms.
Tried Mr Tuffy liners, still got a hole & these liners slightly flatten the profile of the tyre.
I just patch 'em now. Carry those stick-on patches (no glue or dry time required), but they're pricey - $16:00 for 20 patches.
My last puncture was a nail, right though the tube to the rim. Needed 2x patches (above & below).

Most petrol stations don't have pumps that go higher than 50psi which is a ***** (those new ones that have the LED read-out on the panel) if you can't be stuffed manually pumping to 120psi on a roadie.
 
Gazza said:
How often do you get a flat tire ( Roadie ) ?
Should I get Kevlar tyres ? do they really stop you getting flat tyres ?

There's 2 kinds of kevlar tires, 1) for better puncture protection, 2) for a more flexible tire so you can fold it up as a spare.

I'm really happy with my Conti TravelContacts, had 2 in a week early on and discovered it was way hard to remove the ground remains of a thorn. Another tool to carry. Helps to check the tires for stuff that is working its way thru.
No punctures since.
 
Greetings,
Adding my two penneth to this. My last flat was earlier
this year, needless to say when I was about to head off on a ride, when
the valve tore out of a supposedly puncture proof tube. Prior to that, a
worn out tyre in 2002 resulted in five flats on one trip, but that's
life. Many years ago, I wrote an article in The Age yet called Want To
See My Flat? Guess what the subject was. I've had my quota of drawing
pins, glass, exploding valves and self destructing tyres. Life, don't
talk to me about life...
Regards,
Ray.

Gazza wrote:

>How often do you get a flat tire ( Roadie ) ?
>
>I seem to get one every few months ? and I get pis$#& off about it.
>
>Should I get Kevlar tyres ? do they really stop you getting flat tyres ?
>
>
 
"Gazza" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> How often do you get a flat tire ( Roadie ) ?
>
> I seem to get one every few months ? and I get pis$#& off about it.
>
> Should I get Kevlar tyres ? do they really stop you getting flat tyres ?
>


I believe that it is not so much the choice of tyres, but running them at a
decent pressure. I am pretty heavy (102kg this morning) and when I was in
Canberra and commuting on my roadie I was getting flats pretty regularly.
This stopped when I bought a track pump (Silca - about $85 from memory) and
weekly checked that the tyres were at 110 psi. Prior to this I was pumping
them as hard as I could with a hand-held Zefal pump. From this point I have
since ridden 7000km on the roadie without a single flat (I know I am
tempting fate by bragging about this but I am feeling game). I am only
running Continental Gatorskins which are by no means the top of the line.
The disadvantage is that you feel every bump in the road (if you want
comfort, get a mountain bike) but the advantages of less flats, less rolling
resistance, and the ability to run over a rock and have it fire out at right
angles like a bullet far out-weigh the bad IMOH.

Ride On,

Gags
 
Ray Peace wrote:
>
> Greetings,
> Adding my two penneth to this. My last flat was earlier
> this year, needless to say when I was about to head off on a ride, when
> the valve tore out of a supposedly puncture proof tube.


Okay, since you brought it up. I once went for 10 years without a
puncture in a thorn proof tube and then got a flat walking up the sealed
section of the road from The Head to Carr's Lookout near Killarney Qld.
No idea what caused it.

To cap it off, it was drizzling. Thankfully the vulcanising patches
still had life in them {:).
 
"Marx SS" <[email protected]> wrote in
message news:[email protected]

[...]

> Most petrol stations don't have pumps that go higher than 50psi which
> is a ***** (those new ones that have the LED read-out on the panel).


Funny you should say that. I stopped at a Shell servo this arvo to pump my
tyres up and I was most annoyed that the pump only went up to 60psi.

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"Gazza" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> How often do you get a flat tire ( Roadie ) ?
>
> I seem to get one every few months ? and I get pis$#& off about it.
>
> Should I get Kevlar tyres ? do they really stop you getting flat tyres ?
>
>



Yes. Kevlar all the way.....
 
DRS said:
"Marx SS" <[email protected]> wrote in
message news:[email protected]

[...]

> Most petrol stations don't have pumps that go higher than 50psi which
> is a ***** (those new ones that have the LED read-out on the panel).


Funny you should say that. I stopped at a Shell servo this arvo to pump my
tyres up and I was most annoyed that the pump only went up to 60psi.

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You should have pumped up the tyre twice to get to 120psi :>