Puncture prevention

[Mark Cooper]

So this last weekend was my first Olympic distance race and after all the training and preparation I
ended up with a puncture about 2 miles from the end of the bike section.

So I have a couple of questions:
1. How do you guys prevent / protect punctures? Is the additional weight gain of 'slime' or 'goo'
tubes worth it? Can I get 'armoured' tyres?

2. I made the decision to finish the ride rather than stop and change tubes. This was based on gut
feeling rather than any form of science. Any one know of a more scientific way of determining
whether to change tyres or simply finish the leg?

Got a question on the run stuff too, but i'll post it seperatly

Thanks, Mark

 

[Mike Lana]

> 1. How do you guys prevent / protect punctures? Is the additional weight gain of 'slime' or 'goo'
> tubes worth it? Can I get 'armoured' tyres?

Use a quality cloth rim tape. inspect your rim for burs if you regularly flat. Make sure your tire
presure is in the middle to high range your tire allows. My preference is to get a tire with some
type of protection on the tread. I'll take the extra 2 seconds on the bike if it means I'll have
less chance of flating. (I like conti gp3000 never flated on these)
>
> 2. I made the decision to finish the ride rather than stop and change tubes. This was based on gut
> feeling rather than any form of science. Any one know of a more scientific way of determining
> whether to change tyres or simply finish the leg?
Depends on a lot of things The course. If you have downhills and curves into the transition, change
it for sure

The distance 2 miles isn't too bad

The material and price of your wheel If you have zipp 404 carbon wheels change it right away or
you'll have a $1200 shreaded carbon mess. If you have 32 spoke velocity Deep v's they can take
alot more.

Good Luck Mike

 

[ajo]

Originally posted by Mark Cooper
So this last weekend was my first Olympic distance race and after all the training and preparation I
ended up with a puncture about 2 miles from the end of the bike section.

So I have a couple of questions:
1. How do you guys prevent / protect punctures? Is the additional weight gain of 'slime' or 'goo'
tubes worth it? Can I get 'armoured' tyres?

3 ways to reduce puncturing in races:
- High quality tires with puncture resistant layer (Conti 3000, Veloflex, Michelin Pro Race) etc, but not the super-light Michhelin Pro Light or Continental Supersonic.
- New or nearly new tires for important races. I don't buy training tires, but use the worn race tires for training.
- Inspecting the tires. Many punctures is coursed by small fragments of glass, sharp stones etc that gradually makes their way through the tire. By carfully inspecting and removing these fragments they won't harm.