punctures, narrow tyres & commuting.

[p cooper]

as a commuting cyclist i use my (trek) bike just 7 miles each way, road,
tarmaced path & uneven paving slabs. Ive gradually been reducing the size
of the tyres (resistance etc - seems logical to me)

Ive got 700x25 (schwalbe) on the back - which is where the problem is
ive been having punctures approx 2/wk- ive got a kevlar tyre & that green
band inside , so i dont think its penetration blowouts.
I've tried a variety of pressures between 70 psi and 115 ( the pressure it
states on the tyre) and am still getting the problem , even replacing the
inner tube each time.
Im getting really hacked off with this.
Too narrow tyre?
wrong pressures ( FWIW im 89Kg) ?
anything else I dont know about ?

 

[Dan Daniel]

On Mon, 05 Jul 2004 22:52:47 GMT, p cooper
<[email protected]> wrote:

>as a commuting cyclist i use my (trek) bike just 7 miles each way, road,
>tarmaced path & uneven paving slabs. Ive gradually been reducing the size
>of the tyres (resistance etc - seems logical to me)
>
>Ive got 700x25 (schwalbe) on the back - which is where the problem is
>ive been having punctures approx 2/wk- ive got a kevlar tyre & that green
>band inside , so i dont think its penetration blowouts.
>I've tried a variety of pressures between 70 psi and 115 ( the pressure it
>states on the tyre) and am still getting the problem , even replacing the
>inner tube each time.
>Im getting really hacked off with this.
>Too narrow tyre?
>wrong pressures ( FWIW im 89Kg) ?
>anything else I dont know about ?

Can you describe the punctures? Where are they on the tube- inner,
outer, side? A tear, a couple of dots, a single hole? Does the
location in relation to the tire change, or is it always in the same
location?

 

[bfd]

"Dan Daniel" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Mon, 05 Jul 2004 22:52:47 GMT, p cooper
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >as a commuting cyclist i use my (trek) bike just 7 miles each way, road,
> >tarmaced path & uneven paving slabs. Ive gradually been reducing the
size
> >of the tyres (resistance etc - seems logical to me)
> >
> >Ive got 700x25 (schwalbe) on the back - which is where the problem is
> >ive been having punctures approx 2/wk- ive got a kevlar tyre & that
green
> >band inside , so i dont think its penetration blowouts.
> >I've tried a variety of pressures between 70 psi and 115 ( the pressure
it
> >states on the tyre) and am still getting the problem , even replacing the
> >inner tube each time.
> >Im getting really hacked off with this.
> >Too narrow tyre?
> >wrong pressures ( FWIW im 89Kg) ?
> >anything else I dont know about ?
>
> Can you describe the punctures? Where are they on the tube- inner,
> outer, side? A tear, a couple of dots, a single hole? Does the
> location in relation to the tire change, or is it always in the same
> location?
>
May be he should read the Bicycle FAQ:

More flates on rear tire:
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/bicycles-faq/part3/section-5.html

Blow outs and sudden flats:
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/bicycles-faq/part3/section-2.html

Blown tubes:
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/bicycles-faq/part3/section-3.html

snakebite flats:
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/bicycles-faq/part3/section-1.html

or tube failure in clincher tires:
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/bicycles-faq/part3/section-4.html

 

[dreaded]

"p cooper" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> as a commuting cyclist i use my (trek) bike just 7 miles each way, road,
> tarmaced path & uneven paving slabs. Ive gradually been reducing the size
> of the tyres (resistance etc - seems logical to me)
>
> Ive got 700x25 (schwalbe) on the back - which is where the problem is
> ive been having punctures approx 2/wk- ive got a kevlar tyre & that green
> band inside , so i dont think its penetration blowouts.
> I've tried a variety of pressures between 70 psi and 115 ( the pressure it
> states on the tyre) and am still getting the problem , even replacing the
> inner tube each time.
> Im getting really hacked off with this.
> Too narrow tyre?
> wrong pressures ( FWIW im 89Kg) ?
> anything else I dont know about

Once I was having this problem until i noticed a tiny piece of glass had
worked its way through the tread and imbedded itself in the tire, putting a
slow leak in each new tube. You might check the tire carefully.

 

[DLCRCF]

Hi,

I'm starting to get back into cycling and was thinking of getting new pedals.
The ones that don't use toe straps. Could anyone give me some recommendations?
I don't need top of the line stuff. Also, do the shoe and the pedal have to be
the same brand or are they interchangable?

Thanks
Dan

 

[Leo Lichtman]

"dreaded" wrote: (clip) a tiny piece of glass had
> worked its way through the tread and imbedded itself in the tire, (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^
The giveaway clue here would be that the leak occurs in the same place each
time (possibly in two places, if you are randomly reversing the tube.
Pretty hard not to notice this, since you would be laying patches on top of
patches.

 

[dreaded]

"DLCRCF" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi,
>
> I'm starting to get back into cycling and was thinking of getting new
pedals.
> The ones that don't use toe straps. Could anyone give me some
recommendations?
> I don't need top of the line stuff. Also, do the shoe and the pedal have
to be
> the same brand or are they interchangable?
>
> Thanks
> Dan

I use crank brothers "egg beaters" for city use. they are easy to get in and
out of, easy to clean, inexpensive, and have a little bit of free float. if
you want shoes that you can walk around in you can get ones with a recessed
cleat. SPD style shoes will work with the egg beaters as well as the shimano
pedals, there are lots of ones with a recessed cleat. when i got the shoes
and pedals I had the tech help me get the cleat angle perfect (he used a
plumb off my knee while i was pedaling). if you have a pedal with a lot of
float you dont really need to do this, but i recommend if you have any knee
issues.
hope this helps.

 

[dreaded]

ya i finally figured that out after three tubes. felt like a dillweed.


"Leo Lichtman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "dreaded" wrote: (clip) a tiny piece of glass had
> > worked its way through the tread and imbedded itself in the tire, (clip)
> ^^^^^^^^^^
> The giveaway clue here would be that the leak occurs in the same place
each
> time (possibly in two places, if you are randomly reversing the tube.
> Pretty hard not to notice this, since you would be laying patches on top
of
> patches.
>
>

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <[email protected]>,
"dreaded" <[email protected]> writes:

> Once I was having this problem until i noticed a tiny piece of glass had
> worked its way through the tread and imbedded itself in the tire, putting a
> slow leak in each new tube. You might check the tire carefully.

Another cause is often a short, cut-off strand of inner cable
inside the tire, accidentally picked up off a shop floor.

At any rate, I'd suggest to the original poster that he should
feel around the interior of the tire for sharp foreign objects.
A cotton ball can be used if there is worry about pricking a
fingertip; the cotton ball would palpably snag on any
offending material.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

 

[maxo]

On Mon, 05 Jul 2004 19:38:36 -0700, Tom Keats wrote:

> At any rate, I'd suggest to the original poster that he should feel around
> the interior of the tire for sharp foreign objects. A cotton ball can be
> used if there is worry about pricking a fingertip; the cotton ball would
> palpably snag on any offending material.

that's a very good suggestion--I'm of the habit of always running a finger
around the inside of the tire to check for "intrusions" whenever I patch a
tube.

I've also bought what seemed like "bum" tires before, not always the
cheapest brand either. I had a set of 25 dollar per contis that flatted
twice weekly with 300 miles per week.

You never know--currently I'm using
700x25 Nashbar Prima Plus 2's with the kevlar belt. They were on sale for
less than ten bucks. Fairly supple and I got my first puncture after
1500 miles! That's with urban riding with lots of glass and construction
debris. Dumb luck or an amazing batch of cheap tires? Who knows?

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <[email protected]>,
maxo <[email protected]> writes:

> You never know--currently I'm using
> 700x25 Nashbar Prima Plus 2's with the kevlar belt. They were on sale for
> less than ten bucks. Fairly supple and I got my first puncture after
> 1500 miles! That's with urban riding with lots of glass and construction
> debris.

1500 miles is certainly a very good duration.

> Dumb luck or an amazing batch of cheap tires? Who knows?

If much of that use is in commuting, maybe you're taking extra
care about what you roll over, so as not to be delayed on your
way to work? I know when I've got serious deadlines to meet
and people are counting on me to be there on time, I tend to
be more careful about the road surface than when I'm just out
riding for the heckuvit.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

 

[Frank Krygowski]

p cooper wrote:

> as a commuting cyclist i use my (trek) bike just 7 miles each way, road,
> tarmaced path & uneven paving slabs. Ive gradually been reducing the size
> of the tyres (resistance etc - seems logical to me)

Hmm. Not to me. See below.

> Ive got 700x25 (schwalbe) on the back - which is where the problem is
> ive been having punctures approx 2/wk- ive got a kevlar tyre & that green
> band inside , so i dont think its penetration blowouts.
> I've tried a variety of pressures between 70 psi and 115 ( the pressure it
> states on the tyre) and am still getting the problem , even replacing the
> inner tube each time.
> Im getting really hacked off with this.
> Too narrow tyre?
> wrong pressures ( FWIW im 89Kg) ?
> anything else I dont know about ?

You've gotten some good replies. To mention a couple things they didn't:

I've seen problems with rim strips that gave repeated flats. It's a
variation on "something sharp hiding inside the tire." In one case, I
patched a tube for someone else, and got a second flat within 15 feet!

But as an aside, I'm not a fan of very narrow tires for commuting. The
decrease in rolling resistance isn't very much, and they may actually
increase rolling resistance on rough pavement. I use either 28s or 32s.

If you're using a tire liner to prevent flats, you're adding rolling
resistance right there!

And if you're 89 kg, riding a 25 with just 70 psi, you shouldn't be
surprised to get pinch flats!

--
--------------------+
Frank Krygowski [To reply, remove rodent and vegetable dot com,
replace with cc.ysu dot edu]

 

[Peter Cole]

"DLCRCF" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi,
>
> I'm starting to get back into cycling and was thinking of getting new
pedals.
> The ones that don't use toe straps. Could anyone give me some
recommendations?
> I don't need top of the line stuff. Also, do the shoe and the pedal have to
be
> the same brand or are they interchangable?

Just get some SPD clones, like those made by Wellgo. These pedals can be
bought mail-order for $20-25 and work with any SPD-compatible (which is almost
all) shoe. Decent, entry-level shoes can be had for $50 or less. Some Wellgo
clones are compatible with Shimano, some aren't. The Wellgo 820 pedal works
with Shimano cleats, the Wellgo 98A cleat works with Shimano pedals -- usually
a pair of cleats comes with the pedals. SPD cleats last a long time,
replacements are $20 for Shimano, $10 for clones.

The most useful combo is 2-sided pedals with light (minimal tread, but fully
recessed cleat) mountain/touring shoes.

 

[maxo]

On Mon, 05 Jul 2004 22:20:50 -0700, Tom Keats wrote:

> I know
> when I've got serious deadlines to meet and people are counting on me to
> be there on time, I tend to be more careful about the road surface than
> when I'm just out riding for the heckuvit.

that's what a buddy of mine said once. He's a much more "serious" rider in
terms of having fancy gear, and I mentioned my uncanny ability to avoid
flats--I'd ridden over a year in Chicago on a cheap set of Michelin Idylis
700x35s--without a flat and it was getting spooky. He thinks some folks
subliminally are more in tune with the road surface. Well, I don't really
believe him, but it sure impresses the ladies when I bring it up at
parties. LOL Yep, they just shake their heads and walk away...

 

[Rick Onanian]

On 06 Jul 2004 01:55:48 GMT, [email protected] (DLCRCF) wrote:
>I'm starting to get back into cycling and was thinking of getting new pedals.
>The ones that don't use toe straps. Could anyone give me some recommendations?
>I don't need top of the line stuff. Also, do the shoe and the pedal have to be
>the same brand or are they interchangable?

Most clipless pedals that are labelled as "mountain bike" pedals,
regardless of what your bike or terrain is, are good starter pedals.

Nashbar Special SPD pedals are something like $25 (see
www.nashbar.com for those), and I like them fine. I also have Egg
Beaters which I like, but which are much more expensive.

You'll need any comfortable shoes, preferably with tread on the
bottom, which hides the cleat, making it easy to walk. It's
difficult to walk (up that tough hill, into the store for a snack,
etc) on a cleat that's not recessed inside the tread. It will ruin
your kitchen floor when you go to fill your water bottle, too.
Either way, most clipless shoes are SPD compatible.

If the pedals you buy don't SPD-pattern* cleats, you'll need to pay
special attention to the shoes to make sure they're compatible with
the same standard. I have and like SPD sandals, manufactured by Lake
and Shimano.

*Note: SPD is a bolt-pattern standard for cleats, which specifies
which shoes they fit; SPD is also a specific type of cleat. SPD
cleats work with all SPD shoes and pedals. Non-SPD cleats with the
SPD bolt pattern (such as Egg Beaters) fit SPD shoes but not SPD
pedals.
--
Rick Onanian

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <[email protected]>,
maxo <[email protected]> writes:

> He thinks some folks
> subliminally are more in tune with the road surface.

I similarly believe hand tools become used to their owners.
Somebody with a different 'touch' borrows them; they go
into shock and they break.

That's why I like to pack a good pump just for myself, and
a 'beater' pump to lend to riders with flats, whom I may
encounter while riding around.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

 

[Bernie]

Tom Keats wrote:

>In article <[email protected]>,
> maxo <[email protected]> writes:
>
>>He thinks some folks
>>subliminally are more in tune with the road surface.
>>
>
>I similarly believe hand tools become used to their owners.
>Somebody with a different 'touch' borrows them; they go
>into shock and they break.
>
>That's why I like to pack a good pump just for myself, and
>a 'beater' pump to lend to riders with flats, whom I may
>encounter while riding around.
>
>
>cheers,
> Tom
>
That's damned generous of you, really uncommon actually. Remember
tho... don't lend your chisels to anybody!
Regards, Bernie

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <[email protected]>,
Bernie <[email protected]> writes:

> don't lend your chisels to anybody!

Of course not. They'll use 'em for screwdrivers
or can openers.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

 

[Zoot Katz]

Wed, 7 Jul 2004 22:57:38 -0700, <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Tom Keats) wrote:

>In article <[email protected]>,
> Bernie <[email protected]> writes:
>
>> don't lend your chisels to anybody!
>
>Of course not. They'll use 'em for screwdrivers
>or can openers.
>
Tent pegs.
--
zk