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.

 

[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

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[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:HMnGc.199272$Gx4.71526@bgtnsc04-
news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
>
> "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]>,
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

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[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.

 

[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

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[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

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[Zoot Katz]

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

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