Rough roads and punctures.

On 19 Aug 2004 19:34:32 +1200, Ro <ro@.> Wrote :

Quoted message said:

I have just done the sums for the last year of riding and find that I have averaged between 200-250 Ks a week for the last two years and in that time have punctured only once.
I do have the generosity of a great sponsor and he supplies me with the best of tyres, but that having been said I am starting to wonder if the rougher roads here in New Zealand contribute to the lack of punctures.
There are as many hoons chucking bottles on the roads here as anywhere and I wonder if the rougher roads let the glass lie in the lower parts of the road between the gravel and the bike tyres actually go over the top of most of it.
I find my email mates in countries where they actually make roads and not goat tracks, they seem to puncture a lot more often.I would therefore like to know what sort of mileages some of you get from puncture to puncture, and what sort of road surfaces you ride on.

It's not just glass - a recent puncture was a _wooden_ golf tee for cryin'
out loud. Through the _sidewall_ of the tyre, no less.

It was very recently covered. Search - I used google groups - aus.bicycle
for a subject of "How often do you get a flat tire ?".

My general feeling about punctures is that if I never get another one
it'll be ten days too soon.

Quoted message said:

Tailwinds and downhills forever.

I can live with just a lack of headwinds. Tailwinds would be good though.
I'm one of those touring sickos who likes winching 'emselves, and four
panniers, up big hills using very little gears. An 18 inch gear at about
6 or 8kph is about right...:-)

Quoted message said:

Ro

--

Humbug

Ro said:

I find my email mates in countries where they actually make roads and not goat tracks, they seem
to puncture a lot more often.I would therefore like to know what sort of mileages some of you
get from puncture to puncture, and what sort of road surfaces you ride on.

IME it depends mostly on the tyres you use. Since changing to thicker,
heavier ones for most of my riding I haven't had a single one in nearly
3000km, mostly on good city roads with plenty of cage droppings.

--
bpo gallery at http://www4.tpgi.com.au/users/mvw1/bpo

Ro said:

I find my email mates in countries where they actually make roads and not goat tracks, they seem
to puncture a lot more often.I would therefore like to know what sort of mileages some of you
get from puncture to puncture, and what sort of road surfaces you ride on.

IME it depends mostly on the tyres you use. Since changing to thicker,
heavier ones for most of my riding I haven't had a single one in nearly
3000km, mostly on good city roads with plenty of cage droppings.

--
bpo gallery at http://www4.tpgi.com.au/users/mvw1/bpo

Ro said:

I have just done the sums for the last year of riding and find that I have averaged between 200-250 Ks a week for the last two years and in that time have punctured only once.

[snip]

Ro

Arrrgh! I punctured last night on my commute home. There was debris on the road from an earlier (apparently) front-rear accident that I didn't see in time and rode straight through. 500m later the front felt v. squishy. No spares, but only a couple of km from home.

Here's a new theory for punctures and rain. Rain = more car accidents = more glass and sharp plastic shards on the road = more punctures. (sample size = 1).

Thank goodness for spare wheels!

Ritch

ritcho said:

Arrrgh! I punctured last night on my commute home. There was debris on the road from an earlier (apparently) front-rear accident that I didn't see in time and rode straight through. 500m later the front felt v. squishy. No spares, but only a couple of km from home.

Here's a new theory for punctures and rain. Rain = more car accidents = more glass and sharp plastic shards on the road = more punctures. (sample size = 1).

Thank goodness for spare wheels!

Ritch

You carry a spare wheel?

Sinus said:

You carry a spare wheel?

No, silly. You don't carry it yourself, you get the mechanic following in the team car to carry it!

Regards,

Suzy

quote='suzyj'Sinus said:

You carry a spare wheel?

No, silly. You don't carry it yourself, you get the mechanic following in the team car to carry it!

Regards,

Suzy[/QUOTE]
My team car sits in the driveway (the garage is for the bikes) with the driver in bed. I summons it with a mobile phone. Unfortunately my support does not always respond as enthusiatically as those I see on TV, in which case I have to rely on neutral support (a.k.a. taxi driver).

Or maybe carrying a spare wheel!

suzyj said:

Sinus said:

You carry a spare wheel?

No, silly. You don't carry it yourself, you get the mechanic following
in the team car to carry it!

I'm sure I don't get a spare wheel by waiting for the next unsuspecting
cyclist to come along... I promise...

Tam~

ritcho said:

Here's a new theory for punctures and rain. Rain = more car accidents = more glass and sharp plastic shards on the road = more punctures. (sample size = 1).

vs No rain to wash the debris off the bikelane = more punctures.

My worst spot for punctures has bushland to the left, your circumstances may differ.

I agree with the original theory IF your tires are upto the ruff stuff.

quote='Tamyka Bell'suzyj said:

Sinus said:

You carry a spare wheel?

No, silly. You don't carry it yourself, you get the mechanic following
in the team car to carry it!

I'm sure I don't get a spare wheel by waiting for the next unsuspecting
cyclist to come along... I promise...

Tam~[/QUOTE]
Brilliant... show a bit of leg to get one to stop (better shave first), fill one of those CO2 cartidges with the right sort of gas, and voila, spare wheel (or new bike).

ritcho said:

Arrrgh! I punctured last night on my commute home. There was debris on the road from an earlier (apparently) front-rear accident that I didn't see in time and rode straight through. 500m later the front felt v. squishy. No spares, but only a couple of km from home.

Here's a new theory for punctures and rain. Rain = more car accidents = more glass and sharp plastic shards on the road = more punctures. (sample size = 1).

Thank goodness for spare wheels!

Ritch

Someone told me recently of a theory that glass shards are more lubricated and more likely to be pointing up after/during rain, but that just sounds wierd.
Latest puncture (a few weeks back now...) was a nail! about 2 inches long and caused such a slow puncture i only noticed my tyre wasnt looking quite right/full.

flyingdutch said:

Someone told me recently of a theory that glass shards are more lubricated and more likely to be pointing up after/during rain, but that just sounds wierd.
Latest puncture (a few weeks back now...) was a nail! about 2 inches long and caused such a slow puncture i only noticed my tyre wasnt looking quite right/full.

Theory I heard is that on rougher bitumen small bits of glass settle in over time. They will tend to lie in the little valleys between the raised bits of stone (get out you magnifying glass). When it rains they get washed out of these and may sit more exposed. On super slick roads they will more quickly wash off into the gutter (or bike lane).

flyingdutch said:

ritcho said:

Arrrgh! I punctured last night on my commute home. There was debris on
the road from an earlier (apparently) front-rear accident that I didn't
see in time and rode straight through. 500m later the front felt v.
squishy. No spares, but only a couple of km from home.

Here's a new theory for punctures and rain. Rain = more car accidents =
more glass and sharp plastic shards on the road = more punctures.
(sample size = 1).

Thank goodness for spare wheels!

Ritch

Someone told me recently of a theory that glass shards are more
lubricated and more likely to be pointing up after/during rain, but
that just sounds wierd.
Latest puncture (a few weeks back now...) was a nail! about 2 inches
long and caused such a slow puncture i only noticed my tyre wasnt
looking quite right/full.

My weirdest was a big, industrial staple. Left a nasty slash in my tyre
as well, so I was permanently paranoid about glass getting in there.

T

Tamyka Bell said:

My weirdest was a big, industrial staple. Left a nasty slash in my tyre
as well, so I was permanently paranoid about glass getting in there.

I locked my rear from 50kmh and sliced the tire with the glass I'd picked up.
I remember it as about 6" long.

"Tamyka Bell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

flyingdutch said:

ritcho said:

Arrrgh! I punctured last night on my commute home. There was debris on
the road from an earlier (apparently) front-rear accident that I

didn't

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

see in time and rode straight through. 500m later the front felt v.
squishy. No spares, but only a couple of km from home.

Here's a new theory for punctures and rain. Rain = more car accidents

=

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

more glass and sharp plastic shards on the road = more punctures.
(sample size = 1).

Thank goodness for spare wheels!

Ritch

Someone told me recently of a theory that glass shards are more
lubricated and more likely to be pointing up after/during rain, but
that just sounds wierd.
Latest puncture (a few weeks back now...) was a nail! about 2 inches
long and caused such a slow puncture i only noticed my tyre wasnt
looking quite right/full.

My weirdest was a big, industrial staple. Left a nasty slash in my tyre
as well, so I was permanently paranoid about glass getting in there.

T

I was staying in the youth hostel in St Moritz in Switzerland where I was
sharing a room with two guys who were there for some altitude training. They
showed me their running shoes which were for sprinting and so I showed them
my Nike Air shoes that I was wearing and discovered two, two inch nails in
one of them. They were of the type used to hold packing crates together and
just missed my toes but had punctured the air sacks in the sole of the shoe.
I was flat footed!

Marty

Ro' [email protected] said:

I have just done the sums for the last year of riding and find that I have averaged between 200-250 Ks a week for the last two years and in that time have punctured only once.
I do have the generosity of a great sponsor and he supplies me with the best of tyres, but that having been said I am starting to wonder if the rougher roads here in New Zealand contribute to the lack of punctures.
There are as many hoons chucking bottles on the roads here as anywhere and I wonder if the rougher roads let the glass lie in the lower parts of the road between the gravel and the bike tyres actually go over the top of most of it.
I find my email mates in countries where they actually make roads and not goat tracks, they seem to puncture a lot more often.I would therefore like to know what sort of mileages some of you get from puncture to puncture, and what sort of road surfaces you ride on.

Tailwinds and downhills forever.
Ro

This might not do for you competitive road warriors out there, but I
have been using "Mister Tuffy" liners for years, and they are next to
bullet-proof! They insert between the tube and tyre and just won't let
anything pass. They don't weigh all that much, so I wonder why more
people don't use them.

The best you can ever do is never make the same mistake twice.