Punctures, the curse of cycling?

[anonymous-user]

I seem to be very unlucky with punctures...
Brand new mtb, Specialized tyres, 40 psi, I was the only one out of 5 to get a puncture the other evening.
50 mile road ride 2 weeks ago, 2 punctures on 23 mm tyres 100 psi. Slime tubes fitted, same ride today, 2 punctures saved by the slime but glasses now green splattered!.
I average 1 puncture a week in 15 mile commute on road bike 32 mm tyres 80 psi..
Is this normal?, I spend more on tubes than petrol!!. Whats the secret for a puncture free life? I'm tempted to shod my roadbikes with Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres with extra kevlar band backed up by slime tubes !!, any other recommendations?

[BliarOut]

I had 13 in a month on the MTB...

[mcelliott]

Jimboka said:

I seem to be very unlucky with punctures...
Brand new mtb, Specialized tyres, 40 psi, I was the only one out of 5 to get a puncture the other evening.
50 mile road ride 2 weeks ago, 2 punctures on 23 mm tyres 100 psi. Slime tubes fitted, same ride today, 2 punctures saved by the slime but glasses now green splattered!.
I average 1 puncture a week in 15 mile commute on road bike 32 mm tyres 80 psi..
Is this normal?, I spend more on tubes than petrol!!. Whats the secret for a puncture free life? I'm tempted to shod my roadbikes with Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres with extra kevlar band backed up by slime tubes !!, any other recommendations?

One puncture a week definitely seems above average. Maybe your spokes are protuding inside the rim putting pressure on the tube? Or possibly tyre "pinching" the tube? Me, all winter on armadillo 120 psi 23 mils absolutely nothing, and presently on 20 mil contis, 160 psi and running perfectly.

[Jimbo.]

Where do you position yourself in the road? Ride as many feel they need to i.e. in the gutter, and yes, you'll get all manner of punctures, as that were the crap accumulates. Position yourself 18"-2' out and you'll be in the "swept" area of road, therefore less potential for punctures.

[rand hobart]

I was plagued with punctures from thorns etc until I fitted Nimbus Armadillos £15 each on offer from Wiggle. I commute 14miles a day and in the 12 months since I fitted them I haven't had one puncture.

[CoolC]

BliarOut said:

I had 13 in a month on the MTB...

I had 7 on one ride, well a 100m section of a ride to be precise. Some of my tubes are more patch than tube

[cjs]

I moved to Specialized Armadillos on my MTB and my puncture rate went down from one every few rides to one in a year. I now run tubeless on my newer MTB and they are excellent, best upgrade I have done.

[Mr Gear]

Continental Gatorskins are pretty good on the road bike. I have only had one puncture in 1,000 miles, and that was because I crashed into a pot-hole.

[BliarOut]

They're very puncture proof, at the expense of ride quality and grip I've no complaints about the puncture resistance of the Conti's, but my teeth are so happy I've switched to Vittoria Rubino Pros

[Mr Gear]

BliarOut said:

They're very puncture proof, at the expense of ride quality and grip I've no complaints about the puncture resistance of the Conti's, but my teeth are so happy I've switched to Vittoria Rubino Pros

They are better than the Ching-Chong Heavy Industries and Noodle Corp tyres that my bike was fitted with from the shop! Also, the Gatorskin Ultras are noticeably more extreme than the plain Gatorskins, which ride pretty nicely.

[BliarOut]

I probably had the Ultra's then, they certainly smacked my bottom jaw about when I hit any bumps!

[twazzock]

I've been getting a puncture every single time I ride. Replaced the tyres, tubes, checked the rim for sharp bits etc., still happens. Drove me absolutely mental as I could never complete a journey. Gave up in the end and went back to driving.

[anonymous-user]

Jimbo. said:

Where do you position yourself in the road? Ride as many feel they need to i.e. in the gutter, and yes, you'll get all manner of punctures, as that were the crap accumulates. Position yourself 18"-2' out and you'll be in the "swept" area of road, therefore less potential for punctures.

Probably something in this. My rides are usually around the south Chilterns & bits of flint are the main cause around these parts. I do ride in the ''swept'' area but after a downpour etc the bits get washed into this too. I think I'll get shot of the ''branded but rubbish'' tyres (Boardman road bike & Kona CX with road tyres for commute) & opt for some Kevlar type. I'd rather carry a bit of extra weight than get punctures!. So I'll spend another £100 today on 4 tyres. I only save £15 a week on petrol by cycling!!

[majordad]

I wonder if some people are prone to punctures, my wife is ! Mite it be too heavy for the bike/tyre ? Mite it be only riding every other week, ie, rubber goes hard. It's a curse though and I am surprised how often bikes puncture compared to cars, why and why have bike owners/manufactures not solved the problem by now ?

[Jimbo.]

Weight and ride quality. A bike tyre as puncture proof as a car tyre would be utterly horrendous to ride; too heavy, too harsh.

[CoolC]

thegavster said:

CoolC said:

I had 7 on one ride, well a 100m section of a ride to be precise. Some of my tubes are more patch than tube

At which point did you realise there was a bit of flint/glass/metal stuck in the tyre?

Ha, no, it was a section of hawthorne that had been cut along the edge of a bridleway. I knew I had a thorn in my front tyre and when I stopped at the end of the hedgerow to check it out found a total of 7 in both!

Sods law clearly dictates that in such situations you only have one spare tube with you and a call home to be picked up is required.

[anonymous-user]

majordad said:

I wonder if some people are prone to punctures, my wife is ! Mite it be too heavy for the bike/tyre ? Mite it be only riding every other week, ie, rubber goes hard. It's a curse though and I am surprised how often bikes puncture compared to cars, why and why have bike owners/manufactures not solved the problem by now ?

Not 'too' heavy at 13st/6ft1. Bearing in mind it happens on my mtb with 2.2'' tyres & roadbikes with 23mm & 32mm tyres all inflated to correct pressures.
But I have done 80 miles since Sunday on commutes on 32mm tyred CX bike all puncture free ! so maybe my bad luck has run its course. Also have a pair on Schwalbe Marathons on order for the commuter bike (only £29 a pair free postage) so hopefully they will prove more reliable. I'll gladly lose a couple of minutes due to heavier tyres, if it avoids frequent roadside repairs!

[Parrot of Doom]

In my experience regular punctures usually indicate a worn-out tyre.

[zebedee]

continental gp 4 seasons - great punture resistance, really, really light and excellent grip. Not cheap at around £35 (sometimes on offer in the high 20s) but its what I get every time. 240g I think for a 25 section tyre.

[Fume troll]

Brand new bikes often come with the lightest tubes and tyres in the range (feels nice in the shop when you lift it up), my Enduro certainly did. Even gorse thorns would go through them. A set of Maxis high rollers sorted it all out - could have gone tubeless with the existing tyres but my feeling was that thorns being able to go through them wasn't a good thing.

Cheers,

FT.