Posted: 5/30/2008 5:32:23 PM EDT
I just got re-interested in bikes after years of ignoring them completely. Additionally I weigh 100 lbs. more than when I last regularly rode. I have had a several flats, first on rotten old tires/tubes, now on cheapo Chinese tubes. Are there really good (flat resistant) tubes or tires for street bikes? Is there any recommended 'flat inflator' product for getting going quick from roadside. My bike tech is 30 years over the hill (like the rest of me)
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| The tires I use all have kevlar lining. On my mountain bikes that I ride mostly on road I use Schwalbe MARATHON XR tires. Not cheap, they run $50 or more each. On my touring bike, I use Continental top touring 2000 tires, though I'm not sure they are still made. Continental does make other tire models with a kevlar lining. I have tried many options to deal with flats, liners, slime flat sealant. Nothing beats a kevlar lined tire. |
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I've got tubeless tires on one of the bikes, I like the best We are using mountain bikes and they all have knobby tires; a friend has a comfort bike with smooth street tires and he has had flats. We think that the tread of the off road tires hold the body of the tire off of things that cause flats when on the street. All the tires are slow leakers though that need pumping up once a week or so though. |
welcome PaulJM1699
I put kevlar tires on mine. Still get flats.  Just not as many. They have some of those small CO2 widgets to inflate tires, but I'm not too thrilled with them. Just get a decent inline pump. I don't even carry a patch kit anymore, just a spare tube and some of those small plastic tire spoons. |
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Berdan, First congrats for getting back on the bike. Second, take a look at where the puncuture or leak is on the tube. - Are you getting a penetration through the tire tread into the outer portion of the tube? - Are you getting a puncture on the inside of the tube, possibly from a spoke or rotten rim strip? This may be helpful to get a specific solution. I commute 22mi roundtrip a couple times a week on 90% pavement 10% gravel trail. When I use smooth tread mountain bike tires (kevlar) I occasionally get a glass or debris penetration through the tread causing a flat. When using knobby tread, I have not had any flats, but the trade-off is drag/speed. I typically run the smoothies, but have gotten quick at changing out the tube and then patching it when I get home later. Let us know what you find on your tubes. |
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I really like the Michelin Carbon on my road bike. My wife favors the Continental. That said, you may have a problem with a spur or spoke rubbing the tube on the inside and killing your tubes. Make sure to run your finger around the rim really well and put a rubber liner between the rim and your tube. I have also used thorn-proof liners in my tires, and I like them a lot. They add weight but not so much that it's a problem for recreational riding. Never had a flat with them in either a mountain bike or road bike. |
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+1 on diagnosing how the flat is happening. There are CO2 inflation kits , they're great for racing , for regular carrying I'd recomend a pump , think about a pressure gauge too. A good floor pump at home is convenient too. Kevlar tires will help , not prevent if the flats are from road debris. The knobbie profile will help to prevent flats as well , but are slower overall. There are patterns that are hybrid like , offer less resistance , and less traction. There are inserts you can put between tire and tube - Mr.Tuffy and competitive brands. I've never used them regularly. I did have them installed on a tour and the only flats I had nothing short of truck tires would have prevented. I would say you can go through changes as they're needed.You'll get lighter in weight. And as you become bike fit and balanced you'll become lighter and nimbler in bike handling too ; leading to fewer obstacles being hit and being able to weight and unweight more effectively when unavoidable. Maybe not worry too much about the bike weight to start and use heavier duty tires/tubes/wheels to start. You said road bike , so no knobbies ; but maybe a heavier touring type tire w/ insert. I like a rain groove of some sort. Same thing for the saddle too. To start you'll want comfort for endurance and conditioning. A skinny hard race saddle will hurt till you lighten up. FWIW a cyclecross bike kinda offers a good heavy duty bike that can still cruise on the paved and handle the gravel of jeep roads and such. Heck - you can single track on it if you're a masochist!! Road tires and off-road tires are available through a range of weights. Some models have attachment points for touring gear and brake levers placed on the bars like off-roaders. The hubs are large flange for weight handling and abuse. The wheelbase is usually still shortish and makes for crisp handling compared with longer geometry of a touring frame. Just a few thoughts. You'll be glad to get back out. And it will be fun and you will get more fit. Maybe you'll even save here and there on petrol. Remember good padded shorts. Have fun , ride safe and congratulations. I no longer ride on a regular basis as exercise - now I use an older retired mountain bike as a grocery getter and around town commuter. -JC |
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I have 5 Mt. Bikes and live where there a LOT of goat head thorns. Every ride you pick up 5 or 6 holes. I use Slime in ALL the tires. The other day my son got a big piece of metal that stuck into the tire and then twisted around inside, cutting a big hole. I was sure the tube was fully wasted, but the worst he got is a slow leak. And it healed it's self! I used the Slime for tubeless tires, it has chunks of rubber in it that fill big holes better. |
| I have no experience with them, but there are tire liners you can buy to reinforce your tubes as well. |
If things get bad enough, you'll probably see a lot more bicycles in use. If that happens, you'll probably see more of them stolen, too. Good locks, along with keeping an eye on them might help you keep your bike longer. In addition to checking the Thrift Stores for bicycle accessories, you might also check WalMart. For some reason, they often mark down bicycle stuff for clearance. I picked up some extra brake pads and a couple of locks very cheaply that way. |
Wiki Presta versus Schrader |
The Schrader is just like what is on cars; Presta is thiner and has a valve core that can be locked closed. The bicycle industry is in love with Presta, and so you will find the Schrader on kids bikes and department store bikes; most bikes that make any pretense at better quality tend to be Presta. |
Which brings up a question about SHTF. I use Presta on all my bikes (not the kid's bikes), but for a SHTF situation one might be best served with a Schrader so he/she can get air from more sources. Options are to carry a pump (that's what I do) or carry an adapter. I've still never found an adapter that works AT ALL, so not really an option imo. |
I can get a Schrader valved tube for my mt bike at True Value or Wally World but I have never seen a Presta valve any where except a bike shop. Saving a few grams of weight off the bike might get you caught with your pants down. |
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Carry extra tubes, a patch kit and a good frame pump like a Zefal. If you are a big guy keep the tire pressure high to avoid pinch flats. I'm a roadie and know that between 75-80 pumps with my Zefal frame pump will bring a 700x23 tire up to 120 psi. I can have a flat fixed and be back riding in under five minutes. The CO2 systems work but the 12 gram units usually wont bring a mountain bike tire up to 50+ psi. The threaded 16 or 20 gram cartridges are the way to go but they are pricey. The problem with slime tubes is they cannot be patched. The slime will prevent a patch from sticking to them once they are punctured. Tubeless tires/rims are just plain silly. Goes back to those crazy old guys who still ride sew ups. |
I got adapters for all my presta valves at the bike shop. The adapters are made of brass, and have an internal o-ring. They work fine for me, and as always YMMV |
I keep a few of those adapters around too as I use a normal tire chuck from the compressor or the powertank to air up whenever I can. |
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You can also drill out the Presta stem hole in your rims to Schrader size, and use a Presta adapter grommet: www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=7716 This gives you the capacity to use whatever tube you have. |
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As someone who commutes more than 90 miles a week by bicycle, I have found the best price/benifit ratio in continental gator skin tires. I ride them over everything imaginable without any issue. That said, everything pops. With that in mind I suggest you carry the following items with you while cycling: 2 plastic tire levers (my favorite are park tool brand) 1 Co2 quick refiller (no brand specific) 1 extra co2 canisters (giving you a total of 2) 2 patch kits (they are very small) 1 extra tube 1 presta to shrader valve converter (if you use presta valves, which it sounds like your bike might be old enough to still not use them, but if you do this allows you to fill tires at gas station air pumps) 1 extra folding bead kevlar tire (this is the most expensive aspect of the kit, but if you ever completely total a tire, it is your lifesaver. I have only done it once, but I was 50 miles away from the house, so I was damn happy I had one) This is by no means a lightweight package, but it is comprehensive, and will save your skin if you are far away from other folks. I have 2 of these kits built up, one which I carry into work and on rides every day, and another on the ready for if I ever need to get out of town. Cycling has a very useful place in any disaster. 2 weeks ago when a storm downed trees and blocked off my friends neighborhood from car traffic, our bikes still allowed us to move about and help out anyone who needed it. |
They increase the damage to spokes and rims. They make the ride rougher, increasing the risk of join injury like carpal tunnel syndrome. The greatest labor saving bike tire system that I have used has been the knobby tubeless mountain bike tires. |
First, what size tire are you running on your bike? If you are on the heavy side, consider a wider tire. I knew a guy once, who insisted on 21mm for his road bike, even though he weighed 200lbs.. he changed more tires than anyone. I ride a 23, I beleive you can get a 25 or even a 27. Second, dont get any of your tires or tubes are china-mart. make sure and go to a real bike store, the stuff they sell is going to work much better. as for tire liners, to keep out the bad stuff.. I really like the mr tuffy brand. I have them in all my bikes, they REALLY work. I bought some of the expensive kevlar shit, and the kevlar actually separated and began rubbing wear holes in my tubes and causing flats. Mr tuffy is half the price and they keep on working. Congrats on getting back into it!
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As noted above, these are great for little kids but thats about it. A better solution is a Tire Liner. There are several brands but all do the same thing. It is a strip of plastic that you place between the tire and tube and greatly reduces the possiblity of punture. Pump: I use pumps instead of CO2. In SHTF, CO2 is a one shot. Here is the Pump I currently use. It works for both Schrader and Presta by simply inverting the rubber pump head. BTW: If you had too, I think you could drill out a Presta rim to use Schrader tube. Tires: I use knobby Mt. Bike tires that have over lapping knobs down the center of tire. This allows you go off road but greatly reduces the rolling resistance on the road. |
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I don't know if it's a bda idea now or not,but when I was a kid in AZ,we'd cut our old tubes and line the inside of the tire with those when we installed the new tubes.There's a ba-zillion(sorry for all the scientific terms) goat heads in AZ,I used to get flats all the time.But when we lined the tire with the old tube,it cut my flats by at least 90%.Maybe some of you guys know if that's a bad idea for some reason,but it worked for me.
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The tire liners I posted are just like that, tho a bit thicker. So it can't be that bad of an idea. Did you glue them in? |
| So, what accesories do you guys feel are necessary for the casual bike-rider who likes to be prepared and is generally armed? Right now, my wife has a cannondale and I have a Huffy mountain bike (I know how lame that is before you guys even start LOL! ). She has smooth tires and I have knobbies. We ride almost exclusively on pavement in a resort area near our home at the beach. |
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I use smooth tires on the roads, but have a set of knobbies hanging in the shop for off road use. I had two tires go flat due to the tube being twisted inside the tire and it pinched/abraided itself through. Now I put a little air in the tube to allow it to keep its shape while stuffing it inside the tire. I probably knew that trick 43 years ago, but I just started riding again in the late 1990's. Another armed bicyclist? I thought I was the only one? Good show Powerkicker! You haven't though about riddling crazy drivers that cut you off? LOL. RS |
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As another armed cyclist, I carry a pump, tube, patch kit, chain link and a bike-specific tool set. I also look like a complete tool, wearing slacks or cords and a collared shirt with a huge Kelty backpack and nerdy helmet. But I'm back to losing weight and I've only filled the Jeep once in the past 3 weeks. Parked my bike (older Cannondale) next to a $10,000 bike today. Very fancy custom road bike- the owner builds the carbon parts for the frames and tires. In my case (urban SLC area) traffic can get horrible. If TSHTF, traffic in a 60 mile corridor would come to a complete standstill, and a bike would be far and away the best way to navigate through town. I used to commute on a bike years ago and kept riding all winter for about 3 years. Fenders are great for that and with the right gear I was still riding in 3 F. Yes, that's three degrees. The hard part is not sweating to death after you finally get enough wind-proof clothes on to not freeze on the downhills. |
You'd be surprised at how many tools you can fit on a bike, especially when you buy the cycle specific tools. Not as good as what you'd have in your shop, but they'll get you moving again. |
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I feel like there is something wrong with me but I haven't had a flat riding my bike in the last 5 years. I've ridden a lot but mostly on back country paved roads and some dirt roads. I carry a can of bike fix a flat as well as a tube repair kit. Never used it but it's there just in case. As far as armed, I usually wear a camelbak with ice water. Inside the camelbak, I carry a Keltec P11. On the frame of the bike, I carry a can of pepper spray (4 oz can) for angry dogs. Started carrying it when a Rott latched on to my ankle  I definately recommend carrying pepper spray to ward off dogs. Usually works quite well.
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