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Road bike punctures


Belgarath

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Posted

Just a question, are you running tire liners by any chance? The kind that goes between the tube and the inside of the tire.

 

If so, throw them away, the overlap causes pinch flats on the tube.

Do yourself a favour and put 700 x 23/25c Conti Gatorskins on, you will almost never have to deal with a flat wheel again.

 

These didn't work for me, i got 4 punctures doing the kysna cycle tour this year. Cleaned 4 pieces of glass out of the rear tire. 

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Posted

All causes were found and dealt with (sworn at and thrown into the bush). Noob roadie, not noob cyclist :-) 1 cut, 1 metal filament, 2 thorns.

Maybe also heck where you are riding. Maybe, as you are used to the mtb, you tend to ride more in the dirty section of the road?

Posted

Get new tyres

Be vigilant on the route for sharp objects

At coffee stop, check tyres for any stuck objects

After ride, check tyres again

Use super glue to fill any small cuts or abrasions in rubber

Run pressure less than maybe 7.5 bars (I weigh 69-70 and run at 6.5 bars) as this minimizes pinch punctures.

Good idea. Any specific super glue? Brand? I don't want to use one that might melt the rubber.

Posted

Gatorskins do the job for me. Keep them above 80psi and then keep out of the grit on the side of the road. Cycle just to the left of the yellow line. If you far to the left in debris,  one will get punctures quite quickly.

Posted

Maybe also heck where you are riding. Maybe, as you are used to the mtb, you tend to ride more in the dirty section of the road?

I'm rather scared to ride on the right side of the yellow line, so yes, I do ride the dirtier parts.

Posted

Good idea. Any specific super glue? Brand? I don't want to use one that might melt the rubber.

 

No any super glue. 

 

What I do is have the tire off the rim, then with a piece of white chalk I mark off where each little cut is. 

 

Then when I open the lid of the super glue I can move quickly, going from one chalk mark to the next one - pinch the tyre to open the slit and drop a bead of super glue in & let go - then move onto the next one.

 

But I only really make the effort with my soft compound race tyres. With my Gatorskins, I just leave them. 

Posted

Agree with tombeej. Guy at my LBS shared this with me and was amazed at the amount of glass shreds I found in both tires.

 

Now I do it every second weekend or dependent of the number of long runs. Just deflate the tires, start at a point and pinch the tire walls and check along the tread surface (in good light mind you). You can easily pick up the glint of glass, remove every piece of and then superglue all the holes. Then re-inflate. Never (touch wood) had a puncture yet.

I am 100k and ride with 120psi on a 23 front and 25 rear.

 

And by the way, when finished with the superglue, close and place in the freezer. That stops it solidifying. When you need it again, take out 10 minutes before using and its all good.

Posted

No any super glue. 

 

What I do is have the tire off the rim, then with a piece of white chalk I mark off where each little cut is. 

 

Then when I open the lid of the super glue I can move quickly, going from one chalk mark to the next one - pinch the tyre to open the slit and drop a bead of super glue in & let go - then move onto the next one.

 

But I only really make the effort with my soft compound race tyres. With my Gatorskins, I just leave them. 

I fitted 2 brand new GP4000Sii on my race wheels a few weeks ago and after just 3 rides I see 2 nice little cuts in them. Usually wouldn't bother but i'm liking this superglue idea.

Posted

Good idea. Any specific super glue? Brand? I don't want to use one that might melt the rubber.

USE SUPERGLUE TO STICK THUMB TO TYRE - and, like magic, NO MORE LEAK!

Posted

When I started road riding I used to get tons pf punctures, now I get 1/2 a season. This advice was given to me.

  • Check the condition of tires, replace if needed, super glue spots if required 
  • Check the outside and inside of the tire for any glass or small sharp pieces that may be embedded in it.
  • Check rim edges for any cuts/nicks
  • Check and re-install new rim-tape if required 
  • Check tubes do not have slow leaks
  • Make sure tires are pumped to correct pressure 
Posted

I used to ride with sealant in the tubes (like Stans). I found it fixed about half of punctures on the fly. Basically the very small ones, if it did not fix the puncture, it made a mess and you could not repair the tube with a patch. So from that point of view, there may be some value using sealant in races.

 

You could see the sealant coming out when there was a puncture, then quickly seal. That is how I know it worked.

 

I agree the best defences against punctures are to pump the tire hard and have new tires.

Posted

Just a question, are you running tire liners by any chance? The kind that goes between the tube and the inside of the tire.

 

If so, throw them away, the overlap causes pinch flats on the tube.

Do yourself a favour and put 700 x 23/25c Conti Gatorskins on, you will almost never have to deal with a flat wheel again.

+ 1 on the gatorskins

Posted

With Gatorskins, the last 6 months without a single puncture.

 

I leave my race tyres on after Amashova (because I'm a lazy SOB) and this weekend I get 3 punctures in 2 rides.

 

... And now I've got some super glueing to do this weekend to be ready for 94.7....

Posted

All causes were found and dealt with (sworn at and thrown into the bush). Noob roadie, not noob cyclist :-) 1 cut, 1 metal filament, 2 thorns.

 

Metal filament is probably your bead disintegrating... Gatorskins if you're looking for bombproof, but if you're on a budget Serfas make a pretty puncture resistant tyre for not very much cash.

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