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Bex37
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« on: March 08, 2010, 09:33:31 PM » |
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Since I bought a road bike, I reckon I'm averaging a flat tyre every 50km. In the last two weeks, I've had 3 flats and I've only done about 80km because the bike was in the shop for one of those weeks.
I'm keen to find out whether that is pretty much normal or whether something is going on.
So, can anyone share their experience?
For the record, I always set pressure to 120psi before I ride, I try my best to miss all the debris on the cycleway and don't hit potholes.
Maybe I need to stay off the cycleway on Tuggerah Straight - its getting filthier every day. Does the council ever clean the broken glass away?
Cheers
Chris
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csfive
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« Reply #1 on: March 08, 2010, 09:40:37 PM » |
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you are getting far too many!
Tip 1 - get better tyres. E.g. Conti GP4000 or Conti Gator Skins + many more.
Tip 2 - definatly stay off Tuggerah Straight Cycleway. Im 1 ride 1 flat on that glass track.
Tip 3 - lower pressure to 100-110psi.
BTW, why are you putting bike into the shop after a flat?
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Chicken
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« Reply #2 on: March 08, 2010, 09:43:14 PM » |
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Brand of tyre and its type of puncture resistance makes a huge difference.
With a bit of luck, avoiding glass , inspecting tyres after each ride for glass penetration ( I use a magnifying glass ) and decent quality tyres you can sometimes get a few thousand K's between punctures. Average may be lower but three in eighty K's is depressing to say the least.
I run closer to 110PSI max myself
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Chicken
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« Reply #3 on: March 08, 2010, 09:45:02 PM » |
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Glad we agree Mick , you must be a faster typist than me  |
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Patto
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« Reply #4 on: March 08, 2010, 09:52:16 PM » |
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im hearing ya BEX... i got 8 punctures in 8 weeks. Annoying me no end... all on VITTORIA ones.. changed over to the Continentals (cheers Chicken) and only had one in 500km and that is because we went through a huge glass patch...
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« Last Edit: March 08, 2010, 10:18:04 PM by Andy H »
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Stu Eddy
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« Reply #5 on: March 08, 2010, 09:57:45 PM » |
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Always make sure you check the inside of the tyre before putting a new tube in. I always run my finger around to make sure I can't feel anything. Sometimes you can have the smallest thing poking through (like a piece of wire) which doesn't show up on a visual of the outside but keeps puncturing the tube.
I always ride on Continental GP4000 or gator skins and can sometimes go whole seasons without a puncture.
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WHITE
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« Reply #6 on: March 08, 2010, 09:58:55 PM » |
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Patto the secret is to avoid Chicken's thumbtacks.......... |
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CS
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Stuart
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« Reply #7 on: March 08, 2010, 10:18:38 PM » |
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Arrhhh...tyres... Anyone who has ridden with me in the last couple of weeks will tell you they've had enough of me asking about them!  I always thought Vittorias were great but I changed to Conti GP 4000 just before doing the BV 3 Peaks Challenge. I ran them at 110 psi and apart from the last 10km's when I punctured on a very small but sharp piece of rock on the newly laid Bogong High Plains road in dreadful conditions...I thought they were (and still are) the best tyres I've ever used. Most of all I rode past soooo many people replacing tubes on the side of the road. BTW Pete Wan rode the whole way on his GP 4000's no worries. In short no tyre no matter what is puncture proof dispite the ads but these puppies are pretty damn good and worth the investment. Cheers, Stuey  |
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Bex37
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« Reply #8 on: March 09, 2010, 12:51:27 AM » |
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you are getting far too many!
Tip 1 - get better tyres. E.g. Conti GP4000 or Conti Gator Skins + many more.
Tip 2 - definatly stay off Tuggerah Straight Cycleway. Im 1 ride 1 flat on that glass track.
Tip 3 - lower pressure to 100-110psi.
BTW, why are you putting bike into the shop after a flat?
Sorry about that, should have put the tyre brand on the first post. I've got a Conti Ultra Gatorskin on the front and a Conti Grand Prix on the back. They're just what was on the bike when I bought it second hand so I'm not sure whether they've seen a lot of hard riding or not. Yeh, sounds like I put in the shop for a flat  But no, I had it booked for a service and got a flat on the way there. I asked the shop to let me know if there was a problem with how it was mounted. In spite of that, I don't think they really looked at the cause  Most of the other flats have been pinholes but one on Wilfred Barrett Drive was more an instant slice about 5mm long which probably would have cut through any tyre I'm guessing. Cheers Chris |
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Bex37
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« Reply #9 on: March 09, 2010, 12:53:18 AM » |
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Brand of tyre and its type of puncture resistance makes a huge difference.
With a bit of luck, avoiding glass , inspecting tyres after each ride for glass penetration ( I use a magnifying glass ) and decent quality tyres you can sometimes get a few thousand K's between punctures. Average may be lower but three in eighty K's is depressing to say the least.
I run closer to 110PSI max myself
Thanks Chicken. You can ignore the questions on the PM  Looks like I'll be trying 100-110 PSI. |
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Bex37
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« Reply #10 on: March 09, 2010, 12:55:07 AM » |
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Always make sure you check the inside of the tyre before putting a new tube in. I always run my finger around to make sure I can't feel anything. Sometimes you can have the smallest thing poking through (like a piece of wire) which doesn't show up on a visual of the outside but keeps puncturing the tube.
I always ride on Continental GP4000 or gator skins and can sometimes go whole seasons without a puncture.
Yes, have been checking the inside of the tyre before inserting the new tube. I have used a new tube every time. I've got a pile of punctured tubes next to the bed. Really surprised the wife hasn't commented yet |
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Bex37
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« Reply #11 on: March 09, 2010, 01:14:48 AM » |
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Just had a really close look at the latest flat in the Ultra Gatorskin and found a piece of glass embedded in the tyre in the exact location of the hole in the tube. The thing is though, I couldn't feel the glass on the inside of the tyre carcass. I only found the glass when I started kneading and bending the tyre in the way you get a splinter out of skin. The little blighter was buried in the rubber and couldn't be seen or felt from inside or outside. Perhaps I'm just not being careful enough to get the glass out after a flat.  And best to avoid Tuggerah Straight cycleway at the moment, but I can imagine the perplexed looks and comments (agro?) I'm going to get from car drivers when I'm riding on the road right next to a cycleway. Could be time to send a letter to council about the state of the cycleway. |
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Andy H
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« Reply #13 on: March 09, 2010, 09:49:44 AM » |
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Speaking of tyre pressures, I run a max of 90psi in the front, usually 80-85 and a max of 100psi in the back but usually around 90.
Not sure if you have tried these lower pressures but the ride is much more comfortable, there is more traction when cornering and no difference in speeds to running 120psi.
The only thing you'll have to be careful of is how much you weigh - too much weight with too low a pressure can result in pinch flats. I'm around 70kg and don't have any trouble. Give the lower pressures a go.
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Stu Eddy
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« Reply #14 on: March 09, 2010, 10:23:49 AM » |
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Speaking of tyre pressures, I run a max of 90psi in the front, usually 80-85 and a max of 100psi in the back but usually around 90.
Not sure if you have tried these lower pressures but the ride is much more comfortable, there is more traction when cornering and no difference in speeds to running 120psi.
The only thing you'll have to be careful of is how much you weigh - too much weight with too low a pressure can result in pinch flats. I'm around 70kg and don't have any trouble. Give the lower pressures a go.
70kg and a very low centre of gravity |
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