Puncture Prevention...

[mercalia]

My interest in slime has been increased by my daughter-in-law having a puncture in a Mountain Buggy in a field some way from home while out dog walking.

I've been wondering if some sort of slime might save her from a repeat. Although Schwalbe do tyres in the relevant size, they don't seem to do one with a puncture resistant strip. I noticed that they sell slime in Wilko's but I don't know if there's more than one make. I looked at the instructions on the container which seemed to be intended for using the stuff after a puncture, rather than as a preventative measure. OTOH, it did say it would work for up to two years which I took to mean once it was in the tube. The amounts to use seem a bit vague, with recommendations for cycles, wheelbarrows and motorcycles etc, rather than anything specific to a size of tyre.

I'd welcome any advice from slime users on things like the best type and how much to use. The buggy has two 16" wheels and a 12" one (No ertro sizes shewn.) Also, the manufacturer's blurb on the website suggests that centrifugal force is part of the way it works. my daughter-in-law is no slouch, but she can't push a buggy at evens. Does anybody know if it works, eg when a bike has been standing a while?

oh I once tried adding slime to a tube - wasnt very succesful just blocked up the valve and it all went in one place in the tube. never again. Thats why I use the puncture strips you put outside the tube between tube and tyre.

[MikeF]

Hi,
My next question was going to be , what caused your punctures

Very small bits of glass in most cases; I have to inflate the tube quite a bit to identify the hole. Otherwise, little bits of grit. Not sure what caused the last one, last week, but the hole in the tube was absolutely tiny and took hours/miles to deflate.

Needless to say, I check the tyre thoroughly inside and out, after too.

Little tiny bits of grit? Are you sure you haven't bits of grit trapped on the inside of the tyre? Depending on the tyre it's not always easy to remove tiny particles from the inside. Try cleaning with a vacuum cleaner to make sure.

[eileithyia]

When you see a lane is hedgerow to hedgerow full of clippings, it is a damp day with wet clippings and tyres and you can hear the tractor even though it is just out of sight... do an immediate about turn and find alternative route.... This is what I did on a visitation to Coventry and environs earlier this week.

[Neilo]

Yup.
My record was 7 punctures in one day during hedge cutting season on a 24 round trip to work. 3 on my way, I was late, and 4 coming home.
My alternative, was almost certain death on a really fast A road, so the puncture road, more tubes and patches and an earlier set off was the solution.
It was quite a while ago, before slime, and I don't think I was aware of tyre liners.

Neil

[hgtevelo]

Continental Gator skin tyres are excellent, if a bit pricey. Had mine a year, zero punctures

[samsbike]

I too have had punctures when commuting. I think my rear seems to pick up every small shard of grass.

With the last puncture I was tired and frustrated and managed to land myself on the pavement scratching myself and my levers.

I really do not want to go back to SMP.

[ukdodger]

...for a workhorse. I put in over 2000 miles a year in trips of say 6 miles or less on a hubgeared bike with baskets etc for carrying groceries and anything else it might be suitable to carry, so obviously, weight, ride quality etc aren't important. To date, I repair punctures using either a puncture repair kit or new inner tube, not something I relish, especially on the back wheel...

The wheels are 700c.

A friend suggested sludge or something, this gooey stuff, you inject from a tube - seen it in stores. Never used it and thought I'd ask here. Given the bikes intended use (and I heavily rely on it) what would you recommend? TBH, I don't think I'd want solid tyres and they appear hard to come by, except for wheel chairs and the like. I have had Marathon Plus tyres in the past, and experienced many punctures...

Thank you.

Seriously I cant think what's happening to you. How many punctures do you get on average? I use my shopping bike for exactly the same purpose but with slightly less annual mileage and no puncture proof tyres yet I cant remember the last time it had a puncture. Are you sure there isnt something going on with your rims or spokes perhaps. Maybe the weight you carry really is excessive or the terrain you choose is unsuitable. Do you go off road a lot with it.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
You always get more punctures from the driving wheels, as any debris laying on / in tyre will then be shifted along / in the tyre when the power is on.
Cars and motorcycles the same, thats why you should always make sure youre drive is free of all such discarded nails screws etc after a job on the drive
I ended up a year ago with a nail in the rear tyre, could only of happened when I stopped in the gutter then stomped on the pedals away from the lights, as you could not pick up such an item on the move, unless it was already sticking up verticaly.
The nail was 1.5 / 2 " long and the rear tread was not deep.
I always stop away from gutter normally, stretching out as far as possible with my foot also to block cars from comming along side at lights etc,

Even puncture prevention strips integral or not are not immune to thorns as my last just a week ago had a strip..........waste of time I think.
My only experience with puncture prevention strip (integral in tyre) lasted about a month, its back to quality tyres now.

[beardy]

I ended up a year ago with a nail in the rear tyre, could only of happened when I stopped in the gutter then stomped on the pedals away from the lights, as you could not pick up such an item on the move, unless it was already sticking up verticaly.

Well the received wisdom in my motorcycling days was that was what happened, the front tyre flicks up the nail and the rear tyre rides onto it while it is sticking up vertically. That was also seen as the reason why the rear punctured far more than the front.

[niggle]

Well I have just had two front tyre punctures within a month, on different bikes. Previous to that was a rear puncture but that was in Feb 2011...

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=82977&start=75

[ukdodger]

Well I have just had two front tyre punctures within a month, on different bikes. Previous to that was a rear puncture but that was in Feb 2011...

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=82977&start=75

My record is three in one half hour. But only two in five weeks of a 2800m tour. Luck

[niggle]

Actually over the last six years of general road riding and commuting my punctures have been split 50:50 front:rear, i.e. three of each, though one of the front ones was a pinch puncture.

[niggle]

Hi,
You always get more punctures from the driving wheels, as any debris laying on / in tyre will then be shifted along / in the tyre when the power is on.
Cars and motorcycles the same

Have had a few car tyre punctures that I can recall, mostly rear punctures on front wheel drive cars, e.g. one was a huge nail that went in through the tread and out through the sidewall writing off the tyre, another was a slow leak which I cured by adding Goop to the tyre*. On motorcycles I only remember two, one a nail in the front tyre of an MZ 125 in about 1985, which I fixed myself with the pump and puncture kit that came with the bike, and one on an MZ Skorpion with tubeless radial tyres, wood screw in centre of tread, fortunately nearly worn out anyway so tyre replaced, after that I used Goop in all my motorcycle tyres and had no more punctures, but I have no idea if it helped as never saw any evidence that there had been a puncture.

*Dunno if Goop would work in bicycle tyres, have not tried it: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Goop-Puncture-P ... B004EK5P4I Price is quite reasonable considering how many bicycle tubes this could treat.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

I ended up a year ago with a nail in the rear tyre, could only of happened when I stopped in the gutter then stomped on the pedals away from the lights, as you could not pick up such an item on the move, unless it was already sticking up verticaly.

Well the received wisdom in my motorcycling days was that was what happened, the front tyre flicks up the nail and the rear tyre rides onto it while it is sticking up vertically. That was also seen as the reason why the rear punctured far more than the front.

Interesting........

Edited - Lanes (single track roads with hedges) at the mo are a sea of clacking squirrels, tail over their body and fallen tree stuff, then theres the hedge cuttings.....

[ukdodger]

Hi,

I ended up a year ago with a nail in the rear tyre, could only of happened when I stopped in the gutter then stomped on the pedals away from the lights, as you could not pick up such an item on the move, unless it was already sticking up verticaly.

Well the received wisdom in my motorcycling days was that was what happened, the front tyre flicks up the nail and the rear tyre rides onto it while it is sticking up vertically. That was also seen as the reason why the rear punctured far more than the front.

Interesting........

Edited - Lanes (single track roads with hedges) at the mo are a sea of clacking squirrels, tail over their body and fallen tree stuff, then theres the hedge cuttings.....

Nah it's the extra weight on the rear I reckon.