My puncture phobia

[robing]

To the OP, what tyre pressures are you running?

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
PP tyres don't exist its just the conditions that matter.
By chance more that by design, I have PP tyres but find that thorns and glass treat then like paper bags.
Then second phisss in second ride, the better quality tyre lever snaps
I am taking spares in future or going back to metal.
Thorns fly through motorcycle tyre too so you have no chance.
The dribble........"Ive never had a punture with them"

[RRSODL]

So far as getting tyres on the rim is concerned have you seen 531Colin's tutorial: [youtube]-XUFVrl0UT4[/youtube]
You may wish to consider a VAR tyre lever or if you don't mind carrying something a bit more workshop a Koolstop tyre mate. Both are useful for getting stubborn tyres on.

I didn't know 531cilin made that video my thanks to him. I followed the video and it worked with my new 25c Marathon Plus. Technique is really important with these tyres.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
If only life was so easy.
Don't you finish the second bead at valve not start at valve
You need a "shallow rim well" to do that video justice, then watch the operator curse

[robing]

What tyre pressures do you run? On my road bikes with 23/25mm tyres I run 130 psi, bit less in winter. Touring bike 32mm tyres 80 psi.

[Terrytrek]

To the OP, what tyre pressures are you running?

100psi, sometimes a little less.

It's ironic that we can watch a British astronaut circling the globe yet they can't invent a really puncture proof tyre!

[robing]

To the OP, what tyre pressures are you running?

100psi, sometimes a little less.

It's ironic that we can watch a British astronaut circling the globe yet they can't invent a really puncture proof tyre!

In that case I would try increasing your tyre pressures as above.

[Annoying Twit]

Is not carrying a spare tyre and five new innertubes not a solution?

[Brucey]

Is not carrying a spare tyre and five new innertubes not a solution?

not if you can't get the tyres on and off easily...?

cheers

[Annoying Twit]

Is not carrying a spare tyre and five new innertubes not a solution?

not if you can't get the tyres on and off easily...?

cheers

I choose tyres I can get on and off easily in preference to their reputed puncture-resistant properties

[Brucey]

I choose tyres I can get on and off easily in preference to their reputed puncture-resistant properties

me too, where possible, but this requires prior experience of that combination of rim and tyre (which might vary with the batch anyway) or some degree of clairvoyance....

I have encountered rim batches that were 'tight with any tyre' and tyre batches that were 'tight on any rim', both in contrast to prior experience; with the latter you have useless tyres and with the former there are no tyres that will work nicely.

cheers

[kylecycler]

Where I live about 90 per cent of punctures are from hawthorns, invariably between October and March. I've yet to use properly 'puncture-proof' tyres, but are there any tyres that are puncture-proof against hawthorns? I've always assumed Marathon Plus or Armadillo (maybe even Gatorskins, for the road bike) would be, but reading some of the posts here I'm starting to wonder. I was intending to try Marathon Greenguards, going on Samual D's thread last year, but would they even resist hawthorns?

Getting a phobia about HAWTHORNS!!!

[HoratioWondersocks]

Hello
Like the OP I dread the idea of punctures, particularly at this time of year.
What I do is carry a can of puncture fix stuff .
If I were to get a puncture (particularly a rear tyre)
I would use the stuff to fix it temporarily(assuming it stil works I have had and carried it with me for years) till I got home.
I also carry a pump as well .(funnily enough I've only used the pump once ,and that was to help out another cyclist )
So if necessary I can pump and ride as an option too.

PS I have used Continental touring plus tyres for years and have had only one puncture ,and that was a drawing pin.
So there good although pricey.( I also ride on tracks ,pavements (not in town or anti socially )any place if it gets me of particularly nasty roads ,and these are probably more likely to be strewn with punturey things, but these tires still take everything i throw at them ,with no punctures yet (touch wood)
PS if you get a drawing pin stuck in your tyre ,LEAVE IT there, I got home with no discernable loss of tyre pressure, just an annoying tick with tyre rotation, you can repair at leaisure when home.
In the Winter months my rides are fairly short ,twenty miles or less so if the worst comes the worst I can walk home .
Must admit I don't really fancy that though.
In the areas I cycle iam not that far away from local cycle shops that I have noted on my travels (maybe not open Sundays) so a visit to one of them for a fix could be an option too.
Another thing I do regularly ,especially if considering a decent length summer (ahh Summer)ride or any length winter ride is to inspect my tyres for anything pointed ,prickly or generally nasty sticking in them before I venture out.

Anyways some thoughts ,
But I agree with OP ,puncture neuroticism ailment is horrid thing.
Maybe need some CB therapy.
PPS
I do carry a spare inner ,and tyre levers too ,but the tyres I use are [rude word removed] difficult to get on and off ,so would rather use a temporary puncture fix solution to get home.

Cheers Andy

[Terrytrek]

Hello
Like the OP I dread the idea of punctures, particularly at this time of year........ I agree with OP, puncture neuroticism ailment is horrid thing.

Your sympathy and understanding are greatly appreciated!

[Brucey]

In a similar vein to the drawing pin, if you are not too far from home and you have a thorn stuck in your tyre that you think has already made a hole in the tube, the best policy is probably to note the position carefully (so that you can find it later), then break (or cut) the thorn off flush, and carry on, topping up the tyre as necessary so that it never gets too soft. This should at least get you home OK.

If the tyre gets too soft one or two things tend to happen;

- a long thorn will puncture the opposite side of the tube... and/or

- the tube will move around so that the thorn makes several holes in the tube instead of just one... .

cheers