The P word - help needed

jopari

Hi,
I have a hybrid bike with 700 Schwalbe tyres on (can't remember name). I'd done 900 miles without a single P&*%%re, but between 900 and 1000 miles I've had 3, with two strange 'deflating' incidents thrown in for good measure.

Is it possible my tyres have degraded, leading to more 'pinch' punctures, or even to them being easier to pierce?
Tread is still ok on them, but should I look to replace with something more sturdy?

Thanks

Mog Uk

Have you checked the inside of the tyre for any foreign objects, could be a little piece of glass / thorn etc that's not very visible...

Are the tyres cracked, worn ! After 900 miles I might look at changing them for some new rubber...

BigBlackShed

Check that the rim tape is correctly seated. There would be no harm in changing the tape for a good quality ones either. The ones from the factory are generally rubbish. Loose and too thin, barely covering the spoke nipple holes.

Also I posted this from an earlier thread. It may be useful.

BigBlackShed wrote:

I use levers to get the tyre off. If I catch the tube and put another hole in it, so what. It's got a punture anyway. Putting tyres on just takes practice and strong fingers and thumbs.

Put one bead on, put tube in, pushing tube right up into the tyre, put a bit of air in the tube so as to help it hold it's shape. Then with the wheel on your lap and the valve at 12 o'clock, start at 6 o'clock pushing the tyre onto the rim with both hands. Use both hands, and start pushing the tyre onto both "sides" at the same time. So your working up towards the valve equally. It will start to get tough when the tyre is on except for the bit between 11 and 1. Then stand the wheel on the floor resting against your knees with the valve at the top. Then pull the tyre on with your fingers in a gripping motion.

It takes a bit of practice but it saves pinching the new or repaired tube with a lever. One of the guys at the LBS showed me how to do it. And he can manage to put a 25 x 700 on with one hand!!!!!!!!!!! Any smaller and he looks human.

dan..

When I was a nipper, after bending half the contents of the cutlery drawer as makeshift tyre levers, my dad taught me a similar method.

Apologies if you all know this already, but here's what I was shown:

Put the wheel on your lap, valve at the bottom. Then squeeze the sides of the tyre at the bottom with both hands so both beads are together in the middle of the rim. Then, keeping enough pressure to keep the bead in the centre (the more pressure you keep on it, the better it'll work), work your hands up the tyre in opposite directions.

If you've done it right, by the time you get to the top you should have just enough slack to get the last bit of the tyre on or off the rim with minimal effort.

No idea if that works for all bikes/wheels/rims/tyres/etc, but it's nearly always worked for me. I guess it's down to the inside of the rim being slightly recessed and that extra bit of slack adds up to enough to get the tyre on and off without much trouble.

DavidTQ

dan.. wrote:

When I was a nipper, after bending half the contents of the cutlery drawer as makeshift tyre levers, my dad taught me a similar method.

My parents cutlery drawer still bears the scars from my youthful cycling

dan..

DavidTQ wrote:

My parents cutlery drawer still bears the scars from my youthful cycling

Haha, glad it wasn't just me that had that "bright" idea

Positron

dan... that sounds like a very clever way to get a bit of slack. I'm normally okay but putting my new Marathon's on the 26" the other day was pretty tough.

Back to the original question - check tyre VERY carefully. Apparently over time bits or glass etc will work there way through so it's worth checking between punctures even. Correct tyre pressure is your friend too.

p.

redddraggon

You need to make sure that your tyres are at the right pressure. As I was about to go home on Monday I found my rear tyre to be flat, so I took the bike into one of the Labs got the tube out and checked the tyre for debris. No debris - so I swapped the tube, and filled the tube with CO2. Got home and used to my track pump to get the rear to the correct pressure. Then I felt the front and it was pretty soft - and I guess the rear had been like that causing me to get a pinch flat.

jopari

Thanks for all the info.
I'll take both tyres off, replace rim tape, and check for any little shards/spikes before replacing tyres.

Do these marathon plus tyres slow you down much with the extra weight, or is it negligable?

redjedi

jopari wrote:

Thanks for all the info.
I'll take both tyres off, replace rim tape, and check for any little shards/spikes before replacing tyres.

Do these marathon plus tyres slow you down much with the extra weight, or is it negligable?

They are a bit eavier, and will slow you down a bit. Especially if you're used nice thin slick tyres (as I was ).

But if it means I don't have to satnd by the side of the road, in the rain, trying to replace a tube, it is worth it.

I've had mine on for a couple of weeks now, and I'm back up to my normal commute speed.

BigBlackShed

I noticed a huge weight difference when I fitted slime tubes. My bike just feels sluggish now.

The stinking cold I've got doesn't help either.

Plus the piece of glass that was inbedded in the front tyre still caused a flat that wouldn't seal. So I might go back to standard tubes.

cupofteacp

I've been lucky that last year I got away without a single p&*(&(*e

During that time I've covered over 6000 miles on the same set of tyres, not once have I had to take them off and I only top up the air one every couple of months.

I've got a marathon plus on the rear wheel and somthing else, I can't remember the name on the front.

I don't know if anyone else has said this, stay out of the gutter. When I used to ride over to the left all the time I'd get a punture every few weeks, however a few years ago I made the effort to say away from the gutter and now I very rarely get puntures.

Good Luck