Inconvenient punctures

Surf-Matt

Had one when I was employed (ages ago - now run a company) and had to run 2 miles with my bike to get there in time.

Got one this morning 5 miles from home (work from home) - ran two miles then called the wife to pick me up! It was hammering it down too AND my cycle computer broke (the magnet pinged out somewhere).

I don't carry repair kit because it's quite a pain and as we work for ourselves, a picking up mission is not too bad. Also very rarely seem to get them (touches lots of wood).

What are your most inconvenient punctures?

Clever Pun

as opposed to convenient punctures?

I always carry kit in a small saddle bag... it's small compact and easy

dondare

I carry a spare tube, but never need it. SMPs mean no more punctures.

Greg T

Surf-Matt wrote:

What are your most inconvenient punctures?

I was mountain biking in the rockies.....

How fecking cool am I?

Anyway - with bunch of guys and I go flat - a good four miles short of the bus.

This is 12 years ago and I was a much fitter guy. "It's OK blokes - you ride back to the bus - I'll run it in"

Off they go leaving me to run the bike in.....

A mile down the road I'm suffer badly from upper inner thigh "chaffing". I do the neccesary take my shorts off and run in wearing only my kecks. Luckily I was wearing a) underwear and b) not ladies underwear... A happy coincidence!

Imagine my companion's surpise as I ran through the car park with my long T-shirt covering my bits seemingly in the buff......

It's significantly funnier in my head than it is written down

Surf-Matt

Greg - does sound amusing!

Don - mine is a quick 40 minute blat so I don't carry any kit.

SMPs - what are they?

Got kevlar reinforced tyres being delivered today (I hope) so should reduce the risk by a fair bit - although this is the first puncture for about three months.

Punctures when on a group ride out for fun are "convenient" - just change the tube and go. It's when you are pushed for time that they are a real pain.

dondare

Surf-Matt wrote:

Greg - does sounds amusing!



SMPs - what are they?

Schwalbe Marathon Plus.

They're a bugger to get on the rim and weigh about twice as much as some other tyres, but they roll well if pumped up hard and will protect you from punctures from one year's end to the next.

Surf-Matt

Well I've got new tyres on the way today, so will see how they fare. If I get problems, I might check these out.

Looked at the Racing Ralphs (Schwalbe) but heard stories of them being hopeless in any mud. Pricey tyres in general but many good reports on Schwalbe tyres.

I'm REALLY looking forward to Conti Race Kings with extra reinforcement - they are currently super light but flimsy - but otherwise ideal for my (slightly unusual) needs.

Greg T

Surf-Matt wrote:

Looked at the Racing Ralphs (Schwalbe) but heard stories of them being hopeless in any mud.

Oooooh Aaaah....

What are you doing? Pulling a plough?

2wheelzgood

inconvenient or dodgy?
I punctured at night (dark as it was not this tiem of year) in maybe one of the roughest areas of Leeds. one of those where police cars roll past and non-residents don't stop or curse at red lights.
also
it was raining
I called for a pickup.

another inconvenient one was on aride out of town. already had one, I just swapped to spare inner but it happened again and even though I had repair kit.. you get the feeling it's not working right today so I just called for a pickup. handy that!
I was on a mixed on/off road ride. both happen on tarmac. madness.

I'm scratching my head here but I can't remember any truly useful punctures, sorry!

Surf-Matt

Greg T wrote:

Surf-Matt wrote:

Looked at the Racing Ralphs (Schwalbe) but heard stories of them being hopeless in any mud.

Oooooh Aaaah....

What are you doing? Pulling a plough?

Nope but I need the tyres to work on the road and when MTBing. Don't have the time or inclination to change my tyres every time I venture off road - which is often - so I need them to do both jobs.

A tricky one.

victor ludorum

I think I can claim this thread's prize for most inconvenient puncture so far...

I had a double puncture riding home on Friday night. Caning around the roundabout at Shepherd's Bush I hit something like one of those steel bands used to attach signs and so forth to lampposts and railings. It was edge up, and I didn't see it until I hit it, with both both wheels, and had one end whip up around my right shin almost taking my ruddy foot off.

Both tyres were shredded and so was I. They blew immediately and I had to grind to a halt on my rims with heavy fast moving traffic bearing down on me like I was worth bonus points in a cyclist based version of Frogger, trickling blood from a six inch slash up round from my ankle up the front of my shin towards my knee.

I managed to patch up the inner tubes and shore up the tyres by lining them with train tickets and half pedal/half hobble in my road shoes home...

I was riding Conti Ultrasport Kevlars which are, admittedly, cheap, but I doubt any tyres would have survived. So new tyres and a new rim for my rear wheel - expensive.

ris

it's not p*nct*re related but victor ludorum has reminded me of when i mashed my shin up on my pedals after slipping off. my leg was bleeding a bit and pretty sore, luckily i was wearing cleats and could rest the painful leg on the downtube and cycle with one leg (i was only going about 1/2 mile).

must have looked odd to anyone who saw me!

the only convenient p*nct*re was the one i got just as i came through the office car park to the bike store.

chriskempton

When I was a wee lad. Rode about 600m to the post box, rounded final corner on way back, and tyre exploded, depositing me thigh down on the tarmac. Stood up feeling not too bad, but looked at said thigh and realised I'd lost about 30cm x 10cm of skin (was wearing only a pair of non-cycling shorts). I had to dry the wound with a hair dryer to stop it leaking everywhere, but couldn't wear long trousers for about 2 months, as my leg kept trying to knit itself into anything it touched. Showers were excruciating. I had to get special dispensation to wear shorts to school. People laughed at my shaven, scabby legs. I found that inconvenient.

dirk_van_gently

victor ludorum wrote:

I think I can claim this thread's prize for most inconvenient puncture so far...

I think so far you win! :shock:
Sounds horrendous.
Always carry a tube, repair kit and pump.
I went through a nightmare of about a puncture a week a few months back, changed to Vittoria Cyclocross tyres, since then only had 2 punctures (touches wood).

cntl

I don't do punctures.

Surf-Matt

cntl wrote:

I don't do punctures.

You have solid tyres then?!

cntl

Surf-Matt wrote:

cntl wrote:

I don't do punctures.

You have solid tyres then?!

No, just follow Deepak's (Chopra) advice: "Just meditate" :shock: (in this case on not having punctures)

PS. SMPs help too.