MTB Tyre Choice
skavanagh.bikeradar
Posts: 1,097
I'm a bit green about the gills when it comes to MTB so bear with me......
I'm planning to ride a canal tow path early next year. Last time I did it I had about 6 punctures and spent a long day in the mud, cold and rain changing tyres. As did my 3 ride buddies. We got through loads of tubes.
So, this time I want to avoid punctures. What do you recommend to do so? The tow path last time was muddy with a recently trimmed hawthorn running alongside. What size tyre? What compound? For example my MTB is currently setup with narrow slicks - conti Ultra Gator/Kevlar - for commuting which are brilliant, but these will be hopeless in the mud and dirt of a towpath in February.
Help!
I'm planning to ride a canal tow path early next year. Last time I did it I had about 6 punctures and spent a long day in the mud, cold and rain changing tyres. As did my 3 ride buddies. We got through loads of tubes.
So, this time I want to avoid punctures. What do you recommend to do so? The tow path last time was muddy with a recently trimmed hawthorn running alongside. What size tyre? What compound? For example my MTB is currently setup with narrow slicks - conti Ultra Gator/Kevlar - for commuting which are brilliant, but these will be hopeless in the mud and dirt of a towpath in February.
Help!
0
Posts
If you had that many punctures then unless you buy a wooden wheel I'd guess most tyres wouldn't be up to the job. My suggestion to avoid a situation like before is to "go tubeless". It's a bit of a faff as I'm finding out at the moment, but for your requirements of puncture proofing, this to me seems a good option. A faff in your warm garage seems better than kneeling in the pouring rain and dog censored time after time!
How long is your tow path ride? Sounds like it is a fair way by the way you're talking...
What is this slime of which you speak? Tubeless - I've got to glue the things on right? never tried it even on the road bike, what do I need to look out for there? Can they still 'puncture' or is it just a case of them falling off the rim and sending me into the drink? Would I need new rims for tubeless?
So what's best for potentially quite muddy riding - what width tyre, type of knobbles etc?
also i don't think it has much to do with tyre choice, i guess a thicker compound tyre would help a little, but if the punctures are from thorns, glass e.t.c the only way to stop them is to avoid the rubbish.
The good news is that the ride should be better this time of year anyway.
Amy
Have a look at tyre reviews on this site for some highly rated rubber
Of course I don't know what I'm doing on an MTB - although we didn't ride through any glass that I recall just very thick mud. Probably had a few pinch punctures from potholes/steps/concrete lumps that were hidden in the mud.
Thanks again I'll search for tyres then unless anyone fancies pointing me at a relevant discussion.....
Sometimes when riding in bad conditions (cold, rain, dark as you mentioned). After about two punctures, you get frustrated and in your hurry, end up not pumping enough air into the tube (especially when using a mini pump)- leading to more pinch flats. Happened to me once.
Perhaps you just need to increase your tyre pressure.
Cant be bothered with tubeless as it seems like a load of expense and hassle and you have to redo them every couple of months dont you?
Dont know quite why you got so many punctures - I have always found them very good and have done a dozen such rides this year on my cheap Kenda's that came with the bike. I find I get punctures alot now that I am commuting though, so am about to try Schwalbe Marathon Plus ATB tyres - a knobbly version of the supposedly indestructable Marathon Plus. Might be worth a look for you too. Not the lightest of tyres but they look pretty good - I just need to get around to fitting them.
I have similar problem, especially when i go coastal roads where farmers cut the bushes so thorns can easily puncture tyres. One friend of mine recommend special spray which you put in to the tube valve and when you go on the thorn it seals tyre itself from inside.
granted a little over kill for what your doing, but they are a great powerfull strong tyre with kevlar reinforced walls.
I've used slime tubes, bit of a mixed bag really. I got a nail through one tire, which obviously slime or no was going to go down.
However, repairing that tube became a nightmare as all the slime had leaked out inside the wheel, all over the tube and bubbled out of the valve as I tried to patch and inflate the tube.
While repairing the big puncture, I noticed the slime had half-filled a pin-censored hole in another part of the tube. Annoyingly, it hadn't done so completely, so I could intermittently hear it deflating, but it would stop every time I tried to find the leak!
The Marathon Plus ATBs on the other hand are probably a winner. A work colleague used to get several punctures a week on his commute, since fitting these he's had nothing for months. They're quite heavy though.
Slime are rated quite highly, in your case the puncture may have been larger than 1/16in therefor too large for the slime to repair.
Have a look at Slime's Tyre Liner, once inserted between innertube and tyre it stops glass, nails, thorns etc from puncturing the tube. However there is no protection on the walls.
slime are highly rated? Not really, every time they are brought up as a solution to the issues they are rubbished, it's hardly a glowing recommendation. A tubeless conversion is a much better plan, or even putting some decent sealant into your ordinary inner tubes using removable cores.
Carbon 456
456 lefty
Pompino
White Inbred
i often find that when i get a lot of punctures i rush them and sometimes i forget to check the tyres thoroughly for what caused it. just wondered if that might have been a cause for repetitive punctures?