Punctures

Davdandy

I have no doubt this topic has been mentioned several times before so please forgive me for that.

As road bikes have much narrower and thinner wheels and tyres how do you cope with punctures,and how do you cope when miles away from home on a bike ride.

I have seen several gels and foam that fills the puncture within seconds.When i was a young chap these things never existed and i had to walk the bike home,it soon got very tedious i can tell you.So what secrets do you have and do the gels and other products actually work.

danowat

I'll regret saying this, I bet.............

I go months and months without a puncture (we are talking many thousands of miles)..........if one does strike and spare tube in the back pocket takes minutes to change.

gingermagician

Not sure what 'gels and foams' you're referring to - I'm afraid the only way to cover yourself is spare tubes and the right tools to change the tube without too much fuss:

- two decent plastic tyre levers (I use the Bontrager ones)
- one/two spare tubes (depending on length of ride and weather)
- decent pump in back pocket (medium Lezyne Road Drive)
- optional two CO2 canisters (generally can't be bothered pump all the way when these do such a good job, but you do need the pump to seat tube correctly)

I also carry self-adhesive patches in case of a puncture-fest, plus a pair of disposable surgical gloves in case it's the rear that punctures and the weather's filthy.

Other than people preferring different kit, the key thing is to locate the hole in the tube when you take it out - so you can check the tyre for the foreign object that caused the puncture before you stick a new one in there.

Davdandy

Thanks again chaps.

I have seen a substance called`slime` at Halfords.Like i said i dont know much about it.

Twelly

Slime inner tubes are normal inner tubes filled with a goo which reacts with the air and fills holes when you get a puncture. The idea is that you never even notice you had the puncture because the slime does the work for you.

They only work on holes up to 3mm though and the trade off is extra rotational weight.

I have a slime tube on my rear wheel at the moment but to be honest I think tyre choice is much more important.

t.m.h.n.e.t

Davdandy wrote:

I have no doubt this topic has been mentioned several times before so please forgive me for that.

As road bikes have much narrower and thinner wheels and tyres how do you cope with punctures,and how do you cope when miles away from home on a bike ride.

Like any other puncture, fix it or replace the tube and ride on.

I have seen several gels and foam that fills the puncture within seconds.When i was a young chap these things never existed and i had to walk the bike home,it soon got very tedious i can tell you.So what secrets do you have and do the gels and other products actually work.

The majority of them claim to be able to fix punctures up to 3mm. If you have a method of guaranteeing the size of punctures you'll get then go for it. I trust that you don't should probably carry at least a pump and a repair kit.

simon_masterson

GingerMagician wrote:

Not sure what 'gels and foams' you're referring to - I'm afraid the only way to cover yourself is spare tubes and the right tools to change the tube without too much fuss:

- two decent plastic tyre levers (I use the Bontrager ones)
- one/two spare tubes (depending on length of ride and weather)
- decent pump in back pocket (medium Lezyne Road Drive)
- optional two CO2 canisters (generally can't be bothered pump all the way when these do such a good job, but you do need the pump to seat tube correctly)

I also carry self-adhesive patches in case of a puncture-fest, plus a pair of disposable surgical gloves in case it's the rear that punctures and the weather's filthy.

Other than people preferring different kit, the key thing is to locate the hole in the tube when you take it out - so you can check the tyre for the foreign object that caused the puncture before you stick a new one in there.

This.

I'm using 32mm tyres (there's not much choice for 27" wheels); a larger choice than that of many road riders, but not immune to punctures by any means. Since using Gatorskins I've not had a single one, and that's after well over a thousand miles and plenty of glass.

Get good tyres, don't bother with gimmicks like slime, and equip yourself properly for the inevitable. Everyone gets punctures sometimes. Provided that you've got some tyre levers (I also prefer plastic), a spare tube, your choice of patch (I've had good results with self-adhesives so I use those exclusively) and a pump (I'm in a privileged position having aging decals on my seat-tube that I don't want to spoil with bottle cage clips, so I use a framefit. Much faster inflation than a mini-pump!), you should be fine. It's not a big job. Disposable gloves make the job even more painless.

Headhuunter

Davdandy wrote:

I have no doubt this topic has been mentioned several times before so please forgive me for that.

As road bikes have much narrower and thinner wheels and tyres how do you cope with punctures,and how do you cope when miles away from home on a bike ride.

I have seen several gels and foam that fills the puncture within seconds.When i was a young chap these things never existed and i had to walk the bike home,it soon got very tedious i can tell you.So what secrets do you have and do the gels and other products actually work.

Not sure what the problem is! A decent set of tyres won't puncture for hundreds of miles if not a couple of thou. If they do you simply stick a new tube in and go again, takes about 10 mins to sort it out.... I've never had to walk anywhere after a puncture...

Davdandy

The walking was when i was a kid,when inexperience and youth conflicted.

Like i have said,i know the question may sound a little mundane but i have to ask all the same.Better to have knowledge than have no knowledge at all.And forward planning is a great tool.Thanks again chaps.

Mikey23

An accident waiting to happen here... Been riding for a year and not had one. Carry spare tube, patch kit, levers and pump. I'm sure I will sort it out when the time comes... Of course, I could get missus to drive around after me and throw me a spare bike

Davdandy

Mikey23 wrote:

An accident waiting to happen here... Been riding for a year and not had one. Carry spare tube, patch kit, levers and pump. I'm sure I will sort it out when the time comes... Of course, I could get missus to drive around after me and throw me a spare bike

That would be the best scenario but i doubt my wife would comply.

southdownswolf

Time to change the wife then :twisted:

dazzlers82

I had 3 punctures before I had even done 40 miles on my bike and I had 2 buy a new tyre as a piece of glass had created quite a big split, I do carry a spare tube an plastic tyre levers with me now just in case

Davdandy

dazzlers82 wrote:

I had 3 punctures before I had even done 40 miles on my bike and I had 2 buy a new tyre as a piece of glass had created quite a big split, I do carry a spare tube an plastic tyre levers with me now just in case

Thats the point i am making.hell,even my van tyres are subjected to punctures and they are much bigger with a far larger tread but i still get them.I have had two this year alone.

rolf_f

I average one puncture every 2500 miles. Most of those are my fault too.

Twelly

Rolf F wrote:

I average one puncture every 2500 miles. Most of those are my fault too.

Ah but now you have said that, you will average one puncture every 25 miles

rubyrider

dazzlers82 wrote:

I had 3 punctures before I had even done 40 miles on my bike and I had 2 buy a new tyre as a piece of glass had created quite a big split, I do carry a spare tube an plastic tyre levers with me now just in case

I had 2 punctures today on my rear wheel and I've done about 80 miles so far - though it was a used bike with 300 miles on it already.

I had a spare inner and was pleased I was able to sort it, but it seems maybe I made a schoolboy (girl) error of not checking the tyre for stones. There was a small piece of flint embedded in it. I was almost home thankfully when it punctured the 2nd time, but I must carry some patches for next time.

As a student I rode for years through Liverpool and then many years on a mountain bike and never had a puncture! Maybe I need new tyres?