puncture predicament!!

jamie 'jammy dodger'

As i get nearer to my 1st roadie purchase i can't help notice within posts by you good people comments about punctures ...this is something i rarely see mentioned on the dark side (MTB) forum.

Having never had a flat with mtb mile wide tyres im curious that is this going to be a big issue or is it down to a decent tyre purchase,granted i shall be trying my best to avoid anything that will cause an obivious prob ie pot holes,bumps;old folk etc....cheers chaps

cesco

Yep, you will have a puncture sooner or later. Choice of tyres will give you a good delay, but part of the expense works on your confidence and comfort too. Which is scientifically proven to have a direct effect on actual tyre performance.

But, no, it is not going to be a big issue. Fixing a puncture / replacing the tube is not exactly rocket science. Like cycling itself, you will get faster at it.

DavidJB

5min job. With GP4000s I've had one puncture in 2 years.

TommyB61

If you're concerned about punctures, Conti Gator Hardshells are a good choice. Tough as old boots, & roll nicely too.

chrisaonabike

DavidJB wrote:

5min job

Not saying it can't be done, but I'd like to actually see someone that hardly ever has a puncture remove the wheel, remove the tyre, check it for sharp bits, fit the new tube, refit the tyre, pump it up, refit the wheel, and put all the bits away back in the saddle bag in as little as five minutes.

I'd only had one puncture pre RL100, and it took me half an hour to do all that lot (quite carefully!), so I practised one afternoon and got the whole lot down to 13 minutes. I'm sure it could be done quicker still, but 5 minutes would be amazing.

navrig

Practise in your warm and dry garage. Then be prepared for a totally different experience on a cold, wet November morning.

Some people carry "rubber" gloves to keep their hands and bar tape clean. Others (like me) don't and curse ourselves when it happens.

Mikey23

I've had three in 6k miles, both all tiny bits of sharp flint embedded sideways. First one was cold, wet dark and wintry and I didn't have much of a clue so took ages. Now reasonably confident of sorting it in any situation ... Not in 5 minutes, but pretty efficiently .. Have the equipment I need and the skill to do it. A rite of passage for any new cyclist. Gatorskins now on both my bikes, tough as old boots

cougie

Punctures are a lot rarer now than they used to be. Better tyres and track pumps with gauges make a difference.

FWIW the last flat i had was on a MTB. In winter. In the dark. On an unlit bridleway. brrrrrr

djm501

... and hope you don't come across a surface that's recently been resurfaced (top-dressed). This is a proper nightmare for punctures.

simonhead

Its one of those things, law of sod my first puncture was in the dark cold wet and with only my bike lights to see by. Practicing in the garage is one thing but it is a bit of a right of passage that all cyclists have to suffer at some point. In the winter I always carry a small head torch which makes life a darn bit easier on a dark night.

markhewitt1978

Navrig wrote:

Some people carry "rubber" gloves to keep their hands and bar tape clean. Others (like me) don't and curse ourselves when it happens.

+1 for this. After more than one occasion getting covered in oil when my chain has fallen off I now carry a couple of disposable plastic gloves in my saddlebag (adds about 1g in weight ), so when my chain again came off on the Great North Bike Ride I got my glove on, put the chain back on and was on my way with clean hands .

(Bike shop told me they'd fixed the issue but seems not)

cougie

Thats why shorts should be black - wipe your fingers on there and you're off. :-)

markhewitt1978

cougie wrote:

Thats why shorts should be black - wipe your fingers on there and you're off. :-)

And bar tape of course

jamie 'jammy dodger'

Many thanks chaps..feeling more at ease

Whilst you here....On the mtb,adust seatpost height to suit then go....I take it that this principal does not carry across to the Roadie? Cheers

Gizmodo

jamie 'jammy dodger' wrote:

Many thanks chaps..feeling more at ease

Whilst you here....On the mtb,adust seatpost height to suit then go....I take it that this principal does not carry across to the Roadie? Cheers

Seat - height, forward/backward adjustment and level. Handlebars can be rotated and the shifters moved on the bars to get the most comfortable position for your hands. The stem can be flipped to raise the bars or lower them. If you're using clipless pedals then cleat position is important.

Anything else means buying new parts.

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm
http://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bik ... can-it-be/

dnwhite88

Navrig wrote:

Practise in your warm and dry garage. Then be prepared for a totally different experience on a cold, wet November morning.

Sound advice, at the road side is no place to learn. There is a knack to it, but once you have it you'll wonder what you were worried about

BrandonA

Failure to prepare = preparing to fail.

I take two inner tubes with me in my saddle bags, a puncture repair kit and a frame mounted pump. As others have said practice makes fitting the tyres both quicker and easier. They happen but as long you have the correct equipment and know what you're doing you can be on the road in no time.

Mikey41

jamie 'jammy dodger' wrote:

Whilst you here....On the mtb,adust seatpost height to suit then go....I take it that this principal does not carry across to the Roadie? Cheers

To an extent. On MTB I know that in some situations you will drop the saddle down, then lift it up again afterwards. On the road, this doesn't happen. Once you find the proper saddle position, that's where it stays. You spend far far more time in the saddle on the road than on MTB.

Get the saddle position to a good ballpark area. You can then spend quite some time fiddling with it to get it right.

Once that's right, the next target is stem length. Just right? Shorter? Longer? Takes a while to work that out properly.

rolf_f

djm501 wrote:

... and hope you don't come across a surface that's recently been resurfaced (top-dressed). This is a proper nightmare for punctures.

Interesting! I suppose it depends on what aggregate is used as riding on top dressed roads has never caused me a flat.

cougie

Me too. Never had a puncture from gravel.
Pins staples glass thorns bits of metal, a flint - but never gravel.