To pick out or to leave?

SteveDoe

Hi

Got back from a ride this evening, and noticed two bits of flint in my front tyre. Not had a puncture, so not deep. Is it best to leave them in there so there's not a slit in the tyre, or take them out so they don't get pushed deeper til the tyre punctures.

Thanks in advance
Steve

SteveDoe

Thanks for replying.

Have removed the flint - they were both tiny so won't bother with the gluing.

ManOfKent

I seem to recall a website did a test a few years ago where they left a few shards of flint in a tyre to see whether it would eventually cause a puncture. What actually happened was that the flint stayed where it was and wore down. So either approach seems to be fine.

bondurant

Perhaps. But you'd have to be an idiot to choose to leave something sharp in your tyre.

rolf_f

Besides, what tyre did they use, what other materials did they test as well as flint (you don't get flint where I live) and under what conditions did they test this? The only obvious reason to leave foreign material in the tyre is the time saved in not digging it out. Aside from finding that quite therapeutic, the time spent is much better than the time spent fixing a puncture at the roadside!

pinno

Pull it out and use a puncture repair patch on the inside of the tyre and attach it in the same way you would fix a puncture. Tha'ts what I do and no doubt someone will have something to say...