Flat prevention on a clincher.

polyx

Hello.
Been lately frustrated with more punctures than usual. When in the middle of the ride fellas kindly waiting for you while you're fixing your flat, cooling down their warmed muscles. That feeling!

Recently discovered, Panaracer flat-away, but they did not work well either as they are really easy to cut trough.
What I've gone instead is 25mm polypropylene webbing chucked between tire and the tube (23mm tire).

For testing purposes I used it on a very worn tire full of tiny glasses seating deep in the cuts. (I have had flats with that tire few times)

250Km trough the harsh roads and works like a charm so far. polypropylene webbing is far tougher than kevlar strip to penetrate. So if you don't mind 70gr of extra weight (35gr per wheel) it might come in handy. I haven't noticed any rolling difference so far. Thanks.

ju5t1n

polyx wrote:

polypropylene webbing is far tougher than kevlar strip to penetrate

I thought they made bullet proof vests from Kevlar?

cougie

I just use Conti GP4000S - very very rare I get a flat.

Where would you get that webbing from ?

dowtcha

ju5t1n wrote:

polyx wrote:

polypropylene webbing is far tougher than kevlar strip to penetrate

I thought they made bullet proof vests from Kevlar?

We are not taking about bullets but tiny pieces of glass. :roll:
Best prevention is to check that nothing is embedded in your tyre after a ride. As for the polypropylene webbing, it does not appear to be tightly woven together to prevent sharp objects from getting through the errr webbing.
I eagerly await your appearance on Dragons Den.

ju5t1n

Dowtcha wrote:

ju5t1n wrote:

polyx wrote:

polypropylene webbing is far tougher than kevlar strip to penetrate

I thought they made bullet proof vests from Kevlar?

We are not taking about bullets but tiny pieces of glass. :roll:

Myabe where you live - it's the snipers you have to worry about round my way

polyx

cougie wrote:

I just use Conti GP4000S - very very rare I get a flat.

Where would you get that webbing from ?

I'm on Conti Gatorskins and tires entirely in cuts, whilst wear indicator dots are as day 1.
Got webbings on amazon, there are plenty on ebay too. dirt cheap for 10m roll.

sloppyschleckonds

bolyx

Barteos

You might have not noticed any difference in rolling resistance but the difference is certainly there and could be bigger than you think. No free lunch here.
IMO a far better idea would be to get more puncture resistant tyres... Manufacturers know better how to do it.
Going for a wider size e.g. 28mm (23mm makes little sense for general riding anyway) and dropping the pressure by 20-30PSI will also help to reduce number of punctures. Softer tyres are simply more difficult to penetrate by foreign objects.

polyx

I'm on gatorskins, and thought they should fairly flat resistant. No way on Brixton roads. Tried heavier tires in the past, even Schwalbe Marathons. They are durable, but heavy as hell. When I drop pressure ride feels somehow flexy.
Surely manufacturers know better, but they are also interested in more sales I'd imagine

lawrences

ju5t1n wrote:

Dowtcha wrote:

ju5t1n wrote:

polyx wrote:

polypropylene webbing is far tougher than kevlar strip to penetrate

I thought they made bullet proof vests from Kevlar?

We are not taking about bullets but tiny pieces of glass. :roll:

Myabe where you live - it's the snipers you have to worry about round my way

I haven't seen a single report of a soldier being hurt whilst wearing a polyproplene vest. That's a statistic that speaks for itself.

freebs

Maybe if you removed the glass from your tyres you would have less punctures?

edscoble

Can't believed you went through the effort of not wanting to check your tyres regularly.

de_sisti

edscoble wrote:

Can't believed you went through the effort of not wanting to check your tyres regularly.

Yebuut, it would be cautious in the extreme if one were to regularly inspect their tyres during a ride.

polyx

Anyway, just shared my positive experience. Take it or leave it. May help who's budget can't stretch towards pricey tires.

Moonbiker

Someone i met once whilst out cycling, who stopped when i was fixing a puncture told me they always carry a lolipop stick that they can hold out to run along the surface of there tyres as they cycle along. This was suppose remove any grit/glass, therefore stopping punctures occuring.

I was skeptical what do you reckon?

Abit like a homebrew one of theese tyre wipers



http://janheine.wordpress.com/2012/06/0 ... re-wipers/

dowtcha

My father who is his 80s recommend those wipers when I was getting a lot of punctures, I thought he was joking but there they are. What is their weight and will they increase the drag, I don't want to end up with a slow bike.

cougie

Look at them - they're a bit of wire. Now look at yourself and the bike - do you really think a bit of wire would make a difference ? Same with the drag -it just skims along the tyre.

They used to be all the rage in the 80s when I started cycling and the club riders were all on tubs. I've never felt the need - my GP4000S go for years with no drama. Although a thorn got me the other week and spoilt my record.

chris_bass

Moonbiker wrote:

Someone i met once whilst out cycling, who stopped when i was fixing a puncture told me they always carry a lolipop stick that they can hold out to run along the surface of there tyres as they cycle along. This was suppose remove any grit/glass, therefore stopping punctures occuring.

I was skeptical what do you reckon?

Abit like a homebrew one of theese tyre wipers



http://janheine.wordpress.com/2012/06/0 ... re-wipers/

I was once told that its a good idea to spin your wheel and touch the tyre with your glove if you have gone through anything that might cause a puncture (glass, grit etc) same idea I guess

edscoble

Dowtcha wrote:

My father who is his 80s recommend those wipers when I was getting a lot of punctures, I thought he was joking but there they are. What is their weight and will they increase the drag, I don't want to end up with a slow bike.

Hah! nicely done.

Valy

OP - guess it depends where you ride as cities might be much worse that country roads for punctures because of more broken glass etc.

I've had Gatorskins in the past and used them for quite a long time - think even worse one out! Then went on to GP4000s and found them the best all round tyres with almost no punctures and good grip!

de_sisti

Well, after much optimism, I purchased the item and used it inside of my tyres (Schwalbe Stelvelo Plus, in very good condition, original tread pattern). Unfortunately, I suffered a rear wheel puncture towards the end of a hilly 58 mile ride. So, after today's experience I'll give them a thumbs down.