Flurry of punctures - time to change tyres?

pinkteapot

I have a hybrid with Specialized tyres that have Specialized's "blackbelt puncture protection". Two years and 2,000 miles and no punctures. Mixture of commuting and weekend road riding.

In the last month I've had three punctures. Two rear, one front, new tubes each time (not repaired ones). One rear was a piece of glass. I haven't been able to identify the cause of the others but the tubes have had small holes in, similar to glass/sharp object punctures. Tyres and rims carefully inspected for damage/foreign objects.

So, my question is... Is this just a run of bad luck or is it worth considering replacing the tyres? I.e. does general wear and tear reduce the puncture protection effectiveness?

Have previously been recommended Schwalbe Marathons and had decided they'd be my next tyres as and when these ones die. The current tyres still have good amounts of tread and aren't cracked.

dodgy

My rear tyre generally lasts 1900 - 2000 miles, I usually change it before it gets there (Michelin pro race 4).

All depends on where you ride, your weight, how much power you put in and how much you use the brakes.

Bobbinogs

A good tip is, once back home, refit the tyre so that the manufacturer's logo (or anything else clearly visible and memorable) aligns with the valve. Then, when you puncture next time and cannot find the offending article, line the tube up against the tyre (valve again logo) and you will have 2 definite areas to concentrate on (2 because the tube could have been on either way). It is amazing how much time this actually saves

If the flint/thorn is still in the tyre then you will repeatedly puncture, doesn't matter how old the tyre is.

Another good habit to get into is checking your tyres regularly, may be once a fortnight, to check for items that have become embedded. Carefully dig them out with a pin before they work their way through the tyre and into the tube.

If the 2 recent punctures are pinch flats then you might need to look at more air, wider tyres or losing weight

pinkteapot

I do clear out foreign objects every so often. All the punctures have been sudden, quick ones. Steering feels odd to completely flat in 10 seconds. Though I know that could still be an object that's been working it's way through for a while.

Pretty sure they're not pinch punctures. Tyres are rated something like 50-100psi and I ride them at 80psi and not a lardy one.

Dippydog3

Its called Winter.

smoggysteve

do you inspect the rim tape often? this can cause problems if it starts to expose the spoke holes

JayKosta

Riding in wet weather gives more punctures because the water acts as a lubricant for the object piercing the tread.
If the tire tread thickness is OK, then probably just some bad luck ....

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

pinkteapot

Dippydog3 wrote:

Its called Winter.

OK, thanks.

Just checking as it's my third winter with the bike and no punctures until now.

Treads are still decent so will keep the tyres for now. Need to fix the latest one this morning so will check the rim tape - thanks for the tip.

cedargreen

SmoggySteve wrote:

do you inspect the rim tape often? this can cause problems if it starts to expose the spoke holes

Yes, lots of wheels are supplied with thin plastic rim tape which moves when you remove tyres/ tubes, exposing sharp edges in the wheel rim. You can replace it with adhesive cloth rim tape like 'Velox'. I've used it ever since having a spate of punctures a few years ago.

But you might just be unlucky- I punctured this morning and a few days ago- my first punctures for ages. The puncture fairy loves the number 3 so I'm expecting another one oon.

pinkteapot

Just an update...

Thoroughly cleaned the rims, inside the tyres and inspected the rim tape which was all still in place, looking as good as new, and not worn at any of the spoke holes.

Got to 7 punctures (within 5-6 weeks) and cracked. Have today had Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres put on it*. Each puncture had been a sharp object (eg glass) going straight through so the tyres had 7 cuts between them.

Probably was just a run of bad luck (or I'd been super-lucky for the two years prior to that) but fingers crossed the Marathons will do their job.

* I'm not a total girl - I can fit tyres. But the place I work has a weekly bike repair stall and they did the Marathon Plus tyres for £24 each fitted so saved me a job.

dodgy

Like I said in post number 2, you'd worn your tyres out, 2000 miles is what I'd expect to be a normal life for road tyres (they can vary, but it's a guide).

pinkteapot

Yep, you were right. Others were saying bad luck / winter so gave it a bit longer to see what happened.

In good news, I was on 700x38s and the new ones are 700x28.

In bad news, just got home and realised the rear tyre has been put on backwards (directional treads). That'll teach me not to do it myself. Though given what a sod they said they were to get on, I'll take it back next week and they can reverse it for me. 8)

Bobbinogs

dodgy wrote:

Like I said in post number 2, you'd worn your tyres out...

Not sure I agree with this given the following:

pinkteapot wrote:

Just an update...
Each puncture had been a sharp object (eg glass) going straight through

A piece of glass will go through most tyres, worn or brand new so I don't see how it proves the tyres were worn. Anyway, looks like it is all sorted now as the Marathon Plus tyres really are effective, albeit at the cost of heavy weight and lifeless performance...although on a commute I would settle for that anyday.

dodgy

Bobbinogs wrote:

dodgy wrote:

Like I said in post number 2, you'd worn your tyres out...

Not sure I agree with this given the following:

pinkteapot wrote:

Just an update...
Each puncture had been a sharp object (eg glass) going straight through

A piece of glass will go through most tyres, worn or brand new so I don't see how it proves the tyres were worn. Anyway, looks like it is all sorted now as the Marathon Plus tyres really are effective, albeit at the cost of heavy weight and lifeless performance...although on a commute I would settle for that anyday.

Not at all. A piece of glass will go more easily through a tyre that is thinner compared to one that is thicker.

Come on, her tyres were worn, stop complicating things.

pinkteapot

I had read about the poor ride on Marathons. I commute 3 or 4 days a week (only 4 miles each way) and then do a 20-30 mile ride at weekends. Hoping that the switch down to narrower tyres will somewhat counteract the difference in ride.

Was hard to judge how they felt on the ride home last night. My saddle had either slipped down or they'd knocked it while working on the bike so I was riding with my knees around my ears. Instead of stopping and fixing the saddle I just grumbled mentally about it the whole way home. :roll:

Guess we'll never know if it was luck/wear. When the punctures kept happening I leaned towards wear as I've ridden the same route (which is always covered in glass - I work at a university) for two years without any of the debris on the road getting through so it seemed odd that it all suddenly started penetrating. Took the fun out of riding as I didn't trust the bike to get me home anymore.

holiver

Quick question regarding glass through a tyre.

I had a pretty bad puncture yesterday and as a result my rear Michelin Pro4 Endurance has a 5mm cut all the way through the casing. The tube is not bulging out of it and I was able to get home OK on a spare tube.

What can I do to extend the life of the tyre or is it fit for the bin?

keef66

You can fit a tyre boot inside to stop the tube from bulging through the slit in the tyre. To me 5mm doesn't sound big enough to warrant immediately binning the tyre. In my defence I was raised in Yorkshire.

On a pair of cheapo tyres I got away with sticking a heavy duty patch on the inside in similar circumstances. The slit was obviously still there but I could pump the tyre up to decent pressure without the tube popping out. Eventually replaced them with some better rubber not because of the cut but because of the rubbish ride.

Keep an eye on it though. If the slit gets bigger or the tyre is deforming you may have to write it off.

drlodge

I repaired a small tyre hole using a piece of plastic toothpaste tube (Colgate) and some duck tape to hold it in place. May seem overkill but over time the plastic has worked its way through the hole a bit - I can see a dimple on the inside. Nothing lost trying to repair it but unless the hole is really small, I doubt the repair will last.

dgunthor

when you puncture, leave the valve in place, remove the tube, pump up to find the hole or pair of holes - pair means a pinch, so new tube and off you go. single hole = foreign object, line up tube with tyre and you know where to look. simples.

if you just change the tube you might get the same punture in 2 mins time

edit: and yes, old tyres = more chance of a puncture but you could just have been unlucky

keef66

My last pair of Conti 4 seasons wore down so far huge chunks of the tread started to go missing and I was running on the carcass. Still no punctures, which suggests the Vectran breaker layer is pretty tough stuff.

While I was waiting for the replacements I ran a pair of cheap Rubinos. First wet ride, a piece of flint went straight through the rear and lacerated the innertube repeatedly. That's the tyre I patched internally and used till I got bored with the rubbish ride.

Bobbinogs

I've yet to find a good way of patching a tyre with a laceration in it. The best I could come up was sticking a puncture repair patch on the inside which did stop the tube from bulging through but when the cut got a little bigger I gave up on the tyre as I couldn't trust it. I like the idea about duck tape and toothpaste plastic

Nothing worse than having to face binning a tyre with a lot of life left in it for a relatively small cut.

holiver

This is what I am dealing with after inflating the new tube and damaged tyre to 85psi. Open in new tab for big.



What do you think?

drlodge

Ouch, that looks fit for the bin.

keef66

My inner Yorkshireman would be patching that internally and trying to get a few more miles out of it. On the back, not the front.

YMMV. Literally.

caradale

re your new marathons, its a two edged sword running these tyres for comuting and leisure rides at the weekend
For comuting when you absolutely do not want to be late marathons are one of the best tyres going being as near bulletproof as your likely to get
for riding for fun , well there just not a fun tyre with very little feel
not surprisingly in the larger sizes when fitted to hybrids and the like they get great reviews as they can be run a lot softer
in the smaller sizes though roadie type reviews arnt so keen on the fit feel and grip.
my marathons on my comuter are 3 years old and still going strong

desweller

holiver wrote:

This is what I am dealing with after inflating the new tube and damaged tyre to 85psi. Open in new tab for big.



What do you think?

I've got a bigger hole than that in my rear tyre, I've fitted it with a boot cut from a pair of old work trousers. It's done maybe 1,000 miles? So far no probs.

RutlandGav

Yup, even the most puncture resistant tyres wear out eventually and become easy to penetrate. I'd get a new tyre, think, "omg these are amazing, no punctures in 6 months, the old ones were punctured every week, they must be much better than the old ones". Eventually over 10 years of commuting i spotted a pattern. Every kevlar belted tyre would give me a couple thousand miles of puncture-free running. Then i'd get one puncture, replace the inner. A month later it'd happen again. The next one would happen a week later. And I'd just blame it on bad luck, because these tyres are amazing, so much better than my last ones, and gave no trouble at all in their first year, and stick with them. The penny finally dropped after getting 3 flats on a 20 mile ride with a friend who got none. They are worn. Kevlar degrades when exposed to water. Rubber perishes.

Now, i replace after one puncture, if it's done over a thousand miles. What's £10/£15 compared with being late for work, ruining an epic ride, and constantly replacing inner tubes?

Where i work now, there is a policy that being late 3 times in a quarter is an automatic disciplinary. With that in mind, i'm considering replacing my tyres every year, whether punctured or not.