Any tips for puncture prevention?

kenchapman
kenchapman Posts: 3
edited November 2009 in Workshop
I know it is partly to do with the onset of wet weather but i am plagued by a series of punctures. Even with a new supposedly puncture resistant tyre (Specialized Armadillo Elite) and high pressures (120psi), I get a lot of rear wheel flats. Often 'slow' ones where at least I finish the ride and only notice the soft tyre later, or worse the next day. I'm pretty lightweight but do a lot of riding on urban roads. Anyone got any tips or advice that might help?

Comments

  • cheehee
    cheehee Posts: 427
    Don't ride too far in to the kerb ie 'in the gutter'. That's where a lot of the road detritis accumalates.
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    marathon plus tyres only properly puncture resistant tyres. In the two years i've worked part time in the lbs i've heard of one puncture.

    Otherwise ride further out, float over debris.
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred
  • skinarelli
    skinarelli Posts: 64
    If you're inflating the tyre to 120psi, try reducing the pressure to say 100 and see how you go.
    Bald is Beautiful
  • aoeu
    aoeu Posts: 34
    Agreed with deflating a little. Sort of like the difference between gently sitting on broken glass and kneeling on it. Lower pressures will contour around an object and distribute weight on and around, whereas higher pressures will put more weight onto that little point causing puncture.

    Be more vigilant!
  • rake
    rake Posts: 3,204
    edited March 2010
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,237
    Best advice I can give you is to stay home when it's wet.

    If you still want to go out, then be prepared to fix a puncture. 100 PSI better than 120 and if it's wet I would go even lower, 90 PSI, to get a bit more grip.
    SLow punctures are a bit of a myth (especially at 120 PSI!), check out for flaws on your rim surface and/or defects in your rim tape
    Check out your tyres before every ride for flints working their way in
    left the forum March 2023
  • geoff_ss
    geoff_ss Posts: 1,201
    Apart from the obvious of using Kevlar reinforced tyres pumped up to the right pressure there are other ploys.

    First, don't ride in the gutter - keep a metre or so out.

    Second at this time of year keep an eye out for evidence of the dreaded hedge flail that scatters thorns all over the road - you can sometimes even smell the freshly cut hawthorn. I have in extreme cases picked my bike and carried it a 100 metres or so on the reasoning it's quicker and less hassle than mending a puncture.

    Unfortunately, punctures are part of cycling so be prepared with spare tubes and a pump whenever you go out. My wife had a huge blow out a couple of weeks ago that wrecked the tyre. Fortunately someone had a folder and we were able to fix it and be on our way in 10/15 minutes - so if you're going a very long way it could be a good idea to carry a folding spare tyre.

    Geoff
    Old cyclists never die; they just fit smaller chainrings ... and pedal faster
  • markos1963
    markos1963 Posts: 3,724
    Don't EVER buy Conti Ultrasport tyres. I've had 10 punctures on 3 rides this week. Mostly caused by thorns but even so my other bikes haven't suffered so badly with Michelins.
    Norfolk, who nicked all the hills?

    http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/243 ... 8d.jpg?v=0
    http://img362.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... 076tl5.jpg
    http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/3407 ... e001af.jpg
  • John.T
    John.T Posts: 3,698
    edited November 2009
    Check your tyres often for bits of glass etc. It often takes a day or so to work through.
    Also make sure you are not mending the same puncture several times over. Get that thorn (or glass) out.
    My Fleet.
  • rake
    rake Posts: 3,204
    edited March 2010
  • daver1
    daver1 Posts: 78
    I second wide_whenever's recommendation of marathon plus tyres. I got some after suffering a spate of 5 or 6 punctures over a couple weeks on my commute. Now I've done over 3,000km in all weathers without a puncture. Don't inflate them over 100psi. There's no need - you'll get a more comfortable ride and maybe less likely to puncture at 90 to 100psi compared to 120.
  • markos1963
    markos1963 Posts: 3,724
    rake wrote:
    marcos what type of michelin you use? the yellow will look good on my bike but never used them. bike came with conti ultra sport, no trouble but havent done 200miles yet.stelvio i found tough.

    Lithions in black/blue, done over 3000 miles and only one puncture, top tyre for the money.
    Norfolk, who nicked all the hills?

    http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/243 ... 8d.jpg?v=0
    http://img362.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... 076tl5.jpg
    http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/3407 ... e001af.jpg
  • rake
    rake Posts: 3,204
    edited March 2010
  • Russell160
    Russell160 Posts: 67
    Sounds weird, but do you keep your bike in the hall near a radiator? I have a hunch that maybe with such high pressures, the heat from the radiator might increase the pressure further and expose any weaknesses in the tube...:leading to that overnight/next day puncture feeling. (As one poster says, you just don't get 'slow' punctures at 120 psi. I had a similar problem and this theory solved it.

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