Options other than going tubeless

ElliotR
ElliotR Posts: 28
edited November 2012 in MTB beginners
Hi all,

In the past month I’ve been caught out with a puncture on the front tyre via a big thorn and again two weeks later on the back tyre also through big thorns i believe.

I'm happy to repair the punctures as and when they happen but I'm wondering if there's any products I should be using to reduce the impact, i.e. Slime Inner tubes, thicker tyres etc.?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Elliot

Comments

  • nasha48
    nasha48 Posts: 231
    Hi. Sounds a bit unlucky. Perhaps go for a decent tyre with sidewall protection (Conti Vertical Pro as an example). What pressure are you running your tubes at? Also, though I can't vouch for them myself, my regular riding mate has gone through a lot of the slime tubes with the valves being naff and it's def put me off spending the money on them.

    Other than that, stop riding through big thorns!
  • njee20
    njee20 Posts: 9,613
    Reinforced sidewalls are unlikely to make much difference for thorn punctures, which are presumably going through the tread.

    There are many solutions, virtually all have drawbacks:

    Puncture resistant tyres: Specialized Armadillo range are near impenetrable, but are heavy, harsh, and expensive.
    Slime tubes are heavy, and not effective on pinch, or bigger thorn punctures.
    Slime liners/Panaracer Flataway can move in the tyre and only protects against certain types of flats.

    If you can live with the additional weight Slime tubes are the cheapest/easiest solution IMO, but if you're happy to fix them when they happen you may want to just stick with what you have.

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