Page 1 of 2

I tried to be brave

Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 10:26 pm
by Cluey
I have tried tried tried to commute every day... every every every day that is..... for 40km but

4 FLATS IN 6 DAYS? Are you serious? Surely it can't be that miserable.

Just this morning I am hooking along minding my own business, then, the 'Jack Pack' ride along on the road I must turn onto, then I mark (i.e. see em', mark em', seek to overtake em') this 'Jack Pack' - whole bunch of guys in similar lycra, and then

YEP - I cruised along at 31km per hour barely pedalling (who knew this whole pack thing was like catching the bus - no effort)

ANYWAY, sure enough, I turn off toward work, go for about 1km away from the Jack pack and yep, ANOTHER flatty! God, it is driving me crazy - can't be normal surely.

3 out of 4 flats I have found the culprit (metal shards), all flats have been rear wheel, 3 patches on one tube and one patch on the new tube .....all flats are on a different road....

Advice maybe? Thicker tyre to save my commute perhaps?

Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 10:32 pm
by Mulger bill
Try slime liners http://www.slime.com/product.php?product=SL-f1 or any of their other stuff you think will work for you.


Off topic question by the dill... How can I make posted links look different to the above :?:
Richard does it a lot, I've noticed 8)


Shaun

Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 11:52 pm
by ShanDog
I had 2 flats within an hour and it was just lucky that i had a spare tube and so did my brother. It turned out to also be metal shards. Now that I've filed it away everyone thing is A.O.K!!

It could be that you're not seeing a shard. The shard puncturing my tyres was only 2mm long, very tiny! I actually took off the whole tube and tread and slowly (and very carefully) ran my finger along the whole rim until I was satisfied with the result.
Mulger bill wrote:Off topic question by the dill... How can I make posted links look different to the above :?:
Richard does it a lot, I've noticed 8)
do you mean changing this http://www.slime.com/product.php?product=SL-f1 to something LIKE THIS????

If thats what you mean... then instead of (url)http://www.something.com(/url) just change it to (url=http://www.something.com)Click me!(/url).... of course changing these --> ( ) into the square brackets!!

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 12:15 am
by europa
I went mad years ago when I used to commute (on the mighty Europa :D ) behind the Superdrome here in Adelaide. There was a 200m stretch that gave me a three corner jack puncture damned near every day. As you can tell, the effects of that madness still linger :D

I cured that by going to thorn proof tyres. Incidentally, they're still in the Europa, twenty years later.

However, there is a new product who's name escapes me but it's basically a kevlar strip you put in your tyre - the nasty sharp thingies get to dig into that rather then the rubber tubey thing that holds all the air. Apparently they work very well.

I'd be wary about putting any slime or the like in your tyre unless you are forced to. They do work and they work very well, but they can make fitting new tubes very messy. If you can find a cleaner way around the problem, like thorn proof tyres and that kevlar strip, you'll be happier, but if they fail you, slime the thing and get to work on time.

Richard

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 12:17 am
by Bnej
Thorn proof tubes.

Then Continental "Contact" tyres:
http://www.conti.com.au/city_more.asp?CatID=1

You still get a puncture? "Contact Security" tyre
http://www.conti.com.au/city_more.asp?CatID=8

they look like this:
Image

You get a puncture with all that, then you're cursed. ;)

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 12:19 am
by europa
The funny links are rather simple.

text to be displayed

I type in the text. Highlight it. Click on the URL button above your message window. Click on the first URL tag, type in the '=' and then put in the actual hyperlink (usually by copy and paste so I don't get it wrong). It's easier than it sounds.

Richard[/url]

Re: I tried to be brave

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 8:11 am
by tuco
Cluey wrote: YEP - I cruised along at 31km per hour barely pedalling (who knew this whole pack thing was like catching the bus - no effort)
Magic isn't it, riding in a pack. That's how the pros go for 4 or 5 hours and still have energy for a sprint.

My 13 yo daughter has cruised along with us men at 40 km/h, down a slight decline and a with a slight breeze behind and she had no trouble at all keeping up.

Aren't flats a pain. I had two within 30 minutes last Saturday. At least riding in a pack with guys you know you can borrow a tube.

Looks like most of the answers have been already posted. I'm seriously thinking of putting those strip things between the tyre and tube because I'll be into the racing season soon and I'd hate to ride 99% of a long race really well only to have to drop out due to a teeny, weeny little sharp thing.

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 8:54 am
by sogood
Don't forget to look into the tyre you are using. Some tyres are more resistant to punctures and should probably be the first thing you look at.

As for those liners, they add significant weight to the wheel. I know some people who complain bitterly about the changed riding dynamics.

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 9:41 am
by MJF
europa wrote: I'd be wary about putting any slime or the like in your tyre unless you are forced to.
Richard
The "Slime" liners (actually "tube protectors" in the above link) are bright green polyurethane strips that go between the tube and the tyre, same as the Kevlar ones you mentioned... although they do sell goo that seals tubeless & tubed tyres. I must admit the "slime skabs" sound very interesting, as I *hate* waiting five minutes for the glue to tack.

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 9:49 am
by uMP2k
For me, puncture problems usually occur from not having my tires inflated enough. Not just the dreaded "snake bite" puncture but I have also found that general "penetration" type punctures seem to happen a lot more in that situation.

Maybe even a change to a slightly wider tire might help.

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 9:59 am
by europa
MJF wrote:
europa wrote: I'd be wary about putting any slime or the like in your tyre unless you are forced to.
Richard
The "Slime" liners (actually "tube protectors" in the above link) are bright green polyurethane strips that go between the tube and the tyre, same as the Kevlar ones you mentioned... although they do sell goo that seals tubeless & tubed tyres. I must admit the "slime skabs" sound very interesting, as I *hate* waiting five minutes for the glue to tack.
Ahh, that's interesting. It'd be softer than the kevlar strips and probably a better ride. I'll remember to look for them when I get around to doing my own tyres - I've got tough tyres and haven't had a problem ... yet :roll:

Richard

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 2:23 pm
by timbo
You could always try solid tyres instead of this fancy pneumatic stuff. Penny farthing riders never had to worry about flat tyres.

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 6:52 pm
by Cluey
Thanks all - will do some research - I don't want to end up like Europa after all :wink:

I took a day off work and the lovely commuting to go see the big boys at Stage Two of the Tour Down Under..... They are so cooooool 8). Sprints were a bitova wash out though as action happened well before the finish lines and therefore outta sight.... Still though, good entertainment for the cost of my Cornish pasty :) Cluey

Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 12:27 am
by mikesbytes
Hi Cluey, flats are a bit of a ramdom event, you may go 6 months before you r next.

What tyres are you using ?

Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 10:47 pm
by Mulger bill
sbra9635 wrote:do you mean changing this...
europa wrote:The funny links are rather simple.

OK then, thanks very much for the advicee sbra and Richard, only took four tries to get it right :oops:

Shaun

Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 9:16 am
by amattinson
I went through a phase recently where I got a lot of flats and after some investigation found that the rim tape had moved and allowed a small gap down into the spoke recesses. The resulting flat was due to pinching in this small gap - so make sure any rim tape properly covers either spoke heads or the recesses in deeper rim wheels. Touchwood I should be OK for a while now, also the other comments people have added have been useful knowledge too.

Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 11:14 am
by europa
Fitted 'Tuffy' tyre liners to the Black Beast last night (and gell strips under the bar tape :D - hey, I'm getting old right?). I carefully chose Tuffy ... because they were the only brand my lbs stocked :roll: Went in easily enough though it all seemed a bit hit and miss - there's nothing to hold them in place until the tyre is inflated ... by which time it's too late to change them, but after messing about with the first one, panicking about placement etc, I realised that it all sorts itself out and the second one was just like replacing a tube.

These are one of the poly lines - soft edges with a harder strip in the middle. My tyres are still up this morning but I haven't had a chance to ride on them yet. I'll let you know how they go, especially if I get a puncture :cry:

Richard

Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 8:45 pm
by Cluey
What sort of money are they Europa?

Earlier question about my tyres - they are Michelin and have 22 662 written on them I think...

Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 9:18 pm
by mikesbytes
Cluey wrote:What sort of money are they Europa?

Earlier question about my tyres - they are Michelin and have 22 662 written on them I think...
Have another look Cluey, they would have 622 on the side which is 622mm which is the diameter of a 700c tyre.

Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 9:25 pm
by Cluey
Okay - 700 x 23c is what is says in brackets....

Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 9:29 pm
by europa
Cluey wrote:What sort of money are they Europa?.
About $12 I think. Certainly not a lot more.

Richard

Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 12:09 am
by mikesbytes
Cluey wrote:Okay - 700 x 23c is what is says in brackets....
23mm is the common size for a road tyre, most of us use them. If you are over 100kg, then you should consider going for a 25mm on the rear.

Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 3:26 pm
by Cluey
So I take it you mean I have that mm tyre by the measurements I gave you?

I'm 57kg so I feel doubly annoyed bout the punctures...I did 55km in the rain today and managed no puncture and no fall so the bike has redeemed itself for a little while :lol:

Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 4:00 pm
by mikesbytes
What pressure are you putting in the tyres?

Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 4:12 pm
by Cluey
Before - on the punctures week particularly, I was putting in 100, but only checking it every 4 days (so that is probably every 150km or so) but since all the advice here I have been putting in about 103 and checking it after a big ride (i.e. will check it before commuting tommorow morning) and every second commute day.... I find it is going down to 80 even in that timeframe so probably that was my puncture problem.... I reckon I might get the LBS to look at those Tuffy things Europa is talking about when I take it in for my free 3 monthly service thingo in a fortnights time.