Continental contact - 3200 miles and first puncture

[frank9755]

I've been shocked at my run of luck with these tyres - not wanting to comment before now in case it tempted fate. I never thought I'd do so many miles without a puncture.

The puncture I've just fixed actually happened at about 2,500 miles. I've been aware that my rear tyre had a slow puncture for a little while, as I've had to pump it up about once a fortnight to maintain a decent pressure. I turned the bike over today to give the tyres a once-over and got out two or three pieces of glass, and pulled out a thorn. As soon as the thorn came out there was a steady hiss and the tyre deflated.

I was amazed how well the thorn had sealed. It's been there for several weeks. I'd heard that hawthorn could do this, but it's my first personal experience.

Despite this I'm still very impressed with the Continental Contacts. Very nice ride with low resistance. The rear one looks like it only has perhaps another thousand miles in it until it needs to be replaced. I suspect I'll change it at the next puncture.

 

[flecc]

These extra layer puncture protect tyres are amazing now. Using the Marathon Plus equivalents on my Lafree and two eZee bikes I've covered well over 8000 miles with a single puncture which was entirely my fault when I stupidly rode over a thick layer of blackthorn cuttings on a cyclepath.

That's the only trouble, they are so puncture free that one can get cocky.
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[frank9755]

Yes, it's amazing what doesn't cause punctures nowadays!

What made me check the tyres was that yesterday there had been a car accident just ahead of me on my way home and I had to ride through a lot of glass chippings. As I went through the glass I was expecting the tyres to get shredded, but they got me home ok.

 

[Mussels]

Which ones have you got? I have done about 300 miles on a Travel Contact tyre at the rear, I've had one proper puncture and there are about 6 large and deep cuts in the tyre. I think it will be going back under the warranty before the year is up as it seems to be falling apart.
Is there a good way to repair cuts in a tyre to stop more bits getting in?

 

[Nick]

I was very pleased with my Continental Sports Contact tyres. I think I had one puncture in about 1500 miles, which was actually on the front wheel (the motor's on the rear wheel on my Bionx, so the front isn't heavily loaded at all). As you say, they roll very well, and I only changed them because I started riding on a very bumpy track and the ride was too harsh. To be fair, even the 2" wide Schwalbe Supremes struggle at speed over the track.

If the Sports Contacts had been available in a wider width, I'd have given them a go. As it is, the Supremes are very good, and roll very well for such a fat tyre, but they are noticeably slower, but I suspect wind resistance has something to do with that, plus running them at only a bit over half the pressure of the Sports Contacts. I've only done about 5-600 miles on them so far, I think, so too early to vouch for their puncture resistance.

 

[flecc]

The Continental Contact Security tyres are the most puncture resistant, since they have the additional penetration resistant layer like that on the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres.
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[frank9755]

Which ones have you got? I have done about 300 miles on a Travel Contact tyre at the rear, I've had one proper puncture and there are about 6 large and deep cuts in the tyre. I think it will be going back under the warranty before the year is up as it seems to be falling apart.
Is there a good way to repair cuts in a tyre to stop more bits getting in?

I've just got the basic Continental Contacts, not the Security ones with full puncture protection. That's why I've been surprised how well I've done with them. Maybe its just luck evening out, as I had a puncture in my second week with the Kenda tyres on my Wisper, while I know others have had much better results from those tyres.

 

[Cyclezee]

The Continental Contact Security tyres are the most puncture resistant, since they have the additional penetration resistant layer like that on the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres.
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I recently fitted Continental Touring Plus to one of my Agattus. These tyres have replaced Contact Security in the Continental line up, but are essentially the same tyre. I went for relatively narrow 700c x 32 to help overcome the increased rolling resistance. So far so good and I will not tempt providence by saying anymore than that.

I fitted Schwalbe M+ to the other Agattu 9 months ago and again nothing to report. Some might think it a bit extravagent to replace to fairly good City Ride tyres fitted as standard to these bikes, but I had one puncture on each bike with those tyres, and that one too many for me.

J hn

 

[Teejay]

Is there a good way to repair cuts in a tyre to stop more bits getting in?

Not really a reply to Mussels' question but this may help someone.

Since reading the idea in a library book, a reprint of a 1920's one I believe, I've used it on my bikes. It is to tie a leather shoelace to the mudguard stays and loop it over the tyre. The theory is it skims stuff off before it has the opportunity to penetrate. Given the yielding nature of leather, even if you get it a bit wrong to begin with, it soon conforms to the correct shape.

About a year after fitting it to one of my bikes, I got a puncture. I thought "Oh no, so the ****** thing doesn't work after all", only to find the lace had broken, as they eventually do. The original author claimed he could ride his tyres down to the canvas, on the cart tracks of the day and still not get any punctures.

There was a device sold in the 60's, called a thorncatcher(?), consisting of a plastic tube over a wire frame that did much the same sort of thing.

 

[flecc]

"Skimmers" like this have been used and also marketed at times, but they are all potentially dangerous, particularly on a front wheel. Even a leather shoelace could catch on the tyre tread and crumple a flimsy mudguard into the wheel, locking it suddenly.
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[Teejay]

Don't want to tempt fate but I've used the device for about 15 years and many thousands of miles without anything like that happening. Then again, a lot of that was on old-fashioned roadsters with solid metal mudguards - and my lightweight has Securiclips fitted for exactly that sort of eventuality.

 

[flecc]

Yes, those mudguards are much safer Teejay. It's some of the modern thin and flimsy plastic jobs that worry me if one of these skimmers is fixed to them.
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