Freego Hawk Punctures

[wightrider]

I have been using my recently purchased Freego Hawk (rear wheel drive) to ride to work once a week which I've really enjoyed. The only downer is the number of punctures I have been getting. The issue is with a section cycle path which is an old railway track. I am getting punctures from bits of flint. I have binned the original Kenda's for Schwalbe Landcruisers which offer puncture resistance (3 out of 5 rating) but these are being savaged too. Last Friday I got one riding in and one riding back home again. I never had problems on my regular unpowered mountain bike along that section and I noted that, whilst repairing my puncture, I was passed by plenty of mountain bikes and even a skinny wheeled racer who obviously weren't suffering like me. I also noted that no offers of help or assistance were offered which is surprising as the motorcycling fraternity will often stop and offer a hand when your old two stroke decided to chew a plug, but I guess that's another story.
I stopped in Halford's and bought some Slime on Friday's return journey which I whacked in after repairing the puncture. Having thought about it I'm not sure even Slime would be the answer considering the sheer amount of holes it may well end up having to seal.
I could take a longer road route but this defeats the object of using easy, quicker direct cycle paths. I am determined to keep using this route and it would seem that plastic tyre lining is the best option. I know a couple of people who have them installed in the same bike and they haven't had a problem. What do you guys think of these? I heard they can be difficult to fit but I watched an old guy on you-tube fit one really quickly by firstly curling it in the opposite direction of the original rolling and then fitting it against the original curling; this way it stays in the tube more easily when fitting. I think I will have a go at this.

For info I am about 6ft and not overweight. the punctures occurred as follows:
1. Front wheel: Accelerator and hard pedalling
2. Rear wheel: Normal pedalling limited pedal assist at time
3. Rear wheel: No power just own pedalling
I do carry panniers but keep the weight down to a minimum with essentials i.e puncture kit, spare inner tube, light weight hand pump, light weight water proof coat...that kind of thing. Tyre pressures are at 60psi recommended range min 30 - max 65psi.

I can only reason that the main factor in this is the overall weight of the vehicle. Your thoughts most welcome

 

[RobF]

Don't try liners - they inevitably move inside the tyre, chafe the tube and cause more punctures than they prevent.

What tubes are you using?

A branded tube with a bit of weight to it is best.

Another guide to that is the size of the box, if the tube is in a bigger box, chances are it's heavier duty.

Land Cruisers are excellent value, but not the most puncture resistant tyres.

Marathon Pluses are better, and the sidewalls are of heavier construction.

That's good for a heavy bike and good for a hub bike because the motor puts extra stress on the sidewall of the tyre.

You have both a heavy bike and a hub bike, so we may have reached a conclusion.

 

[flecc]

Flints are a menace for cutting into the tyre surface, but Schwalbe's Marathon Plus greatly reduce the penetration to puncture level. They are as defenceless against long thorns as any other tyre, but flints and glass fragments are generally handled well.

After fitting MPs I reduced monthly punctures on my two e-bikes down to one in four years, which I caused by stupidly riding over freshly cut blackthorn on a cycle path. Even that one was so slow I was able to ride home with one re-pump and repair it at leisure. In contrast, my trailer with wheels not having MPs still got punctures with depressing frequency, once even two on one six mile trip!

I use the standard tread road MPs, but they also do a more chunky Tour for all purpose riding and a block tread one for the really rough stuff.

Link to standard MP and Tour MP

Link to the knobbly MP
.
.

 

[wightrider]

Thanks for the replies. I fitted Halfords inner tubes (hangs head in shame and feels dirty). I had considered the Mathathons but didn't think my puncture issues would extend beyond a slightly more resistant tyre. I've checked those links and my preference would be the MTB plus version as my route covers some rough tracks and ones with thick sand too. The MTB's are cheaper on Halford's website too. Does anyone know of a cheaper retailer for Marathon Plus tyres?

 

[flecc]

Halfords price is steep at almost £28.
This link has some much cheaper outlets, but watch out for postage, Rose bikes are especially expensive for that.

If you have a local Argos that will avoid postage.
.

 

[wightrider]

Thanks, funnily enough just checked out Rose Bikes and noticed that. Halfords are doing a bundle for £48 which is only a couple of quid more than the cheapest once postage is added. I could find and I can pick up from the store which is just down the road from my workplace. Are these Marathons really that good?

 

[flecc]

As long as it's the Plus versions, yes, they are the best there is for puncture resistance, simply because the inner protection layer is so thick and pierce resistance. Most things just won't get through, but as said, long thorns or nails will. My usage is mainly road, but I still got plenty of punctures from broken glass and the like. MPs solved that completely, no glass shard has ever got through, despite putting various cuts in the tread surface.

The downside is that they are stiff, less flexible over bumps, so there is some loss of comfort.
.

 

[wightrider]

Yes that's for the Marathon Plus. I'm not too worried about comfort, mine is a unisex bike with a comfortable seat and to be honest anything is better than walking to work with a bike with a flat.
Thanks for a great forum by the way!

 

[Emo Rider]

What tyre pressure are you running. I would recommend 60-65 psi. I also agree with flecc about the marathon plus. I do 60 to 75 miles a week and have had one one issue since last July. As I also have slime tubes fitted, I ran over some glass from a broken headlight one day last week. One mile later I could feel the rear going down. I stopped put some more air in, rolled the bike slowly. Added a bit more air and continued to work. There I pumped back up to normal pressure and no air loss since. Yes, I believe in slime

 

[wightrider]

I pump up to 65 but by the time I get the pump of the valve I get a reading of 60psi so that's what I have been using. I didn't want to pump to 70 as that's beyond the tyre recommendation. Maybe I should attack that nasty track and see just how good that Slime stuff is.

 

[Eaglerider]

I used to get a lot of punctures using the Kenda "puncture resistant" tyres on my Eagle, mostly from Blackthorne hedge cuttings on the road. I fitted Marathon Plus tyres around a year ago and have not had a single puncture since. They run really smooth as well.

Of course, I have tempted fate now, but they are at least much better than the Kenda's.

 

[Emo Rider]

I pump up to 65 but by the time I get the pump of the valve I get a reading of 60psi so that's what I have been using. I didn't want to pump to 70 as that's beyond the tyre recommendation. Maybe I should attack that nasty track and see just how good that Slime stuff is.

It will do no harm pumping to 70psi to get 65psi when you release the pump head. Think about it, you bike is stationary and has no rider. The minute you get on it the pressure inside the tire increases. The first bump you hit it increases further. They are built to take it unless it is and old tyre with cracked rubber in the side walls and tread. Then it is time for a new one. Cheers

 

[wightrider]

Yep, I decided to go to 70psi last ride so by the time I took the pump off it had dropped just below 65psi. No punctures on my 15 mile (there and back) commute that day but I chickened out from using the section of path which now gets referred to as "The Track of Despondency" and used the main road which is never that pleasant. I have been lenient on the battery but am always surprised by how much must be left as the 10AH only takes a couple of hours to charge back up after a trip.

 

[falmouthtony]

Another vote for Marathon Plus with slime in the tubes. Three thousand miles over varying terrain. One nail puncture in all that time.