Puncture

[neptune]

I had a puncture in my pedal bike about 3 days ago .The first one since fitting puncture proof tyres about 3 months ago .I removed the tyre and found a small hole in the tube , in the side wall part . I patched it , and carefully examined the tyre for flints and thorns , but found nothing . Out on the road this morning , and biking on top of an inch of snow , pedalling seemed hard work . I found myself in a low gear , sweating a lot , and there was no wind . When I stopped for a rest , I realised my rear tyre was very low . I pumped it up , and it held , so I went back home . Stripping it down , I found a small puncture , 180 degrees from the original one , again in the side wall . It occurred to me that if I had reversed the tube after the first puncture , it would correspond with the same part of the tyre as last time . Careful examination of the tyre revealed nothing , so its wait and see time . OK , two questions . Do you still patch inner tubes , or replace them ? I am amazed how many people insist on using tyre levers to refit the tyre . I always do it with my fingers . In difficult cases I lubricate part of the tyre with a bar of soap . How do you do it?

 

[KirstinS]

personally I carry a very small toolkit at all times with spare inner, levers and tiny co2 inflator.

It seems I only ever need to fix a punctures in freezing rain half way to work so its all about speed !

For this reason I just replace the inner. Even if I chnaged at home I doubt I'd bother to patch - inners are little more than the cost of a pint (two at most)

The lever I find helps especially when fingers are cold (and I dont want a bar of soap in my toolkit!)

The CO2 inflator is very fast and gets a pressure I cannot achieve with a anything other than my proper floor pump.

Having said that since I switched to schwalbe martahon plus and conti travel contact I have never had another puncture !

 

[flecc]

Patching is still the norm, though some do a temporary tube swap in roadside situations. I don't use levers to put on tyres and frequently don't use them to take off the tyre in the first place, just gaining rim advantage to do that. I've never used soap or soapy water to put a tyre on, but know of others doing it.
.

 

[10mph]

I had my Continental Town Ride Tyre on the rear wheel of my Kalkhoff go flat very suddenly on Tuesday. Luckily I had only just left home so wheeled it back for half a mile.

Here is the 5mm shard of glass which I found in the tyre:

I replaced the inner because I found a series of 8 holes over a 12 cm section around the circumference. I think that after the deflation either when I was stopping to investigate or during the wheeling of the bike for half a mile, the inner tube gradually moved round after it had deflated and so was punctured again by the sharp point of the glass. In fact I rather wonder whether it occurred while I still had my weight on the bike and was stopping after hearing a noise. The 7 rotations of the wheel would correspond to about 14 metres and I think that was about the distance I probably stopped in after first realising there was something to investigate when the tyre deflated.

On reassembly with a new inner I put in a plastic strip from an old puncture proofing kit which I had. I swear by these strips. My present tyre must have done around 1000 miles from new. I am hoping with the plastic strip now installed it will last for many years.

Only problem with all the was that the 1C temperature made my hands cold, and I had to put the bike horizontal on the ground and kneel to remove and then replace the rear wheel, and of course my hands got dirty from the chain. It is the first time I have had the rear wheel off the Kalkhoff and I was actually quite impressed how easily it was accomplished even in adverse conditions.
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[flecc]

The tyre does move around the rim as the bike is wheeled with the tyre flat 10mph, carrying around the sharp object and repeating the puncture at intervals. It's something we used to see a lot of in my trade days when commuters wheeled their punctured bike to the shop without prising out the sharp object first.

 

[neptune]

Hi 10Mph , your hands got dirty from the chain ? Bet you wish you had a small bar of soap in your toolkit ! Just Kidding . I wonder what percentage of punctures are caused by glass ? Around here , it is usually broken beer bottles . I think if alcohol was only sold in plastic bottles or cans , there would be fewer punctures , and fewer personal injuries .

 

[daudi]

All of my punctures have been from broken glass. I had a nail in my tyre once but that did not cause
the tyre to go flat.

I think the glass that has caused my six punctures since late October has been from car accidents, where the glass has been swept to the side of the road, out if the path of cars and their relatively thick tyres, and into the path of cyclists.

--
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

 

[steveindenmark]

I carry a couple of pairs of very thin surgical gloves for those messy occasions.

I use Schwalbe Marathon tyre and tubes and cannot rcall the last time I had a puncture, years ago.

It sounds like you have put the tube back in after turning it 90 degree.

If you can take the tyre off and vaccum the inside and then run your fingers along the inside sidewall......very gently and slowly.

Hopefully you will find the problem or will have sucked it out.

Steve

 

[Morgann]

I just fitted 28x2.0 Schwalbe Big Apples. They fitted under the mudguards, they give me a large contact patch and and they have a kevlar anti puncture strip. I took them out for a spin today and the ride quality is excellent, much better than the Continentals that the bike came with; think I'll pass on these new tyres cos I don't see how you can have low friction and good grip.

Surgical gloves... cool idea. Two pairs.

Can of Slime tube sealant for those 'Got To Get To Work' moments, also a cool idea

 

[z0mb13e]

I just fitted 28x2.0 Schwalbe Big Apples. They fitted under the mudguards, they give me a large contact patch and and they have a kevlar anti puncture strip. I took them out for a spin today and the ride quality is excellent, much better than the Continentals that the bike came with; think I'll pass on these new tyres cos I don't see how you can have low friction and good grip.

Surgical gloves... cool idea. Two pairs.

Can of Slime tube sealant for those 'Got To Get To Work' moments, also a cool idea

I forgot to report my experiences of using a small can of 'Tyre Weld' recently. I had replaced a broken spoke on the Wisper on a Sunday. Rode the bike to work and back on the Monday. Tuesday the tyre was a little soft on the way to work and was very soft (too soft to ride) by the end of my work day so I figured I would try the tyre weld as it was freezing cold and I didn't much feel like pumping the tyre up by hand. The tyre inflated and I was able to ride home without incident. I had to re-inflate it the following day but it has been fine ever since.

As has been mentioned in the past in reference to these products, I was lucky in that the puncture was a slow one otherwise the tyre weld probably wouldn't have worked.

 

[neptune]

I started this thread on 10th feb . Since then I have had 4 punctures up to last weekend . This in spite of puncture proof tyres . All in the rear wheel , by the way . After the last one . I fitted a new tube , as i felt 4 patches was enough . In all these punctures , I failed to find a thorn , or flint in the tyre . Many , but not all punctures were in the sidewall of the tube . This morning - puncture . As a temporary solution , I have replaced the puncture proof tyre with an original tyre the bike was fitted with , in fair condition , and patched the tube . I allways run high pressure , and very seldom go off road this time of year .I keep hoping I have cured it . Watch this space .

 

[jerrysimon]

Punctures often come in twos but four in such a short space and with puncture proof tires sounds suspicious. I have found that taking care when fitting can help. Side wall punctures to me indicate that you may be trapping the tube. After first fitting the tire and tube and before inflating, are you checking round that the tube is not caught ? I usually just check by pushing the tire bead in as I go right round the rim making sure the tube is not caught.

Another cause of side punctures is if the bead is damaged and the wire exposed rubbing the side of the tube.

Maybe this is teaching you to suck eggs, but just a few suggestions.

Regards

Jerry

 

[neptune]

Thanks for that Jerry . I dont think I am trapping the tube as I have used the same technique for the last 50 years , and I always refit the tyre with fingers only , not levers .. I will admit that my close up vision is poor . I will check the bead of the tyre for damage tomorrow . Well worth a look . Tonight , I marked the valve position of the tyre with chalk , and marked one side of the tube , so that after removing tyre and tube , I could relate the puncture position to an exact area of the tyre . Still no flints or thorns . I would suspect vandalism , but once outside my locked shed , it is never out of my sight . I wonder if I have upset someone who has psychokinetic powers ...

 

[jerrysimon]

Well after 50 years you must be an expert, so glad I put the comment in about not trying to teach you to suck eggs

The wire bead rubbing caught me out but that was because the rims I was using were a really tight fit and I had damaged the bead when fitting and removing the tires.

Its amazing after a few punctures how proficient quick you become at learning to spot problems. Like you I can now fit tires without levers

Regards

Jerry

 

[Cyclezee]

I am probably preaching to the converted, but it is Sunday

Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres and Schwalbe inner tubes, they cost a few pounds more, but they are well worth it unless you really enjoy repairing punctures.

Here endeth the lesson and it is off to church for me to ask for forgiveness for all my sins and drop off some Cycle Charge Flyers.

I will probably be there most of the day

BTW, lying isn't a sin is it? Surely it's not as bad as going off topic

 

[jerrysimon]

Its a sin to put so many smilies in your posts lol

I used MP tires and tubes for over a year and agree they are the best prevention against flat tires, however as I said I struggled to get them on my small 16" rims and ended up with several punctures from the tubes being rubbed over time. Never had an actual tire penetration puncture though.

I am now a complete convert to Kojaks on my Brompton though. Far from puncture proof, but incredibly light and roll really well. Had one puncture in eight months and another almost straight after when the tube came through the old tire split and got pinched

For my wife's and daughters traditional English ladies bikes, I have fitted MP tires. Not a single puncture on them since fitted.

Regards

Jerry

 

[flecc]

BTW, lying isn't a sin is it? Surely it's not as bad as going off topic

Speaking of zebras........................