Keep getting punctures with Continental Sport Contact(26x1.6)

youcancallmeal

When I got these tires I was under the impression they would result in me getting far less punctures. Unfortunately though I've had them around 9 months now and I have gotten around 15+ punctures and had to replace the tubes twice. I always keep them rock solid at 65psi but this doesn't seem to make any difference? I've just ordered same ones as replacements from cycle superstore but I'm thinking now maybe I should of ordered the Continental Sport Contact 26x1.3 instead because they are thinner and might result in less punctures?
Also are those Dr. Sludge tubes worth getting and how do they work?

daymobrew

Wow, my experience was the opposite - went from loads of punctures to almost zero.
I have the 1.3 width tyres but I doubt that that has much bearing as the protection should be the same across the 'Contact' range.

The items that punctured my Sport Contacts were large items. Only solid tyres (i.e. blocks of rubber) would be safe from them. I used to find loads if tiny bits of glass embedded in the tyre - none of them punctured the tube - the tyre was doing what it said.

Did you find the cause of the punctures?
If not, any chance that the punctures were caused by your spokes or other internal issues?

Raam

I kept getting a puncture in my tube. Happened about 3 times in two weeks.
Each time I would change/repair the tube, I examined the tyre inside and out for anything which might have caused it. Didn't find anything until after the third time when I spotted the smallest possible piece of glass ever, which was dug into my tyre and caused my tubes to get punctured.

Moral of the story: check your tyre very carefully, inside and out

Trojan

daymobrew wrote:

I have the 1.3 width tyres but I doubt that that has much bearing as the protection should be the same across the 'Contact' range.

The items that punctured my Sport Contacts were large items. Only solid tyres (i.e. blocks of rubber) would be safe from them. I used to find loads if tiny bits of glass embedded in the tyre - none of them punctured the tube - the tyre was doing what it said.

Same. Love those tyres!

rubadub

King Raam wrote:

I kept getting a puncture in my tube. Happened about 3 times in two weeks.
Each time I would change/repair the tube, I examined the tyre inside and out for anything which might have caused it. Didn't find anything until after the third time when I spotted the smallest possible piece of glass ever, which was dug into my tyre and caused my tubes to get punctured.

Moral of the story: check your tyre very carefully, inside and out

Yes, happened to me too. A tip is to have the tyre logo centred on the valve. When you get the puncture try just taking the tube out, no need to even remove the wheel, leave the valve in the rim and pump it up. Run your ear around it until you find it, then you have the location noted where to look for it on the tyre.
If you do need to take the wheel and tyre, tube completely off then the tyre logo will give you the location , i.e. if it is on the opposite side of the tube to the valve then look on the tyre opposite the logo, try not to mix the tube up by turning it around while pumping. I run my thumb around inside if it is not visible, then check outside, sometimes it only goes through the tyre when pressurised.

youcancallmeal

daymobrew wrote:

The items that punctured my Sport Contacts were large items. Only solid tyres (i.e. blocks of rubber) would be safe from them. I used to find loads if tiny bits of glass embedded in the tyre - none of them punctured the tube - the tyre was doing what it said.

Did you find the cause of the punctures?
If not, any chance that the punctures were caused by your spokes or other internal issues?

Yep lots of little pieces of embedded glass is what I found when I examined the exterior of the tyre but I couldn't find any that had penetrated. A lot of my punctures where really small needle like thorns that had gone right through the tyre which makes sense seeing my cycle route is through a park everyday. As regards spokes causing them I checked the rim thoroughly last time I changed the tube about 2 months ago and everything looked fine but something could of developed since then. I'll check them again once I get my new tyres. Do you reckon it would be good idea to put a flat tube as an extra lining with these tyres. I used to do it with my old knobbly mtb tyres and it seemed to prevent a lot of punctures.

Alkers

A flat tube around the outside does work. I'd go for getting beefier tubes instead though. Try a mtb tube, will be a bit more awkward getting it on but should be a lot less likely to puncture.

milod

I found Dr Sludge tubes very good - they'll at least let you pump up the tyre to get you home. Anytime I fix a puncture, I run a cloth around the inside of the tyre to see if it catches on anything like embedded shards etc. The other thing worth checking is your rim tape - sometimes a loose spoke can poke through the rim tape and puncture the tube from the inner side.