PIECE OF S*%% M@%!*R F*@!;'ING PUNCTURES!!!!

leftism

That is all.......... :mad:

ednwireland

having a bad day ?

Bikerbhoy

leftism wrote: »

That is all.......... :mad:

Whats wrong ????

seamus

They tend to come in spates. You usually get three, the third happening just about the time when you reach the the halfway point in your spin (i.e. when you're furthest from home), you've used both your spare tubes and have no puncture repair kit.

blorg

seamus wrote: »

They tend to come in spates. You usually get three, the third happening just about the time when you reach the the halfway point in your spin (i.e. when you're furthest from home), you've used both your spare tubes and have no puncture repair kit.

I have learnt the hard way not to dispose of punctured tubes too quickly... always carry patches as well.

buffalo

I've had a puncture every day since last Thursday, excepting Sunday. Fixed three holes on Thursday; swapped the tube on Friday, it punctured; swapped the tube on Saturday, it punctured; fixed the tube last night, punctured again this morning. Road bike had a soft tyre yesterday morning, but seems to be holding up.

No debris left in the tyre, I just appear to be unlucky at the moment. Next set of tyres will be puncture resistant.

brianthebard

I seem to have a super slow puncture atm, can't even find the hole. Should try again now though.

leftism

Took 2 punctures on the way in this morning. Both on a rear wheel which had a brand new tyre on it.

First one was at the Chappo bypass. Threw the spare tube into it, pumped her up and was on my way.

10 mins later as i went over the LUAS tracks at Heuston i felt her go again...
Searched my rucksack for my puncture repair kit. No sign of it... Long walk down the queys to Trinity.

Lessons learnt:

-Walking any distance in Dublin with cycling cleats is a disaster.

-A spare tube is not enough when commuting...

-Take more time replacing tubes or fixing punctures at the roadside. I'm pretty sure my second puncture was either a pinch flat or because i didn't check the tyre interior well enough for debris.

-Shwalbe Evo-R tyres are absolutely crap.

Greenman

leftism wrote: »

Took 2 punctures on the way in this morning. Both on a rear wheel which had a brand new tyre on it.

Where is the hole? are you sure its not a spoke causing the problem or some sharp edge in the rim?

I've always cycled to work, in the last 10 years 1 flat and that was a slow flat.

bbosco

leftism wrote: »

-Take more time replacing tubes or fixing punctures at the roadside. I'm pretty sure my second puncture was either a pinch flat or because i didn't check the tyre interior well enough for debris.

I think this is a very good point. From my recent experience of having many punctures in quick succession I think it becomes a vicious circle. You get a puncture. It's cold, wet and windy so you fix it as quickly as possible without taking sufficient care to avoid twisting and pinching the tube. Freezing hands, mini-pump and impatience mean you don't put as much air in it as you should. You've now got a much higher chance of getting another puncture. Looking back, I think I was definitely guilty of all of the above. My last spin was my first puncture free one in ages, but before I went I removed my tyre and tube, checked it for damage and debris and put them back on slowly and carefully.

Having said all that, I do think the state of the roads after the snow and flooding has a lot to do with it too.

buffalo

bbosco wrote: »

I think this is a very good point.

+1

It's why I hate fixing punctures at the office. The car park's in the basement, it's cold and dark, and I only have so much time for lunch. I haven't enough patience to do things the right way, only the quick and nasty way.

tba

buffalo wrote: »

I've had a puncture every day since last Thursday, excepting Sunday. Fixed three holes on Thursday; swapped the tube on Friday, it punctured; swapped the tube on Saturday, it punctured; fixed the tube last night, punctured again this morning. Road bike had a soft tyre yesterday morning, but seems to be holding up.

No debris left in the tyre, I just appear to be unlucky at the moment. Next set of tyres will be puncture resistant.

Stop cycling on broken glass buddy.

irishpeloton

I've had slow punctures with four tubes in a row in the last few days.

I've taken the tyre off, inspected the tyre inside and out, inspected the wheel rims, the rim tape. I can't find anything out of place. The nature of the puncture is the same every time, a slow puncture which takes about 10km to deflate fully.

What am I doing wrong? Could it be due to under inflation?

blorg

irishpeloton wrote: »

I've had slow punctures with four tubes in a row in the last few days.

I've taken the tyre off, inspected the tyre inside and out, inspected the wheel rims, the rim tape. I can't find anything out of place. The nature of the puncture is the same every time, a slow puncture which takes about 10km to deflate fully.

What am I doing wrong? Could it be due to under inflation?

Underinflation can cause a pinch flat but that wouldn't generally be slow.

You need to find the puncture in the tube so you know where to look on the tyre or indeed wheel- best way to do that is to submerge it in water.

I had a slow puncture recently caused by the sharp edge of the valve hole slicing the bottom of the valve. It would only let air out if the valve was angled somewhat. Put some electrical tape over the valve hole to hopefully sort it.

irishpeloton

Thanks for the response Blorg,

I've checked the location of the puncture on two out of the four tubes. They were both in the same place about four spokes away from the valve. I've checked this location on the wheel (on both sides of the valve hole) and just can't seem to find a culprit.

Maybe I just need to get a brush and a bucket of water and give the wheel and the tyre a good scrub down and see what happens.

bbosco

irishpeloton wrote: »

Thanks for the response Blorg,

I've checked the location of the puncture on two out of the four tubes. They were both in the same place about four spokes away from the valve. I've checked this location on the wheel (on both sides of the valve hole) and just can't seem to find a culprit.

Maybe I just need to get a brush and a bucket of water and give the wheel and the tyre a good scrub down and see what happens.

Check your rim tape at this point too. Sometimes the 'dimple' under the spoke can be deeper than normal and cause the tube to inflate unevenly at this point making it more vulnerable to pinch flats. At least that my LBS told me at the weekend.

I'm very superstitous about talking about punctures lately. Always think the puncture god will smite me for mocking him.

LastGasp

Tyre damage can be very difficult to spot. I was on a spin last week with Andreas.Voigt and he got a couple of punctures in the same spot. The tyre looked fine initially, but it wasn't until he turned it basically inside out and squeezed the sides together we could see the damage where the whole thing was practically worn through in one spot. He put a patch inside the tyre to try and keep going, but as Rottenhat posted a while back he had several more punctures that day after we parted company, I don't know if they were in the same spot or not.

Ur[s]uS

buffalo wrote: »

Next set of tyres will be puncture resistant.

happy with continental gatorskins here, just coming up on 1500 km without puncture

*touches wood*

Beasty

Ur[s]uS wrote: »

happy with continental gatorskins here, just coming up on 1500 km without puncture

*touches wood*

Beasty wrote: »

+1 on the Gatorskins - 1 puncture in the last 8,000km or so with them on.

EDIT - tempting providence for the dark commute home tonight!

Beasty wrote: »

Why did I open my big gob?

Had a pothole induced blowout this evening. I was in the middle of nowhere (well OK, on an unlit back road about 2km from Lusk).

I replaced the tube, and got the new one pumped up to around 80psi. Then something went wrong with the pump, and the air started coming out. Every time I thought I'd fixed it, I ended up letting more air out! By the time I gave up I had not much more than 20psi in!

I'm now with Dónal on this:)

blorg

irishpeloton wrote: »

I've checked the location of the puncture on two out of the four tubes. They were both in the same place about four spokes away from the valve. I've checked this location on the wheel (on both sides of the valve hole) and just can't seem to find a culprit.

If it is the same location it must be either the tyre or the wheel. Can you tell which side of the tube it is- that would narrow it down. Checking rim tape and triple-checking the tyre is a good idea. If you absolutely can't find it consider rotating the tyre marking where the punctured spot is so at least if it happens again you will know whether it is the tyre or wheel... if it is the tyre change the tyre.

buffalo wrote: »

Next set of tyres will be puncture resistant.

The likes of Gatorskins will reduce your incidence of punctures but not in my experience as much as you might think over a good race tyre like an Ultremo or a GP4000S. It will also be at the expense of ride quality and grip. Good choice for the winter but I would never have a Gatorskin on a road bike in summer. One alternative is a Gatorskin on the back and something nicer on the front (as most punctures are at the back.)

Vélo

After almost 5,500 km's of cycling, I've only had 2 punctures. One of them was while out cycling the bike and the other was just after Christmas. I had left the bike in my office and when I came back to work I found the tyre flat with a thorn in it. The tyre was fairly worn so stuck a Gatorskin on it that I had from before.

I've given up being superstitious, it's a load of crap!

bbosco

blorg wrote: »

If it is the same location it must be either the tyre or the wheel. Can you tell which side of the tube it is- that would narrow it down. Checking rim tape and triple-checking the tyre is a good idea. If you absolutely can't find it consider rotating the tyre marking where the punctured spot is so at least if it happens again you will know whether it is the tyre or wheel... if it is the tyre change the tyre.

Can I deduce from this that you put your tyres on exactly the same way every time (presumably putting the logo beside the valve stem or some such) or are my logic circuits malfunctioning? Just curious is all.

blorg

bbosco wrote: »

Can I deduce from this that you put your tyres on exactly the same way every time (presumably putting the logo beside the valve stem or some such) or are my logic circuits malfunctioning? Just curious is all.

Yes, logo by the valve stem. Only way you will notice if you keep puncturing in the same place due to the tyre. I presume irishpeloton is doing the same- if he isn't, then it must be the wheel and not the tyre.

buffalo

blorg wrote: »

The likes of Gatorskins will reduce your incidence of punctures but not in my experience as much as you might think over a good race tyre like an Ultremo or a GP4000S. It will also be at the expense of ride quality and grip. Good choice for the winter but I would never have a Gatorskin on a road bike in summer. One alternative is a Gatorskin on the back and something nicer on the front (as most punctures are at the back.)

I've only had a snakebite from a pothole on my road bike thus far, it'll take a few more holes before I put Gatorskins (or similar) on it. This is for my commute bike, where I wouldn't be travelling as fast, or need as much grip, as good handling, etc.

Good idea on protecting just the back wheel though, might consider that for the commuter.

victorcarrera

I had 9 punctures last winter. 700x23c continentals @200km/week
None so far this winter on gatorskins + tube protector.
The tube protector is a bit tricky to fit correctly and I don't like the gatorskins in the wet.

buffalo

OH FFS! One on the way into the office this morning, and one on the way home. I order a new back tyre TONITE!


*deliberate mis-spelling to add emphasis and hilarity.

DirkVoodoo

My only puncture in God knows how long was when I took my mountain bike out after the snow and a piece of metal was hidden under all the grit. Stupidly didn't check the tyre and punctured my spare tube 5 minutes later.

Be careful, I saw about 5-6 "broken glass hazards" along the N11 cycle path southbound the other day, mostly bottle glass. With all the grit it can be hard to spot, I recommend taking the bus lane.

Deisetrek

blorg wrote: »

If it is the same location it must be either the tyre or the wheel. Can you tell which side of the tube it is- that would narrow it down. Checking rim tape and triple-checking the tyre is a good idea. If you absolutely can't find it consider rotating the tyre marking where the punctured spot is so at least if it happens again you will know whether it is the tyre or wheel... if it is the tyre change the tyre.

The likes of Gatorskins will reduce your incidence of punctures but not in my experience as much as you might think over a good race tyre like an Ultremo or a GP4000S. It will also be at the expense of ride quality and grip. Good choice for the winter but I would never have a Gatorskin on a road bike in summer. One alternative is a Gatorskin on the back and something nicer on the front (as most punctures are at the back.)

I use Gatorskins all year round , why do you reckon Blorg they're not a good tyre for a road bike in the summer as a matter of interest ?

leftism

Picked up another puncture on the way home this evening.... Total of 3 for the day!

Funnily enough it was at exactly the same spot (+ 200m roll-on) on the Chappo bypass as my first puncture this morning. Its right at the point where the old Chappo Inchicore road goes under the bypass. At the Ranch there.

Coincidence???? I THINK NOT!

Anyone else puncture there recently?

I'm switching my backwheel from a Schwalbe Ultremo back to a Gatorskin. I deffo like the feel of the Schwalbes but its not worth the misery of 3 punctures a day!

niceonetom

Deisetrek wrote: »

I use Gatorskins all year round , why do you reckon Blorg they're not a good tyre for a road bike in the summer as a matter of interest ?

I can't speak for the blorg, but IMO gatorskinz, while fine for commuting, are too heavy and dead feeling for a proper road bike, as well as not really being grippy enough to really enjoy the speed through the corners a descent on a summer's day can offer. Puncture protection is at a premium while commuting, enjoyment and feel are more crucial (to me) while out on a leisure spin.

SerialComplaint

Bad puncture day for me today. I got my second puncture in a week this morning. Fortunately, I was just about 100m away from the office when it happened, so I didn't have far to walk.

I whipped off the front wheel, removed a little sliver of amber glass in the tyre, and stuck in my spare tube. I pumped it up with the small hand pump, which is a real pain in the ass once you've got used to a track pump. I then remembed that I drive an MTB and not my old racer, and an inflated tyre won't fit through the brake blocks. :mad

So, I deflated the tyre, fitted the wheel, and inflated the tyre again. I had stopped pumping, but then stupidly felt the need to give it just a bit more air. When I pulled the pump off the second time, the top of the valve (Presta) came with it, and the tube deflated pronto. :mad :mad

So then I had to throw out my spare tube, repair the hole in the original tube, and go through the whole exercise again. Bummer.

And I know that punctures come in threes, so there is another one on the way soon.

poochiem

yeah 3 punctures the other day, although the third one was in the bike shop when he was replacing my 2nd tube...turned out the tyre sidewall was torn so it cost me 3 tubes and a tyre (35€ in the shop thanks )

think I'll buy a car.

I have Conti GP4000s, something in a puddle along the canal ripped the tyre. Pity theyre nice tyres

72hundred

Slightly OT; but in terms of fixing punctures what's the story with CO2 canisters?

Stark

I haven't gotten a puncture since changing from Gatorskins to Schwalbe Marathon Plus (with smartguard) despite cycling through some extremely dodgy paths. Downside is the extreme weight of the tires. Takes far more effort to go anywhere (though the extra few minutes added are offset by not being caught out having to change a tube).

I might go with Bontrager Race lite hardcase again if I was changing tires. They're a good bit lighter and they have Kevlar and I don't remember having a puncture with them. Grip in the wet wasn't as good as with the Gatorskins but was fairly okay.

SerialComplaint

SerialComplaint wrote: »

And I know that punctures come in threes, so there is another one on the way soon.

Yep, I was right. It came today, on my first freeking day with my new freeking bike. Got to work in record speed, then noticed that my brand new Cateye rear light was missing. Had to retrace my route, and found said light flashing on the ground near the Luas tracks at Columbanus. Thanks to Cycle Inn for not securing it.

Anyway, came out of work this evening raring for another run on my new bike, and noticed while cycling through the car park that the rear wheel was way down. No spare tube with me, and just couldn't face messing round with glue and patches at that time of the night. So headed for the Luas instead, and bought a spare tube from the grumpy bloke in Ranalagh for tomorrow.

blorg

72hundred wrote: »

Slightly OT; but in terms of fixing punctures what's the story with CO2 canisters?

They don't fix the puncture (although there is stuff that does that too, like Vittoria Pit Stop.) They make inflation to 100 or so PSI effortless in only a couple of seconds once you have it fixed though, which is virtually impossible with even a good hand pump.

leftism

just a quick update on my original spate of punctures. After 3 in the space of 24 hours, i stripped down the wheels and took a look at the rims etc. Think my problems originated from poorly applied rim tape which did not fully cover a couple of holes for the spokes. When the tyres were fully inflated the rim tape and tube stretched too far into one of these holes. New rim tape, carefully applied and i havent had a puncture since.

It was either that, or i went from my rear Schwalbe Ultremo, back to my old Michelin krylion carbons....

Touch wood though!

IM0

if I have 2 flats close to eachother..say a week or so, the next time I just buy a tyre 8x3=€24 of tubes V's 25 for new tyre .

and normally within the week of fitting a new tyre I get a puncture on it :eek: and its usually near where a truck tyre has disintigrated on the HS of the N11 somewhere :mad::mad:.

IM0

blorg wrote: »

They make inflation to 100 or so PSI effortless in only a couple of seconds once you have it fixed though, which is virtually impossible with even a good hand pump.

how do they get away with rating them to 120psi then? :mad:

petethedrummer

me@ucd wrote: »

how do they get away with rating them to 120psi then? :mad:

The pump is rated to 120psi unfortunately your arms aren't.

IM0

petethedrummer wrote: »

The pump is rated to 120psi unfortunately your arms aren't.

someone should really invent a true foot pump, we have strong legs if anything

oflahero

4 bleedin' punctures!!! 3 of them on the way home last night, 1 this morning, same back tyre. My hands will never be clean again.

Tyres (inside/outside) checked, liberal use of talc, new tubes checked, rim tape checked, rigorous check for pinch flat danger. Looks like the worst nightmare - some almost-invisible foreign body embedded in the tyre that only does the damage at high pressure. Fart.

Thanks, just needed to vent. Roads are still in a state so I'm seeing people with punctures everywhere these days (both assiduously fixing at the side of the road, and despondently wheeling along with the accompanying defeated stare).

Apologies for the lack of A1/A2 race results in this post.

evolutionqy7

tba wrote: »

Stop cycling on broken glass buddy.

do agree...cycle alot every day to college and never had a puncture before...if i see broken glass or big pot holes i just go around them...

lyders

Is this a good time to post that I have never had a puncture since buying my bike last June. I'm still using the original inner tubes that I got with the bike!

And before you guys say that I shouldn't be saying this, saying it seems to be my good luck charm! Although I do know it is inevitable, and will probably occur at the worst time possible!!!

I also think this spat of luck is making up for the fact that I had 4 flats tyres on my car last year in the space of a month, which I then got rid of and bought my bike!!

ray o

Got a puncture on the way home last night (28mm Armadillos). When I got home I found a piece of glass had gone right through the tyre and when removed it has left about a 3mmx2mm hole. Just wondering if people would use the tyre again or dump it? Also, never had a puncture when running 25mm gatorskins on the road bike. Anyone recommend an alternative to Armadillos? Was I just unlucky?

blorg

You were just unlucky. If anything Armadillos have better protection than Gatorskins (Gatorskins have better ride quality) but ultimately anything can be punctured. As to the size of the puncture it doesn't sound too bad; you could probably seal it with superglue. Maybe post a pic if you are concerned.

Seaswimmer

SerialComplaint wrote: »

So, I deflated the tyre, fitted the wheel, and inflated the tyre again. I had stopped pumping, but then stupidly felt the need to give it just a bit more air. When I pulled the pump off the second time, the top of the valve (Presta) came with it, and the tube deflated pronto. :mad :mad

Always worth unscrewing the presta valve out of its fitting and keeping it before throwing out your old tubes. Then if you have a small pliers with you, you can just unscrew the broken valve and reinsert one of your spare valves. Not all tubes have a removable valve so i always check before i buy one...

Also got a puncture on my 700 x 25 Marathon plus a couple of weeks ago so as Blorg rightly says nothing is 100% puncture proof

k123456

My girlfriend just bought a lapierre bike with
Continental Ultrasport 700x28C TS tyres. They look light to me

Is she going to be plagued with punctures or are they punture resistant enuf

She is using it to commute 12 km each way a day, using "gritty" N11 cycle lanes (Bray to Cabinteely).

As well as the commute will pop out for a short weekend spin, As she wont be racing or going out on club runs, would she be better off with something with a puncture resistant membrane kevlar etc

Are the Continental Ultrasport 700x28C TS tyres suitable for commuting

delynet

I have a set of Conti Ultrasports on my bike (700x23) and never had a puncture in over 1000k on really bad back roads. I do make sure they are always pumped to 100PSI and top them up weekly. Back tyre has got a bit square in profile but found out on this forum that I needed an extra 10psi in the back.

blorg

They are sort of racing training tyres. They could be fine if you keep them pumped up to a high pressure. 28s too so that will help.

Generally I think with these things best to see how you go before considering replacement. All cyclists need to be able to fix a puncture when it happens.