7 punctures in 3 weeks...

Highway_To_Hell

time to get puncture resistance tyres.

My commuter bike has the tyres that came with it (Kenda K1029 700 x 28C ) and obviously they are not the best. I have only started commuting regularly in the past 3 weeks and with 7 punctures I now want to upgrade my tyres. On my road bike I use gatorskins but for my fixie I was looking for something with a bit of thread as I would plan on leaving them on all year round.

Can anyone recomend a decently priced puncture resistant tyres for me.

Thanks

petethedrummer

Do you have a track pump? You may be underinflating your tires.

Are you puncturing because of sharp objects or because of potholes?

I have continental contacts (700x28C) on my roadbike at the moment and for 2 winters they have not punctured .

Highway_To_Hell

petethedrummer wrote: »

Do you have a track pump? You may be underinflating your tires.

Are you puncturing because of sharp objects or because of potholes?

I have continental contacts (700x28C) on my roadbike at the moment and for 2 winters they have not punctured .

Yep, have a decent track pump and always keep the tyres at 100+psi. I have removed bits of stone, wire and glass from the tyre and that is why I reckon the tyres are not the best. I know one puncture was due to the fact that I rushed checking the inside of the tyre while on the side of the road and missed the miniscule piece of wire which repunture the tube within a few muinutes of restarting.

On a positve I have got very quick at tyre changes on the side of the road and puncture repairs at my desk:)

Lumen

You don't need tread. Gatorskins are fine year round, apart from the grip, but that's somewhat a function of durability.

cdaly_

I've been using Vittoria Randonneurs since last July. Very little trouble with them.

blorg

Armadillos are the most puncture resistant tyre I have come across. I have literally never punctured on one. The trade off is that they are slippery in the wet and have a poor ride quality. But if you want no punctures above all else they are a good bet.

I have Continental Sport Contacts on my own fixed commuter and have yet to puncture. It has only been maybe six months though.

I have punctured plenty on Gatorskins but would put this down to bad luck rather than the tyre. I have a flat one right now come to think of it.

jwshooter

i was the same ,i bought gatorskins a month ago .picked up a blackthorn last tue eve but noting would have stopped that puncture.

20e to the door each from wiggle . but you might be better getting them off slane cycles up the road .i just ordered a selle italai c2 gel flow saddle ,will have it wed .

Highway_To_Hell

ordered Continental Ultra GatorSkin's for €20.49 each delivered from CRC.

Thanks for the advice.

ipodrocker

Are GatorSkins popular with everyone on the forum? or what others are good.

petethedrummer

ipodrocker wrote: »

Are GatorSkins popular with everyone on the forum? or what others are good.

not me...but I haven't found my ideal tyre. I'm beginning to think I am the problem.

blorg

Gatorskins are a good compromise between ride quality, puncture resistance and price IMO. They are not the best in any of these categories but they are a reasonable compromise.

blobbie

It is just me or is the occurrence of punctures more prevalent in Spring / Summer / Autumn when it is drier ??

I have picked up a few punctures in the past month or so having not had any over winter. My simple mind is equating this to more crap lying on the roads which doesn't get washed into the kerb/roadside with rain ?? coupled with more broken glass from daylight 'nacker drinkers ??

mockler007

MAXXIS do exactly what they say on the tin
:P

BostonB

I think route makes a big difference. Some roads seem to always have glass on them.

Supercell

Marathon Plus, heavy, but never punctured on them after being plagued by punctures before them on my commute.

Highway_To_Hell

BostonB wrote: »

I think route makes a big difference. Some roads seem to always have glass on them.

you could be right, all my punctures happend between Taylors lane and Citywest where all the cycle lanes and roadsides are covered in glass/stones. the rest of my route would have less crap on it. except along the N11 at Foxrock church where the whole red tar surface of the cycle way is now just loose gravel.

Got puncture 8 this morning, thankfully new tyres should arrive today.

oflahero

Highway_To_Hell wrote: »

you could be right, all my punctures happend between Taylors lane and Citywest where all the cycle lanes and roadsides are covered in glass/stones. the rest of my route would have less crap on it. except along the N11 at Foxrock church where the whole red tar surface of the cycle way is now just loose gravel.

Got puncture 8 this morning, thankfully new tyres should arrive today.

Don't get your hopes up *too* much, I put new Gatorskins on my Langster as a replacement for the stock Mondos a couple of days ago after 4 punctures in a row in the same place, on a seemingly innocuous part of the tyre - and this morning, bang again!

Rim & rim tape looks fine, tube is new - cockknobs. I have angered the Cycle Gods. Off with me to the LBS.

SerialComplaint

A friend mentioned last night that she had got a puncture on her bike, so I warned her that they always seemed to come in clusters. I came out this morning to a flat tyre.

Canis Lupus

blobbie wrote: »

It is just me or is the occurrence of punctures more prevalent in Spring / Summer / Autumn when it is drier ??

I have picked up a few punctures in the past month or so having not had any over winter. My simple mind is equating this to more crap lying on the roads which doesn't get washed into the kerb/roadside with rain ?? coupled with more broken glass from daylight 'nacker drinkers ??

My puncture rate goes up in the wet because I can't spot the glass in the road.

km991148

been on gator skins for a while, but they dont seem to last - 6months doing approx 20km a day on the hybrid.. or is that normal?

Started getting a few punctures due to this, as there are a lot of nics in them for glass to stick in.. read somewhere that I should plug these nics with superglue, or should I look to somehting else..

tomasrojo

Canis Lupus wrote: »

My puncture rate goes up in the wet because I can't spot the glass in the road.

I think a further contributory factor is that the glass sticks to the tyre when it's wet, giving it more chance to burrow in.

annR

As a newbie who is about to start cycling 4 miles each way to work and with a smallie on the back on the way home, it would be good if I could avoid punctures and also know how to deal with any so that I can home again in the evening!

My tyres are Bontrager H2 Plus w/puncture resistant belt, 700x35c.

What do you think, are they fairly puncture resistant? What's the best way for getting going on the bike again after a puncture even just to get me home so that my husband can repair the puncture properly?

SerialComplaint

annR wrote: »

What do you think, are they fairly puncture resistant? What's the best way for getting going on the bike again after a puncture even just to get me home so that my husband can repair the puncture properly?

The quickest way is to replace the tube - not difficult, but you need a spare tube, tyre levers and pump. You need to know how to take the wheel on and off. If I had a kid with me and I was 2-3 miles from home, I'd be inclined to walk/push the bike home.

annR

Yeah I think I agree with you. I wouldn't mind doing that if I got the puncture on the way home. However if I got a puncture on the way into work it would be great if I could change it before picking up the child.

Lumen

annR wrote: »

Yeah I think I agree with you. I wouldn't mind doing that if I got the puncture on the way home. However if I got a puncture on the way into work it would be great if I could change it before picking up the child.

Changing a tube is easy but dirty.

IMO, the most convenient way is to carry:

- A CO2 canister and head, for very fast inflation
- A spare tube
- A Crank Bros Speed Lever
- A pair of light latex gloves, to keep your hands clean
- Some kind of pointy thing to dig our thorns/glass/nails, e.g. bradawl or needle pliers

Learn to use these tools and you can change a tube in a couple of minutes and be on your way without dishevelling yourself.

For long cycles you should carry patches and a pump, but for commuting the above is faster. With the right tyres you should very rarely get a puncture.

Highway_To_Hell

Lumen wrote: »

Changing a tube is easy but dirty.

IMO, the most convenient way is to carry:

- A CO2 canister and head, for very fast inflation
- A spare tube
- A Crank Bros Speed Lever
- A pair of light latex gloves, to keep your hands clean
- Some kind of pointy thing to dig our thorns/glass/nails, e.g. bradawl or needle pliers

Learn to use these tools and you can change a tube in a couple of minutes and be on your way without dishevelling yourself.

For long cycles you should carry patches and a pump, but for commuting the above is faster. With the right tyres you should very rarely get a puncture.

No harm in having a presta valve converter as well, if near a garage you can use their pump.

keenan110

cdaly_ wrote: »

I've been using Vittoria Randonneurs since last July. Very little trouble with them.

I have had these tyres for the past year now and never punctured on them!