Poor Roads in Dublin/Damage to Tyres

Heat_Wave

Hi All,

Fairly new to cycling (April ‘20).

Cycle approx. 50/60k at a time, 2-3 times per week.

Had my first puncture the other day (but didn’t even realise and managed to cycle home on it, approx. 8k). It was very dark, perhaps that’s why I did not notice. Ended up being a snakebite in the tube.

Question - How often should I expect this to happen? Some roads are absolutely brutal. For example, the Malahide road is shocking, as is East Wall Road/Alfie Byrne Road, to name but a few.

For the record, I set off on every cycle making sure my wheels are at 100 tyre pressure, so I don’t think this was a case of under-inflated tyres.

How do cyclists manage?

magicbastarder

if it's a snakebite, low tyre pressure is probably a factor. what do you pump your tyres to, and how wide are your tyres?

also, it's strange that you could have cycled 8km on a flat tyre and not have noticed. do you know where it happened?

Heat_Wave

magicbastarder wrote: »

if it's a snakebite, low tyre pressure is probably a factor. what do you pump your tyres to, and how wide are your tyres?

Hi MB,

Coincidentally, I edited my post (Just as you were commenting) to say the tyres couldn’t have been under-inflated as I set off on every cycle with 100 pressure. Tyres are narrow, it’s a road bike. Not sure of exact size.

Heat_Wave

magicbastarder wrote: »

if it's a snakebite, low tyre pressure is probably a factor. what do you pump your tyres to, and how wide are your tyres?

also, it's strange that you could have cycled 8km on a flat tyre and not have noticed. do you know where it happened?

I think it happened in Fairview along the Fairview road, somewhere between Gaffney’s pub and Westwood Club. I remember feeling a big bang (one of many due to some roads being so poor). I heard the “flat tyre” sound, but it didn’t feel like a flat and I cycled 8k from there to my house. When I arrived home, the tyre was completely flat.

hesker

You need to be able to scan the road ahead for potholes and avoid them. At night that means a good light that is directed at the road surface maybe 5 yards in front of you. Also practice bunny hopping

thesimpsons

Thats about 4,000km over 28 weeks so I'd say that's not too bad for the first puncture for a new cyclist. Correct pressure, good quality tyres and scanning the road ahead seems to work for me on a variety of city roads, country roads and even those lanes with grass up the middle and trenches to cycle on.

I cycle about 8,000km a year for the last 5 years and if I get one puncture a year that's the most I've gotten.

be sure you have spare tubes and pump or gas and know how to fix a puncture when you are heading out.

magicbastarder

might have been a pointed lump of metal you hit if the impact was enough to snakebite the tyre at that pressure.

07Lapierre

Cycle further out from the kerb.
Don’t cycle through water or over leaves.
Avoid “cats eyes” and manhole covers.

Wishbone Ash

What brand of tyres are you using and did they come with the bike?

Heat_Wave wrote: »

... I remember feeling a big bang (one of many due to some roads being so poor). I heard the “flat tyre” sound,....

If you heard a 'bang' it must have been a blowout. I cant understand how you could have subsequently heard many bangs - the tube can only blowout once.

....and I can't understand how you wouldn't notice a flat tyre. The handling of the bike and the comfort would be seriously compromised.

magicbastarder

i'd be worried the rim would be damaged beyond repair now too, if you cycled 8km on a flat.

crosstownk

It's possible that the OP got two punctures. The first one maybe leaked air slowly that led to the pinch flat.......?

If the tyre was completely flat for 8km you would have noticed. The wheel would be 'squirming' and you'd feel the rim as it hit the road.

magicbastarder wrote:

i'd be worried the rim would be damaged beyond repair now too, if you cycled 8km on a flat.

Agreed, the rim would most likely be seriously damaged.

I cycle in the city and surburbs quite often and I get very few punctures - usually when the tyres are almost fully worn. Every single puncture I've had, with only one exception, has been caused by a small shard of glass. The one exception was a thorn.