Bike flats

[Sherri]

What's the DOT using for sanding the roads...schrapnel?!

 

I got three flats yesterday.

 

Only thing worse than changing flats is trying to do it when your hands are FROZEN.

 

Not fun.

[KaskadskyjKozak]

What's the DOT using for sanding the roads...schrapnel?!

 

I got three flats yesterday.

 

Only thing worse than changing flats is trying to do it when your hands are FROZEN.

 

Not fun.

 

Wow, that sucks. Had the same problem last winter.

 

So far this year - NO flats in about 3 months!

 

[rob]

goddamn the man, sherri.

[Jim]

I'd check for:

 

Worn tires - maybe time for new ones?

 

Little devil pieces of glass imbedded in tire?

 

Worn rim tape? -- that one got me for a while.

 

Frikkin' cold ride the past few days. Bravo for getting out there. Seems like the bike traffic has thinned out.

[Winter]

Ditto the rec on the worn rim tape. I had a friend who had this problem, and his tire would actually spontaneously explode while parked in his office in the middle of the day. Pretty hilarious actually. Replacing the rim tape fixed the problem.

[tvashtarkatena]

"slime" tubes really help minimize flats when there's a lot of sharp debris. They're heavier than standard tubes, however.

[olyclimber]

http://www.notubes.com/tubeless_about.php

[olyclimber]

check out the video of him puncturing the tire and it reseals. i run this stuff in my mtb.

http://www.notubes.com/moviedemo.php

[jon]

Check your rim tape to start. If they are slow leaks you most likely have a small piece of glass in your tire. Inspect your tires very thoroughly for any small grains of glass, this usually requires taking off the tire and bending it at the small gashes. If you need new tires I highly recommend Continental Gatorskins. I put about 800 miles a month in the winter on these tires and over 4 winters and I've only had one flat on them ever.

[mythosgrl]

A couple weeks ago I got 2 flats in a week. I feel your pain! I replaced my tube (it was 2 years old) and haven't had any problems since.

[Sherri]

Thanks for the great suggestions, all. The Continental 4000 tires I run are kevlar, and I go for several months with zero flats (replacing them about 2000-2500mi), but soon as they sand the roads...it's another story. That's why I wondered if it's something to do with the sand. Damn sharp sand, it seems.

 

I will check the rim tape, though. (That's not something that I was aware of needing to check. ) What does worn rim tape look like, BTW??

 

I considered those Slime tubes, Tvash, but they didn't come with the right size valve stem for my tires. But I ordered some Slime Tire Skins and Forte tubes that said "Thorn-resistant."

 

 

 

 

[JayB]

I've used the slime tire skins and they seem to help.

[Couloir]

Most of that road sand is recycled, as in swept up from previous dumps and screened, which small pieces of glass can go right through.

 

I 2nd (or 3rd) the small pesky glass or in my case, tiny blackberry thorn, as being the problem.

[Off_White]

I've always preferred to bike in flats rather than heels.

[octopuswithafez]

I've always preferred to bike in flats rather than heels.

 

[lI1|1!]

i feel your pain. i once got 3 flats in 2 miles riding into port angeles - continuous broken glass on the shoulder.

 

it was raining.

 

 

[Jim]

 

I will check the rim tape, though. (That's not something that I was aware of needing to check. ) What does worn rim tape look like, BTW??

 

Look and run you finger over the tape. Sometimes it just may not be sitting right and it exposes a tiny part of the spoke hole. When you go over a bump the dang tube can get pinched or just the constant rubbing will do it. If any edge can be felt through the tape, that's not good. Also, some bike factory tape is this thin plastic stuff. Rip that out if you have it and put in the thicker standard white rim tape.

[Sherri]

Thanks, Jim, that's a great help. (I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be looking for.)

 

 

 

I've always preferred to bike in flats rather than heels.

Well, now that puts a whole new spin on things, doesn't it?!

[Sherri]

i feel your pain. i once got 3 flats in 2 miles riding into port angeles - continuous broken glass on the shoulder.

 

it was raining.

 

 

I think you get the prize! At least I had sun on my multi-flat days, and my flats were spread over 30 miles of riding(got the last one on the final mile, but it was small and I was so fed up with changing flats by then that I raced it home before it was dead flat. )

[archenemy]

I get no flats while my bike sits in the garage.

[Sherri]

I get no flats while my bike sits in the garage.

 

I'm jealous.

[tvashtarkatena]

I get no flats while my bike sits in the garage.

 

I'm even less worried: my bike's in the garage with two flats.

[rbw1966]

+1 on the gator skins. I would routinely get flats (pinch flats--I'm too lazy to check my tire pressure regularly) and had something like 5 flats in a week. I've been running the gator skins for two continuous years of commuting to work and not a single flat. They've paid for themselves in savings on tubes and peace of mind.

[G-spotter]

If A sharp becomes A flat maybe you need a piano tuner.

[archenemy]

Or a new sense of humor.

Make that "humour"