Punctures....Slime and other weirdness............

[Gorvid]

4 punctures in 9 days

2 rear two front.

Does this slime stuff work....can I get "run-flat" bike tyres....what other solutions are there ???????

[Xenocide]

Make sure there's not anything in your tyres slicing your tubes up.

I found the spikey bit of a hypodermic needle in mine the other week.

(Protip: don't cycle in Bristol)

[Gorvid]

There is nothing in the tyres at all....

What about slimey stuff ??

[Greendubber]

I've found slime to be (for want of a better word) cr&p!.

I was doing a lot of training rides on the canal tow paths and kept getting punctures from the hawthorn bushes along the side, 9 in one ride...had to limp it home with a flat back tyre. I went out and got some beefier tyres after trying that slime stuff as it didn't work out for me.

T

[ewenm]

You can get (or used to be able to get) liners to put inside your tyres too.

Limp home tip: Stuff the tyres with grass.

[Gorvid]

Don't tun-flat bike tyres exist ?????????

I was thinking of expanding foam

[BOR]

I willing to bet that there is STILL a piece of glass embedded in the tyre, 'cos that's my favourite mistake. In my case, the glass was not visible, but under load, was pushing through and touching the tube.

You need to find where the air is coming out, and mark the tyre BEFORE you remove the innertube, so you know where to look.

[Black5]

My mate carries an aerosol puncture repair foam. Same stuff you get from Halfords for emergency puncture repair on cars.

Got to remember your not supposed to 'exceed 30mph'.

No idea if it works, we have been pretty lucky with punctures.

Some tyres are designed to 'resist' punctures better than others.

[ewenm]

Gorvid said:

Don't tun-flat bike tyres exist ?????????

I was thinking of expanding foam

You used to be able to get solid tyres too - made from some sort of rubberised foamy stuff (technical knowledge eh! ) so they have no innertube to puncture. I seem to remember they got poor reviews though and may no longer be available.

[pdV6]

Some tyre manufacturers do a (slightly heavier) reinforced version of their popular models for puncture resistance.

e.g. Panaracer tyres with "PR" appended to the name are puncture-resistant versions. Have to say that I've yet to puncture the Trailraker PR I have, despite picking up a few cuts to the tyre's carcass.

[Greendubber]

ewenm said:

Limp home tip: Stuff the tyres with grass.

I did that once, great until I got to a roundabout just up from my house and the grass filled rear tyre flew off the rim.....dumping me on deck after a large grassy explosion. The car drivers didn't quite know whats going on

If you do stuff with grass, take it easy and don't get cocky close to home as I did....much to my embarrassment

[gbbird]

I too used to suffer from loads of punctures - once i got 4 in one day!

I think the Slime is excellent, and nowadays i will not take any of my bikes out without some slime in the tubes. It really does work. I can't understand why all tubes simply do not come with it as standard. The best thing since sliced bread IMHO.

Edited by gbbird on Thursday 19th July 14:47

[Trooper2]

Gorvid said:

Don't tun-flat bike tyres exist ?????????

I was thinking of expanding foam

Solid bike tires do exist but they are as hard as riding on the rims and slippery as goose sh1t on finished pavement. They are so hard as to greatly effect traction. Not a good thing when your contact patches are already minuscule. Foaming a regular tire will do the same thing, save it for your wheelbarrow..

I recommend 1st kevlar tires, 2nd liners and/or 3rd thorn proof tubes.

Edited by Trooper2 on Thursday 19th July 15:37

[Buzz word]

Xenocide said:

Make sure there's not anything in your tyres slicing your tubes up.

I found the spikey bit of a hypodermic needle in mine the other week.

(Protip: don't cycle in Bristol)

I hope that was nice and obvious and safely removed. I wouldn't fancy finding that running my fingers fount the inside of the tyre!

[anonymous-user]

from experience, Continental kevlar tyres work really well, and are ok in the wet (unlike some others)had loads of punctures on the commute until i bought these, and then none until the bianchi was nicked, i hope they puncture frequently now :-)

the aerosol, didn't work at all for me on a road bike, awful stuff- a mess and no sealing of the tyre.

on my stumpy, tubeless tyres with bontrager super juice, no probs yet at all (touch wood)

good luck, and crikey- be careful removing things from your tyres!

[Bat Fink]

Try cutting open an old inner tube and using that to wrap round the tube in your tyre. Gives quite a bit of extra protection.

If there arn't any thorny hitchikers lodged in your tyre.............. a decent (read expensive) anti puncture tyre may be your best bet.

[Pigfarmer3]

If its persistant you might want to just check the rim and the rim tape.

You'd be surprised how the rims can shard on the inside through major contacts. Also the spokes can be 'pushed' into the rim through impact, even only tiny but makes a huge impact on the tube.

If there is nothing inside your tyre it ain't gonna be constant blowouts from material on the ground (unless your pumping up your tubes to too low a PSi). Look for something else.

Sometimes if your valves are locked out of the rim too tight it can pull at the joins of the inner tube.

[Moose.]

I use this stuff:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=fit...

cycle three times a week and have never had a puncture since

Sod's law I'll get one this evening though.....

[BadgerBenji]

Slime only seems to work when it is warm, but here in the uk, its pretty much useless unless the hole is very very tiny. Solid tyres did exist, but they are rubbish, ride quality appalling, and the grip, uselss, and on the wrong rim, they could be rolled clean off as I found on a test ride.

Best bet is a decent kevlar belted tyre, the continentals, michelin and the specialized armadillo's are all good valid choices.

[Gorvid]

any good links for the best puncture resistant tyres...????