Ken,

flats are one of the dreaded fears of every roadster/commuter! Each man/woman will swear by his/her favourite tire.

That is your best bet. The two tires I have found to be almost bombproof are:

Bontrager Racelite Hardcase (700×25c)
Schwalbe Marathon Plus (700 x 25c)

The Bontragers are a much faster ride than the Schwalbes and will make your commute noticeably shorter. They are both very tough tires.

Solid aireless tires will guarantee no flats but give you a hard and uncomfortable ride that takes longer.

Another thing to consider is that practise makes perfect. You can get yourself to the level where you can patch a tube and change a tire in 10 mins or even less.

If you’ve along commute, airless tires will even tually make your ride uncomfortable and far less fun. That however if just my HO.

Good luck whichever you choose.

I’ve found that even with 700 X 23 cc wheels and tires, a tire liner plus puncture resistant tube does the trick. Yes, they’re heavier and a bit slower, but I have ridden to work for years with this combo and had only one flat on the way to work in 35 years!

Unless your commute is littered with glass, I would just leave early enough that leaves you 15 minutes to change a tube and use a CO2 cartridge to fill it back up. I have seen people change a tube in less than 10 minutes. Depends on how tightly your tire fits your rim. Also, be aware that CO2 is soluble in rubber, so your tire will go flat overnight. You need to empty it at your destination and pump it with air.

Hi Ken,
If I understand correctly , you are riding a road bike to work?
I assume you are wearing a helmet ,shorts,SPD,
gloves and STI? and probably some OAKLEYS and possibly a jersey with 3 pockets in the back?
My suggestion is; stick a spare tube in one of those pockets .
and don’t forget your pump.
Comedy is not considered WORK as yet!?

I used to have a pair of wire devices that mounted to the brake pivot points that then rested on the tires. The wire was shaped to conform to the cross section of the tire and just lightly rubbed against the tires, knocking off anything that wanted to embed itself in the tread. They worked pretty well, though I haven’t seen them in stores for a while.

I live in New Mexico with numerous goat head that make slime and liners useless. I ride on Specialized Armadillos 700 x 38, no flats in 3000 miles.

I agree with Claire Achen. I put a pair of “stop flats” tire liners in the tires on my commuter bike (700×25) last year and have ridden over 3000 miles without a puncture flat. I have had to pry some significant pieces of glass out of the tires, but have not had a flat.

I really appreciate all the great advice, and this goes along way to helping me decide on what to purchase, but mainly allays any fears I’ve had about a bicycle commute. Thanks to all.

Ken

Quick Fix, I’v been bicycling to work for over 17 years. Rain, snow, sunny days, it just dosen’t matter. What I’ve learned to do is I carry extra tubes and I use Co2 cartrigies to fill the new tube. It takes me just 5 minutes to get back on the road after a flat, and thats without even feeling rushed (not paniced). You can fix the tube latter or like me just throw it out, because I almost never have been able to fix the darn thing.

I wouldn’t have believed it had I not seen it and I told my buddy I would write BikeCyclingReviews if it worked and by golly it did. We were riding the foothills and working some rock gardens when he hit hard and punctured his front tire. We tried patching it but it only held for a short while before going flat again. He then had this wild idea that he could tie a knot in the tube where the hole was and he ended up “riding” and not walking the 4 miles back to the car. Craziest thing I ever did see. Never say never and you won’t know unless you try something.