Comments on: How to Eliminate Flats?

By: Peter Wuelfert

Peter Wuelfert — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 10:58:24 +0000

Thanks for the great tips.
Brent, I live in Australia, what are MR TUFFY’s?

By: Brent

Brent — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 05:17:01 +0000

I live in Sacramento Calif. Our biggest flat demon is the dreaded Goathead thorn. To escape this menace I use MR TUFFY’s
I ride on 700×23 Vredsteins inflated all the way to 160. After 6 sets of tires…No flats. My son has the same tires with MR TUFFY’s… no flats. I put them in my mountain bike as well as ever other bikeI have.I have met many riders and MR TUFFY’s seam to be the trick with them as well.

Cheap insurance!

By: Lou

Lou — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:49:55 +0000

Abe, I grew up in a very poor country where tying “little knots” on our bicycle inner tubes was the norm! We couldn’t afford a new tube every time we got a flat, and there were plenty! It was very common to ride around with not one but sever little knots on your tube! They held up pretty good too! We’d even carry some fishing line to “fix” our flats. Today it’s customary to throw out an entirely good inner tube and just throw a new one on the wheel. I still carry a bit of fishing line in my patch kit out of tradition, and to give that unprepared cyclist on the side of the road. It’s great to know the little knot on the inner tube trick can still save the day!

By: Abe

Abe — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:17:32 +0000

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.

By: Randy Dusel

Randy Dusel — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:28:29 +0000

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.

By: Ken Sullivan

Ken Sullivan — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:31:39 +0000

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

By: Dick Evans

Dick Evans — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:15:37 +0000

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.

By: Ed

Ed — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:00:46 +0000

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.

By: Mark Johns

Mark Johns — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:23:12 +0000

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.

By: david

david — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:01:04 +0000

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!?

By: Steve Moore

Steve Moore — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:13:12 +0000

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.

By: Claire Achen

Claire Achen — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:26:29 +0000

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!

By: GE

GE — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:25:57 +0000

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 (700x25c)
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.