[maunakea]

Glass shards are the nemesis of my rides. I carry tweezers to pick shards out of the tire after I flat.

What are the most glass shard resistent tires for folders (with special note made of Kevlar or other "barrier" material)?

Does a Kevlar liner, e.g., SpinSavers, transform any tire into glass shard resistant?

[The BikeForums Team]

This is an archived thread, you can find the full version of this thread, with images, links and more content here.

Ready to buy? Check out these two online bike stores:
- http://www.nashbar.com (you can find the latest bike nashbar coupons in this thread)
- http://www.performancebike.com (you can find the latest performance bike coupons in this thread)

Cya on the forums,
- The BikeForums Team
- http://www.bikeforums.net

[geo8rge]

My solution: Better quality tires, MR tuffy, inspect wheels every few hrs and pick out glass before it works it's way in. If glass is trapped between Tuffy and tire it will travel around the tire until it hit's the tube.

Other good ideas:
Slime tubes, Replacing tires before they are totally shot (nahh to cheap, I wait until I can Mr Tuffy through the many gashes in the tire).

[spambait11]

Schwalbe Marathons are pretty tough (kevlar liner), and so are Maxxis Hookworms (I regularly commute through a couple miles of construction zones). They're both heavy tires though and will slow you down.

(If you're referring to Comets, my experience has also been that they're glass magnets.)

[eubi]

I have never used Kevlar tires, nor have I designed a tire. However, I'm not totally convinced that Kevlar makes a tire less prone to flats.

Kevlar is a wonderful material that solves many engineering problems if used correctly. It has a very high tensile strength. But it's not a cure all...

First, don't most "Kevlar Tires" use Kevlar as the bead to make them foldable? I did a bit of reseach before I posted, and found that some tires (e.g. Brompton HP) do indeed use Kevlar as the strength belts. Because of Kevlar's high tensile strength to weight, perhaps you can use less of it to reach a particlar pressure rating, therefore saving weight? But make them flat resistant against sharp objects? I'm skeptical, because...

I worked at a company that wove Kevlar into its products. I designed and fabricated items that used Kevlar for five years. You know what I did when I had to cut it? I used a razor blade. No problem. I'll bet a piece of glass would work too.

Multiple layers of woven Kevlar does a great job of absorbing the energy of a bullet, hence their use in Bullet Proof vests. I think that beause of this, with a little help from marketing, people think something with Kevlar in it must be better.

Maybe it does make tires less prone to flats. If so, I accept that someone will be willing to educate me. Form where I sit now, with my experience working with Kevlar, I can see a glass shard or nail going right through that Kevlar belt.

I apologize ahead of time if my post sounds a bit snotty. I didn't mean it to be.

[maunakea]

My focus is high psi tires. Currently, I'm using my tweezers to pick glass out of Kevlar Comets with SpinSkins (much lighter than Mr. T). The SpinSkins definitely help. No flats since it started using them on the DT (I've used them for years on larger bikes).... as long as I do the tweezer drill after every ride.

[2manybikes]

Glass shards are the nemesis of my rides. I carry tweezers to pick shards out of the tire after I flat.

What are the most glass shard resistem tires for folders (with special note made of Kevlar or other "barrier" material)?

Does a Kevlar liner, e.g., SpinSavers, transform any tire into glass shard resistant?

Yes spinskins work, better than other tire liners, follow the instructions when installing them. More resistant, not totally bullet proof. Kevlar belted tires are a little bit better. Some are lighter, all are more convenient,and less trouble to change a tube. Nothing is going to stop everything from getting in but Kevlar belted tires are the best.

[2manybikes]

I have never used Kevlar tires, nor have I designed a tire. However, I'm not totally convinced that Kevlar makes a tire less prone to flats.

Kevlar is a wonderful material that solves many engineering problems if used correctly. It has a very high tensile strength. But it's not a cure all...

First, don't most "Kevlar Tires" use Kevlar as the bead to make them foldable? I did a bit of reseach before I posted, and found that some tires (e.g. Brompton HP) do indeed use Kevlar as the strength belts. Because of Kevlar's high tensile strength to weight, perhaps you can use less of it to reach a particlar pressure rating, therefore saving weight? But make them flat resistant against sharp objects? I'm skeptical, because...

I worked at a company that wove Kevlar into its products. I designed and fabricated items that used Kevlar for five years. You know what I did when I had to cut it? I used a razor blade. No problem. I'll bet a piece of glass would work too.

Multiple layers of woven Kevlar does a great job of absorbing the energy of a bullet, hence their use in Bullet Proof vests. I think that beause of this, with a little help from marketing, people think something with Kevlar in it must be better.

Maybe it does make tires less prone to flats. If so, I accept that someone will be willing to educate me. Form where I sit now, with my experience working with Kevlar, I can see a glass shard or nail going right through that Kevlar belt.

I apologize ahead of time if my post sounds a bit snotty. I didn't mean it to be.

Two different things.........Kevlar belted tires for flat protection. Kevlar beaded tires for weight savings.
Many tires have both features. I have switched all my bikes over to Kevlar liners or belted tires. It is the best overall way to protect your tubes. Lighter and more puncture resistant than tuffys. If you have been to a bike show you could have seen a demo where you can try and drive a nail through the spinskins. they are very strong.

There are other things used for flat protection too in some belted tires.

Belted tires for flat protection are very helpfull. Except for the tire inside a tire method they are the best.
The old school tire inside a tire is heavy of course but it works.

[maunakea]

PKCs w/ SpinSkins are the best combo for me so far... but I may try Kenda Kwest with SpinSkins when the PKCs wear out. The Kwests have a good rep among 'bent riders. SpinSkins eventually disintegrate into 2" segments that can wear through the inner tube, but I've found a set is good for several thousand miles.

I'm running a set of Kenda Kaliente w/ SpinSkins on the 700c bike I ride on "glass shard alley" (Kamehameha Hwy over the saddle on Oahu). I have pulled several glass shards out of that set over the past year ... but not a single flat. The Kalientes are somewhat slower and heavier than Contis, but the Contis with SpinSkins would flat through the sidewalls.

Interesting threads at www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/showthread.php?t=18407
and www.bikefriday.com/pipermail/yak/2004-November/000923.html

[eubi]

Thanks 2manybikes.

I'll give those Kevlar tires a try next time I need a new 20"...which at my current rate will be soon!