Cyclocross - Tire problems..

Hi!

I commute 40 clicks a day, and have had 3 flats in the last 2 weeks - I have certainly lost count of the amount of flats I have since buying the bike last Sept. I have a 06 Norco CCX (which is great), and the standard tires that come with that.

I have tried tire linings, thicker tubes, different pressures, meditating, and am now thinking of moving to some bulletproof tires. Can anyone recommend something that is a 50/50 road/cyclocross tire (700-28-32C are on the bike currently) and able to stand up to pretty much any punishment?

My commute consists of 50% road, and 50% gravel and mud and i love the CCX on the weekends on the gravel..

Thanks,

Scott.

are the flats coming from inbound debris? thorns, glass, etc.? it may be your rimstrip causing you your problem.

My money is on a poorly installed and/or aging rim strip. If the strip peels back enough for the spoke holes to show, that will pinch the tube and pop it.

If you want to plop down some dough for peace of mind, for road tires, the options are the specialized armadillo or continental gatorskins. Those are both beefy tires that are proofed against most road debris that are well recommended by the commuters and tourers on bf.

Can't comment on knobbledy tires, though.

I'd look into the Richy Speedmax.

Are you using 18-25cc tubes for your cross tires instead of tubes rated for a 32-38 or for what ever size your tire is? Did you make sure to check inside the tire for shards that may be causing the same flat over and over?

Most of the flats seem to be sidewall and metal shards. I have cleaned out and checked the inside of the tires every time and left it with my local bike shop a couple of times for them to check and advise.

It seems to be both tires, and on average I am getting 1 flat a week. The bike and tires are less than 6 months old, but they get quite a bit of use...would the rim strip really be an issue?

Hi!

I commute 40 clicks a day, and have had 3 flats in the last 2 weeks - I have certainly lost count of the amount of flats I have since buying the bike last Sept. I have a 06 Norco CCX (which is great), and the standard tires that come with that.

I have tried tire linings, thicker tubes, different pressures, meditating, and am now thinking of moving to some bulletproof tires. Can anyone recommend something that is a 50/50 road/cyclocross tire (700-28-32C are on the bike currently) and able to stand up to pretty much any punishment?

My commute consists of 50% road, and 50% gravel and mud and i love the CCX on the weekends on the gravel..

Thanks,

Scott.

There is nothing that will stand up to pretty much anything. You need to scan the road all the time.
One good bet is a tire with a Kevlar belt built in. There are many of them. Google them.

Old school, is to cut off the bead of an old tire, and use that as a tire inside a tire. No one seems to talk about it here much, but the pros still do it for training and it works fantastic. That would be the most indestructible thing you could do. You will lose some speed from the exrtra weight. You can ride over a lot of stuff with a set up like that. Lance's teamates did it for training when he was Postal. They loved it.

would the rim strip really be an issue?
the rimstrip is notorious for causing mystery flats, but it sounds like that's not it then.

i run ritchey speedmax's, which are great for dirt and pavement riding, but i don't think they have much for flat protection.

i've never tried them, but a friend loves his vredestein 'cross tires. they are supposed to have some punture resistant layer. you can get them here. (http://www.biketiresdirect.com/productdetail.asp?p=VRPRM&tnum=5744881&c=7655388) i've run vredestein fortezza's on my road and track bikes for years and LOVE them. i rarely if at all get punture related flats with them. they make top notch stuff. for my next 'cross tire i'll probably try them or those grey vittoria's.

try panaracer flat away
its light and it works very well
elmar

Kevlar lined tires + Mr.Tuffies

Ultra-GatorSkins 28's with Mr. Tuffies. Gone the whole winter without one flat and I live on a gravel road so put my tires through their paces. Oh, and I am a skinny 240lbs. Gators have yet to let me down.

One other thing; check tire pressure frequently to avoid snakebite... Kevlar tires plus Mr. Tuffys/etc. should do the trick!