Road Cycling - 55 miles and two flats. Thanks Michelin.

Hi Folks,

I did 55 miles today and wish I could tell you that it was a great ride. HOWEVER, wouldn't you know it, about 30 miles out I was hammering up a hill when I noticed I could feel my rim. I looked down and saw a very soft front tire. It wasn't completely flat, but, was lacking serious amounts of air. After saying, "oh f__k" a few times, I looked at the rear wheel and also noticed it was looking as if it had a slow leak. I kept going, thinking, maybe I can scam the 25 miles ahead of me if I ride "gingerly"...yeah right. I looked for a nice clearing for changing tires and pulled over. By that point, the front tire was on it's last whisp of air. I looked over the tires and found the tiniest pieces of glass that you can imagine embedded in each tire. The glass went all the way through and must have made a microscopic hole in the tubes to cause slow, but steady leaks like that. BTW, I was on Michelin Megamiums. The glass that caused me to dismount was no bigger than the very tip of a dull pencil. These tires had just under 200 miles on them. They are now in the trash can. It was only a few days ago that I think I read of another biker on this forum who had a similar experience. I'm beginning to wonder if these could be poorly made tires or just not worthy of the harsh New York roads that I ride on. Needless to say, I'm done with Michelins for a while. :mad:

Steve

Bummer, Steve.

BTW, did you ever figure out what was the cause of the wobble you were experiencing recently?

Zack

Hey Zack,

Man, you've got a good memory. It was in fact the headset/stem that somehow came loose or was not adjusted correctly until the second try. This is my first bike with an integrated headset and therefore I'm learning about new quirks that come along with the technology. Today, I was up to 40mph and I felt there was plenty of extra speed left...now I just have to find a steeper hill! The bike was running great until my tires lost pressure. I think it was a rare chance in how they went flat. You practically needed a microscope to see the shard of glass. One thing I'll remember to carry in my bag next time, is insect repellent. Luckily, today was no problem, but, if it had been mosquito (aka West Nile) season, I would have been screwed. It took about an hour to change the tires, as they were on so tightly. My tire irons didn't work too well either, but, am I glad I packed that stuff!

ALWAYS carry 2 tubes, 2-3 C02's or pump, insect repellent, tire irons and paper towel. ;)

Steve

I've had rides like that before it's bound to happen sooner or later. Atleast you were prepared for it, that is what is important. I've only had 2 flast in one ride once so far, last ride i broke my chain a flat is easier to fix :)

Mercksrider; you may have to weigh out which is more important, light racing/training tires and more frequent flats which means more stops to repair the flat(s); or a heavier training/commuting tire that is almost flat proof. I had to make that decision after moving to a trashy street town and suffering 2-5 flats a WEEK and having to replace tires that lasted no longer than 750 miles before a fatal attack occured. I did manage to get my flats down to 2 flats a week (avg about 90 miles per week) by using Mr Tuffy and a Slime tube (which I found out does not seal punctures above 65 or 70PSI), but when trying to commute 2 flats a week is 2 too many. So after trashing about a dozen sets of tires and countless patches I went crying to my LBS who told me to use Specialize Turbo Armadillos. Well that was over 12,000 miles ago and no flats except for a faulty tube. I no longer use the Mr Tuffy, I use ultralight Specialize 65gram tubes and no probs.

You can alway train and commute on the Armadillos and race on what ever you prefer; but it does allow me to keep on riding without stopping to fix a freaken flat.

Originally posted by Merckxrider
[B]
Man, you've got a good memory. It was in fact the headset/stem that somehow came loose or was not adjusted correctly until the second try. This is my first bike with an integrated headset and therefore I'm learning about new quirks that come along with the technology.



It's not a good memory it's the BF addiction I suffer from :)

My K2 also has an integrated headset and I had some problems with the Ritchey headset that was installed. The LBS replaced it with a cane creek and it has worked fine since.

BTW, Which Merckx bike are you riding now?

Zack

i have always had good luck with michelin's. most of my flat episodes have been as a result of pinch flats due to improper inflation. bet this stuff doesn't happen on the east side!!

You might want to try Specialized tires with Armadillo technology. These are now available in road, slick and mtn bike tires. A number of us on this forum have had good luck.

It is my experience that flats come in cycles. Also, glass is pretty hard to protect against.

Michelin Axial Pros came on my road bike I got 2 years ago.
I averaged a flat every 50-75 miles. Had to buy a new tire after one of the flats. Glass cut the tire pretty bad. After a few more flats I trashed the tires and put Continental Grand Prix 3000 on. Haven't had a flat in over a year. :beer:

I guess the "tire gods" got a good chuckle out of that and I'll have at least two flats on my next ride. :crash:

I have also had similar experiences with Michelins but recently I have had pretty good luck.

All I can say is try another tire like the WTB CAmino Alto or any of the Maxxis tires or the IRC tires. These I am sure will be much more durable.

I put Michelin Axial Pros on last summer and got a flat within the first 40 miles. Pulled out the glass, patched the tube, and rode on. Close to 1000 miles later and no flats since. (Jinxed myself now, I'm sure.)

Originally posted by Merckxrider
BTW, I was on Michelin Megamiums. The glass that caused me to dismount was no bigger than the very tip of a dull pencil.

Note to self, don't but michelin megamiums.

I've been interested in the Hutchinson tires.

Sounds like michelins have trouble handling glass...

I had a deep cut on my michelin last week, and switched to Specialized Armadillo after reading many good reviews on it. It was a little hard for me to mount the armadillo tire compared to the michelin axial.

Well, as a matter of fact, I did jinx myself. This morning I'm taking the long way to work (going 15 miles in the wrong direction). I was trying out the new aero set-up on my Trek and I'm flying. Got a nasty thorn in my front tire. D'oh!

Originally posted by skiwolf
I had a deep cut on my michelin last week, and switched to Specialized Armadillo after reading many good reviews on it. It was a little hard for me to mount the armadillo tire compared to the michelin axial.

They are real buggers, aren't they!!

Especially the road bike models.

I've been riding the Axial Pros for close to 2 years now on city streets, 16 miles a day. I haven't had a flat in easily over 6 months, but then again, I go through periods where I get 3 flats in one week. It is the luck of the draw. I do try and avoid the glass though :D

Try Continental Grand Prix 3000, I agree with RonH, mine are bomb proof and great all around tire.

There is a huge amount of difference among the various brands and models of bicycle tires. I think of tire choices as a triangle. One point of the triangle could be labeled high performance, one puncture resistance and one cost. You can find a tire whose performance characteristics fit anywhere within that triangle.

I think that the Specialized Armadillo fits on the puncture resistant point. They are heavy and stiff and on the pricy side, but darn near bullet proof. I have them on my tandem and retro-grouch bike because I don't like to fix flats. They are so reliable that I've considered riding without a pump or spare tube.

Something like Michelin Axial Pro Lite's fit the high performance point. Very light and supple, but perhaps a little fragile. I have the regular Axial Pros on my go-fast bike, but I avoid riding it anyplace where I anticipate a lot of broken glass.

The real cheapie tires lack ozone resistance additives and tend to dry rot and crack before the tread wears out.

If I were going to buy a general use road tire today for my personal use, I think that I'd try Continental Gatorbacks.

Considering glas is many times as sharp as a razor I would not be shocked by it flatting a tire. I have very good luck with continental tires but am currently running michelin axials on a set of wheels with lots of miles and no flats.

Hey Merckx, if you're having a problem changing your tubes with your short tire irons, try picking up a Crank Brothers Speed Lever at your LBS. It makes getting a stubborn tire off and back on the rim a quick easy job. Fits in the seat bag - I never pedal away from home without it. Best part - it's only about $7.

It's amazing the diff. views on tires. It seems that whenever I switch away from michelins I get flats...back to michelins and no flats. I tend to ride on the less expensive models. I now bow to the tire gods and ask mercy for any errant comments, please don't make me pay....

Hey Folks,

...didn't expect so many responses. Don't get me wrong. I'm sure Michelins work fine for some, but, my experiences have been negative lately...just one biker's opinion, that's all. I just dread the idea of having to call someone to pick me up and that almost happened last time with duel flats! I'm now running Continentals tires and tubes and they feel much more durable from a physical standpoint. They're probably heavier but who cares. The glass that penetrated my former tires was unbelieveably small. I think it was from a broken beer bottle, as it was amber in color. Some knucklehead probably tossed an empty bottle from the car window. Regardless, I'm going to begin inspecting my tires before each ride. It's also possible that this glass was already wedged in the tire before I set out and finally wore its way through. Lastly, for those interested, I currently ride an Eddy Merckx Leader with Campy Chorus and Proton wheels. It's considered an entry-level race bike but suits me just fine. There are 5 other Merckx frames that are more expensive and use different materials. I've become a big fan of cycling's race history and of course I just had to have a Merckx frame. The green bike partially seen in the background is a Team Fat Chance from 1991 (built by the great Chris Chance). I've competed with it in downhill and XC competitions in Sugarloaf Maine and Vail Colorado. It can't compete with today's duel suspension frames, but, for its time was a great bike (and still is to a certain degree).

Steve