Road Cycling - A couple of problems with tire liners today

About 3 months ago, I was fed up with punctures--especially at inopportune times (at dusk, in a rainstorm, or running late for work), so I got tire liners. They have been great, until today.

When I was pumping up for my ride this morning, I noticed that my tire was down a bit lower than I might have expected. So I took a look at the tube. There was a leak at the seam which join the ends of the tube. There were other signs of wear on the surface of the tube in that area. A friend told me that liners caused wear on the tube, so I wasn't surprised by this.

What happened as I was coming home from my ride did surprise me, though. I flatted just about a mile from home. The tube was punctured, but there was no sign of a puncturing agent on the outer or inner surface of the tire. So I put a new tube in and pumped up. I inflated enough to get me home, but within a minute the tire was flat. I decided to walk the mile home and puzzle out this problem in my garage.

I was really surprised by the surface of my tire liner. It had a lot of little bumps on it. These bumps came with a little stress mark. They look as though these were places where the liner had resisted a puncturing agent. When I put my tube back in the tire without using the liner, the tire remained inflated. Could it be that the liner retains the residues of resisted punctures and that the residues can work their way out into the tube surface?

Has anyone had similar problems with liners?

Rich

Objects may pierce the tire and deflect off the liner. Then during a deflate/inflate cycle, they can move around the liner and get to the tube. A kevlar belted tire may be a better solution, since it wont let the offending object push all the way through the carcass of the tire to begin with. If you continue to use liners, you should run some talc inside your tires and on your tubes. This will help them slide across the liner without the abrasive side effects. Also, change the liners occasionally to get rid of any offending bumps and residues.

If your using one of those thicker liners such as Mr Tuffy or Slime then sure they can and will cause tube problems IF your using ultralight tubes. You can fix that problem by going to a heavier tube.

But my question (assuming the above is true) is that if your using an average weighted tire of about 290 grams plus you add a 90 gram liner and a 100 gram tube your now up to 480 grams. If flats are your main concern why not look into the Specialize Armadillo Turbo tire that weighs 360 plus add the Specialize ultralight tube at 65 grams and now your at only 425 grams. Your a bit lighter, you have the best puncture resistent tire on the market and one of the longest mileage tires plus you have no liner hassles!

sounds like maybe the problem is with your panty liners. Quit whining.

As Froze says, Specialized Armadillo is the way to go. They are almost puncture proof, very pinch resistant, and in an emergency can be ridden with very little air in the tube as the side walls are very stiff. They also last a long time.

sounds like maybe the problem is with your panty liners. Quit whining.

Grow up! Be constructive, not gratuitously insulting.

And to everyone else: Thanks for the helpful information. It seems that there were some tiny pieces of glass, the size of grains of sand, that were working their way into the tube. I need to clean out the tire on a regular basis.

Thanks,
Rich