General Cycling Discussion - Tire liners

On a recent urban ride someone told me to use ''tuffy" tire liners
as added protection against punctures. I haven't seen them in any catalogue. Anyone have experience with them? And are they difficult to install? I'm riding 700X23 Michelin Pro Race at present.

Most of my riding is 22 or so miles of commuting on trashy urban streets. I do EVERYTHING I can to reduce the chances of flats, that includes tough tires, thorn resistant tubes, AND Tuffy liners. Tuffys won't prevent all flats, but they resist most of them. If you ride on trashy streets they are a good idea. Easy to install, you just put them in the tires then stick the tubes in. It's a good idea to smoothe the cut ends a little. Some people recommend sanding. I heat the edges gently with a lighter just enough to soften them. A nice lady wrench showed me this trick. This is just on the cut ends, not the whole length. If you race, you can always pull them out before racing if you are concerned about the extra weight.
Regards,
Raymond

Originally posted by RainmanP
I heat the edges gently with a lighter just enough to soften them.

Melt the ends BEFORE placing the liners in the tires! :eek:

Seriously, I too am a believer in Mr. Tuffy. They will last for years, and if you look at the road-facing surface now and then, you'll be convinced they've spared you a lot of grief. The weight is negligible compared to the benefit, I think; that goo stuff you can put in tubes, on the other hand, is a LOT of weight and I didn't use it for more than a week or so.

Can you use Tuffys on such narrow tyres?
They are usually found on wider styles, > 32mm

I use Tuffys on my mountain bike and all of my kids' bikes. I would consider them for a 700Cx28 road touring tyre, as well, but I currently use Armadillos, which seem tough and heavy enough without liners. I have never seen a Tuffy I could tuck into my 700Cx23 Conti Ultra-2000s, which seldom get punctures, anyway.

I think TUFFY's come in different widths for road and Mtn tires. As already stated, they are useful.

I've got the Slime liners for my tires, and I can happily say that I've ridden over glass and scrap steel with nary a flat.

Keep in mind that these are the liners, and not th El Crapola Slime anti-flat goo that every bike mechanic hates with a passion.

Tuffys come in widths all the way down to fit at least 20, maybe even 18 mm tires though the smallest I have used are the ones for 23-25 mm.

This may be purely theoretical, but it seems to me if you needed a smaller width of Tuffy than exists, it would be easy to trim an edge using a metal straightedge (such as a carpenter's square) and a sharp utility knife. (Do not attempt to board an airplane with the knife, however.)

Does anyone know where I can get some of those Tuffy liners from. Nobody around here seems to carry them anymore :( .

Performance Bike has the Slime liners. I've had good luck with them.