Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - ARGH! This is why I dont take longer rides

Ok, so I've been gearing up for some longer rides, but I havent been able to get there, mostly because of a mental roadblock I've been having. I don't trust my equipment. I trust the frame, I trust the brakes, I trust the gears, etc. But I dont trust the rear wheel/tire.

So, I go and get the rear wheel tensioned/trued, and the bad boy seems all set. So I set out determined to see exactly how far I can go in an hour. I am rollin, big time. Get to the half hour time frame and turn around. I look and see where I am..... 7.5 miles!That's right, I'm on the point for 15 MPH average for an hour!

Then the thinkable (yes, it is the opposite of unthinkable) happens, I'm going hard, evidently too hard. I've been cornering nicely all day, leaning in a bit, keeping speed up through some nice round turns. Evidently, I took one of them too hard.... and.... I.... flatted. slowly, over the course of half a mile or so.

5+ miles from home, no spare tube, just got it, forgot to pack it. I call the fiancee, no answer. repeatedly. So I start walking. Get 2 miles to a gas station, fill er up with air. Gets me about 50 yards, before it's obviously deflating again. Keep walking. Finally 1.3 miles from home, fiancee wanders into the room where her cell phone is, and comes and gets me.

So, about the flat, I just had the wheel trued and tensioned, and I thought the pressure was fine before i rode, so the question, is it just that the tire can't hang with my weight? With the performance bike giftcard I got from my folks for my BDay, I had bought Forte Metro-K road tires. These have a kevlar belt, but I dont know that helps with with this kind of issue. Hell, I don't even know for sure that this is my issue. Anyone got any ideas?

As you can tell I'm frustrated. I only got in 9 miles today, and I had hoped for SO MUCH MORE!

That's what seatbags are for. Pack one with a spare tube, or two, and install a pump onto the bike. Then leave these items on the bike. Basic stuff. Some experience helps, so does listening.

3 words:
Gay-Tor-Skins

Flats happen. You probably rolled over something on the road or path. You should always carry your repair stuff.

3 words:
flat-repair-kit

Fixed it for ya.

Yeah, but its NEVER the front always the back. Where there's smoke, there's fire. Let's say I have the spare tube, whose to say this wouldnt happen again on the ride home. It has happened twice during 10 mile rides about the 9th mile going hard (once during a race, once today) I dont think I rode over anything. MUP, lots (I mean lots) of other cyclists around.

How do I know if it's a pinch flat when I look at it?

I had a flat on the front the other day, I seem to flat more in the front than the back. Only thing I can figure is it's a Bontrager tube that's been on the bike for more than a week.

I @!#!#@!#@ hate Bontrager tubes.

Anyway, I second the recommendation of taking a spare tube with. I don't mess around with patching anymore, that's my one luxury in life, I guess - LOL. Spare tube, nice Park Levers and a frame pump - you'll thank me later. :)

What size are the tires? What are you using for inflation pressure? How much do you weigh? You say you thought the tires pressure was find, but that sounds like a "rule of thumb" measurement. You should pump up the tires before every ride.

Back tire carries more weight than the front so it isn't unusual to flat more in the rear. Always carry a tube, patch kit, pump and tire irons (and a multi-tool isn't a bad idea either). You can go a thousand miles without a flat and then flat twice (or more) in one ride. All part of the fun. And you should make sure you are at full pressure (meaning you need a guage of some sort) before every ride.

I actually carry two spares and a flat repair kit

Flats are just a part of bike riding.. Sometimes you can ride months without a flat and then there are other times they come in waves.. Learn to be able fix a flat on the road.. When you get good at it, should take 5-10 minutes..

If you have a pinch flat, you will 2 small marks on the tube that look like a small snakebite.. For heavier riders pinch flats happen when you tire compresses and it bottoms out on the rim.. Make sure your tires are pumped up before each ride..

You may want to change your rim tape. Since it seem you are always getting you wheels trued. Also have you looked into where the flats are coming from. Mark your tire with the stem placement them pull the tube. Inflate the tube and submerge in water to see where the flat is coming from.

Make sure you have the right rim strip size. My personal preference is Velox cloth rim tape. Some preventable punctures are caused by burrs form spoke hole on the rim poking through cheap rim tape and causing the flat. Another thing is to use larger (volume) tires, preferably 25mm or 28mm if it fits on your bike and pump to recommended psi (again, I prefer 110psi - 120psi.

Well, any way you got a good workout with 9 miles of riding and 3 miles of walking.:lol:

If they're not pinch flats, make sure you're cleaning the offending debris out when fixing the flat. If you get a lot punctures, consider upgrading to a heavier tire.

Everyone gets flats, big or small no matter. Once you ride enough your front will flat and believe me when it does you will wish it was the rear. I've actually seen more rear than front flats, and have experienced more rear flats myself. I think sometimes it's a matter of seeing road debris and reacting quickly enough to get front out of way but not fast enough to get rear clear.

As mentioned before, proper inflation. Make sure your pressure is at the maximum before you ride.

So let see here, These flats are happening after you turn around and head for home, hmmmmm.

Obviously you need to just keep going.

Slow leak... Pinch flat?

Snake bite puncture is the tell-all symptom. Due to under-inflated tires. Make sure you have a good, reliable pressure gauge.

1. Always carry a spare tube, patch kit, levers and source of air (pump or C02..for us clydes I recommend a pump)

2. Always check your tire pressure before riding. Your rear should be at least the maximum recommended pressure for the tire, if not more, based on your weight.

3. Don't use ultra light racing tubes...saving 50 grams isn't gonna make much difference when we all have so much more that we can shave from the engine. ;)

4. Make sure your rims have good rim tape...Velox...not that cheap crap.

Well Techno, just be happy it was the rear and not the front that went flat. When your front flats out your much more likely to go crashy crashy.

Some food for thought: When you see glass in the road and you swerve at the last minute to miss it, your front tire clears it but where do you think the back tire tracks? Yup, right over it. Your rear tire also carries the lions share of the riders weight not to mention that it is the tire providing the acceleration. If for some reason you find yourself frustrated and want to buy a new tire, put the new tire on the front and the old front on the rear for reasons I outlined above. You always want your best tire in the front.

Anyways, take a silver magic marker and make a mark on your tire where the valve stem is. This will be your reference point. Now remove your tire, pull the tube out, pump a couple lbs of air into it (about 3 psi will do) and find the leak. If it is on the rim side of the tube, install new rim tape and a new tube as I have never been able to successfully patch a rim side puncture. You might have better luck than I. If the hole is on the tire side then line your valve stem up to the reference mark you made and find the hole that made it through the casing. Check this very carefully for any debris, remove anything you find. Since the tire is off the rim anyways it is a good time to run some emery (I think that is what it’s called) cloth around the inside of the rim. It's like sand paper for metal. Very lightly rub the inside side walls, this will help keep the tire from jumping off the bead when you re-inflate it. Also gently buff any rubber or marks out of the rim where your brake pads touch it. When I change tubes out I find that it helps to have just enough air in the tubes to hold the shape of the tube. I think it helps to prevent pinch flats cause from tire levers and the ole twisted tube.

So now that you have done the walk of shame, go back to your LBS and buy a seat pack. Put a new tube in it, patch kit, multi tool, tire levers, and a $20 dollar bill in it. The twenty is for a cab ride home if need be, cash on hand for a drink and snack at the gas station, or to use as a boot if your tire is slashed. Fold that money up and place it over the slash, it will be strong enough to let you re-inflate your tube and get home. It’s also re-useable; just don’t forget that it is in there. Also buy a pump, not a CO2 inflator. Yes they are faster and require less effort but at least you won't be SOL if you run out of cartridges and your last one was a dud. Personally my favorite frame pump I've ever owned is the Topeak Road Morph :love:. It’s marginally more expensive (I think it was $45 at the shop) but worth every penny from the times I've had to use it. Also buy a floor pump that has a gauge on it, inflate your tires to max PSI before every ride. It’s a PITA but will help prevent pinch flats.

I think that about covers it :thumb:

Flats usually happen on the rear for everyone. The rear is weighted down, not the front. What the front rolls over will puncture the rear. I've been a bike mechanic for 15 years on a professional basis, and rear to front flats are about 8 to 1. When I worked neutral assistance for SRAM at the '08 Tour de Georgia, I changed 8 flats, all rear.

There is no problem with your bike and that rear wheel. Just you.

forget all this advice.

You need your girlfriend following you in a chase car. You flat, she leaps out with a spare wheel, you hold up the bike, she changes the wheel, and then pushes you to get going again.

It's what I do. Really. Wife and two kids chasing me all around S. Ontario. even for the early morning rides.

Evil pinch flats can still happen at full tire pressure. Riding on gravel, curb hopping, pot holes, un-even pavement where roads meet or sidewalks etc. Any good bump you feel in your backside can become one. It helps to ride light, get off the seat and adjust your weight so that less pressure is on each wheel as it goes over any bump.

Flats Happen

My concern is that I have my 3rd triathlon next weekend with a ride about this length, actually slightly longer. So, I want to not be worried that my big butt is causing pinch flats. Im going to look at a better tire for the rear. I'm going to get a pressure gauge. If Im not worried about ride, what PSI should I be looking at for a 320# ish person?

As everyone else has mentioned, it's a good idea to travel with all the supplies you need to fix a flat. For me, that means a spare tube (or two or three) in the appropriate size, a pair of Pedro's tire levers (http://www.rei.com/product/705651), a pre-glued patch kit (http://www.parktool.com/products/detail.asp?cat=17&item=GP-2), and a pump (http://www.topeak.com/products/Mini-Pumps/RoadMorphG). I also carry a Park SW-7 (http://www.parktool.com/products/detail.asp?cat=16&item=SW-7) spoke wrench, a Crank Brothers Multi-17 (http://www.crankbrothers.com/multi17.php) multi-tool, and a spare master link (http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1032194_-1_400022_400002_400190) for the chain. The pump straps to the top tube and the rest of the stuff is in a wedge pack (http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1023669_-1_20005_20000_20007) under the seat.

It also helps to ride on good tires. I haven't used the tire the OP is riding, but my experiences with cheap Forte tires hasn't been encouraging. I've used Continental Gatorskins in the past, with good results. Put on some Continental GP 4-season tires last winter and they've been working well, too. They seem to roll quite a bit faster than the Gatorskins and, so far, I haven't had a flat that wasn't my own fault...

Edit: pre-glued patches make fixing a tire on the road much quicker and less messy. Unfortunately, they don't seem to last as long as a vulcanizing patch. Sometimes they're great, but I've also had them start leaking again after a couple of weeks of riding. I use them to get home, then apply a vulcanizing patch at home or toss the tube and replace with a new one.

I'm going to get a pressure gauge. If Im not worried about ride, what PSI should I be looking at for a 320# ish person?
Without a gauge, it is almost impossible to know if you are running 120 psi or 80 psi (except when you are in the saddle). Run the tires at max pressure and keep an eye out for debris. If it is any consolation, my wife and I run the same tires and tubes (Continental UltraSports w/ regular Forte tubes), she runs the same pressure as I do, she puts fewer miles on her bike than I do (and rarely rides without me), weighs 80 lbs. less than I do and flats at least 5 times more often than I do (usually the rear tire). Of course, she doesn't change her own flats so there is less incentive to avoid debris.

The pressure will depend on what size tires you're using but probably whatever the "max" pressure on the sidewall is. If you're not too concerned about ride quality get a wire beaded Specialized Armadillo for the rear. I use them on my CAAD9 and have no problems with them. Granted, they're the only tire I've ever used so I don't know what wonderful ride quality I could be missing out on from other tires. I've never had a flat though and that's what I care about. I think I got mine at Bike Source on Sawmill for about $45 each for the 700x25 size. I run them at 125psi rear and 110 front. I weigh 240-ish and I could probably go a little lower on the pressure and still be safe.

As an FYI, i have a frame mounted pump, I almost always carry a spare tube and tire levers. Normally, i would be more prepared than I was last night.

I'm guessing what I am really trying to ask is aside from being assured or proper tire inflation, what preventative measures can I take to avoid the pinch flats while still riding hard? Are there specific items to purchase that will help with this?

Avoiding pinch flats...tires at max PSI and try not to hit anything with a hard edge such as pot holes, sewar grates, side walks, and curbs. Try not to go airborne, and ride as light as you can in the saddle. IE, stand up on the pedals and use your knees as shock absorbers when you can't avoid a road hazzard.

Ok, that's all common sense stuff I already do for the most part (other than maybe i need to be a little more careful about the PSI), but when I checked the tires via physically touching them both felt to be at max. If they werent they were not off by much at all. I believe its about how much the tires sidewalls are protecting the tires from my weight when im leaning in on a corner.

As others have pointed out, be prepare (like a good boyscount) and you can hopefully address any minor mechanical problem that happens on a ride. A spare tire makes a swap much faster on the road, but I ALSO carry patches... its always possible to get two flats. It hasn't happened to me YET... but the day I forget my patch kit will problably be the day that happens. A descent multi tool is very helpful. In my 1st larger charity ride I was able to "rescue" three cyclists at the 1st rest area. All with seat adjustments that were either way off, or stuff had come loose. A minute or so on each bike and all were on their way. Otherwise it would have been a long wait for the sag wagon (5000 riders that day). I also LOVE my Road Morph G pump. Sure the gauge is not the easiest on earth to read, but it is very nice to at least know how hard the tire is pumped up. By feel I can't easily tell the difference between 90 and 110 PSI, on a 25mm tire riding on poor roads, that PSI difference could be main preventing or having a pinch flat. So I carry a better part of 1 Lbs of tools. The comfort I get from know that I can perform most fixes on the road is priceless.

Happy riding,
André

Well, any way you got a good workout with 9 miles of riding and 3 miles of walking.:lol:

If you had waded through a big puddle you could technically consider yourself a triathlete.

If you had waded through a big puddle you could technically consider yourself a triathlete.


LOL. Fortunately, I've already done 2 tri's so I can already :)

That's actually what my hysteria is all about. I have a race next sunday, and I want to be sure I won't have a "I'm too fat for my tire to go that hard around a corner" flat.

I can perform most fixes on the road is priceless.



I have a Bare Bones multi-tool and tire levers, just didnt have the spare tube with me. I need to be be preventative and nip these flats in the bud. It was clear this particular flat happened after I took a corner pretty hard, and though there could have been debris, though i saw none, I think its far more likely a pinch.

Maybe really double and triple check that you don't have something small suck in your tire if it's always happening on one wheel. Just this weekend I got my 3rd slow leak on my rear tire on my road bike. Forutnately, I was with my cycling club, and someone smarter than me showed me a trick of turning the tire inside out to look for debris. Sure enough we found a tiny little wire embedded in the rubber. You couldn't feel it running your finger in the tire when it was right side out, but when there was tension, there it was. No flats for the rest of the ride.

Maybe really double and triple check that you don't have something small suck in your tire if it's always happening on one wheel. Just this weekend I got my 3rd slow leak on my rear tire on my road bike. Forutnately, I was with my cycling club, and someone smarter than me showed me a trick of turning the tire inside out to look for debris. Sure enough we found a tiny little wire embedded in the rubber. You couldn't feel it running your finger in the tire when it was right side out, but when there was tension, there it was. No flats for the rest of the ride.

I did that a while ago at the bike co-op. I think its me being fat, cornering hard causing a lot of stress on the bike. In that instant, the sidewall support isn't enough and gives, causing a pinch flat but no visible damage to the tire. Im no bike genius, but i'll check it for internal issues tonight. I'm going to put whatever tire I wind up going with on, along with the new tube, and clean out the tire very well.

I have had a rash of flat tires over the last couple of days, including 2 on the same short ride. I don't know what caused the first flat, the bike was in my car, it went flat overnight! I am pretty sure I am the cause of the several flats I got afterwards. I began to suspect my tube changing technique was causing my problems and I'll find out tonight if I was right. The thing I kept doing was to screw the tube in the rim tight from the beginning (I have Presta valves). I did that again last night but this time I pushed the tire away from the rim to look for any tube sticking out to get pinched and sure enough, the tube, right by the valve stem, wouldn't get completely in the tire. I loosened the ring on the valve stem, pushed the tube into the tire, and all looked good. So far the tire is still keeping air!

Technique, technique, technique. Maybe tonight I can get a long ride in!

Flats are a reality.

A tube (or two), a pump, levers, and 20 bucks.

On a recent morning commute, I had a flat, and while pumping, I got impatient and rocked the stem. This scored the tube at the stem base and ruined my spare. Since cell phones are not allowed where I work. (nuke plant) I had to walk about 2km back home.

Now I carry two spares (and patience) at all times.

After replacing a tube, ensure it isn't being pinched by the tire and rim before adding air. Been burned by this one too.

Thanks everyone for the responses! Once I got out of work I:

1. Examined the tube in question. 1 hole on side of the tube, 6 inches from the nozzle. puncture size is extremely small. The tire itself shows no damage. The guy I trust at Performance, terrific mechanic, says on the turn, it's incredibly difficult to get a pinch flat.

2. He seconded everyones opinion on keeping the air pressure up, and checking it before each ride.

To be on the safe side, I replaced my recently purchased Forte Kevlar with a Gatorskin. I purchased a replacement tube. I also bought a tire gauge at target for cheap, only to realize later it was an automotive gauge. I'll be returning it tomorrow. I installed the tire, and pumped it the heck up with my foot pump. It said only 60 PSI, but it's ancient and faulty. I'll get a proper gauge tomorrow.

While riding to and from target I practiced getting out of the saddle some for bumps, and I'm sure it'll be a long term help as well.

Has anyone mentioned the rim strip? It does wear out after awhile. And when it does, get the nice cloth stuff. The stock rim strip was the cause of a few of my flats till I figured that out!

Has anyone mentioned the rim strip? It does wear out after awhile. And when it does, get the nice cloth stuff. The stock rim strip was the cause of a few of my flats till I figured that out!


Yeah mine doesnt have a lot of life left. After the triathlon I wont have races for a while, just training, so once I move to Boston I'll spend a few bucks to get the rim strip replaced.