Northeast - flats

just wondering how often you guys get flats and how big are the holes. i've gotten about 6 in about a month

Unless your streets are paved with nails, ~six flats in one month is absurdly great (i.e., high, not "wonderful"). Is your bike new? If so, there may be something wrong with how it's set up: Consider taking it to the shop from which you purchased it, and explaining the problem. If the bicycle is old and has just recently developed this condition, still, take it to a local bike-shop and explain — it might be time for new wheels.

Good luck.

I agree with Commando. Also, what kid of flats are you getting? Are they snakebites, or are they tears in the tread? Something else? What's the condition of your rim tape? Sounds like it's time for a careful wheel check- maybe you have a protruding spoke, or a damaged rim? Could be anything, really- have it checked at your LBS.

I ride in NYC pretty often and out of all the places I ride it's where I get the least flats so I'd be curious to know what kind of flats you're getting. When I used to ride south to Hoboken the debris was pretty bad and glass was the usual culprit. If you're getting pinch flats then that has to do with the air pressure so make sure you're inflating them properly; you'll know it's a pinch flat when the only hole is in your tube but not the tire. I imagine you have rim tape on your rims but check to see if there are any sharp protrusions and if so file them down and put on new rim tape.

Back when I was running those Flack Jacket tires that come stock on some Specialized bikes I'd get a flat whenever I rode through Greenpoint. They were OK for the first 500 to 1000 miles but then I started getting one flat after another.

After several people on the greenway specifically told me to get some Armadillos I decided to take their advice. Now I barely flat at all. I think my last flat was in May '07 during the Montauk Century right around Dune Road. More likely I just wear the tires out after several thousand miles.

But, aren't Armadillos extremely weighty?

Probably depends on what you're used to. They're heavier than what I had previously.

Last flat was 2007. Then I got touring tires.

just wondering how often you guys get flats and how big are the holes. i've gotten about 6 in about a month
That's way more than average, but not a record level by any means. Have you been checking for the cause (i.e. any piece of glass, thorn, nail in the tire, or the characteristics of a pinch flat)? Position the tire in a known position relative to the valve stem (usually put the label there) so you can check if the holes are always in about the same spot or placed at random. Also check if the hole is on the outside or inside (indicating a rim strip issue) surface of the tube.

I second what prathman said. When you repair your flat tube, are you checking to make sure that whatever caused the flat is not still embedded in the tire? Even a small grain of glass or the tip of a thorn, if left in the tire, will re-puncture a tube. And if the culprit is small enough, it can take a day or so for the tube to go flat.

I actually had, like, a one inch hole in my old Armadillos, where you could pull back the tread and see innards. They still didn't flat but I figured it was time to replace them anyway.

ok i had a slow leak which i saw this morning before i left for work. the tire wasn't totally flat but the tire pressure was low. when i got to work i fixed it the hole was tiny and none of the holes are really close to each other. i check the tire after i get a flat and only once did i find some glass in there. there is a fair amount of glass on the route i take to work but this is just crazy. i got these tires like 3 weeks ago. my next day off i'm going to go to the bike shop and get it check out i think it might be the rim

>>>>i think it might be the rim<<<<

Another obvious question, but you never know what someone else may not have thought of...

The inside of your rim has a strip of plastic or rubber that covers the tips of the spokes where they poke through. If this strip has slipped out of place and even one spoke end is exposed, it can be puncturing the inside circumference of your tubes. This is what MTBLover and Roadiejorge were talking about when they mentioned "rim tape." I don't mean to accuse you of not knowing the "lingo," but sometimes I don't understand something someone writes and I'm too embarrassed to admit it!