How often do you get punctures on your commute?

Once or twice a month. God bless bottled beer.

Once or twice a month! Yikes! How far do you ride?

Once or twice a month! Yikes! How far do you ride?

5 miles round trip. There are lots of peole here that tend to throw glass in the streets. Patch kits are necessity for me.

Serge, chill out with the polls.

Chill out with the polls? One per week is out of bounds?

now that i have good quality tires, i have yet to have a flat. i run gatorskins on my road bike, and armadillo nimbus on my mb. before i switched to these tires i was getting flats ALL OF THE TIME on both bikes.

Hm. It's been about a year since I've gotten a flat I think. Maybe 4000 miles.

Very shortly after answering this question(not that I'm superstitious).

Most days I do an 8 mile round trip twice daily and have gone for months without a flat but this Winter was been bad for amber glass & tiny radial tire wire fragments. In January, I caught a flat every wednesday & finished the month with 2 in one day. Only had 1 flat in February.

Chill out with the polls? One per week is out of bounds?
Asking how many flats people get is reeking of your agenda to push VC.

;)

He's trying to jinx us

I have never had a flat during a commute or weekend ride during the last 3500mi of commuting.
I have once found my tire flat in the morning from a very slow leak due to woody spine puncture, but had the comforts of home to fix it. Actually I pumped it up and made it to work and pumped it again, went home and then repaired it.
A lot of folks complain about punctures here in AZ (cactus, bullhead, lots of glass on shoulders) but I guess I've been lucky. Tires are 28 Conti Gatorskins.
I guess I've now jinxed myself, but I am getting tired of carrying a tube and patch kit with me and never getting an opportunity to use it. ;)
Al

every couple months i am due for one... i think i survived all of last summer with one but have had two this winter.

i live in philly as well and commute close to 30 mile roundtrip... glass and crap are everywhere i wanna be sometimes!

i ride conti top-touring 2000's which are great, long wearing, pretty burly tires in my opinion. only thing is the outside rubber is a little soft so the last puncture put a big old gouge in my outer tire rubber and now eveytime i ride it makes me a little nervous but i got a few hundred miles on it since with no problem..... i could replece it but i am soooo cheap and need to get my 20 bucks out of it (which means at least 6 months) ;)

I didn't answer the question because I've been riding/commuting for 2-1/2 years (~5-6K miles) and have not had one yet, so I don't know what my rate will be. I have a hybrid with tires that are in between road and mountain bike width, and glass is not too much of a problem around here.

Asking how many flats people get is reeking of your agenda to push VC.
Okay, so that's my agenda. I think a world where cyclists rode like they really believed they had the rights that they do have would be a better place. Not only would fewer cyclists die and be involved in crashes, but they would have more fun riding in traffic and would get fewer flats. What's wrong with having that vision, that agenda?

It's not a hidden agenda, for God's sakes. What's the problem?

I believe it was what's colloquially referred to as a "joke".

only thing is the outside rubber is a little soft so the last puncture put a big old gouge in my outer tire rubber and now eveytime i ride it makes me a little nervous but i got a few hundred miles on it since with no problem..... i could replece it but i am soooo cheap and need to get my 20 bucks out of it (which means at least 6 months) ;)


I caught a nasty "smile" across my tire a few weeks back in front of Fergie's on Schwalbe Blizzards. I put five layers of electrical across the inside and it has held together so far.

I believe it was what's colloquially referred to as a "joke".
You would be correct.

I'm just pulling your leg, Serge. (and I see you're pulling mine :D)

At best I've been puncture free for a couple years in a row. Yearly commuting mileage of about 3000 miles. Then there are times when I get a few a year. No real consistency.
Usual cause is glass & sometimes staples.

The bell curve distribution on this poll is very interesting.
As of right now: 1, 7, 7, 6, 5, 3, 1

I caught a nasty "smile" across my tire a few weeks back in front of Fergie's on Schwalbe Blizzards. I put five layers of electrical across the inside and it has held together so far.

yeah i think mine both came after the snows this winter when the plows push all the cinders and crap off the car lane and into the bikelanes. both happened between centercity and the art muesum which is like the last (or first) 10th of my ride. maybe some tape or something inside the tire would give me a good placebo effect if nothing else.... my worry is a cinder or glass getting between the flap and the casing and working a hole in there. i have tried to superglue the flap back down but it just won't stay put.

I find my Conti top tourings wear out before they puncture. That is the only time I remember fighting that bead back on the rim in the last few years.

I'm sure Serge is going to find a way to turn this into a 'why EC is the only way to bicycle without getting flats' soapbox... :rolleyes:

So, I will post but I will not vote. Besides, who's so anal that they actually know how many miles they bike between flats??? :eek:

Myself, I had a flat on a ZooBomb last fall, the first flat I've had in 15 years, and I wasn't in a bike lane when it happened. I also ride regularly in bike lanes and have never gotten a flat doing so. So there! :D

I'm sure Serge is going to find a way to turn this into a 'why EC is the only way to bicycle without getting flats' soapbox... :rolleyes:

We should start a pool to see how many posts before the EC/VC mantra rears it head :rolleyes:

I say 40.

So, alright, I know VC, but what the heck is EC?

Ecclectic? Eccentric? Electric?

So, alright, I know VC, but what the heck is EC?

Ecclectic? Eccentric? Electric?
VC stands for Viet Cong, they are a lot of cyclists in southeast Asia. EC comics published wonderful comic books in the fifties, such as Crime: SuspenStories" , "Tales From The Crypt", "The Haunt of Fear" and "Weird Science", before paranoia about the rising tide of "Juvenile Delinquency" got them canceled. Not to be confused with EB, which stands for "Electric Boogaloo".


"Effective Cycling" by John Forester is the Torah for Vehicular Cyclists.

Actually EB is Electronics Boutique where you will be waited on by surly young men who want nothing more in life than a date with a flesh-and-blood member of the opposite sex.

what the heck is EC?
That explains the frequency with which you get punctures...

(Nick... you lose ;) )

29 was my second guess ;)

I think a world where cyclists rode like they really believed they had the rights that they do have would be a better place. Not only would fewer cyclists die and be involved in crashes, but they would have more fun riding in traffic and would get fewer flats.
Look at this, we missed it - way back in post #16!

Look at this, we missed it - way back in post #16!
Sunova! He did slip it past!

He's a sly one alright

What's EC/VC?

What's EC/VC?
Look at post #27 in this thread.

What's EC/VC?
You have no idea how glad I am that you asked. :)

VC stands for Vehicular Cycling.

Vehicular Cycling is cycling in accordance to the principle that "cyclists fare best when the act and are treated as drivers of vehicles".

Do not assume that this means that cyclists "are the same as cars". It simply recognizes that cyclists have a choice - to ride in accordance to the vehicular rules of the road, or not, and that if they do, they are more likely to "fare well" than if they don't. "Fare well" in this case generally means getting from A to B reasonably safely and in a reasonable time.

Now you may be able to get there faster (by running red lights, not riding to be visible and predictable, etc.), but that's at a higher risk of getting involved in a collisions, which is generally understood to be NOT faring well.

Similarly, you can also ride at ped speeds on sidewalks and walk your bike across cross walks, but that also generally means not faring very well since it would take so long to get from A to B.

The idea is that a cyclist will generally not "fare as well" if he rides according to any other sets of rules other than vehicular rules. The basic reason for this is that everyone else is used to everyone else operating under vehicular rules, and that if you operate under them too, the others will know how to safely interact with you.

Note that "operating under vehicular rules" does not necessarily mean going as fast as other vehicles. Just because the speed limit is 55 doesn't mean you have to operate at 55 mph to be "vehicular". After all, a basic vehicular rule is "slower drivers keep to the right".

This is just the tip of the iceberg on this topic. One can actually write a book on the topic, and luckily a few people already have (arguablly, the posts I've made on this topic on this forum could comprise a book in themselves!). The "bible" of VC is the book Effective Cycling (EC) by John Forester. Actually, the 600pp covers a lot more than VC, much of it kind of dated and some of it pretty strange. But even critics of John Forester's style and some of his positions (like being against bike lanes) like Jeffrey Hiles, who wrote the classic essay "Listening to Bike Lanes" (you can google it), acknowledges that "The 85-page section of Effective Cycling that describes riding technique is arguably one of the most lucid and thorough guides to cycling in traffic in print." Any cyclist should read at least that part of the book for that reason alone. You should know that the other publications that cover VC very well are the book Cyclecraft by John Franklin (though he writes with a left-bias since he's British), and the pamphlet Street Smarts by John S. Allen, which you can find on the internet and download.

If you take a cycling safety class (called "Road 1") from the League of American Bicyclists (http://www.bikeleague.org), they will teach you techniques in accordance with the VC principle, as well as other material that essentially comes from Effective Cycling.

The relevance of EC/VC to the topic of this thread (punctures) is that many cyclists have found that once they adopt the techniques of VC in their own cycling, they radically reduce the number of punctures they receive. A bonus of VC, and another reason cyclists fare better riding vehicularly than any other way. This is because vehicular cyclists spend a lot more time riding on pavement that has been swept clean of puncture-causing debris by passing motorists than do cyclists riding according to non-vehicular rules.

I hope that answers your question.

Serge

...once [cyclists] adopt the techniques of VC in their own cycling, they radically reduce the number of punctures they receive. This is because vehicular cyclists spend a lot more time riding on pavement that has been swept clean of puncture-causing debris by passing motorists than do cyclists riding according to non-vehicular rules.
The ball is hit hard. Serge is back at the warning track, now he's at the wall, he jumps, he makes the catch! The runner is tagging, Serge makes the throw, the runner is out at the plate! Double play!

I get flats all the time because I ride in bike lanes that aren't swept clean by car tires. OK?

I get flats all the time because I ride in bike lanes that aren't swept clean by car tires. OK?
I ride wherever I want, including bike lanes, and I never get flats, OK?

And BTW, in general I agree with Serge; it's his 'delivery' that I've got problems with, as several others have also already pointed out in other related threads.

And BTW, in general I agree with Serge; it's his 'delivery' that I've got problems with, as several others have also already pointed out in other related threads.
Yes, I know, and I appreciate it.... if I could only figure how to express my opinions without sounding like a pompous ass. Maybe I could do it if I wasn't such a pompous ass.

Yes, I know, and I appreciate it.... if I could only figure how to express my opinions without sounding like a pompous ass. Maybe I could do it if I wasn't such a pompous ass.
It would be nice if Serge could communicate to those that haven't already read his 'guideance' - i.e. the cyclists who don't ride VC (or at least adopt some of the most basic principles like not left turning out of a bike lane that is on the right side of the road) that I encounter every day.
There are a relatively small number of folks who read about VC on these forums, and folks that have already heard it may tire of it (oh, no not again)
Maybe Serge should start posting on the Chevy 4x4 message board.

What does one say to a cyclist who is using a BL, but putting themselves and other in danger by doing so "Hey, get out the BL you $%#@$, your gonna kill yourself" ?

Al

It would be nice if the VC and it's coolness would move to the appropriate forum i.e., Advocacy & Safety. It'd get better coverage and reception over there.

I get flats all the time because I ride in bike lanes that aren't swept clean by car tires. OK?
Upon further consideration, I'm just curious if you're advocating either (1) eliminating bike lanes, (2) having the bike lanes cleaned more often, or (3) something else. Rationale?

My take on it was that qmsdc15 felt the extra punctures are a cost worth paying for being able to ride in bike lanes.

Upon further consideration, I'm just curious if you're advocating either (1) eliminating bike lanes, (2) having the bike lanes cleaned more often, or (3) something else. Rationale?
My take is that cities shouldn't build bike lanes if they can't keep them clean. Since keeping them clean might require multiple sweeps per day, I doubt the city would keep them clean. The areas next to traffic lanes here are filled with debris, especially in winter. And how can they sweep in winter without creating an ice slick?

My take: If they can't keep bike lanes clean, the city should let us ride where the cars drive.

On the thread's topic, after I solved a couple recurring problems (a blinkie on my rack that kept jamming the tire and a minipump that killed stems), I get a flat about every six months or so. The last one was last fall when a nail went through my tire. I generally don't get flats in winter because virtually nothing can get through Nokian studded tires.

I don't get punctures very often. I use relatively heavy,(but cheap,) Kenda 27x1 1/4 tires with slime filled inner tubes, so it's no Trek Madone! I swore I would quit stressing weight as far as tires go and since then I haven't gotten half as many flats. I also don't ride over glass. I've ridden with guys who claim to have terrible luck, but seem oblivious to what they're running over. All you have to do is veer to the left or right when you see the glitter! As far as VC goes, I ride like a vehicle within reason, but if there's a nice big shoulder, with a minimum of debris and sewer grates, I'll take that, too. People around here are unused to VC as a concept, and some people are downright contemptuous! I've had people try to run me off the road and pull over wanting to fight because I blocked a lane. Routing is a consideration as well. If I have a long route that's trouble free, and a short route that's going to piss off motorists and potentially get myself hurt, I'll choose the longer route. Maybe I'm not hardcore enough, but I enjoy stress-free rides, and don't think proving a point is worth getting hurt. Oops, I've done wandered off. I don't get very many punctures, because I don't ride over glass, and don't use ultra lite tissue-paper tires!

People around here are unused to VC as a concept...
If I had a nickel for every time someone made this claim...

Look, there is practically NO PLACE where motorists are explicitly used to cyclists riding vehicularly - unfortunately, it's a very rare practice everywhere. You think people in San Diego are used to seeing cyclists ride vehicularly? I assure you, they are not!

The good news it that there is NO PLACE where motorists are not used to others operating vehicularly. So, when a cyclist operates vehicularly, they get it. It might catch their eye as something unusual (which is a good thing), but if the cyclist acts like he knows what he's doing, then they know what he's doing, because he's doing the same thing as everyone else using the road (including keeping to the right between intersections if he's slower than others and it's safe to do so).

In short, even a moron who has never seen it done before, can recognize that a cyclist is riding vehicularly when he sees one do it for the first time. And, to the extent that he already knows how to interact with others operating vehicularly efficiently and safely, he automatically knows how to interact with this cyclist too.

On a lighter note it would be interesting to see what percentage of these flats were front vs. rear tire.

I'm personally running about 5% front, 95% rear on the road bike(s).
I tend to run about 20% front and 80% rear on the mountain bike (strictly off road).

Mr. Tuffy is every cyclists' friend!!! :)

My take on it was that qmsdc15 felt the extra punctures are a cost worth paying for being able to ride in bike lanes.
Don't you think it would be better for gmsdc15 to tell us himself, rather than to assume what he's thinking? :)

And thanks for going along with the joke, Serge, it shows you're human - and not a Vulcan - after all... ;)