Bicycle Mechanics - Newbie questions about tires...

I have a set of Hutchinson Carbon Comp Black racing tires on my bike. This past weekend I must have run over a bit of glass or something and got a flat. I changed the tube, no problem there, but found that the tire (front tire) has a small puncture where the item must have entered the tire and some minor tears right next to the small puncture.

Question #1: Should I move the tire to the rear in case it should blow?

Question #2: I'd like to replace the tire, but since they cost about $45, I was thinking about replacing it, but saving the Hutchinson's for racing and putting some cheaper $10 tires on for training. Does that sound like a good plan?

Any other suggestion?

It all depends... do thew cuts go right through the casing? Can you see daylight through them? If so, I'd say to buy a new tire and use this one for the trainer.

How long have you been riding the tires?

If the casing is actually torn, your tire is a blowout waiting to happen. If the casing isn't actually torn, you can probably get by with it. It's really hard to tell without actually seeing the tire.

Ohh... and most "race" tires are WAY over-priced. Buy yourself a set of Continental Ultra 3000s for $20 each.

Good point.

If you want a nearly bomb proof tire for training, go with an ultra 2000 (Conti doesn't make the 3000 anymore, it competed too much with its top of the line tire :) ) with a tuffy strip.

If the hole in the casing is all the way through, boot it with a dollar bill or something. This will prevent the impending pinch flat from occuring. (Booting is when you fold the bill and put it between the tube and the hole. This makes it so the tube does not bulge through the hole.) After booting, you should be good for the rest of the life of the tire.

Thanks!

The tires are relatively new as the bike is only about 2-3 months old, and they came with the bike. I think the booting idea will work in this case as the tires are in pretty good shape. I may still move it to the rear just in case.

I haven't done a really good job of keeping track of how many miles I've ridden on them, but I'll start now.

There are so many tires to choose from. Is there a general consensus out there on what's a good all around tire for training and racing that will not break your budget?

Originally posted by Aerow
1) I may still move it to the rear just in case.

2) Is there a general consensus out there on what's a good all around tire for training and racing that will not break your budget?

1) Good idea.
2) I have not seen any indication of tyre consensus in this forum. I second the vote for Conti Ultra2000s, and I also like Specialized Armadillos, but I care more about reliability than fastest-possible performance.

A couple of weeks after I bought my road bike I removed the stock Michellin Axial Pro and put on a pair of Conti's Ultra 2000's. I'm not sure why I'm saving my Axial Pro's, but I guess I have a hard time going through such an expensive set of tires. Maybe I'll race one day! (Yeah Right!)

The only difference I've been able to notice was traction going over the grating of a drawbridge. With the Axial Pro's (softer durometer compound) I had no problems. With the Conti's I tend to fishtail. Other than that the Conti's have held up great and are more that 1/2 the price of the Axial Pro's.

L8R

OK. So I'm looking at the Cont 2000 on PerformanceBike.com and they have wire bead tires, fold-ups, clinchers, etc...

I'm confused (perpetually...:D ) but can someone please clarify what the differences are between:

Tubular
Clincher
Sew-Up
Wire-Bead
Folding


and any other terms I might come across?

Thanks! (this has been very helpful!)

Aerow,

Welcome to the confusing world of cycling
Ok, Tubulars and Sewups are the same thing.
The latex or buytal tube is sewn into the casing, which
forms tube around it, and is Glued onto the rim. Thus the
name Sewup or Tubulars. Picture cross section as an O
Clincher is any tire, open at the bottom, with some type
of wire bead which hooks to the rim. picture cross section as
an upside down U (for both pictures rim is below tire).
WireBead describes the material on the open end
of the clincher which hooks to the rim, they can also be Kevlar.
folding is a clincher which can be "folded" to carry along
on a ride, usually this is kevlar.
I'd also suggest you check out Sheldon Browns website at
Harris cyclery (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/index.html) he has an excellent glossary of bike terms.
Hope this helps,

Marty

Originally posted by John E


1) Good idea.
2) I have not seen any indication of tyre consensus in this forum. I second the vote for Conti Ultra2000s, and I also like Specialized Armadillos, but I care more about reliability than fastest-possible performance.

I have tried Armadillos, but they are really heavy, and the same protection may be had with combining the Ultra2000s with a puncture strip, for less weight. The Armadillos tend also to wear fast because the compound is softer, though this may be a good thing for some.

That said, the Armadillos never gave me a pinch flat until I ran over something that gave it a nice deep gash in the tread and through the casing. On that occasion, I fixed it with a dollar bill and rode it for another hundred miles or so with the boot in place. I could have run it longer, but the tread wore out.

Tires I do not recommend unless training seriously or racing are Vittorias'. In my experience, they don't last very long and the casing is not nearly as tough as the continentals.

I ran by my LBS at lunch and asked them what a good racing/training tire for a good price would be and they also said Continentals, hands down. Of course their price was a lot higher than what I've seen on the web, but it was interesting to hear their response.

go for the conti 2000

Should I get the wire bead tires or the folding ones?

The folding tires seem easier to get on and off, especially in a pinch, but they cost about $8 more. They are about 50 grams lighter per tire than the wire beads as well. (performancebike.com prices)

I don't think there are any advantages to wire beads over kevlar besides being cheaper. Getting them on and off by the side of the road is important. Weight is important in this area also, but 50 grams is not a lot, and the importance is only in racing. Being foldable has advantages only in weight or bringing spares.

So really, it is whether your wallet can afford $16 extra ;) .

I use wire beads, but then again, I am cheap too :D .

Originally posted by Brian Ratliff

If the hole in the casing is all the way through, boot it with a dollar bill or something.

Well...

You might do a quickie roadside fix with a piece of paper (or a 'dollar bill' if you want to be fancy), but this isn't a good permanant fix.

For a good fix, go to the automotive store and get yourself a tire repair kit (not a tube patch - a tire repair) and fix the tire from the inside. Then, you have to plug the gash or hole from the outside to prevent glass or gravel from working into the hole and cutting the patch. You can get the outside patch goo from any place that repairs tires. They should give you a dob for free, or buy yourself a tube.

And, yes, it would be best to put this repaired tire on the rear wheel.

Originally posted by mike


Well...

You might do a quickie roadside fix with a piece of paper (or a 'dollar bill' if you want to be fancy), but this isn't a good permanant fix.


Yea, probably better. If you boot the tire though, don't use paper. Use something that won't degrade when wet. Usually the most readily available source is a dollar bill. Bills are not made of wood fiber paper but of cotten. Power bar wrappers (I have heard) work well also.

If for no other reason, this is why you should carry some paper money when cycling long distances :D. Remember, 20's work better than 1's.... :rolleyes:

With my tendency toward flats and the concept that more is better, I'll use a $50.

this is going to be a very expensive hobby:cry:

I haven't fixed a flat in ages. I have 700 x 26 tires....what tools do I need? Can it be repaired with my hands alone without any tools (except for a patch kit of course).

Now when you guys speak about booting a tire with $1 bills, can that be done with just the $1 bill. Do you need a patch kit to repair the tube?

I know these are stupid questions, but I'm fairly new to this and just want to be prepared when the inevitable happens. Thx.

You'll still need to patch the tube. The dollar bill, or "boot," goes between the tube and the tire where the object entered the tire. This keeps the tube from pushing out through the week spot in the tire.

There are tons of patch kits out there for cheap that have tire levers, patches, glue, sand paper, instructions, and some other useful items. Most of them come in a small package that can be stuffed in a saddle bag. I even got one for free at a race last year that I use all the time. I am new to this as well, but changing a tire or tube proved not too difficult.

Originally posted by Cadd
I haven't fixed a flat in ages. I have 700 x 26 tires....what tools do I need? Can it be repaired with my hands alone without any tools (except for a patch kit of course).


You can do it with your hands ... if you are good. I still carry tire irons (though not of iron, but plastic). The tire irons are about the only other item besides a patch kit or extra tube and a pump (you did not forget the pump did you? :p ). It is better if you can do it with your hands because there is less chance of pinching the tube. Powdering your tubes (with talc, baby powder, or corn starch) will lessen the risk of pinch flats.

Thx for the advice. How much do tubes go for? I don't want my LBS to take me for a ride...

Tubes should be about 4 to 8 dollars. I have had no problems with $4 Trek (Wrench force) brand tubes, though the more expensive tubes are a bit less weight.

Brian, nice signature you got there :beer:

Originally posted by Cadd
Brian, nice signature you got there :beer:

Found the quote in Bicycling magazine. The rest is mine :D .

Forget $$ bills or paper for a boot-what you need is a piece of Tyvek. Go to the US post office, and take one of the express mail envelopes they have for free. They are made of Tyvek. Cut it into several squares, and carry them along.

ooooh! Now that's a cool idea!

That's one of those "now why didn't I think of that!" kind of ideas!

Thanks!

Shoe Goo works well to glue cuts in tyres in a
pinch. I actually carried a small tube of it when
I commuted.

Marty

Hey D*Alex!

I got up early this morning and went to the post office and got a Tyvek envelope. I followed your suggestion and used pieces of it to boot several cuts in my tires!

I'm going to buy 1 Cont tire as a backup, and it looks like I'm back in business!

Thanks everyone for your helpful suggestions! I plan to do my first century ride very soon!

Aerow
:thumbup:

Here's a new question...

What if you cut really long strips of that Tyvek paper that D*Alex mentions above and pro-actively placed it between your new tube and tire. It shouldn't add any noticible weight.

Wouldn't that add an extra layer of extremely tough protection between the tire and the tube?

:eek:

Originally posted by Aerow
OK. So I'm looking at the Cont 2000 on PerformanceBike.com
I just replaced a set of Conti 2000 tires. They finally wore out (tread was getting very thin).
I think I only had 6 flats (4 rear, 2 front) in the entire time they were on my bike.
I am very satisfied with Continental so I replaced them with Continental Grand Prix 3000. :beer:

I ride where there is a lot of trash (glass, metal, wire) in the road and these tires seem to be very tough.
I don't use Mr. Tuffy or Slime or anything else, just decent brand tubes properly inflated.

Continental has a nice comparison chart here (http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/de/en/continental/bicycle/themes/tires/race/race_en.html).

Gee, that's a lot of punctures!!
I ride through some really awful streets, too, but I've never had a puncture with either my Armadillos (touring bike), or my Tufo tubulars (road bike). I had one puncture in the last year, and that was on a front wheel, with a cheap Hutchison training tubular.

with a cheap Hutchison training tubular

D*Alex, NEVER ride cheap tubulars. . .

Sorry I couldn't resist.

Marty