xgi

Any reason to add puncture proof tubes to my bike if I already have kevlar tires?? Won't having those type tires prevent flats anyway?? Thanks..x

Wanderer

Might resist, but will still go flat. I flatted a new kevlar tire the first day out, but I average a flat every 2-3 days.

Retro Grouch 

1. There is no "puncture proof". There is only puncture resistant.
2. How worried about flat tires are you? At some point you pretty much have to say: "Enough's enough."

operator

Puncture proof tubes are a waste of money, weight and time.

cascade168

Correcto mundo. +1

jonestr

I roll kevlar tires with slime tubes and I still get the occasional flat.

Zeke

I use kevlar tires and get flats all the time on my fixed gear, however, on my hybrid I use a Verdenstein tire made by a Dutch company, and I've never had a flat. I'm not its invincible......just really tuff.

xgi

The bike shop tried to sell me some.
No flats yet but I have a feeling I just put the whammy on myself

fergnago

I have been using a tyre called an armadillo by specialised for the last 4 years,dare i say it? i have not had a flat.I have worn them out. but no flats.
also i think it's important to have the correct pressure in the first place.

DannoXYZ 

Kevlar tyres may help reduce the numbers of flats you get from thorns, debris and glass. Adding thicker tubes may help a little more by giving you additional distance that the thorns & glass must penetrate. However, they will do absolutely nothing to prevent flats caused by:

- bad rim-strips
- underinflation
- hitting rocks & potholes
- improperly installed tubes (pinched between tyre and rim)


You really need to find the real CAUSE of each flat and do something about that.

norsehabanero

i have heard that armidillos are good for preventing flats, they are going to be my next investment
i have tried others plus tube liners with no luck

Richard_Rides

Also keep in mind that some "Kevlar Tires" simply have Kevlar beads...

Crank57

I would think hitting one of those little buggers would bend a rim, especially if he was rolled up.

Wino Ryder

Rule no.1:

There is no such thing as flat proof with a pneaumatic tire, unless you're running solid rubber industrial cart tires. (no tubes - no air = no problem!)

The best you can do is use something really tough like the Armadillos. Its not flat proof, but it is quite flat resistant. The Conti 'Gatorskins' are good too, as are the Vittoria 'Rubino Pros'. They're not as tough as Armadillos, but they're lighter and makes your bike feel less like a slug if you're performance minded.

Al1943

Flat resistant tires and tubes have too much of a weight penalty. They will make your bike a sluggish performer.

If you want fewer flats:

1) Fully inflate high pressure road tires before each ride.
2) Keep the bike out of grass and weeds at all times.
3) Use Velox rim tape, in the correct size, on all rims.
4) Analyze each flat until you know what caused it. For small punctures take the tube home and hold it
under water to find escaping air.

Al

fatigoworld

just get continental 4 season tires and never worry about them again....ive had 1 flat in almost a year and i bike about 10-40 miles a day....

CraigVM62

xqi,

Are you working with cross, mountain or road tires ????
Back in my mountain bike days "early 90's" I know that Mr. Tuffies were seen as a necessity due to thorns in the area I rode. My first ride without them resulted in 6 flats in less than 4 hours. After adding the liners I went for months between flats. Like the Slime filled tubes, they add weight but less wait than fixing flats. There are just a few basic tricks to installing them so they don't cause flats on their own.
Anyone have any experience using them on road tires ???

bmorey

On my previous bike I had Schwalbe Marathon Plus -- never had a flat in 8 months. Prior to the Schwlabes I got one or two flats a week, always from slivers of glass. However as Retro Grouch pointed out they are puncture resistant rather than puncture proof. They met their match last month --



LBS tried to talk me out of the Schwalbes because 'they're heavy'. The man's an idiot. I'm 187cm and weigh 94 kg -- what do I care if my tires weigh an extra 50 grams? I bought from another bike shop and never looked back. When the stock tires on my new bike wear I'll be replacing them with Schwalbes, even though they're expensive.

pueblonative

I've put in two stone-resistant, pre-slimed tubes and I have not had a problem yet for about a month. Around my area with the longhorns it's almost a necessity. The kevlar might be a bit of an overkill but I know another guy around here who swears by them. YMMV.

HillRider

I had, what I hope, is the puncture of a life time a few weeks ago. I was riding along (a real JRA story) and heard the unmistakable "hissssss" we all know and love. When I stopped to check it out I found a roofing nail had gone completely through the tire tread, both sides of the tube and was sticking out of the RIM. My cell phone got used that day.

Fortunately, the hole was between spoke nipples and not through the brake track so smoothing out the burr with a flat file and reinforcing the rim tape let me continue to use the rim. The tire and tube were throw aways.

operator

My point was, you're better off looking to the tire first for puncture resistance rather than cheap gimmicks like slime tubes/thorn proof tubes/liners.

Retro Grouch 

I agree. While there are no 100% guarantees, I think that if a product is properly designed you shouldn't have to buy add-on accessories to make it work. Then again - I don't live in goat head thorn country.

xgi

Road tires... I bike only on highways but there's still the broken glass and a nail or two.

So far"knocking on wood" I've only had one flat in four years of riding in this area. My new bike has kevlar tires and the bike shop wants to sell me tubes that are puncture resistance. Maybe it would be good added insurance???. A lot of my runs are far away from help if I did get a flat I'd be in trouble

10 Wheels

I carry Three Spare Tubes.

joejack951

Ways to reduce flats on the road:

1. If you are going to use the shoulder, stay as far left in it as possible. Debris starts to build up heavily as you move more than a few feet outside of the normal path of traffic.

2. Avoid the edges of the road. Debris is again an issue there but so are potholes and cracked pavement, both of which can cause a pinch flat on even a fully inflated tire (BTDT).

With that said, I've been flat free for almost 4 years now running mostly Specialized Armadillos. I commute on Scwhalbe Marathons at the moment mainly because they were a little cheaper and I was ordering from somewhere that had them and not Armadillos. In my early days of running puncture proof tires, I think the kevlar really helped but now that I follow 1 and 2 as much as possible, I could probably get away with much less protection.