RainmanP

You just had to start that thread about flats, didn't you? Remember I declined to answer? Well, here's my answer. After almost 840 miles on a set of Conti Ultra 3000s, I had my FIRST flat today. Those of you who remember some of my posts a few months ago will realize what an accomplishment that is. I was going to wait until 1000 miles before I said anything. The rear tire was getting pretty cut up from road trash, and I had talked to my LBS buddy last week to make sure he had some Contis. I was just trying to squeeze out 1k. But noooo, Nikos has to start flat thread and get me thinking about how long it has been since I had one. That's OK, Nikos; we're still friends.

On another eery note, not long after I got the Contis, maybe just before, I bought the Topeak Road Morph pump. I mentioned that I had tried it and it seemed to work fine. JonR said something about things working fine when you try them out, but sometimes not so fine in the field. Haven't had a flat since I got that pump!

As luck would have it, I was only a couple of blocks from the LBS so I just walked Yorick over there and got him some new skins.

Now a plug for patronizing your LBS. I had talked to my buddy a few days ago about getting a spare bulb and maybe a second battery for my Vistalite. He had emailed me that he had some stuff. When I got there today, he handed me a heavy box. In it were parts making up, for practical purposes, two full light sets. They were parts customers had returned as defective. So I now have spare bulbs, batteries, and other goodies. The bulbs all seem to work. Some of the lights have bad switches. At least one of the batteries had enough charge to fire up my light.

Oh, but by way of balancing some of that good karma, a bird crapped on me on the way home. sigh

fubar5

I bought some Kenda heavy duty inner-tubes and haven't had any problem with flats. Even with low tire pressure

nikos

Wow, sorry about that Rainman. I guess Im buying time, heading into 500 miles commuting this season and still no flat, however I do think about it more and more! Just not tomorrow please, Ill have a tough enough time at work catching up.

fubar5

Hey nikos, that is a really cool cap you have on in your avatar.(assuming that is you)

PapeteeBooh

It is really pretty good. I get a flat every 3 to 500 miles in normal conditions (got some troubles with high pressure tires recently). From my experience, tires makes quite a difference but tubes (regular or thorn resistant whatever) not very.

A few weeks ago, I had a flat. I changed my tube and pumped it up as I could with my crappy portable pump (which is enough to get home but never enough for properly inflating a road tire). Once home, I endavour to properly inflate my tires. Two minutes later I hear a huge BANG!

I thought for a second that it was a gun shot (I live in a nice neighborhood ) but it was too close. I realized that my tube had exploded. Changing it, I found a 2.5 inches iron nail embedded in the tube. I guess I must have picked it up on my way back with my poorly inflated tire.

fubar5

I was pumping up a tube once and it blew to pieces. The only thing not cool about it was that I was inside, and it scared the heck out of everybody.

PapeteeBooh

Fubar,

Reading your post I thought for a while you meant "I was inside the tube". I thought to myself "This forums is getting surrealistic" (or else I need to sober up). But I guess you meant inside (i.e. inside a solid shelter or antonym of outside, in the open).

Chris L

I haven't had a flat in a couple of thousand km actually.

I shouldn't have said that.