riddei

It's going to be 50*F for the first time today here .

I go out to my garage this morning, grab my bike, and notice my studded snow tire is flat !

I took the car, because I didn't have time to change it. I'm going to change back to the Schwalbe Marathon (+) tonight.

I've ridden in (-) temps all year, just when I was looking forward to a "nice" ride, I'm defeated. People in my office are teasing me that it must be "too nice" for me to ride.

The good news is, that this is going to help entice me to fix up my 1982 Bianchi 12 speed as a second steed for commuting duties. I need to add a rack and fenders (and maybe some flat resistant tires).

Ugh.

timmhaan

try some air free tires next time.

jpdesjar

i hear bad things about airless tires...sorry to hear about your flat
i was ready to leave work the other day and discovered a flat front tire...i had a tube so i changed it but i was all fired up ready to ride

how's it going riddei?

BikEthan

*shakes fist* Damn flat tires!

Stands to reason (at least according to Murphy's Law). Always good to have a back-up bike just in case. Besides it is just one day, the weather will steadily get better and the next thing you know you'll be commuting every day.

DataJunkie

I have also heard bad things about airless.
A more viable solution is a spare bike or two. IMHO
or three or four

timmhaan

and you haven't heard bad things about regular air filled tires? every 4th or 5th thread on bike forums is about flat tires it seems. more people complain about that then any other thing i would bet.

AEO

or just some spare wheels...
especially if you have schwalbe marathons mounted on them.
I know for sure I hate mounting and unmounting schwalbe marathons... and this unstable weather

jpdesjar

i am going to stay with air in the tires
flats are no big deal...just have to think ahead and be prepared

i have had to walk before due to a flat, not the most fun but it happens

someone said they used airless tires and when they rode off a curb they got whip lash...i am not sure how the person rode off the curb but it didn't sound cool or comfortable

jpdesjar

i am still amazed when i look at the cause of the flat and see a screw sticking straight through the tire...i would love to see this slowed down a great deal in video to see what is taking place

...i saw a show on the discovery channel that does this, maybe i will send them a request

timmhaan

fair enough. i don't agree with the whiplash anecdote...sounds like maybe an older generation of air free tire? or maybe they just bought one that was way too hard.

and i'm not saying they are the best things on earth (they aren't), but i just find it odd that the vast majority of cyclists use a product that can and does fail at random, forcing them to fix it or be stuck. not only that, but they need to carry around spare tubes, patch kits, pumps, etc.

this is considered "normal". but when presented with an alternative that completely address that issue, most cite some ancedotal story from a friend of a friend on why they don't want to try it.

just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. my air free tires have been such a relief to me, i can't even describe it. total peace of mind when i ride.

jpdesjar

i guess i cannot knock them until i try them...but there is something cool about riding along on air
i really like that aspect...besides on my route i have railroad tracks and many bumps and holes so the more forgiving my bike is the better

i soon will be riding a steel fixed gear so i have some new things to learn...exciting

riddei

I'm not sure they make airless studded winter tires. After riding all winter in studs, I can't go back. I was going to change-over to the Marathon Plus' soon anyway, so I'll just make the change-over a little earlier.

I'm not as concerned with getting flats with the Marathon Plus' anyway, as they are designed to be bulletproof. In fact, they are so hard to mount and dismount, that I may not even carry a spare (I'll carry a cell phone).

My wife just reminded me what a bear I was to live with last season when I mounted them originally. I broke two tire irons, and cursed allot. She convinced me to take it to the LBS "for the families sake". Ugh.

macteacher

Spring is definitely here. The temps jumped to +4 C, today, however I slept in and could not bike in