View Poll Results: How many flats in the last 12 months
None
31
33.33%
One
16
17.20%
Two
17
18.28%
Three
6
6.45%
Four
3
3.23%
Five or more
20
21.51%
Voters: 93. You may not vote on this poll
How many flats have you had in the last 12 months
08-13-09, 12:50 PM
#26
Who farted?
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08-13-09, 12:51 PM
#27
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Two, both unusual. One was a sidewall blowout last fall, due to using some very old tires a friend gave me for free, the sidewall had rotted or been damaged or something.
The other was a snakebite this spring due to low tire pressure and the county putting down some friggin' boulders for fill in a place where the gravel road had turned into a mud bog due to frost melting. I hit one of the fist-sized rocks and went flat in 2 seconds.
I'd carry my spare tube, levers and pump if I didn't have a flat for 10 years. I have helped others with flats enough times. Yesterday a guy at work had his first flat and his stupid Blackburn pump was defective. Unfortunately I'd driven my car and couldn't help, but usually I can.
The other was a snakebite this spring due to low tire pressure and the county putting down some friggin' boulders for fill in a place where the gravel road had turned into a mud bog due to frost melting. I hit one of the fist-sized rocks and went flat in 2 seconds.
I'd carry my spare tube, levers and pump if I didn't have a flat for 10 years. I have helped others with flats enough times. Yesterday a guy at work had his first flat and his stupid Blackburn pump was defective. Unfortunately I'd driven my car and couldn't help, but usually I can.
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08-13-09, 12:55 PM
#28
Arizona Dessert
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Carrying the minimal stuff needed (inflator: pump or co2, patch, tube, irons) is so much more convenient and quicker than a bus. You can't count on a bus either. Where I live there is space for only two bikes. When I needed a bus ride home (my frame broke ~8mi from home) two busses passed with racks full so I couldn't take bike.
08-13-09, 12:56 PM
#29
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Tsk, tsk. Tube, patch kit, levers, pump. Not a lot of bulk or weight for the security.
08-13-09, 01:42 PM
#30
Senior Member
Kidding. I recently bought another pair of Supremes in 700x32 to replace the ones I had on my main commuter with 8000+ miles on them. I know you mentioned once upon a time that you'd suggest they'd make 700x28s. I'd be very interested to know if you ever hear any more about it. I think the 28s would make the perfect commuting tire for those with long commutes.
08-13-09, 01:57 PM
#31
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08-13-09, 03:51 PM
#32
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We keep hearing rumors from Germany that this is a strong possibility. I'll be at Interbike next month, and the guy who makes such decisions will be there. He will get an earful from me, and not just because I want a pair for my Conquest Pro. I'll report back as soon as I know more.
08-13-09, 03:57 PM
#33
Dances With Cars
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The first rule of Flat Club™ is you do not talk about Flat Club™.
The second rule of Flat Club™ is you do not talk about Flat Club™.
The second rule of Flat Club™ is you do not talk about Flat Club™.
08-13-09, 04:00 PM
#34
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If I was superstitious, flats would be one of the least of my concerns.
08-13-09, 06:00 PM
#35
Happy old man
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I have never ever had a flat......
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08-13-09, 06:12 PM
#36
Dances With Cars
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aw, .... there you went and did it....
08-14-09, 12:07 AM
#37
circus bear
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Flats are only a problem if you don't know what the hell your doing...
08-14-09, 12:20 AM
#38
Bicycle Repair Man !!!
One... the tire that went flat had more than 10,000 km on it and still looks nearly as good as new.
08-14-09, 12:22 AM
#39
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For me, flats come in strange groups. I've gone six months without flatting, but this past six weeks have seen three flats on my road bike, and one flat on my touring bike, which has armored tires. The first road bike flat, however, caused the next two, as there was a tiny surgical slice in the sidewall of the tire, which I failed to notice when I was checking the tire and rim, standard procedure after a flat. When the third flat occurred, I still couldn't find the problem until I pumped the tire up to full pressure, then inspected it closely before putting it back on the bike. It was then that I noticed a little nipple formed where the tube was poking through the sidewall. A new tire fixed
that issue.
As for my commuter bike, it came with Michellin puncture resistant tires (got it two months ago). Two weeks ago the rear tire blew. I never did figure out why. Last year I road all year on Specialized Armadillos and NEVER got a flat - I stopped carrying my repair kit! So I had to ride back home on the flat, which destroyed the tire, which is good because then I had to replace it. So I replaced it with an Armadillo. Very expensive tire, but very reliable and rides well too. I highly recommend it.
that issue.
As for my commuter bike, it came with Michellin puncture resistant tires (got it two months ago). Two weeks ago the rear tire blew. I never did figure out why. Last year I road all year on Specialized Armadillos and NEVER got a flat - I stopped carrying my repair kit! So I had to ride back home on the flat, which destroyed the tire, which is good because then I had to replace it. So I replaced it with an Armadillo. Very expensive tire, but very reliable and rides well too. I highly recommend it.
Same here - I'll go six months without flatting then have 3 within two weeks. I have Specialized Armadillos and have very few exterior punctures with them. Usual culprits are pinch flats and spoke nipples poking through rim tape. Last week, my tire came unseated from the rim due to a broken spoke. This week, so far, no problems. The downtown portion of my commute takes me through some of the crappiest roads known to man, so that may have some bearing on my propensity for flats.
08-14-09, 06:45 AM
#40
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Avoiding glass in this University town is difficult especially in the rain. Why people insist on tossing beer bottles into the curb lane is a real head scratcher. 
08-14-09, 06:56 AM
#41
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Who keeps track? Not me.
08-14-09, 07:14 AM
#42
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Oh, I don't know. I still haven't checked my records, but ten or twenty sounds about right. To be fair, I guess that includes some of the flats I got while touring / recreational riding... total miles in the last year is somewhere around 5000 miles, and I'm pretty sure I've had at least a dozen flats in that time. On my commuter bike, I've gone through three new rear tires, all kevlar belted, in the last year. I am not buying Primo Comets again, ever.
08-14-09, 07:31 AM
#43
Ha ha HA! Me likey bikey!
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Only one flat. I let a bunch of air out of both tires so I could go play in the snow and ice. A few days later I pumped both tires back up to 80psi and left for work. Rear flatted halfway into the commute. Likely a snakebike in the tire from fooling around and hitting numerous pot holes, which then got opened up at 80psi.
Only that one flat so far, and there's a LOT of broken glass and debris along my route.
Only that one flat so far, and there's a LOT of broken glass and debris along my route.
08-14-09, 07:37 AM
#44
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Two, both on back to back morning. I didn't find the piece of glass after the first one Somehow I still got the rest of the way to and from work that first day, and halfway there on the second.
08-14-09, 08:41 AM
#46
Senior Member
Four.. 3 yesterday. One today..
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08-14-09, 12:33 PM
#48
Pedaled too far.
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I should have answered yesterday, then my answer would only have been "one".
The shortest time I've gone between flats was somewhere under 1/10 of a second, the longest was about 1 1/4 years.
The shortest time I've gone between flats was somewhere under 1/10 of a second, the longest was about 1 1/4 years.
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08-14-09, 12:49 PM
#49
xtrajack
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Schwalbe Marathon Plus are how I roll.
08-14-09, 12:58 PM
#50
Pedaled too far.
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Once I came upon a rather scruffy man who was smashing a beer bottle in the gutter. I told him to stop. He said that "Nobody cares." I said "I did, they caused me flat tires on my bike." He didn't respond, but he did leave.
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