hanktrefethen

My tubes seem to last me about a month. I ride ~50/week in queens and manhattan. Have been getting snake bites/pinch flats. NYC roads are rough. Tires 26X1.5.

Considering the following:

slime tubes
DIY tubless

Any thoughts?

rhm

Snake bites and pinch flats? Those come from faulty installation, not road debris. For some reason, you are getting the tube caught between the rim and the tire; maybe your tube is too big, like a 1.5" or larger? If you're using a thin tube as well, I'd consider different tires. Different tires fit the rims differently, and you are having trouble with the ones you are using. So try something else.

I, too, get a lot of flats, riding around 25 miles weekly in Queens and Manhattan, and another 50 miles at the other end of the train ride (LI or NJ). The last time I had a flat, I had four flats in one day, and I got totally fed up with it. I took an old spoke and bent it into a tire saver, and attached that at the front of the rear fender (so just behind the BB). It rubs on the tire and, in theory, knocks away debris stuck to the tire. It makes a lot of noise, and probably slows me down a little, but I haven't had any flats since then... three months ago, maybe.

dynaryder

Also check tire pressure. Underinflated tires will pinch flat much more easily than properly inflated ones.

imi

Have you checked your rim-tape out? Worn out? Spoke ends pushing through or not being covered?
High quality (Velox cloth or Continental plastic) can certainly make a difference

canyoneagle

Consider a larger tire, too. Repeated pinch/snakebite flats sounds like the conditions might warrant a bit more sidewall/cushion.

1.25" tires (31mm) on 26", with proper intflation (necessary to avoid pinch flats) probably yields a really harsh ride.
My initial guess (based on the thread topic) would've been rim tape or embedded debris in the tread until I read the snakebite symptom.

Kojak

This is my guess.

Slime won't work on snakebites, at least not well. You'll likely end up with a mess to clean up. Also, what tire are you running? A good heavy duty tire might save you a lot of grief. (Doesn't have to be ours, most of the name brand tires out there make at least one good heavy duty urban tire.)

hanktrefethen

My mistake I'm running 26X1.5


Thats funny, I was about to purchase a pair of Marathons a couple weeks back but couldn't wait for them to ship. Had a sidewall tear that I was riding on a few too many days and emergency action was required. So, I ended up just getting a specialized slick for the back, bottom of the line Nimbus. From your line what tires do you recommend? Do you have an unbiased tube preference?

I'll be sure and check pressure, today I was rolling with a fully loaded rear rack. When I put on that new tire I also installed a used rear wheel that probably isn't taped. I'm nursing an old craigslist bike back to health.

[QUOTE=RHM;]maybe your tube is too big, like a 1.5" or larger?[\QUOTE]

The tube I'm running is larger than 1.5-2.0, I ran a 1.25-1.5 for a few days but it felt too soft, like it wasn't holding enough air.

Andy_K 

Is it possible that your rim is too wide for those tires?

zacster

I ride 100 or so a week in Brooklyn and Manhattan and I don't get flats (oops, now I've jinxed it). I ALWAYS inflate before I leave the house. I ride both a road bike with 700x23 GP4000 and Mtb with 26x1.5 slicks. The road tires in particular are not heavy duty.

You must be underinflated. Are you going over a lot of potholes or curbs?

Kojak

With regard to tubes, I know that our tubes and the Michelin tubes are premium quality (there might be others that I'm not aware of). A good quality tube should last longer, and hold air better than a cheap tube. Whether one tube is more resistant to punctures than another is open for discussion. I would argue that if something gets through your tire, it's unlikely that a tube will save your behind. But, if one is forgetful of consistently topping up the pressure in their tires, a tube that is better at pressure retention might keep you from getting as many pinch flats.

As for a tire I would recommend, I would want to know more about your riding, and I would want to know which are your most highly coveted features of a tire, and would need some idea as to your budget. We make so many different tire models (sometimes I think too many) that there will be something in our line that will work well for you ....... unless your most important feature is getting a tire for 10 bucks; we don't have much in that price range. Also, if your bike will accomodate, I would recommend bumping up to a 26x1.5. Additional volume will also help with pinch flat prevention.

hanktrefethen

Where I get on the 59th street bridge the roads are rough, and then again between the bridge and Park.


It's a narrow rim, I want to say they are standard width—if that exists.

I ride on moderately smooth roads that have a few really rough areas (basically unavoidable). I'm riding amongst traffic: taxis, buses, trucks, etc. the whole way. I want a fast rolling tire that grips well in all conditions(excluding snow/ice, not looking for studs) and that will last a long time. A feature I really like about your tires is the reflective stripe. My budget is based n the fact that i don't need anything fancy, I tend to follow the buy nice or buy twice principle. Function definitely precedes form. I actually am running a 26X1.5, original post to be edited.

idiotekniQues

ive put a bit over 400 miles on my schwalbe marathon cross, mostly nyc and jersey city riding. so far so good. but these may have more of a tread than you need (got them on amazon) but from the hours of research i did on puncture resistant tires, schwalbe is tops. it also would be worth it to get a floor pump with a good gauge.

PaulRivers

The cheapest-but-reliable-and-puncture-resistant tires I know of are the Panaracer Pasela's ($30/tire). If you want the reflective sidewall, the Panaracer TServ's are $40/tire and have that, plus longer life or something.

But if you're getting pinch flats, I would suggest replacing your rim tape, and making sure you're putting enough air into the tire first.

Kimmitt 

+1 on these suggestions. Now that you have some ideas, it may be worth talking to the LBS you trust locally to sort out which one is the culprit or culprits.

Kojak

Hank,

From what I'm reading, sounds like our Marathon Supreme tire is what you'd be after (if you decide on Schwalbe). They
are generally pretty expensive tires, but from what I'm reading on the boards here, there are deals to be had out there.

https://www.schwalbetires.com/marathon_supreme

It's available in a 26x1.6 which should work for you.

There is another active thread here in the commuting section that is a review of this tire that might be worth reading. I can give my opinion, but at the end of the day I work for Schwalbe, so my opinion is going to be at least perceived as being biased. I'd hunt down as many opinions as you can.

dynaryder

This.

Have been running these for two years now. I'd also advise getting the 2.0" wide;they'll soak up the bumps but are still fast tires.

rhm

Hank, I ride those same roads; agreed, it's pretty rough; but that shouldn't be causing your troubles.

26 x 1.5" tire is not especially narrow, so should work fine with pretty much any 26" rim.

Re Schwalbe Marathons etc, I'm all for good tires, but puncture resistant tires will not help against pinch flats and snakebites. Since you said:

No, that tube size should be fine for those tires. If you're getting pinch flats, your tube is too big, or your tires are underinflated, or maybe both. A tube really has nothing to do with how a tire feels; it's just an airproof sack that stretches out to fill your whole tire; if you can pump it up to pressure, then no problem. If a tube is waaaay too small for a tire, strange things can happen when it gets punctured; but that's not the problem you're having.