G4teamG

Finally took the step and replaced my original tires with WTB Slickasaurus tires. Right off the bat I could feel the faster cruising speed and quicker handling. Problem is I also got my first flat from a piece of glass after putting on only 18 miles on these new tires. I went about a thousand miles with the other set and now I'm not so sure about the dependability of 1.5 inch slicks. Any suggestions about how to get these tires more sturdy would be appreciated. Thanks!

grolby

Slick are absolutely fantastic after you've been on knobbies, aren't they? As for durability, there are a couple different options.

1: You could buy new tires with kevlar belting. Like a bulletproof vest for your tires! (disclaimer: not really as effective as a bulletproof vest. But it helps!)

2: Thornproof tubes. They're basically just much thicker inner tubes.

3: I think that there are tire liners which you can purchase... they act basically as guards for your tubes. They tend to be heavy, or so I have heard. I can't comment on them at all.

4: Be more careful about where you ride. Watch out for debris-laden shoulders and curbs. Don't curb-hop unless your tires are the right pressure, and even then, make sure that you aren't going to fast onto a sharp curb. I managed to give myself a pinch flat by hitting a curb real hard with an inflated (knobby) tire. Of course, that might have been enough to bend my axle, too...

I am sure that someone will come along with better, more specific info for you.

Treespeed

For years I've been using the Performance Fast City/K for years. They aren't puncture proof, but they do pretty well. Plus unlike so many MTB slicks they are a 1.25" which means you can really pump them up. I run mine at 100PSI all the time and I've never had one blow off the rim. Plus they are way cheaper than the Continentals.

Raiyn

Buy a set of Specialized Nimbis Armadillo's and relax. I got a set of the Nimbus EX's about 4 years ago and have had no issues with them. The Nimbus Armadillo has even better protection

andygates

Or Conti Sport Contacts and relax with a much nicer ride

Rowan

No, probably not any more better advice than what you offer here. But I'll try.

Watch for the glisten of crystals ahead of you. A sure sign of future trouble. Avoid it. Slow down and pick your way through it. I've dealt with this for two weeks on a connector path where a bottle was broken. I chose a slightly different route to get around the original problem, and now the area has been relatively cleared, I can pick my way through the "crystals". No puncture yet.

Your chances of a puncture from glass, thorns or Michelin wire goes up (I would say exponentially, but someone would come up with a forumla to prove me wrong) with RAIN. Water lubricates the rubber, and permits stuff you would normally ride over to penetrate the casing, then the tube. Punctures in wet conditions are a fact of life. Prepare for it.

Ride on the road where the surface is swept by the tyre of motor vehicles. In other words, stay out of the gutter, or the accumulation of detritis along the line where some less-knowledgeable bike riders go.

Check your tyre pressures often. Low pressures invite trouble and slow you down. High pressure (balancing ride comfort and ride efficiency) actually help prevent punctures (at least in my humble experience). That includes reducing the chances of snake-bit flats from going over gutter crossings, potholes and suchlike.

Don't let a puncture in the first 18 miles of fitting new tyres discourage you. It happens. You may get another two or three in the next 100 miles. Or go for 2000 miles and think your tyres are the ant's pants. Sometimes it's not the tyre's fault.

max-a-mill

one last thing not mentioned here, make sure your running a high enough pressure.

in the beginnings of my road riding, i would think i was getting flats a lot form road debris when really it was a pinch flat from having too little air in the tire for my big self.

you can tell by looking to see where the hole on the tube is. if it is on the outside (or if you find the material that caused the flat imbedded in your tire) you did indeed flat because of road debris. however if you cant find what caused the flat and the hole is on the inside of your tube (where it makes contact with the rim) it was a pinch flat and you gotta run a higher PSI. pichflats also often look like a snakebite because you get two holes (one form each side of the rim) at once.

eubi

Right!

Be careful if you think Kevlar will increase puncture protection. It's great stuff in the right applications: it has very high tensile strength and low weight. But but it is very easy to cut. Worked with it for five years.

PaulH

I have had good results with Schwalbe Marathon Plus. I have about 3,000 puncture-free commuting miles on them, which include lots of broken glass. My previouse tires (Specialized Nimbus and Vredstein Trigger) would flat at least once every 200 miles under the same conditions.

I've used Mr. Tuffy tireliners. They weight practically nothing. However, I still got a flat every 200 miles with them.

Slime is a controversial anti-puncture liquid. Some people swear by it. Others, like me, swear at it. Although it seemed to do little to prevent punctures, it made my punctures much more messy.

I sympathize with you. I don't have any more tolerance for bike tires that flat every year or so than I would for car tires that behaved similarly. The fact is that most modern bike tires compromise durability for light weight in a way that would be unthinkable for car tires.

Paul

IronHorse

It's worth spending a couple of minutes digging all the small bits of glass out of your tyres before you put your bike to bed for the night.

G4teamG

The flat was definitely caused by a shard of glass. The area that caused the flat was an un-paved area of dirt that leads to the bike trail. I always do my best to avoid glass and other hazards but I guess the odds caught up with me. The Specialized tires sound good though...

2manybikes

I have been using Spin Skins in very thin 430 gram Maxxis Hookworm semi slicks for years. I have never had a flat on those tires.And also the heavier 495 ? gram model.
no mater what pressure I run. Including 22 front 25 rear for rocky areas sometimes.
The spin skins do have to be replaced in a couple of years, they wear out.You also have to follow the installation instructions and use the included talc, or they wear too fast. This had been working for me about six years.
The Spin Skins are very light. Possibly the lightest tire liner, much llighter than the hard rubber ones.

vincenzosi

That's what I'm riding on my Schwinn. I love those tires!

bsyptak

I've been using Mr Tuffy for years. Very, very few flats with it. Measure the part of your tire that hits the ground or is likely to get a flat and get that size Mr Tuffy. Where I do get flats with them is on is the side walls. But that's pretty rare indeed.

The one good thing about Mr Tuffy is that it is reusable. Buy cheap tires and reuse the liner forever. While Armadillos and a Schwalbes are excellent at flat prevention, they are very expensive. $30+ for a bicycle tire is ridiculous when compared to the amount of tire a $80 car tire has.

That being said, there are cheap mtb tires as said above with a kevlar belt built in.

Essy

I've been running Geax Street Runners for over a year - and that's through Boston street crap. No problems...(although I should now run out and put extra tubes in my bag for tomorrow)

Raiyn

Yeah.... probably not a bad idea.