bogydave

Will be riding in the PS area.
Last year I rode the TDPS on a mtb with slimed tubes with no issues. (25 mile downtown loop)

This year , riding the 100,
Factory tires :Specialized Espoir Sport Reflect, 60TPI, double BlackBelt protection, 700x30mm
(65 - 95 psi)

What's recommended for flat protection for road bike tires, riding in the desert?

Does either max inflation pressure or a lower pressure (within tire range) have any effect on flat protection?

Start with 85 psi, will it build to 95+/- or so, over the course of the race, or start with 95 psi & go.

fietsbob

My solutions all make your wheels Heavier ..

Schwalbe Marathon plus/greenguard Tires And Thick rubber Thorn Resistant inner tubes*.

* they are most common in Schrader valve types .. Even the 1" type tube width..

digibud

The major issue with tire pressure is the possibility of a "snake bite" puncture where you get two little holes in the tube due to having the pressure too low and bottoming out the rim on the tube. It's a "pinch flat". If you keep to the 65lb limit there isn't much concern for that. If you put on Marathon plus with thorn resistant inner tubes you would be almost completely safe but wow...that's at the cost of a LOT of weight and rolling resistance. Marathon Plus alone are very, very puncture proof but if you have serious nasty stuff like Goat Head Thorns you might still have an issue. I doubt it...but if GHT were really bad it could be a real problem. Higher pressure means the tire is less apt to roll over something and the something is more apt to simply puncture the tire but that's also theoretical. My strong recommendation for anyone riding in a desert area is to go tubeless if at all possible. I've come home with 4 goat head thorn stuck in my tire, broken off, seeping the tiniest bit of Stans sealant and not even been aware that I'd gotten punctured by a thorn. Pull the thorn out...(i'd leave it in till I got home) and let the tire "bleed" sealant for a bit and I'm good to go. There is no better solution than a well set up tubeless tire, particularly in a race when stopping to repair a thorn puncture probably means you are out of the running. In a desert ride of 100mi the odds of puncturing are huge. Marathon Plus with thorn proof tubes are one effective extreme. Tubeless is another. For a race, tubeless wins hands down - IF you can setup your wheels/tires tubeless. On mtn bikes, most wheels/tires can be converted using the "ghetto" method. Best of luck. (google ghetto tubeless for more info)

CeeDotA

I ride a road bike out here in PS, so YMMV. I have Continental Ultra Sport IIs on there with the low-end Performance tubes at 100psi, and a Mr Tuffy orange liner. I do just fine around here and haven't had a flat in months (knocks on wood). The roads the TdPS 100 mi route obviously will have a decent amount of debris thanks to the vicious winds that kick up from time to time, but plenty of cyclists hit those routes all the time without issue. Bring a spare tube (more than one if you can) and I believe there is mobile mechanical help available. I cornered too hard last year and hit the deck, and one of the mobile technicians came to assist me.

bogydave

(Searching "getto tubeless" )

Stopped by the LBS on today's ride.
The guy there rides the SW areas a lot, AZ, CA, NM, NV,
uses tubeless with a sealant & over 5,000 mile he's had one flat.

He wanted to sell me tubes that can be slimed (or what ever sealant to use) presta that the core can be removed.

I have AXIS Classic Disc wheels.
Only way I'm going tubless this year is if I can use the factory wheels & even then tires are spendy (Black hole money pit thing "again" )

How do I find out if "AXIS Classic Disc " are Tubeless compatible. ?



fietsbob 's solution
May best choice for this year , tubes with sealant & Maybe liners

catgita

A latex based sealant such as Slime Pro (NOT the green stuff) in a tube works very well for small punctures like thorns, goats heads, and crushed glass. Stans would seal larger holes more aggressively, but it dries out a bit quicker. Lower pressures reduce punctures from glass significantly, but thorns and goats heads don't care. You need a special tool to remove the valve core, but I believe most tubes have removable cores.

The advantage is you can use lightweight standard or racing tires and tubes on a non-tubeless ready rim, and do the treatment in about 10 minutes without taking any but the valve stem off. I went from 3 flats a month on average to none for 6 months (when I should have added more sealant anyway). It was clear that the tube was absolutely tenderized with holes, but no leaks.

zonatandem

Have lived in the Arizona's Sonopran desert since 1978. Ride 100 miles a week.
Pump, spare tube + patchkit does the trick.

bogydave

Are you mixing the 2 to get both sealing properties, Slime-Pro & Stans
Or just using Slime-Pro.

Are your spare tubes slime-pro'd & ready to go ?

LBS today said the tubes that came stock on the Specialized Sirrus I have , are the type that you can't remove the cores.

catgita

Do not mix latex sealants. They can react to each other and become useless. The two have different positives and negatives. For a one time race, Stans would probably be your safest bet. I used Slime-Pro because I used the bike for commuting and needed more longevity.

No, you can't get it pre-filled. The kit comes with a syringe to inject the product, but not a core remover. You put about 1.5 oz in each tube (depending on size, mine were 32mm), and add about 1/2oz every 3 months because it dries out. There has to be enough in there to flow around a bit. Replace the tubes when you change tires to avoid buildup of dry rubber latex balls inside.

Changing tubes is easy. I use Shwalbe tubes, which do have removable cores, because I have had many, many failures of cheap tubes over the years.

digibud

to expand on bogydave's comments, injecting slime pro into a tube is one way to help prevent flatting. So is a Mr Tuffy strip and so are Marathon Plus tires. The marathon plus tires are good enough for 90% of all riders. Only a really nasty thorn or seriously bad, sharp object will get past Marathon Plus tires. The big advantage to real tubeless setups is the weight and feel. There is a huge difference between a nice tubeless tire and a heavy marathon plus with a tube and slime in it. For basic commuting when road feel and distance are not important, going with tubes and slime don't make much difference but if anyone were wanting to do a 120mi ride with a fast group, it would be much less fun. The big issue is that road wheels and tires can't easily be made tubeless unless they are designed as such. The pressures are too high. I think I referenced "ghetto" tubeless earlier but that's not practical with road tires. For the high pressures of road tires you have to (I think) have designed-for tubeless rims and tires.

bogydave

For now I'll get some good tubes & "Slim-pro" them.

Then later upgrade the tires to something like the Marathon Plus .
Will probably meet a bunch of team reps looking for riders back in the back of the field. Then sponsor will buy my tubeless set.

Do you put slime pro in the spare tube/s in the saddle bag. ?