I haven't tried liners. Trying to pack those into a skinny 700x23-25 is something that I can't grasp. Always thinking the thing is crooked when installing. I have a pair.. but haven't used them! Picked one of those wires up while riding a frontage road on a road bike. Not an instant flat, became apparent after the bike sat @ home for a few hours. A real head scratcher to diagnose right?

Took the tire halfway off the rim finally, and using magnifying eyeglasses and my fingers spotted the culprit. Looked just like yours. Got some needlenose pliers and performed surgery. The main point (no pun intended) is to be careful while fishing around for those things. They could easily draw blood.

I wonder.. how do they manage to stand up at such an angle as to cause trouble? Always on the lookout for troublesome scraps on the road, yet...