Laminarman

I was riding my tires that came with my R5, Maxxis something or other that have fair to bad reviews. I shredded one on my trainer, so being newish to the sport, I "upgraded" to Panaracers ($30 each). I rode three seasons without any flats, now on the Panaracers I have had FIVE flats this season. I can NEVER find a puncture material inside the tire, never find a hole, but there are tiny puncture type holes in my tubes. I use Specialized tubes as that's what my LBS stocks. The roads I ride are not great, is it what it is. Are tubes also a factor? Getting very frustrated. Flatted twice today, both new tubes. I repair the tubes once home but this wasn't fun in 90 degree heat..twice. Any advice is greatly appreciated. I'd go to a "puncture resistant" tire but don't want a horrid ride either.

10 Wheels

Glass, radial tire wires, improper rim tape. tire level pinches, low psi are all causes of flats.
Are the holes always in the same place?

Laminarman

Well there is always glass, but I try to avoid it. What is a radial tire wire? It's not tire lever pinches as far as I know, but maybe one was that cause. I ride at 105psi. The holes are always on the bottom or towards the side wall. As luck would have it, one tube today was defective out of the box with a split at the valve, thank God I had two with me (and I NEVER do that). Rim tape? I think that's OK. I'll take her apart and go over everything. Again.

10 Wheels

Sometime the slivers of glass and the tiny wire can hide in the tire.
I now turn my tires inside out and look very carefully for hidden wires or glass.
I enjoyed 28 flats last year. Had 4 in the past two weeks.

This wire was hidden in the tire. It Caused two flats before it was found.

Laminarman

28 flats? I think I'd stop riding. Maybe because it takes me a way long time to change a tire. Do you use a new tube each time 10 Wheels or repair the tube??

10 Wheels

I carry three spare plus a patch kit and tire boots.
I patch them at home, Have tubes with 7 patches.
Use them till the valves wear out.

Me last Monday on a 86 mile ride. 90* Raining. Three flats one after each other.

BCRider

When 10wheels asked about if the holes are allways in the same place or not he was referring to radially around the tire and not if they are on the bottom or not

He's trying to get you to think about it and figure out if your tire could be carrying embedded glass or wire that is causing repeated and frequent flats in the same spot.

What I do based on a suggestion at Sheldon's site or somewhere else is to put the beginning of the tire's side wall color label right at the stem. Then when I pull the tube out I ensure that I maintain orientation of the tube with the wheel while I find the hole. Once I know where the hole in the tube is I look super carefully at the corresponding spot of the tire and flex it and whatever to see if I can find any buried glass or wire that is still in the tire. If you don't do this you're just opening yourself up to a nasty surprise in your immediate future.

CPFITNESS

i got a flat with a pasela TG the other day but it's because i tried to hop a very small curb with a 25c tire and i'm 230 lbs. I shouldn't have risked it, especially being 10 miles from home. luckily i'm in nyc and was only 1 mile from subway. other than that, no issues with my pasela tg's with wire beads I elected not to pay the extra 8 bucks for th ekevlar bead.

JohnDThompson 

The radial steel belts in automobile and truck tires sometimes end up in minute pieces all over the road when a tire fails. These can puncture your inner tube and unless you carefully check your tire for them, they may remain in place to cause further punctures "down the road."

Laminarman

Thanks for the responses. And BCRider, thanks for clueing me in. Duh...should have gotten that. In any event, I will do that with the placement of the tire. I've gone over this tire with a microscope, see nothing. NO FLATS on the front. So I'm wondering what's going on.... I'll keep working at it.

MikeWinVA

Wipe the inside of the tire with a dry cotten ball in both rotational directions...if there is a wire strand of it in there, it will grab the cotton. That is how I found a radial tire wire that was driving me mad....

ultraman6970

This happened to me twice, last time I came back home flat because i ran of patches after the 3rd flat. My solution is comeback to tubulars, way cheaper to maintain. Need to buy a pump now hehehe

MudPie

I flatted this morning and found a tiny tire wire thru the tread. I ran my finger inside the tire to find it. It was not visible from the outside, and protruded a very tiny amount length. I didn't measure it, but it was small enough not to hurt my finger as I passed over it. I'm guessing a couple of millimeters. It sure was satisfying to pull it from the tire.