Just put some duct tape close to the tire and will do the samething for 2 cents a wheel, maybe even less.

Forgot this, move to a nicer area

those tire saver loops worked pretty good if you have slick or nearly slick tires, I used them on my touring bike when I lived in an area infested with 'goathead' thorns. this was long before flat resistant tires, I was running silk sewups (tubulars).

sigh, they would be difficult to mount on newer bikes with recessed brake bolts, as they were mounted on the back of the forks such that they stuck out under the brake in front.

Hi - Thanks to everyone who is replying. An update - I still didn't make the purchase cause I'm undecided now on what'll it be. Your opinion please out of these - which should I get? I don't ride a lot, or with other people, just on the back roads of the country side right now. The tires are 700cx35 and it's a bit of a clunker but it gets me around
So out of these what would be my best bet?
Mr Tuffy's
Stop Flats
Stans Fluid
Schwalbe Marathon
Pana Ribmos
Slime
Slime Self Repairing Tubes?


Miss Bliss

A modern version would have to be made out of thin plate, mounting just behind the brake - pretty much the only guaranteed available spot.

Wow, that bike has 700c (I prefer to call it 622mm) rims? That seems strange... what country are you posting from?

I'm not sure what the best solution for you is, but if your existing tyres are more than say, fifteen or twenty years old, then you might find modern tyres provide enough extra resistance on their own. If you still find you're getting too many flats, tyre liners are probably the simplest way to address the problem IMO. I like RubeRad's point about them being a one-off cost compared with the ongoing cost of tyres with extra protection.

dp

Out of that list, IME Panaracer Ribmos FTW - I run a set of 23s on my Kona hybrid, and they've been very good to me as far as puncture resistance is concerned, and they roll pretty sweetly, too.

I just finished a visual inspection of the inside of a Specialized/Roll-X Armadillo tire. It was used, and the former owner said he rode in the desert with it. The inside was clean except for a thorn which had penetrated the casing, and the sharp point hung at a low angle, about an eight of an inch into the inside. No goat's head, that. After a puncture, always remember to check the inside.

Did he give it to you because it was punctured and he couldn't find the thorn, or is he just one of those people who throw away tubes and tyres as soon as they're punctured.

1. Schwalbe Marathons (or some other "armored" tire)
2. Slime Self Repairing Tubes

-1 tire liners. Friction between the liner and the casing will eventually CAUSE a flat (cut casing cords, good luck fixing that on the road). I put all three on my commuter (tough tires, liners, and slimed tubes) and a bike shop buddy told me the liners would cause a flat. I did not believe him for the one year it took for the liner to wear through the casing.

Bloody hell, that's a lot of friction if they managed to abrade through the tough tyre casing!

I suppose that they start wearing it out from Day 1 of installing them, so even if you used them and kept an eye on things, it's just a question of time before they pop your tyre...

A lot of flats of this type can be avoided by being careful where you ride. It sounds as if you are riding paved roads mostly. Try to avoid rolling your bike through grass or weeds to get to the pavement. In my part of the country this is how most road bike flats occur, picking up goat heads or grass burrs in parking lots and rest stops. Whenever I have to cross grass or weeds I pick up my bike and carry it to the pavement. If this isn't possible at least check your tires for burrs, thorns, and glass before riding each time you stop. Thorn resistant tires and tubes are heavy and add a lot of weight at the worst possible part of a bike. But you do what's best for you.

He threw it in with two Schwinns (S-25 & S-30) mountain bikes for $5 each. I'm using the S-25 for parts, as the fork is mangled and the chainwheels are loose from the crank. The S-30 needed a new front wheel, new chain, new rear derailleur and lots of adjustments. Not a bad deal overall...

Maybe not a lot of friction - you should have seen the point on that thing! I think it must have been a cactus thorn. BTW, a good hemostat would be a useful item to carry in your tool kit if you live and ride in thorn country - there, just added a hemostat to mine!

I think it's only a matter of time before any tyre goes "pop!".

Several years back, another couple went with us to ride the Caprock Canyon Trail. The other couple used Armadillo tires and in 32 miles stopped over twenty times to repair some 30-40 thorn-caused flats. We used Slime. Every time the other couple would have to stop to repair their flat tires, I would pull the thorns out of our tires. At the end of the day, I didn't even have to add any air to our tires. YMMV.

if you need a lot more than armadillos or gatorskins....maybe riding a road bike in the desert is just joyless, hot, straight-line suffering.

40 flats in 32 miles?
so you guys had a support vehicle, and inside were flat-repair ninjas?
i've done like 7k on Armadillos...never had a single flat.

Yeah - but do go you biking in areas that have these 'goat head' thorns?

They do sound/look pretty gnarly.

I've used standard Schwalbe Marathons (27" and 16"), Marathon Winter (26"), and Marathon Plus (26"), all extensively. Not a single flat with any of them. Ever. They are so good that I'm thinking about not carrying a patch kit or tube any longer. I've had other "puncture resistant" tires made with Kevlar that have gotten shredded in the same conditions. For your situation I'd go with Marathon Plus. Once you get the things on, which can be an ordeal, it's like a new world free of worry. They aren't the fastest tires, but how fast are you stuck on the side of the road doing repair? They also can last up to 10,000 miles. That has to be considered in the total cost of buying tires. They have reflective sidewalls too - a nice safety bonus.

I like Mr. Tuffy.

I wouldn't recommend that. I ran a pair of Marathon Plus tyres for 5000 miles (they've still got plenty of life in them but I want to try lighter tyres) and got a flat when a half-inch hawthorn spike went straight through the protective sheathing. Curiously that was in central London, so you can't even assume that just because you're in an urban area you're safe from nature's spiky threats.

They're certainly great for durability and great for puncture protection.

Not really. It may wear a hole in a tube occasionally but the possibility of wearing a hole in the tire is next to impossible. Even wearing a hole in a tube is rare event. I've been using Tuffy's in every tire I ride since the mid-80s and never had a hole in a tire. I've only manage to wear a hole in a tube maybe twice and that's tens of thousands of miles of road riding, mountain biking and touring.

Yep. Watching where you ride and knowing were the little buggers lurk plus avoiding those places can save you lots of time and frustration.

Never mind.

You think 40 flats in 32 miles is excessive? Texans That's barely over a flat per mile. That's not "carpeted". That's barely sprinkled.

I stopped counting at 63 (just in my own tire) on this ride and we only went down to the dinosaur tracks and back (because the damned tribulus terrestris were so bad) which is a 10 mile trip. And that was just my own flats! That's carpeted!

It was my own fault, however. On a previous ride, we had 27 flats between 4 bikes. One person got 20 and my wife got one and the other 6 were in a "supposedly" impervious tubeless tire. I didn't get any with Tuffy lined tires (and my wife's one flat was on a tire that I forgot to reinstall the Tuffy) and bragged about it. The Goathead gods do not take mocking lightly and smote me mightily the next year.

Do not mock the mighty Goathead!

Contact me if interested in a set of these;
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I've got Mr Tuffy "light" liners on my cross bike and haven't had a flat yet. My area has the "goat-head" thorns everywhere. I'd suggest liners first as they're light-weight and only $20 for a pair.

A Kevlar belt is the minimum. I ride Panaracer Pecela TG with the Kevlar belt. I still get flats, but very few. If you have goat heads I would get the Pacelas and a liner or the Schwalabes. I have a Schwalabe on the rear of mine and don't like the problem I have taking it off or remounting it. I have a Kool Stop tire jack just for the Schwalabe. https://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cg...&item_id=KS-TJ