Like many other things ...maybe it's mis-placed faith. Or the placebo effect.

Its the engine not the bike..........HA hA hA Haa Ha.
.
Oh, sorry.
.

Thanks 20grit. I struggle with this too. And haven't figured out a way to avoid it. Thank you for input. I'm brain storming now.

I ran them for many miles and never had a flat. I removed them because they caused a heck of a lot of grime buildup near their mounting points. Even without them, I had few flats. I think it's a matter of keeping the right pressures and watching where you're riding. My sense is that if you don't flat upon first encounter, you won't the second revolution either. Nice theory though, but more marketing than reality.

-G

Exactly my habit. On a bike with fenders I always feel a moment of helplessness when I pass through a pile of crud or glass. For me, that's probably enough reason not to run tubulars and fenders on the same bike.

I'm on to you - I see what you did here.


You are a very bad man.

I have a dim memory of my boss at the bike shop doing this, but the memory is over 30 years old, and it could be merely a memory of a fantasy.

A couple of interesting alternate designs. I've seen the Pelissiers sell for stupid money on Ebay.

20grit & root boy,
Try using a 5 lb hammer and anvil to flatten out the eyelet portion and then mount like below. This approach worked well for me.

Oh yes! I can clearly remember back in my club touring days the popular set-up of Weinmann Elysee rims, Michelin Hi Speed gum wall tyres, Weinmann stainless or alloy full length mudguards (fenders) with tyre savers mounted at the bottom of the rear ends of the mudguards on the lower mounting bolts, usually covered with a long home made rubber mud flap. No photos I'm afraid, I was young then and couldn't afford a camera and a bike. What I don't remember is anyone with a bike set up this way having to turn their bike upside down on the roadside to fix a flat. Not to say it never happened, but I really don't think it did. Noise? a slight whine, lost in the general melee of chains, tyres and grunting riders!

Yes, I have instinctually reached down to rub crud off a tire only to feel, somewhat to my surprise, a fender there. Never owned a bike with fenders until a year ago. I may experiment with mounting some sort of custom saver on the through bolt before the fender mount.

I like the look of them, even if they're only good for a placebo effect. How much are they, usually?

The units (seem) to work for me. If you are addressing me on the question, I will send you a PM.

I used them religiously back in the 70s, commuting across the city to school and work. I am a believer in their effectiveness, and would like to get my hands on a couple sets of them. It's nice to find they're still available, and they look like they'd be pretty easy to make.

Originally Posted by noglider
What does nail puller mean?
I believe it's one of the terms to describe a tire scraper. Granted, secretagent's posts do seem to read as if they're in code.

-Kurt

I figure if you actually run over a nail, business side pointed in, you're pretty much ska-roo-ed anyway. But for goatheads, shards of glass or metal, bits of fallen satellites or other flotsam or jetsam, it's a crap shoot. I do my best to avoid said obstacles, then rely on my trusty nail pullers to catch the rest.
"Every element of life entails a certain amount of risk, Jack."
Mr. Merriweather to Jack Crabb

heck yes; easy to make yourself. I encourage it.
I'm at the cresting wave of a major tire saver renaissance, I just know it.

I brazed a flat washer onto mine:

Both clever ideas. Thanks fellas. I actually did try the flattening method, SJX426, but the tool marks from my Estwing light sledge and my anvil left them pretty ugly, so rather than go back to the Scotchbrite wheel , and extra work, etc., I decided to just supply mine as I use them, compensating for the slight nuisance when tightening the back nut, which I got used to doing. I may continue experimenting though. The washer idea is novel!

I tossed those in the box because - compared to Rootboy's artwork - they were just too stiff. I hope somebody can use them on something where noise is not an issue

DD

I think you have the general shape right, and it's probably best to keep it that way as I would imagine most people would run these on a touring or daily hauler/work bike where the little extra isn't a penalty and the tires would most likely have a fatter profile.

I am running one of my two sets on my Mondia. It's wearing 25mm Continentals, so I did a little bending. Since your version is brass wire, they bend easy-peasy. And for those that care: you can't hear them at all out on the road and they definitely don't add any noticeable drag because they ride so lightly on the tread.

A couple pics of them in situ:





The little added collar helps to keep the "eyelet" from being squashed, but is not the ultimate solution. I found I had to slowly and progressively tighten the nuts to avoid the entire thing twisting, but the job got done and they've been doing the job ever since.

Plus you just can't deny they're absolutely beautiful!

DD

Wow! Thanks for all the replys to my question! Re "nail puller," I think that is what Germans sometimes call them...they obviously won't work well on nails or tacks... My sew-up equipped French bikes came with the Pelissiers, which looked cool (or wierd) but were a pain to bend and keep adjusted, so off they went into the odd parts bin. Another reason I took them off was, as mentioned in post #23 and later, was that they threw pasty mess consisting or road grit plus rubber tire shavings into the seat stay cross tube in back and up into the fork tube in front. You guys came up with a nifty solution to that problem: mount them facing backward, which will also prevent their being bent into the fork or seat stays if they get "grabbed" by something stuck in the tire.

Based on all the comments I'm convinced the tire-savers (esp. rootboy's) if properly installed (i.e. facing backwards and kept barely in contact with the tire) makes sense. I don't run on kevlars...I use Conti Giros, which I know are not the greatest, are prone to punctures and need all the protection they can get... but they are priced right.

Thanks again for all the intelligent comments! This is a great site and I'm glad I registered.

Nick

Here is a different design. These are installed on a 60s Carlton at my LBS.

Good to know! I have a bunch of NOS pelissier ones that I got with a bunch of other parts a year or so ago. They seem to be well made, I think they have something that allows them a little give/movement in that joint. Here's another picture (not mine though):

A couple of images of Rootboy's tire savers on my Vent Noir. I've always attached the front tire saver as shown although it does make sense why it would work under the front caliper as well. These are way too pretty to cover up!





Scott

I run them on fenders, especially in back where I always seem to get flats. Just attach to the chainstay bridge: