noglider 

Seriously, @jimmuller, you put a tubular on a 700c clincher rim? Wow.

jimmuller 

Well, yeah. I had seen it mentioned here in BF, C&V in fact. It was a "let's see how it works as we go along" experiment. The tire dropped nicely into the slot of the rim. I pumped it up enough to hold his weight and keep the tire on the rim, but nowhere near what I'd usually ride because I didn't want it to risk pulling the seam apart where it made poor contact in the well of the rim. I gave him a stern warning about not cornering hard and to keep his speed down with the front brake on the 30+mph hill we had to descend. Then we rode for 100yds or so, stopped and check it out. It creaked a bit but nothing seemed seriously amiss so we continued to a happy ending.

noglider 

I read about it here, too, and recently. I thought it works on 27" and not 700c. Or maybe it was the other way around. Well, you're the proof that it will work on at least one.

rhm

Riding to the station in the twilight this morning, about 5:05 AM,I hit something with my front wheel, and immediately heard a fffft fffft fffft. I stopped and went back to see what I'd hit; it was an inconsequential looking pebble, about the size of half of a golf ball, but I guess it was a direct hit. Replaced the tube as quickly as I could, and got to the station just in time to see my train leaving. But the next one was only twenty minutes later, by which time I had the tube patched (classic snakebight, but one patch covered them both). I guess I should have had my tire inflated a little harder.

Lascauxcaveman 

Wow, it's hard to believe those Vittoria Rallys are this fragile, but today I headed to work - an hour early, just in case - on my Eddy with the tubulars. One tire (the twice-repaired one) has just over 10 miles on it now, the other one installed fresh with zero miles, running about 90psi. I took the five-mile scenic route to work, being real careful about my descending speeds, just in case. I got well past all the hairy descents and short gravel stretch, but sure enough, about mile 4 on the dead-flat, ultra smooth and super clean paved waterfront MUP, the new tire flats. Dead-center in the tread gain, this time a small puncture rather than an explosive one.

Three flats in 14 miles is definitely a new record for me. I won't be buying any more Vittoria Rallys. Up next: Continental Sprinters. Wish me luck!

jimmuller 

I learned two things today. I commuted most of the last two weeks on bikes with either tubulars or high-end clinchers and had no flat at all, at all. So today I rode the Bianchi with Gatorskins which have generally been bombproof until today. Around the midpoint of my commute this morning I got a flat while on the smoothly-paved MinuteMan Bikeway. My first flat of the year, I think. Dang, swapped out the tube but couldn't find the cause, pumped up the tire and went on my way, got to work uneventfully. A few hours later I noticed the tire flat again. Dang. In the quiet of my office I found a tiny sliver of glass. Started to patch both tubes and discovered the tube of glue in my patch kit had gone dry. Uh-oh. I asked around the building, came up with one possible solution, some 3-M spray-on contact cement in one of the production stations. So I patched both tubes with it.

And what did I learn? First, that 3-M spray-on contact cement doesn't work very well for patching tires. Second, that those spiffy blue plastic Park Tool tire irons are worthless. The tire irons have a lip under the bottom which makes leveraging the tire off the rim nearly impossible, and also they like to pop off if you don't hold them so you can't use both hands to get the second one under the tire bead.

I thought the tubes had patched up nicely so I mounted one. But as I was about to leave for home I noticed the tired flat again. Hmm, I thought maybe if I pumped it up it would leak slowly enough that I could put down some miles before pumping it up again. That's exactly what I did, stopping every 2 or 3 miles after it started to feel soft. Eventually I pushed my luck too far because I head it go pfffst and then it would hold no air. Probably a pinch flat. Put on the other tube, went through the same procedure, made it to Belmont Wheelworks to buy some new tubes, a patch kit, and a set of tire irons, and eventually made it home.

One observation, when the rear tire goes soft enough I could feel the bike get squirrelly.

Don't try this at home, boys and girls.

seedsbelize 

I think I'd rather use spoons, or screwdrivers than those POC Park levers. Might I recommend Michelin and Pedro's. I use one of each.

rhm

@jimmuller, there's a karmic irony in your tale. I must refer you to @oldskool and his memorable signature line. With all the riding you do, about as much as I, I can't believe you've had only one puncture this year. I must have had a dozen by now. I am not happy about this, but at least I learned long ago that you must always carry at least one unopened tube of vulcanizing rubber cement. This is obligatory. Additional tubes of glue are a good idea, and one assumes there's an opened one in the kit as well. It may be useful, but don't count on it. An extra inner tube is a kind of fail safe, to be used only when the valve is compromised. As for those Park tire irons, they are a kind of lucky rabbit's foot. If they make you feel lucky, you will be lucky. Clearly they have worked for you got these many months, and I congratulate you. But with your good fortune you have, I'm sorry, grown complacent. Karma has a cure for that.

Don't get me wrong: there is no gloating, no Schadenfreude, here. Flat tires suck. But they stop us only for a little while. Ride on!

Lascauxcaveman 

Just from how poorly that worked on some reupholstery projects I've done, I wouldn't expect that stuff to hold well enough to fix a tube.

Quote:

Originally Posted by seedsbelize

I think I'd rather use spoons, or screwdrivers than those POC Park levers. Might I recommend Michelin and Pedro's. I use one of each.

I've punctured enough newly patched tubes with screwdrivers not to go that route anymore. But I'll try the other ones you mentioned. My latest castastrophic failure, I think I actually managed to damage the tire's casing along the wire bead while installing it. Brand-new Panaracer Paselas 700x23, inflated to 110 PSI (10 under the max) tire tore off of the bead, fortunately at only about 15mph, and on the rear wheel.

I think I remember using the blue Park levers and struggling mightily to get that last 8 inches over the rim. First time I've had a tire fail in this manner, and I think it was my fault.

Fahrenheit531 

^^ Sucks when they go from brand-new to trash like that.

I've had no fewer than four flats on my new commuter with Michelin Country Rock tires. In about three weeks. All on the rear. Currently seeking some lurking issue I haven't noticed yet.

jimmuller 

rhm, thank you thank you thank you for getting all of my flats so I didn't have to deal with them. That was so incredibly kind of you.

The funny thing is, I have this small Jannd seat bag just big enough to hold a tube and a patch kit and tire irons and maybe my cell phone if I'm running out of space in my handlebar bag because lunch is too big. I've swapped it between a few bikes as a security blanket. It handled that job nicely, made me feel secure. I just haven't had a flat in so long on either of those bikes that I've been taking it for granted. The only thing it couldn't do was actually patch a tire. Whodathunkit?

I've been buying patch kits to fix all the other flats I've found on tires sitting in the basement, or to carry on the bikes where that Jannd bag would obscure the blinky taillight. I found that one of my bikes had two patch kits. Now, how did that happen, I wonder?

Caveman, that's a real bummer!

jimmuller 

I rode the Motobecane to work today and when I walked into my office I noticed the rear tire flat. The cause was a tiny thorn of glass. In the quiet of my office I got to swap out the sew-up for one I repaired some months ago, my first repair. On the way home I'll get to see how well I did or if it rides lumpy.

seedsbelize 

I have to say, Unfrozen Caveman, that as much as I like the occasional Panaracer Pasela which functions as advertised, I've had more trouble with them than most other tires I've used.
And J Ox, I've had none with Michellin Countrys. Years and years with nary a flat.

noglider 

I agree, but I still like Paselas a lot. Tires have to balance a lot of criteria: dry weather traction, wet weather traction, puncture protection, ride quality, durability, price, and others I can't think of now. The Pasela's ride quality is great for its price. Puncture protection (and ripped sidewalls) are not great, but for a fairly low priced tire that rides this well, I'm not complaining. If you want to optimize more criteria, you have to give up on price.

I have Vittoria Voyager Hypers on my Bianchi Volpe. They ride about as nicely. I expect them to last longer and get fewer flats. I paid more for them.

due ruote 

I recently set up a bike with 700 x 32 Paselas (kevlar bead) on some Matrix rims I had previously used (with steel bead tires) with no trouble and no flats for a few years. The rear Pasela flatted repeatedly, always in the same area, across from the valve stem, and always on the rim side of the tube. I scrutinized the tire and the rim, and found nothing wrong with the tire and not a hint of spoke showing. Finally I spotted a small area where the rim tape wasn't quite centered and extended slightly into the bead seat area. I re-applied it, and no more flats (so far). I guess the kevlar bead just couldn't quite seat correctly, and was allowing the tube to get sucked in and pinched.

gaucho777 

Had a mishap yesterday where I dropped a pedal I was carrying while riding, ran over it, and got a pinch flat. No big deal, I'm a pretty quick tire changer. Then I realize that I have two spare tubes: a thin one good for tires up to 27 x 1-1/8 (this is for a 27 x 1-1/4 tire), or a schrader valve tube in the right size. The rim will fit the schrader valve, but I'm carrying a Silca pump that won't fit. Okay, put in the right size tube with the wrong valve and walk back to the LBS to pump it up. Got me home fine, but this morning the tire is only halfway pumped up. I think the spare tube must have a slow leak, so I'll be changing tubes again tonight. I hate flats, too.

youngbull

bummer! i never get flats but one day i will and i wont be prepared!! thats going to be one expensive taxi!

due ruote 

Hence the adage to carry a spare or don't ride farther than you'd want to walk.

ThermionicScott 

Start practicing in the comfort of your home.

OldsCOOL

I fix my flats roadside and carry a phone just in case. Walking 50-70mi wont work, neither will my restricting myself to walkable distances.

Lascauxcaveman 

Your official "I Hate Flat Tires" pic o' the day:



Gee, ya think maybe I'd better get a new tire on this rim?

Pumped up the tires on the Grandis to about 90psi just before heading out for a 2 mile sprint to the auto shop to pick up my daughter's Honda. About halfway there, just flying past rush hour traffic in my dedicated bike lane, I noticed a bit of a thump coming from the front tire. Yikes! Depressurized the tire to about 45psi (as in the photo) and hoped for the best.

Made it! I think my luck may be turning.

jimmuller 

LC, that bump looks, um, significant.

Speaking of luck, I rode home the other day on the sewup I'd repaired a few months ago and it seemed to do just fine until I got about halfway home when a bump appeared. I rode home with no incident but after looking closely I found a bump that corresponded to a jagged cut in the tread. I don't think that's the spot where I patched it. So it appears that I ran over something that cut some of the casing cords. The tire seems destined for the discard pile.

So today I rode the Gazelle which has 23mm Veloflex Master clinchers. I got 3/4ths of the way and the rear developed a leak. I couldn't find the cause or anything piercing the tire so I threw on another tube and rode to work. At the office I was able to find and patch the tiny hole.

noglider 

@jimmuller, the problem might prove to be in your stitching. I never could get my stitching to make the tire non-lumpy. I didn't learn that X-pattern stitch, and I just did an overhand stitch.

Drillium Dude

As a result of my most recent flat I ended up walking 12 miles to get back home. Luckily, I was wearing my Sidi touring shoes and not a pair of my cleated shoes; even so my arches were killing me when I got home well after midnight. Guess it could've been worse; could've been raining

My first ride on the Spinella after getting it back from storage at scozim's place, too.



DD

noglider 

@Drillium Dude, you have to tell us more about how you got a flat you couldn't fix 12 miles from home. How long does it take to walk 12 miles?!