liampboyle

So yesterday before I leave for work I top off both my tires. They take 45-65 psi and I inflated both to 60 psi. Everything was fine on my ride in, I get five minutes into my ride home and notice both tires have gone flat (front is just too low too ride on back is truly flat). The end result us my having to walk five miles home.

I just replaced my worn out tires with these about two weeks ago: Schwinn Bike Replacement Tire...
and they're paired with Schwinn self-sealing tubes.

Now, I still need to see exactly what caused this set of flats. (I was seriously too frustrated last night to deal with it by the time I got home.) But what's everybody's advice on a decent "Iron tire" type setup? Also, would going tubeless help prevent the near constant flats of commute city riding?

mcours2006

Likely just coincidence that they both went flat at the same time, or maybe your ran over sharp debris both front and back. Either way, sucks.

liampboyle

I'm thinking coincidence (lose valve core on one, and possible cat involvement on the other - our new kitten thinks my tires make a good scratching post) but this has me thinking that tubeless conversion might not be a bad idea.

Lemond1985

Continental makes some urban tires with several protective layers, like the City Ride. Heavy though, and not particularly fast, but great flat protection:



I think you really owe it to yourself though to figure out what caused the other tires to go flat. It could have been something as simple as pinched inner tubes. Or it might be glass, tacks, goat heads, or who knows what?

I like to sit under a nice bright light and feel the inside of the tire where it contacts the tube, checking for anything poking through. Then use a knife blade and tweezers to completely remove it like you would a sliver in your finger. Once you figure out exactly what caused the flats, you'll have a much better chance of avoiding future ones, otherwise you're just throwing money around trying different tires and tubes.

liampboyle

I do need to figure that out. I'll take a close inspection tonight after I get home. I just get really frustrated when I end up walking.

TransitBiker

daoswald

Steps to eliminating the problem:

1. Find the source; where it is leaking.
2. Identify what part of the wheel and/or tire was adjacent to the hole in the tube.
3. Feel around inside the tire and wheel for something sharp. If it's the tire, you may feel glass or a goat head sticking through. If it is the wheel, you may find worn-through rim tape, or a spec of metal debris, or no rim tape at all, or a rough spot near the valve hole.
4. Rectify the source of the problem -- remove the goathead thorn, or the glass. File off the rough spot inside the wheel. Install fresh rim tape. Those sorts of remedies.
5. Patch (or replace) the tube.
6. Re-mount the tube and tires. Pay careful attention to not pinching the tube between the tire and the rim, or slicing it with tire levers.
7. Re-fill the tires with air.
8. Ride

Since it happened to both tires, one of the following probably happened:

You rode through a bunch of goathead thorns.
You rode through a bunch of glass.
Your tubes were old, with deteriorating rubber. (When this happens you often get failures at the valve stem or along a seam.)
Your rim tape is too old.
Your rims are both damaged in the same way.
Your weight and load was too much for the width and tire pressure used (pinch flat)

I've had tubes fail catastrophically at the stem, brand new. Riding along and suddenly "poof." I've had them become punctured because rim tape wasn't providing adequate protection. I've seen them punctured by getting pinched while installing really difficult tires. I've had as many as five goat heads on one ride. I've had glass cause a flat. I never have had a pinch flat, except when I wrecked and destroyed the rim too. But they can happen if you run your tires close to minimum pressure for your weight and tire width. All of these things *can* happen to both tires on the same ride, on a bad day.

Find the problem, fix, ride.

liampboyle

They're 26 x 1.95 - the bike is from '95 and I think these are still the original rims.

TransitBiker

liampboyle

We don't have goathead thorns in this area but broken glass is a near constant for me, I also have multiple construction zones I've been dealing with the past few months.

rumrunn6

I'd rather sit on the sidewalk 15 - 30 min. & change 2 tubes or patch small punctures before walking 5 miles. I know changing tubes or patching small punctures out in the field stinks, but it's not as bad as walking 5 miles

also, maybe you just had a leak? do you carry a pump or CO2 so that you can limp home & do the changeover later? meaning pump, ride, pump, ride etc ...? sometimes it's an option

fwiw ~ someone once suggested using a cotton ball to slide around the inside of the tire to find the small perpetrator

good luck!

p.s. maybe a smooth tread tire would be less likely to pick up something that can puncture the tires

liampboyle

Damnit I typo'ed 26" x 1.95" I not riding a fatbike

liampboyle

So would I but it was already dark out, and there aren't any really good spots for that on my route. I do normally carry a frame pump, spare tube, and patch kit but the pump is broken and needs replaced.

TransitBiker

robertorolfo

I definitely don't work for Vittoria or profit from sales of their products in any way, and I hesitate to write this for fear of jinxing it, but ever since I started using some of their G+ (graphene) branded products, I haven't had a flat yet. I'm mostly riding in Manhattan, which is about as urban as it gets, but also a fair bit in Queens, and both areas have plenty of construction going on. I know I'm just one person and miles away from a significant sample size, but I think their stuff is pretty good.

liampboyle

Two local bike shops directly on my route, and the one, Middletown Cycling, is who I normally go to for repairs (Ross gives me priority since the bicycle is my "primary mode"). I should ask them about getting some of those continentals.

mb2112

Schwalbe Marathons = no flats (well OK, hardly any). Little heavy, but roll well, last forever and have reflective stripes.

fietsbob

Had Conti Travel Contacts on a Trekking bike when I got it 26 x 1.75 rolled nice, slick center band.. gatorskin mesh reinforced casing too..

CliffordK

What is wrong with the pump? Sometimes it is as simple as greasing the plunger, although I'e also broken pump heads, or worn out parts.

liampboyle

My son cracked the body of it.

Anyway, I think I found the culprits, VALVE CORES!!!! The cores in the Schrade valves, the one in the front wheel was loose as I had suspected, and the back tire just had a straight bad valve core, I replaced it with a spare I had and no more hissing air under pressure.

Gresp15C

Pun intended?

But still, the idea that wider tires are slower is a misconception from long ago. Of course tires can vary in a number of ways, but a broad generalization is that among tires of similar tread and construction, wider tires actually have less rolling resistance at a given pressure because they deflect less under load. Many people, including myself, who swore that "skinny tires are fast" have discovered the pleasure of riding on wider tires.

As an alternative to having lower rolling resistance, wider tires can also be run at lower pressure for the same rolling resistance, resulting in a more comfortable ride.

So for instance where I might once have insisted on riding 25mm tires at 100 psi, today I ride my longest distances on 38mm tires at 60 psi, and I'm convinced they're my fastest tires ever.

rhm

Whatever the cause, flat tires happen in a somewhat random manner. You can have ten in a week .You can have two in a year. There may be an explanation, or not .Do the due diligence and find the cause if you can, but if you can't, carry on . Get good at fixing them and they will cease to be an issue.

Darth Lefty 

acidfast7

Those tyres do not look like good quality and also are quite expensive. Pick up some Schwalbe Marathons are be done with it or as we say "set it and forget it." Should run around £/€15-20 a tyre.

Darth Lefty 

Holy cow, it's Andy. That's been a while.