ngitomer

Hey, so last week I started my 20 mile round trip bicycle commute from Burbank to work at Occidental College in Eagle Rock (in Los Angeles county for you out-of-towners) and on day 2 I popped the back tube on my thrift store Schwinn Varsity. I'm pretty bummed, so before I just put in a new tube I thought I would ask if anyone has some advice on making my tire more resistant to the elements besides just putting in a heavy duty tube. There's always a lot of glass on the ground in Los Angeles, and I do my best to avoid it, but sometimes it's not so possible. If anyone has advice, please let me know as I will be doing this commute pretty much every weekday in September once school starts.

Thanks,
Nicholas

max-a-mill

a thicker tire is about the only thing i would recommend. as you get familiar with your commute and riding in general you'll know the sp[ots here there is glass and get a sharper awareness for picking it out on the road (so you can avoid it).

one good piece of advice i heard once is if your already on the glass don't bother turning, as the friction of the turn on the road/rubber/glass may cause the glass to go right into the rubber... if your on the glass and it's too late to go around the safest path (and the one least likely to cause a flat) is straight through.

some would recommend a tire liner. i say save your money on tire liners and just buy a nice tire.

i have found the thickest most puncture resistant tires to be touring tires (i am guessing you roll 700c wheels). my current favorite are continental top touring 2000's; good things are also said often about specialized aramdillo tires though i haven't tried these yet.

spider-man

I agree, a nicer, heavier tyre. Schwalbe, Armadillo, etc. And check the pressure regularly.

joelpalmer

i'm rolling these right now (and going for the overkill factor by using w/ liners). swithced after a string of flats (5 in 4 days) and so far they've been great

rus

The exact same thing happened to me a few months back when I started my commute. Nice brand new bike, 2nd day on my way to work and pop. 5 mile walk back home - not pleased!

A very quick lesson learned.

There are lots of recommendations for tyres. Some recommend Armadillo, personally my LBS had Schwalbe Marathons (they also do an ever more puncture resistant tyre called the Marathon Plus). The Marathon's have a Kevlar strip inside to help prevent punctures. As previously mentioned, I also fitted some tyre liners too. So far, 1000+ miles later no punctures!

Obviously you should also make sure you have tools and a repair kit with you and ideally a spare tube. I also carry a can of slime (which also has CO2 to inflate the tyre).

The other thing I would do is practice at home so if you do get caught out, at least you'll be prepared and not at the roadside cursing what to do!

Sawtooth

You don't have to buy new tires to get decent flat protection. You can combine a Mr. Tuffy Tire Liner with a slime tube for really great protection.

djgonzo007

I've heard a lot of good things about the Continental Gatorskins but haven't tried them yet. Like you I had three flats within 3 rides after purchasing my bike a few weeks ago and was pretty annoyed. I'll definately switch to the Gatorskins if I get another flat anytime soon.

Another recommendation is to get a "quality" pump with a gauge on it. I was using a Bell pump that I bought at Sports Authority. It didn't have a gauge on it so I'd just pump until it wouldn't go any further and thought I had enough air. After a few flats I purchased a better pump w/ a pressure gauge at my LBS. When I hooked the new "Serfas" pump up to my front tire that I'd just inflated to the Bell pump's max the tire was just barely over 80 psi on 100 psi tires. Now I check my tire pressure before each ride and haven't had a flat yet still using the same tires and tubes.

Quickbeam

If you really want to avoid flats I agree with what others have said. Spend the money on a good set of flat resistant tires. I've used Specialized Armadillos for a lot of miles and never flatted on them. Most of the flat resistant tires I've used have thicker, more durable tread than lighter weight tires (obviously I suppose) so they last a long time.

Eggplant Jeff

I had a flat on day 2 when one of my slime tubes failed due to a manufacturing defect.... It's just Murphy, testing your mettle.

I wouldn't bother with slime tubes unless you have lots of small thorns, those are about all I've heard they're good against. Both mine failed where the valve stem is attached to the tube, no damage. I replaced 'em with plain old normal cheapo tubes, but I have pretty thick tires.

wsexson

You didn't mention if you confirmed where on the tube the puncture was. Are you sure it was on the tread side of the tube? There is the possibility that you need new rim tape (puncture on the rim side of the tube). If you do, better tires will not fix the problem.

However, if the bike will be your daily transportation you need to use good tires (IMO). The Contis and Armadillos mentioned earlier have a lot of fans. I had good luck with the Avocet Cross tires I used to use, and haven't had any problems with the Panaracer Pasela Tour Guards that I am using now. From what I have seen, the Armadillos will probably be the easiest to find at your LBS.

grolby

Tires with Kevlar seem to do a good job of preventing punctures - like wsexson, I use Panaracer Pasela TGs, and I have not had a single puncture in over 1,000 miles of use. I have had plenty of pinch flats, so you should be vigilant about your tire pressure. I have also experienced a nasty blow-out when the inner tube bulged through a hole slashed in the tire sidewall by a sharp stick or piece of debris. So, get some thicker tires, or tires with a Kevlar belt under the tread (I have actually dug pieces of glass out of my tire that penetrated the tread but stopped dead at the Kevlar). Remember to remain vigilant about tire pressure and the surfaces you ride on, and you should experience far fewer flats. Definitely be sure to carry a spare tube and a patch kit with you whenever you take your bike anywhere - these little items can save your ride! Just replace the tube, and patch it at home or at work.