Eggplant Jeff

Looks like today is "tire day" on the board .

So this morning I was debating about riding in, because I have a puncture in my back tire (didn't have time to fix it last night). But it's a slow leak, so I decided to pump it up and ride in. So about halfway in I stop at a gas station to get a drink (forgot my water bottle ) and come out and my FRONT tire is flat. A sharp (not THAT sharp though!) rock had flattened it. So I patched it (just the front) and rode on into work.

Anyway, I already patched the back tire about two or three weeks ago, now I've had two more punctures. I'm thinking my panaracer urban max's really aren't puncture resistant enough.

Would you guys recommend tire liners? Or should I just get new tires?

acroy

mr tuffy has the best rep for unbeatable protection with almost any tire.

I used the Panny t-serve with no luck (flats and fatal blowout), the Nimbus Armadillo with good luck (few punctures, took a 1/4 cut and kept on going), and standard Marathons with okay luck (3-5 flats in 1500 miles).

if you don't mind the weight, try liners.

Cheers

Crack Monkey

Are you sure you don't have some debris in the tire that's causing the flats?

Liners are cheaper than tires, but new tires are more fun.

Eggplant Jeff

Flat 1 was glass, back tire. Flat 2 is the slow leak in the back tire I haven't pulled it off yet. Probably not a bad patch though because the tire was fine for 2-3 weeks after flat 1. Flat 3 was a sharp rock, front tire.

How noticeable is the extra weight of the liners?

Psydotek

The extra weight from Mr. Tuffy liners is noticable but isn't all that hard to get used to.

However, liners + puncture resistant tires is my recommendation.

Scorer75

+1

For me commuting is about reliability first, speed second.

Just remember, nothing is perfect. I run Armadillos and Mr. Tuffy's and got a flat. A nail went directly through the tire and the Mr. Tuffy in to the tube. It's amazing the chunks of glass I pull out of my tires though. The Armadillos and Tuffy's really work.

walterk46

I'm running Urban Max tires with Mr. Tuffys though glass-strewn streets and so far, so good as far as flats go. The tire tread is getting pretty cut-up, though. There are at least three cuts where I can see down to the fabric. I try to avoid the glass, but yesterday I took evasive action around some small stuff and ended up hitting a chunk so big that I heard it when it hit the bike frame and then hit the ground. All I could do was mutter "Thanks, Mr. Tuffy."

mtnwalker

I may be running on "overkill" wheels. I'm using Continental Ultra Sports for tires. Underneath that is Mr Tuffy liners and thorn resistant tubes. I weighed my rear wheel and it was around 5 pounds. Thats on the roadie. My commuter has the same setup and weighs about 6. Why you ask? Because of my recent encounter with goatheads. So far I've purposely ran over glass and they just bounce off my tires. They won't even stick. Still have to see how it'll fare against a goathead though.

BTW, tire pressure is key to flats too. The higher that pressure is the more likely the glass will just bounce off the tire instead of sticking to it when its soft.

Jinks

Mr. Tuffy's all the way. I started riding with Mr. Tuffy's with cheapo tires six months ago. I haven't had a flat the whole time. Well worth the small weight gain. I don't even bother with puncture resistant tires, because the Mr. Tuffy's work fine on their own. I've even pulled out a couple good sized chunks of glass and rock from my tire, which normally would've resulted in an instant flat.

georgiaboy

Mr. Tuffy Tire Liners = Peace of mind.

Eggplant Jeff

OK Mr. Tuffy's it is. Anyone tried any other brands? I notice slime makes some too.

SV Commuter

I'm another that uses Mr. Tuffy and whatever 700x23C tires and tubes (including ultralight) are on sale. I have only been having one flat per ~3000 mi of commuting. Last time it was a roofing staple that was long enough to go around the tire liner and puncture the side of the tube. I get about 500 miles per read tire and 1000 per front before they have so many cuts the casing starts to come apart, but San Jose doesn't sweep their streets very often.

georgiaboy

Just make sure you go the the Mr Tuffy website to find the color code for your particular size tire.

Then when ordering, order the right color.

dwainedibbly

I've been using the Slime liners for over a year. (Couldn't find Mr Tuffy's when I was looking.) They seem to work pretty well. I've never been able to compare them side-by-side, though.

pj7

I was happy with my Tuffy liners for quite soe time. Only one puncture flat in over 2000 miles while using them and it was from a hard core nail.
I am now running Maxxis Overdrive tires with kevlar and leave the liners at home.

DataJunkie

I have problems even with tire liners. I have problems with tire liners and heavy puncture resistant tires. Now I pick tires with a reasonable puncture resistance that are easy for me to change. It helps that my start time is variable.

rubic

I have had good luck with Spin Skins kevlar tire liners. They are much lighter than Mr. Tuffy. The down side is that they are rather expensive.

pgoat

+1 : commuting is about reliability first, speed second.


Liners are cool - but also try some thorn resistant tubes from Perfomance:

https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...TOKEN=67175004

or for mtbs:

https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=5410

they're heavy (like running a tire within a tire!) but they work. Easy to mount too. But bulky to carry for a spare.....

fwiw I use these with Continental Gatorskins or Specialized armadillos and do well in NYC