daredevil

The guy at my lbs said this today. He said they bruise the tire or some such thing. Whaddya think?

georgiaboy

I have been using Mr. Tuffy's since January. i do not have any signs of my tires(Gatorskins) bruising. However, If someone bought a size too big I think it could happen. Some of the online Internet shops and maybe the LBS may recommend the wrong size. I know when I bought mine off the AEBike website the sizing was not clear. I had to refer to the Mr. Tuffy site to decode the sizing colors. So, buy the right size.

So, maybe someone ordered the wrong size from the LBS before and it bruised their tire?

Also, it is important to "set" the tubing, Mr. Tuffy's and tire correctly when installing. Not a big deal really. Just means to take your time. Partially inflate the tube. Sliding your hands around the wheel before fully inflating pushing everything in it's right place.

Btw, one of the guys at my LBS advised me not to get the Surly Cross Check due to the frames breaking at the seatstay. I have a Surly Crosscheck. I can assure you that the 4031 steel frame is stronger than anything in that LBS.

freako

They don't bruse the tire, but the edge of the tuffy can rub a hole into the thin road tubes, so you should sand down the edges to make a taper.

Phantoj

It Happened to Me!

I had a tire liner (Spin Skins, I think) that appeared to have worn against the tire from the inside, abrading enough of the cords that the tire (Michelin Dynamic) developed a bubble on it and had to be discarded. Maybe the liner was wrinked? I don't know.

daredevil

Good to know. Thanks for the info, looks like he knows what he was talking about, not that I doubted it really, just looking for confirmation.

Cyclist0383

I used Mr Tuffy for 10s of thousands of kilometers with absolutely no problems. The secret is to heat the sharp ends of the liner with a lighter and fan them out flat. The sharp ends are produced when the stamping machine at the factory cuts the liner. No sharp ends, no problems.

marqueemoon

I have run them for thousands of miles with no such problems.

georgiaboy

Ok, so you were asking about Spin Skins?

KLW2

Does the use of talcum powder help to reduce friction when adding the liners? Some used to recommend it in car tires when they had tubes to prolong tube life..

daredevil

It seems the consensus is that tire liners are fine but you need to be a bit careful with them. Does the brand really matter? Thanks for trying to straighten me out though.

d2create

I've been running mr tuffy in my 32c Pasela Tourguards for a year now. No problems.

same time

I've been using Mr. Tuffy's since 1995 with no problems. Thousands of miles on the streets of NYC and DC, lots of different tires, and only one flat (a nail through a sidewall). If Mr. Tuffy's caused flats, you'd think I would have gotten at least one.

The ones I have came with tapered edges. I understand that some years ago, they changed the way they make them, and they have a sort of blunt edge now. Maybe that's the problem.

Lambo

My Slime strips have never caused a hole in the tube and I'm positive they've saved a tube many times, judging by the cuts in my front tire.

InTheRain

I had a Mr. Tuffy cause a flat due to improper installation. The end (sharp end) somehow got folded under. I noticed that there was a crease in the tire liner where it folded under and the tube was "cut" in the exact spot where the sharp end was applying pressure to the tube. I've since learned how to install Mr. Tuffy's properly and haven't had any problems since. As someone suggested, heating up the ends and flattening them out sounds like a really good idea.

I've been riding continental grand prix four season tires without the tire liners for 6 months and haven't had any flats so that's the way I plan to go from now on. The tire liners give a little bit harsher ride. I ride 28mm tires and a steel frame to optimize comfort.

Leiniesred

I ran them from 1995 to 2005. Never saw one cut a tube or tire. I Think Talcum powder is not required. It is actually NICE when mr. Tuffy sticks to the inside of the tire. Easier to change the tube.

In my world, Mr. Tuffy got replaced with sealant.

daredevil

You've got awful thorns down there don't you. So you've found sealant to be the best? Any backround on your experiences and why you chose that?

acroy

SpinSkins and Mr Tuffy's are completely different.

SpinSkins have a lot of bad reviews, check out mtbr.com reviews. for many users, they disintegrated & caused more issues than they prevented.

Mr Tuffy's have a great rep here and elsewhere. Read their website: they mention the "poke a hole in the tube" issue of yore. They claim it is not an issue anymore and not to use duct tape, etc to cover the ends.

Cheers

geo8rge

My take, knowbody really knows. If a piece of glass gets through the tire it may travel between the tire and Mr Tuffy until it emerges at the edge of Mr Tuffy and causes a puncture. This will give the impression that Mr Tuffy caused the problem.

On the other hand I have seen indentations from Mr Tuffy on tubes. So I cannot say for sure what is the cause.

mark9950

Oh yes,if you pick up a piece of glass and you dont know it with the spinskins and/or mr tuffy and keep riding it will eventually penetrate the tire liner.I bought the spinskins one time after 30 miles flat,I returned them.Dont ride in glass,on the street or near thorns,use a trainer.

acroy

Older Mr Tuffies were known to cause flats by having fairly sharp ends which rubbed on the tube till it let go.

Check out the Mr Tuffy website, they addess this.

Newer Tuffy liners have nice smooth ends and only cause an issue if horribly incorrectly installed.

Cheers

PaulH

Tuffies cause no problems if properly installed. May be time for you to get a new LBS.

Paul

twobikes

I have had tire liners ruin both tires and tubes. The ends of the liners were rounded and I used a sanding drum to feather out the ends of the liners. I believe mine were properly installed. They caused me more flats and ruined tires than they saved me from. I am removing them.

I installed tire liners to protect my tires and tubes from goat's head thorns. But, the liners are not wide enough to protect parts of the tire the thorns can still reach. One day I saw little droplets of green Slime oozing out where an infestation of thorns on the road had gotten around the liners. The Slime allowed me to get home. The tire liners were of no help.

sknhgy 

I was careful to install the Mr. Tuffies as directed and they cut the fibers in the tire. It only took a few months and one day my rear tire developed a hugh bulge right where the liners overlap. The instructions never said anything about tapering the ends. All I know is that they ruined a good tire for me.

jimblairo

I blew the sidewall out of two Conti Travel Contact 1.95 using Mr Tuffy. Got rid of them and no more problems. I was told various tales as to why they blew out and I guess the mose credible was that the edge rubbed on the duraskin sidewall and BLAM.

Zorba

I lost a tire while running slime liners. What happened is that a bit of glass worked its way between the liner and the tire, eventually shredding the fibers in the(cheap ass Kenda) tire.

I still have the liners in as a blistered tire can still be ridden on to get you home, a flat tube cannot. This said - I also have had one flat tube from the liners, so I'm planning on eventually going to gatorskin or similar tires with slime in the tubes.