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Flat after flat... What can I do?

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Flat after flat... What can I do?

Old 02-05-09, 06:54 PM
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Flat after flat... What can I do?

I searched the forums, and I cant figure out why I get so many flats. All I know is many of you go thousands of miles with out one. Mercy please! If I get another flat I might break a record.

The only reasons I can think of why I am getting flats more often than I should (one to three/mo.) is maybe something to do with the bike rack on the bus. Otherwise maybe I am buying poorly made tires or tubes? Is there something I can do to prevent flats that I'm not aware of. I'm aware of common sense stuff like... Installing the tires properly, or avoiding debris. Any advice is much appreciated.

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Old 02-05-09, 06:59 PM
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You can try kevlar bead tires - some that come to mind are Specialized Armadillo, Continental Gatorskin, Schwalbe Marathon Plus, Panaracer T-Serv, etc. Another option is tire liners, like Mr. Tuffys. Aside from that, underinflation can cause flats, and maybe old debris that might be trapped inside the tire, as can rolling over debris (obviously).
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Old 02-05-09, 06:59 PM
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Old 02-05-09, 07:06 PM
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*Carefully* feel around the inside of your tire. Do you have a piece of metal from a steel belted radial that shred on the road (that you ran over) imbedded in your tire. That will cause multiple flats. Do you have intact rim tape covering the end of your spokes?
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Old 02-05-09, 07:15 PM
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Do you know where the punctures are occurring? If you keep getting them in the same place, there could be something in your rim that's making the puncture. Even very tiny burrs in the metal can cause a hole. Also look to see if your rim tape has shifted at all.
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Old 02-05-09, 07:25 PM
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What size tire are you running

How often do you inflate your tires

What pressure do you inflate them to

How much do you weigh?

--------

I am inclined to think you might be getting pinch flats if it's happening that often. I went through a period that I got a lot of flats. Running better tires (still nothing super-flat-proof) and inflating my tires more often eliminated most of them.
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Old 02-05-09, 08:17 PM
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Id suggest using some armadillos.. Ive never had a flat with them. I have about 2,000 miles on my current pair. For commuting they are reliable..
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Old 02-05-09, 08:38 PM
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Excuse my lack of knowledge again but woudn't a tire liner be cheaper, lighter and work just as well as these tires and have about the same amount of rolling resistance if not less?
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Old 02-05-09, 08:42 PM
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Originally Posted by NEXUS
Excuse my lack of knowledge again but woudn't a tire liner be cheaper, lighter and work just as well as these tires and have about the same amount of rolling resistance if not less?
I have heard people say they get good results with tire liners, but IME they actually cause flats(edge of liner cuts into tube).
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Old 02-05-09, 08:51 PM
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Check and make sure your rim or your method of tire removal/installation isn't the cause and if the flats are from road debris....buy anything with a puncture resistant layer in it. liners work but if for some reason you do get the occasional flat the last thing you will want to do while changing a road side flat is wrestle a liner back in place.
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Old 02-05-09, 09:03 PM
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Originally Posted by frankenmike
I have heard people say they get good results with tire liners, but IME they actually cause flats(edge of liner cuts into tube).
But lets say they were properly trimmed before installation, Wouldn't that be the best flat preventive solution?
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Old 02-05-09, 09:05 PM
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Originally Posted by lapher22
Check and make sure your rim or your method of tire removal/installation isn't the cause and if the flats are from road debris....buy anything with a puncture resistant layer in it. liners work but if for some reason you do get the occasional flat the last thing you will want to do while changing a road side flat is wrestle a liner back in place.

Depending on where you flat, the best solution would probably be to pump up the tune with slime and do you real repair work at home.

I hope one of these days they invent a better airless tire.
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Old 02-05-09, 09:07 PM
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If you've ruled out the obvious (debris and improper installation) I would try replacing your rim tape.
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Old 02-05-09, 09:48 PM
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There a a lot of threads, about flat tires on here........
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Old 02-05-09, 09:59 PM
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We canthelp you if you dont describe how the flat happened or on what part of the tube etc etc, A doctor wont be able to treat your illness if you only tell him you are ill. He has know the symptoms.
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Old 02-05-09, 10:21 PM
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More often than not, underinflated tires flat. I would get a good floor pump with a gauge and pump up your tires to max PSI every other day for a start. I rode 8000 km last year over all kinds of conditions with a total of 1 flat.

I use top quality tires, with a Vectran barrier whenever I can get it. I use new Continental tubes when I change tires. But most of all -- air seems to make the difference.
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Old 02-06-09, 06:05 AM
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Several years ago I started using the "Slime" type self-sealing tubes on my bikes. First on my mountain bike then on my road bikes. I've had so many cactus thorns in the MTB tires they looked like a pin cushion and were still ridable. In the years I've had them in the road wheels, I can honestly say I haven't flatted one time. I know they're not usually well received on the forum's, usually by the weight conscious gram counters but I can't recommend them highly enough.
I mostly use the Nashbar brand seal-sealing tubes. I kept my tires pumped up rock hard, (squeeze test). I don't use a gauge. I inflate them with my air compressor in my garage. I use a presta-adapter.

An under-inflated tire is hard on everything, spokes, rims, the bike, harder to pedal and you. And it will flat more often.
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Old 02-06-09, 06:52 AM
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Originally Posted by NEXUS
Depending on where you flat, the best solution would probably be to pump up the tune with slime and do you real repair work at home.
I'm not sure about anyone else but, I don't carry slime with me while I ride. Only some co2's and patches. BTW have you ever tried to patch a slimed tube?
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Old 02-06-09, 09:24 AM
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Originally Posted by frankenmike
I have heard people say they get good results with tire liners, but IME they actually cause flats(edge of liner cuts into tube).
Originally Posted by NEXUS
But lets say they were properly trimmed before installation, Wouldn't that be the best flat preventive solution?
Ummm... You DON'T trim tire liners, folks. They are meant to overlap, and they are trimmed such that they won't cut into the tube if properly installed. The best tip to install them is to use talcum powder inside the tire as a dry lube to make sure the tube and liner settle in with no kinks.

Originally Posted by MNBikeguy
If you've ruled out the obvious (debris and improper installation) I would try replacing your rim tape.
+1 My LBS gives them away; in their eyes they are a general supply like paper towels in the rest room.
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Old 02-06-09, 09:29 AM
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Go with Armadillos. You won't be sorry.
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Old 02-06-09, 09:31 AM
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Originally Posted by frankenmike
I have heard people say they get good results with tire liners, but IME they actually cause flats(edge of liner cuts into tube).
Some do and some don't. You'd get better protection from razor blades inside the tires than you'd get from the Slime liners Mr. Tuffys are less prone to cutting the tube. I've been using Tuffys for eons and seldom have problems with them. The Tuffys have a nearly infinite life span too. I have Tuffys from the 80s that are still plugging away

But nothing is absolute. You can still have flats with liners.
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Old 02-06-09, 09:33 AM
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Originally Posted by riddei
*Carefully* feel around the inside of your tire. Do you have a piece of metal from a steel belted radial that shred on the road (that you ran over) imbedded in your tire. That will cause multiple flats. Do you have intact rim tape covering the end of your spokes?
Additionally, mark your tube (a Sharpie works well) with side and direction of rotation before you mount the tire. Also clock the tube to the tire label. If you have flats in the same spot all the time, you'll find the poky bit
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Old 02-06-09, 10:27 AM
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If you are using the crappy rubber band type rim tape that often comes with a rim from the factory, it can appear to be totally fine, but bulge and allow the tube to explode when too much pressure is applied. I was overseas with my bike and kept getting flats. I replaced the tyres, replaced the tubes constantly, and brushed out the rim. I could only get a rubber band style tape from the lbs where i was so i replaced the rim tape with the same kind of crappy rim tape. Still got 1-2 flats per 50-60 miles. Eventually was able to get proper cloth tape and havent had a flat in that wheelset since (3 years later).
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Old 02-06-09, 11:10 AM
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I'm just wondering, is there any reason not to use some other heavy cloth-based tape as rim tape? Just wondering, because I went to school at Michigan Tech, and we used hockey tape for everything we didn't use duct tape for. I'm not suggesting duct tape, but hockey tape is about the same thing as the good cloth rim tapes I've used.
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Old 02-06-09, 11:12 AM
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Originally Posted by dlittledlite
I searched the forums, and I cant figure out why I get so many flats. All I know is many of you go thousands of miles with out one. Mercy please! If I get another flat I might break a record.

The only reasons I can think of why I am getting flats more often than I should (one to three/mo.) is maybe something to do with the bike rack on the bus. Otherwise maybe I am buying poorly made tires or tubes? Is there something I can do to prevent flats that I'm not aware of. I'm aware of common sense stuff like... Installing the tires properly, or avoiding debris. Any advice is much appreciated.
this thread cracks me up. 22 people have responded to the OP with so little information on which to base any suggestions or conclusions.

If the OP is not savvy enough to provide the necessary information to help figure out the cause of these flats then how will they be able to discern which piece of advice will actually be of any assistance?- they already admit searching the forums and still can't figure it out.

To the OP: Help us out here- What kind of bike? Is it a fixed gear? A mountain bike? Road bike? What kind of tires? Brand? Size? Tubes- presta or schraeder? What kind of flats?- yes, there are different types- blowouts, slow leaks, pinch flats, punctures, inside of tube (close to rim) outside of tube (next to tire casing), sidewall? Where do you live? Are there cuts or holes in the tire casing?- outside of casing? inside of casing? Is it an urban area with lots of glass? A southwestern area with thorns? Are you changing the tubes or are you taking it to a shop? Do you know how to seat the tire properly? Are you reinstalling the tube using tire levers or rolling the tire onto the rim with your hands? How are you pumping the tire up? A hand pump? A floor pump? At a service station? Is the valve straight or at an angle?

All of the answers you have been given thus far are just more shots in the dark- not the best way to solve a problem.
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