A few puncture resistant questions
 

Hi,

I know there have been a number of threads about this recently however I do have some more questions:

1) Is there a size of tyre that is better at puncture resistance? I.e. is 23 better than 28 due to the smaller area?

2) Do the slime or otherwise filled tubes work with regards to just being able to pull out a nail and repump the tube?

3) Are the foldable tyres easier to mount? I have 23mm armadillos (non-foldable) at the moment and wouldn't feel comfortable fixing a flat at the roadside as they were so hard to mount initially. I just saw that a LBS sells foldable armadillos and was wondering if they would be better in terms of flat fixing. I'm guessing they won't have any difference in puncture protection though.

Thanks,

Daven

1) Not to my knowlege.

2) Slime doesn't usually work in high pressure tires. Pump that baby up to 120 PSI and it'll squirt green slime everywhere. ;)

3) Folding tires have a kevlar bead instead of a wire one, making them lighter weight, foldable (duh), and somewhat easier to mount. Wire bead tires aren't usually that difficult to remove / replace after the first time though - my wire bead Gatorskins were a bear to get on when they were new, but I can remove / replace them fairly easily now (after a few hundred miles).

-DR

Slime also makes a tape that you put between your tube and tire. Has worked like a charm for me, but I use 700x35.

thanks, I did see the tape but there have been very mixed reviews about it. Although it won't hold at full pressure, I assume it would be ok to "get home" on around 80psi?

thanks :)

I think you two are talking about diff types of tape. Toddorado was talking about tire liners;strips of rubber or plastic that go in between the tire and tube to give additional puncture protection. I've heard mixed reviews about these;apparently they can be a hassle to get in place and add weight,but when installed properly do help prevent flats.

As for the difficulty of mounting, this is generally a function of how the tire and tube work together. I had a pair of rims that it took bloody thumbs and every swear word I know (and I know a lot) to get tires on these rims. I could take the very same set of tires and mount them on some of my other rims easy as pie. My advice is to get very comfortable changing tires in the comfort of your shop/home (whatever your favorite place to do this is) and do it multiple times so that you don't even give it a second thought when you're on the road.

ye I think practise may be best! I will try out the non-wire rimmed ones though when I next buy some - hopefully they are easier to mount! Either way I think I have decided to keep using just armadillos the slime liners seem too much hassle, I may use 1/2 an inner tube to add a bit more protection but I am happy with my tires, they have had over 1000 miles through glass over potholes and in all types of weather without problem.

If you do this, it will give you some additional protection, but it can make it a bit more difficult to get everything mounted up. You'll want to be very careful as you insert the tube not to get it pinched. Many folks use Mr. Tuffy's which is an improvement on the "1/2 inner tube" method. I have friends who liked the concept but abandoned this as they were getting more flats from pinching the tube than they had been getting from road debris without them. Others I know have never had a problem.

I use Mr. Tuffy tire liners no complaints yet. I think the Slime tire liners are guranteed to protect against a puncture in the tread area.

As far as slime the liquid, I have it in my rear tire at the moment. It's added noticeable heft to the weight of the tire. And, because the laws of physics still apply, it may cause some imbalance in the wheel, due to the fact that centrifical force causes the fluid to move to the outside wall of the tube when the wheel is spinning rapidly.

Per other posters advice on previous this subject, when it's time for new tires I'm going to go with a tire with thicker rubber.

+1 on Mr. Tuffys

I also have slime in the tires which will not do much for a large nail but for smaller punctures it works very well.

I use both in 700x32 and 700X23 tires with very good results.

Thanks, the armadillos stop small punctures really well, I have ridden over glass and the tread is as crisp as ever. Not sure I will add any more weight to the issue as the armadillos are pretty hefty already! I am not really sure why I am worrying about this issue, but I really don't want a flat!! I might try the tuffys but will have to make sure they are properly mounted.

First, flats happen. Be thankful you don't have deal with Tribulus terrestris in England. Nasty little buggers:twitchy:

http://www.mattresspolice.com/images/goathead.jpg

http://thadenpierce.org/school/wp-co...head-thorn.jpg

They have made me the expert I am in patching tires but I'd rather not have them around.

That said, adding Tuffy liners to the Armadillos is a belts and suspender (braces for you Limeys;)) approach. Pick one or the other. Both is just over the top and probably not needed for dealing with glass, etc.

Armadillos are also well known for being difficult to mount and dismount.

well my first flat happened due to a screw! This is what caused me to get armadillos in the first place!

My experience on city street has been:

1. The wider the tire, the fewer the flats.

2. The cheaper and heavier the tire, the fewer the flats. I bought some Continental blackwall tires for $15 each...twice as heavy as a $70 Continental racing tire...the contract strip is very, very thick. The tires last forever, and even glass won't penetrate through to the inner tube.

3. Most of my flats have been due to tube failures...splitting along a seam, or a leak at the base of the valve. I switched to Continental inner tubes and have had zero flats caused by tube failures.

Even a tire liner isn't going to help against nails and screws. Heck, the Armadillos aren't going to help much there either. Your first line of defense against flats is to not ride where you can get them;) Try not to ride in the trashy part of the lane where cars sweep road debris off the road. Ride a little more out into the outer tire track where the car wheels have a chance to pick up the junk so that you don't have to.

Even then you can get a flat. It just happens. Consider it penance for past sins, like driving a car, if you want:thumb:

I'm running Armadillos and not happy about it. I refuse to ditch them early b/c they were so F'ing expensive... I caught 2 flats on a 25 miler the first night I ran them. Haven't flatted since but that extra 8mm or so of bonded rubber on the outside makes it a huge pain to take the wheels off. I curse under my breath every time I look at them.

For half the price I should have run RaceXLites. I used them on 2 previous bikes and only flat was a pinch (my fault)... I pulled miniature arrowheads outta those things and not one tube puncture.

I inspected my tyres today and there are a few cuts on them where clearly something has not been able to penetrate.