Andy_K 

I installed a new set of tires last night. This morning, eight miles into my first ride on these new tires, as I approached an intersection that's been torn open for several weeks for construction, a piece of gravel from the construction site tore a hole in the sidewall of my rear tire.

As luck would have it, I didn't have a dollar bill on me and you can't boot a tire with a debit card. I tried using a business card. The first time I pumped the tire up, I saw that the card had slid away from the hole, so I had to deflate and try again. The second time it was in place, but I only got about 500 yards before the tire blew out. It turns out you can't boot a tire with a business card. Now out of tubes, I patched the second tube (which fortunately blew out with a relatively small hole) and put a big tire patch on the inside of the tires sidewall.

I guess I have neither question nor particularly interesting information here. I just needed to vent.

Not happy!

OK, here's a question actually... How hard would the city government laugh if I sent them a bill for a new tire?

WestPablo

Sounds to me like you were in Cleveland Ohio when this happened!

How hard would they laugh!?!

scroca

How does gravel tear a sidewall?

spivonious

Sounds like you chose the wrong tires. What kind of gravel are we talking about? Little bits or big chunks?

And what tires were they?

alan s 

It sucks damaging a new tire. It sucks not to be prepared to repair it. It sucks wasting time fixing flats, especially on the rear. I feel your pain. Now HTFU.

CB HI

Consider carrying extra velox rim strip for boot material. Glue holds it in place and it holds the pressure.

Check to see if it is a city or state project and send the claim with photo of tire and cause related to the work.

Hawaii pays motorist for such damage due to construction and even pot holes.

Wanderer

It never hurts to make a claim to the governmental agency involved. The contractor has responsibilities to maintain safe passage if the road is open. The city will likely pass the bill to the contractor, who doesn't want to make waves.

Andy_K 

Semi-big chunks of gravel, maybe half the size of a golf ball, lots of them freshly broken. I picked up a few that were sharp enough they could've cut my finger if I had grabbed them wrong.

I've rolled through this stuff for weeks and had no problem. Today I approached from a different direction to avoid having to turn in the gravel and there were more chunks on the pavement just before the torn up bit of road. All it takes is one sharp rock getting pinched between pavement and sidewall.


...or the wrong route. This bit of construction would be inconvenient to avoid, but I could have done it. Live and learn.


Schwalbe Marathon Supreme (700x32)

This is the fourth pair of these I've owned, and this will be the first of them to go in the recycling bin. I sold one bike that had a pair. The other two I'm still using. In something like 4000 miles I had only gotten two other flats, and both of those were from wood screws, which will puncture just about anything. I've even used my 700x35 Marathon Supremes for a couple of 50 mile gravel rides! I'm just writing this off as bad luck.


That's a great idea. I've got three or four rolls of the stuff with just a couple of inches left after I put them on 26" wheels. I didn't really have a good reason for keeping them until now. It just seemed like they might come in handy some day. Thanks!


Really? I honestly didn't even think that was a realistic possibility.

scroca

I have a dollar bill in my repair kit, just for booting. Another possibility might be all those old inner tubes that are laying around (if you're like me). I'd think one could cut a section and slit it down the middle to carry for booting purposes also.

The rim tape suggestion seems problematic to me in that it might have to fit perfectly in order to cover the damaged area if it was big.

009jim

For those conditions you might be better off riding a different bike with a wider tire and more designed for off-road or utilitarian purposes.

CB HI

The tube has to be pretty thick to work and it is harder to keep in the right place. The rim strip works like a charm, even on larger cuts. I have tried both.

If you are thinking only of the very narrow road bike width, you can buy a roll of wider rim strip.

Andy_K 

Or I could get off and walk those 25 feet until they re-pave it.

TransitBiker

Definitely file a claim/complaint. If municipal roads cause an incident, the municipality or contractor responsible for the road or project etc is liable. Happens a lot more than you think, and most people are successful if it's a cut and dry situation like yours.

I filed a complaint after crashing years ago... When they ground down the street, the resulting 2 inch ledge formed by the concrete side drain pushed my tire left when i was turning right, and they had not put up any "uneven pavement" signs. I got 17 bucks, to cover the stuff i used to clean and dress the resulting road rash. I also got a call from several people apologizing for the incident. Have to say, it was quite satisfying...

- Andy

Cyclist0383

I had the exact same problem with Marathon Supreme, except I had a a bunch of flats (from glass!) before the sidewall gave out on me. Not expectable on a tire of that price that's made in Indonesia. I've had much better luck with the high-end Conti line.

alan s 

The sidewalks seem a little thinner, probably to cut weight and improve the ride. I use mine all the time on gravel, and have never had a sidewall issue, but maybe the 700x35s are different construction. The 26x2.0s appear to be a bit beefier.

10 Wheels

That when a spare tire comes in handy.

Andy_K 

Yeah, it seems like the problems I've read about with the Supremes have all been with the 28's or the 32's. I don't know if that's because they're made differently or if it's just the natural advantages of wider tires.

They felt faster than my 35's on the one ride I got in, but the bike I had them on is about 7 pounds lighter so it might be just that.

dynaryder

I carry a piece of Tyvek envelope. Free from the Post Office.

Interesting. I've only used the 26x2",but I've pulled many bits of glass and wire out of my rear tire with zero flats. Sidewalls looked perfect on the last set I wore out.

Cyclist0383

It was 28mm 700c that gave me so much grief. I've found that Conti Four Seasons are a much better tire for my riding conditions, although the Marathon Supreme did have a very nice ride and was decent in the rain.

TransitBiker

Seems some sidewalls are thin and held up by PSI in tube, while others are beefy and rest on rim a bit more. In this situation, i'd lean towards using the later. If it saves you from even one puncture, would be worth the saves headache, especally if its in an awkward area or in rain/snow......

- Andy