Shamrock

So I think I get more flat tires than the average cyclist.I bought gator skins for one of my bikes.I must admit they do roll better (never thought I would notice the change).On a newly paved road they are at their best.Silent and smooth.

After two weeks they were the best tires I ever bought.(feel it coming?).Then I got my FLAT.Piece of glass found its way into the tire.The glass was like an arrow head.It cut a rather large hole into my new hand made tire from Germany(don't they have machines in Germany?) Interesting is the picture of the tire maidens on the tire tag that comes with the tire.In case they are on vacation in New Jersey I'll stop here.

So I like the tire but still get flats.Not sure what to do.

Another problem is I don't know why I keep all the tubes that went flat on me.Some one please tell me to throw them out. PS Since my vacation I haven't been attacked by a drone.

JanMM

Patch the tubes, unless they are completely trashed, and use them again.

Biker395 

+1

David Bierbaum

If you don't want to patch the tubes, you can cut 'em up, and use them as tie-downs, but if you get flats that often, not patching will get very expensive...

catgita

Use a latex sealant, like Slime Pro. Probably won't help on full size arrowheads, but anything the size of a screw or nail is no problem at all. Works way better than armored tires.

OldsCOOL

Are you riding the same route? Your roads must be horribly worse than ours (Michigan). I hope you have a relaxed fit with tire and rim. Flat tires bother even a good ride.

10 Wheels

I average a flat every 389 miles on the road.

qcpmsame 

No guarantee of not having flats with the 'Skins, but they are better than many of the "tough" lines of tires. Nice smooth ride, fast feel and good cornering all make them an easy choice for me. I've used them since 2012 with only 3 flats total in those years. I get around 4000-5000 miles out of a set, usually the rear is the culprit with the center worn past the wear indicators, and some of the cord showing up. The fronts get put in the emergency tire group, after they get checked over, carefully. Tubes get patched, unless its a blow out, or beyond repairing. I do spring for the Continental tubes, too. Ribble has twin packs of the tires on sale frequently, shipping is inexpensive, and fast.

Bill

OldsCOOL

So when you hit mile 380 do you check your tire equipment onboard?

DrIsotope

You can always progress gradually until you've reached the extreme, which is what's in my son's bike-- start by adding flat strips like Mr. Tuffy or Rhinodillos, then you can add heavy duty or self-sealing tubes. My son's bike has both, and will come home from a ride with tires simply bristling with goatheads, but they'll never flat one of his tires. Are his tires heavy? Good god yes.

I've spent the last week riding on tires with absolutely zero flat protection in them, on standard tubes, with just Rhinodillos. They really work. And they'll probably be enough to drastically limit your number of flats.

modelmartin

Don't ride over sharp stuff. Simple, No?

Biker395 

Forgot about that! I used to use Mr. Tuffy on my commute ... that'll reduce flats too.

BlazingPedals

That's my formula, don't ride in c**p. I generally stay out of the shoulder, since that's where most of the c**p happens. On tour a few weeks ago, the tandem in the group rode in the shoulder whenever it was paved. I rode in the shoulder, vigilantly, once. They got 5 flats, I got none. I don't need a draft that bad!

OldsCOOL

That is my first rule. I dont even hit pebbles if avoidable. Also, I right very tight to the fog line, just to the right. Just because there is more paving to ride on doesnt mean it's clean. Quite the opposite, actually.

berner

There may be more flat inducing trash on roads in your area than other areas. You can buy tubes with latex sealant already injected by the factory. In any case, I find it helpful to let the air out of my tires every few weeks, then pinch the tires which causes small cuts to open up and revealing glass and other trash buried within the rubber. Some of this trash can work its way into the tire and tube to produce a flat. Seems to help.

DrIsotope

The "don't ride over trash" notion is frankly a bit ridiculous. I often feel like I live in the broken bottle and goathead capital of the world-- and of the goathead flats I've gotten in the past, I never saw a single one of them on the ground. They find their way into a tire no matter how vigilant you are. Sometimes, glass and debris is simply unavoidable. So you either pick up some weight with heavy duty tires, flat strips, self-sealing tubes, or some combination, or you run the continual risk of getting a flat. Yeah, yeah, rotating mass is bad, but I'd rather carry a few ounces there than be on the side of the road fixing a flat every other ride.

Retro Grouch 

There is no puncture proof. There is only puncture resistant.

Gatorskins are more puncture resistant than most, but they are not the most puncture resistant of bike tires. Be warned, however, as you gain puncture resistance, you lose some other favorable ride characteristics.

One of these Saturdays it's going to rain. When that happens, buy a patch kit (glue type) from your local bike store and patch all of those punctured inner tubes at one time. It doesn't take very much longer to do 5 than it takes to do 1.

OldsCOOL

I wouldnt for a moment want anyone to misread my diligence to dodge debris as flat prevention but it is where it all starts. In my thread about weird flats earlier this year I opened with an example of my kind of weird....a tiny, barely visible piece of wire that could only be found with feeling. It was a wire of radial tire belts on the roadside. I had made it home before it went flat and here was this puny wire in the sidewall.

Doug64

Flat tires happen.

Learn to change a tube quickly, and to patch tubes. My wife can remove the wheel, check for puncture cause, replace the tube, remount the tire, and reinstall the wheel in about 10 minutes. She even has the technique of remounting the tire on the rim without tire irons down pat. She handled the flat tire repair portion of a bike maintenance presentation we did at a couple of wellness conferences. ( correction: My wife reminded me that it does take longer if she puts air in the tire)

On one 3700 mile trip we had 13 flat tires. About half of those were in goathead (puncture vine) areas. They are not a big deal. When I was commuting to work, I had 5 flats in 5 days. That did bother me!

The one time I really disliked fixing a puncture was when my wife had a flat tire right after riding on a road where a flock of sheep were camping.


And there are those occasions when it takes a little longer to fix


I'd rather ride a good light tire and put up with a few more punctures than ride heavy lifeless tires that are more puncture resistant.

P.S. A small piece of a woman's nylon stocking or panty hose used to wipe around the inside of your tire will usually snag on the cause of the puncture if it is still in the tire.

Rick@OCRR

I'm another Gatorskin user and while, yes, they are a heavy tire, I'm happy to put up with their weight for the added flat protection with particular attention to their rugged sidewalls. I don't find the ride objectionable (i.e. not "lifeless") although I admit it's no match for a Conti GP4000 or Michelin Pro.

Still, I'm okay putting up with the less than wonderful ride qualities for the longevity and toughness of the Gatorskin. Not that they're flat-proof by any means. I've had my Gatorskins violated by Goatheads (out by Palomar) and glass . . . but it's a very rare occasion.

I've also used Hutchinson's Intensive 2, which is their version of the Gatorskin, with good results. I'd rate them a close 2nd place to the Gators for the tires I've ridden.

I do patch all patch-able tubes and have ridden thousands of trouble-free miles on patched (sometimes re-patched) tubes.

Rick / OCRR

SlowSpinner

Next time I have a flat I will ask the first woman I see if I can barrow her stocking or panty hose for a moment.

ironwood

If I lived in jersey and had problems with glass on the road, I'd complain to the governor. I'm sure he'd help, unless you happen to live in Fort Lee.

JohnJ80

I went to tubulars and my flats dropped to 1/6th to 1/8th of what they were before. I used to get 6-8 flats every 2000 or so miles of riding. Now I get one or none that same distance. I think that removed the issue of pinch flats and I also use Tufo (tubeless tubulars) with sealant and that solved the issues of punctures.

J.

pdlamb

Well, you could get solid rubber wheels. Of course, the ride was so bad this Scottish guy invented pneumatic tires over 100 years ago!

Doug64

You would probably have more success if you asked a female acquaintance to save and old pair for you. It might be a good idea if you explain why you want them. Rumors won't get started

I carry a small piece of the nylon in my seat bag.