So I did not manage to completely avoid a huge pothole and my rear tire dipped into it.

About 30 seconds later I felt something funny and knew that my back wheel had completely lost pressure.

I tried putting in some Caffe Latex and I spun the wheel for a good minute to let things settle but inflating the tire didn't work ... it just kept on leaking.

I also have the problem of not being able to pull the tires and tubes off the rim.

So should I go tubeless? Doesn't that just involve taping up the inner part of the wheel and installing a latex tube with sealant?

Or should I use puncture-resistant butyl tubes?

Or should I get butyl tubes with removable valve cores and put in some other sealant that has been tested to work well with butyl tube?

Or should I just learn how to freaking replace tubes? I have a set of new tire levers on the way. I think it's my current levers holding me back. I deflate the tire by pressing on it; I pinch the tire around its circumference to remove the bead from the wheel; I put one tire iron under the bead and hook it to a spoke ... and then when I try sticking the second tire iron underneath it WON'T fit. I also start on the side opposite the Presta valve and also loosen the ring nut ... and I have successfully dismounted tires from cheap BSOs before. Could it be a combination of a) chunky tire levers and b) looser tires on BSOs - i.e. no kevlar bead or kevlar belt? My current tires are "120 TPI" and have Kevlar all-round ... and that probably isn't helping me ... as Kevlar stretches less than 1% of its original length, unlike other materials (such as nylon: 30%).

Sorry if it sounds like I'm making excuses or ranting but this has been my 4th pinch flat in recent history and I'm tired of not having a solution to this problem ... other than going into the LBS (again!!) and asking them to swap tubes (again!!)

Pinch flats are generally caused by not enough air in the tube to begin with*. Add to that the fact that Presta valves tend to lose air faster than Schraeder (sp?) valves do.

But, yeah, put some rim strips in, make it a habit to check/top off the air pressure before every ride- invest in a decent floor pump for this- and learn how to change out your own tubes.

*When I started riding again after quite few years had passed (like 10+), I started commuting and got like 4 flats my first week. Finally figured out (after joining this site) that the air pump at the c-store was incapable of inflating my tubes to proper pressure.

Pinch flats are the result of hitting objects and not having enough pressure in your tire to keep the object you hit or rode over from pinching the tire and tube against the rim. Put in more air or use bigger tires with the same pressure. Do not go to tubeless until you are comfortable changing tires with tubes; they are much harder to work with. No bicycle tire is flat proof. None. Learn how to fix them or keep willing friends with cars near their phones. (Local bike shops may wel have classes on flat repair. Ask.)

Best part of knowing how to repair flats? You can help others. And that can be the best part of your day.

Edit: There are big differences in tire levers. You may have a poor set. Best tire irons are thin and strong. Unfortunately steel, which makes the thinnest and strongest also mars nearly all rims. Most are plastic. The very common black ones that come in a set of three, are Dutch (but I cannot read the name on them, sorry, tired old man's eyes) and come in a red plastic "sleeve" are not great, but decent and by the sound of things, better than the ones you are using. Different rim/tire combinations have different "best" tire irons. They are cheap. By every type you see until you find a pair that works for you.

Ben

Get wider wheels

elvo +1

Bigger wider tires are not so prone to pinch flats. They hold more air, and with a small leak, they may get you home before they become unrideable.

I use one lever but I don't hook it on a spoke. I quickly pull it back toward me and get the bead off.

If you're getting numerous pinch flats and your tires have sufficient air, you might be leaving a piece of the tube under the bead when you mount the tire. When I have a tight tire/rim combination, I'll push the valve stem up into the rim then rotate the wheel while squeezing the tire to make sure the tube is sitting 100% inside the tire before I pump it up.

if you see the hole get off the saddle to lighten the rear . your legs are suspension for the heavier rest of You..

Just inflate your tires to a higher pressure.

Didn't Eddie Merckx used to say something like: "Don't pinch tubes; pinch loaves![just prior to riding]"? Or maybe it was Lenny Bruce?

Who told you that? it is untrue.

You start with 2 tire levers about 4-5 inches apart. Use them together to pull the tire bead over the rim. Once you get that much off, you can usually get the rest of the tire off. If that doesn't work, start with 3 levers under the bead, start with the first 2, then use the 3rd one once you have pulled off the first section of bead using the first 2 levers. Kevlar bead tires are much more forgiving than wire bead tires. There is no such thing as a tire with a stretchy bead, they all have to have very little stretch to stay on the rim. Sealant only works for very small leaks in high pressure tires. If you want to go to tubeless for road tires you need the right tires and for best results you need wheels designed for road tubeless. When I decided to try road tubeless, I went all the way, I bought road tubeless wheels and compatible tires, In 4 years, I have only once had to do a flat repair on the road

Some new rim and tire combinations are really tight.

I got some new wheels a few years ago that were difficult like that. I had mangled levers and sore fingers after a long struggle to mount a tire. I thought I would need to carry really long steel levers or something similar.

But there's an easy way to do it: I did a step-by-step thread here.

It's impossible to hook one lever on a spoke and then get a second one under the bead on my rims. Instead, do two at a time, and if too close together, flip them back up and slide apart, and try again.

Too close together. Let them up, and slide farther apart. (Just like alcjphil mentioned in the post above this.)


~~~~~~

Next, mounting a tire. It only takes one lever! The key is to lift less than an inch of bead, then slide the lever and repeat. It's fast and easy.

An easy lift:


I use levers with a flat back and rounded tip. I think that makes a big difference. I actually cut off the hooks on the pair in my saddle bag, since they are never used. I didn't like Park Tool levers, but Pedros levers should work.

Pinch flats

I'm pretty careful about topping off tires if I haven't pumped them up in the last 2 days or longer. I've still gotten pinch flats. A couple times on night rides where the group didn't call out every pothole in the dark. And another where I wasn't watching the road and I hit the sharp edge of a cast iron water valve with a pothole gap in front of it. So, avoiding holes and junk on the road is good, but stuff happens anyway.

At 170 lbs, and 23c tires, I use 90-95 psi front, and 105-110 psi rear. That's a smooth ride and not too likely to get pinch flats. All three pinch flats were on the rear tire, though.
25c tires: 85-90 psi front, 100-105 rear.

Whaaaat? Where'd you come up with that one??? There's nothing about a presta valve that would make it lose air faster.

The advantages of latex tubes is, first, less rolling resistance, and second, more resistance to pinch flats. The disadvantage is that they lose air more quickly and you'd find you're inflating them for every ride. But whether you're using butyl tubes or latex, it's still a tube; and tubeless is, well... tubeless.

Well my Pedros came in the mail today and I got my tires off in 5 minutes flat.

Compare this with my old tire levers, which I've had for several months (and I've tried removing my tires NUMEROUS times during these months).

Now my problem is that I can't get the puncture resistant tube/tire combo back onto the rim ...

Put the wheel on the ground, seat the tire at the top and push down on both sides at one time, trying to stretch the tire down. Then work the bead onto the rim. When you get to the last, most difficult part, instead of using your thumbs or a lever, hook your fingers over the rim and use the top of your palm to roll the bead over.

Congrats.....Pedros levers work great. You have found the joy of working with good tools. The only problem that you have now is that tire levers take tires off. Now, you need the other half of the remove/install combo.

A tire jack.

That tool INSTALLS tires. As fast and as easy as your Pedro levers remove them.



I bought one and threw it in the tool box where it sat for a few years. The day came that I started to install a Gatorskin. For once in my life........I was prepared.

Any recommendations for looser tires? I noticed that my Pedros have "stretch marks" on them as if they are about to break, and that's just from one use.

I would hate to get a flat on a ride because I see so many things going wrong. My Pedros could break. I've read many reviews about them breaking (ugh!). And if they break I'm out of luck.

I would much rather just have a easy to remove tire (even at the cost of some puncture protection). These Kenda tires do not stretch one bit. After they were off the wheel, I turned them inside out, put my foot through them and held one part to the floor and pulled up with all my might ... at that point I did not care if I ripped the tire in half or what ... but even so I did not feel the tires stretch a single millimeter. It felt like I was trying to stretch a steel rod. I'll take it to the LBS and watch the guy wrestle with these tires ...

I know that tires aren't supposed to stretch that much and that you should center the bead blah blah but I did that ... and I was at least 2 inches short from mounting the rest of the tire on the wheel.

Go to Walmart and get a set of $3 Bell levers! They're light, but very thick where it counts- I've used them to pry-on ridiculously tight tires, which seemed like they'd be impossible to mount, and not even a hint of breaking.

Tight tires are actually a good thing. In the event of a sudden loss of air or blow-out, they'll stay on the rim, protecting the rim from damage, and making it less likely that you'll lose control.

I remember, on my first cheap-O road bike (I wouldn't do this with my current bikes!) I got a blo-out...and LSS, the dollar bill I used as a tire boot also blew out after a few miles. I was still >4 miles from home and didn't feel like walking....but the nice tight blown-out tire was staying on the rim...so I rode home slowly on the flat....and there was no damage to that rim.

Viva tight tires!