Problems With Flats
 

I ride a 2012 Trek 8.3 DS which I love, but unfortunately I've had a hell of a time with flat tires. I ride a number of different trails, off road as well as local roads, and I'm the only one in my group that constantly gets flats! I keep my tires at the appropriate psi for whatever type of terrain I am on and I alternate where I cycle so I'm not just going over the same area. Despite this I get flats every other week, sometimes twice a week! I'm only around 170 pounds so I don't think weight has anything to do with it. My tires are Bontrager H5, 700x38c which came with the bike. I even have kevlar liners in them! Can anyone suggest the most puncture resistant tires out there for a hybrid? Thanks in advance!

Why do think it is the tires?

Schwalbe Marathon or Marathon Plus. Most stock tires on <$1000 bikes are a flat waiting to happen.

What is causing the flats - punctures or pinch flats? If punctures, is the debris punching through the kevlar liner? Some people say tire liners can chaff the tube and wear holes in them.

What else might it be? Seems as though they are easily punctured.

Punctures. It's always punctures. And yes, the debris is getting past the liners so that it can actually puncture the tube. The reason I put liners in was because I was getting so many flats to begin with.

If I was getting that many flats with tire liners I'd just pony up for the Marathon Pluses. Flat tires seriously cramp my style.

I say instead of buying tires, go tubeless. For $60, you can buy a Stans Notubes kit and solve all your puncture problems.

Im gonna invest in them as well. It's lighter and i dont have to worry about flats.

Stans sealant also works with tube's, as long as the valve can be removed your good to use it. I,m using it in my road bike glue on tire's "sew ups"

My husband also just got the DS 8.3 - and has some issues. He had a flat 2 weeks ago, we changed the tube but then he got another flat. After inspecting the tire more thoroughly, we found a significant tear in the tire. So, at the bike shop he wound up getting 2 new tires, skinnier, 32 size, and supposedly harder, more puncture resistant. Well yesterday after a pretty long ride, got another flat. Hopefully, it's just the tube that will need to be replaced and not another tire again. But we have to wait and bring to the shop, as we don't have any spare tubes of this size. We got our bikes at the same time, but I haven't had any flats yet (knock on wood) with my 38 stock tires.

He may mean that the rim tape is faulty in some way and the tube is puncturing from the inside from the rim holes wearing the tube. Also I've had tyres (continentals) which I kept getting flats whilst using. (twice a week) I couldn't ever find any glass etc. and then realized it was tyre lines wearing holes as Dunbar mentioned above.

Why doesn't he just repair the tube. That'd cost just a few cents and about 10 minutes of his time.

Inspect the inside of the tires and the rim strip area. If the rim strip is not centered well or is cheap looking, replace it with Velox brand (they work well in my experience). Also make sure there is nothing inside the rim itself, sharp burr or what not, anything not smooth can put a pinhole in a tube!

Well, yes....but we've never done it before, don't know the best way, and don't have any kind of repair kit. And also, will it be strong enough? I know he's worried about getting yet another flat while he's out riding...

Flat tire kits are as inexpensive at a few dollars. I recommend investing in a kit as well as some tire levers. I changed my first flat in 15 minutes, then all flats after that took 5 minutes tops. It's easy and youtube has a lot of videos on how to's.

We have changed a tube and have levers, but I will look into a tube repair kit. Thanks!

in that Stan's No Tubes vid, that tire surely had way more than the usually prescribed 2 ounces of sealant. you may have some trouble getting a hybrid/cyclocross tire to seat the bead for tubeless, unless you buy some stans 29er wheels or a similar slightly oversized wheel.

mr tuffy tire liners are great-- not a flat yet from a goathead or cactus needle-- but they won't stop a nail. they work way better than the panaracer kevlar felt liner.

It could be the rim strips. I once had a brand new GT mountain bike that was plagued with flat tires. It turned out to be that the plastic rim strips were poking the tubes. I also had a road bike once with the same issue. I've also experienced flat prone tires. I had a high end Scott Hybrid that came with a major name brand tire which turned out the be amazingly flat prone after just a slight bit of wear. It wouldn't hurt to put in some Velox rim tape or something comparable when you decide on different tires.