I commute through some pretty rough neighborhoods, and I encounter a ton of glass--there is no avoiding it. I've had my Brompton S2L for 2.5 years, and I've had about 15-20 flat tires in that time frame, all but 3 of them on the front tire. It seems I can't go more than 4-6 weeks without a flat. It's extremely frustrating.

(None of my other bikes have had nearly this many flats, so while I have no proof, I blame the small wheel size. I suppose it makes sense, since the smaller the wheel, the faster the rotation, the more each part of the tire has contact with the road, right? Anyway...)

I had Brompton green tag tires from February 2009-March 2010, which were terrible. I switched to Schwalbe Marathons and rode those for a year and still got a bunch of flats. When those wore out in early April this year, I put a pair of Schwalbe Kojaks on that I thankfully got for free, because they're terrible. I've already gotten 3 flats, and they're wearing very poorly--there are big gashes in them all around. And it's not just me. My partner got her Brompton with brand new Kojaks in early June, and hers were so badly torn up that she already had to replace them. She got a pair of new Brompton tires, which are supposedly tougher than the other types. I'm interested to see how they hold up.

So...anyone have any other suggestions?? I feel like I'm running out of options and may just have to accept that riding the Brompton = lots of flats. It's the one and only thing I don't love about this bike.

I should also add that I regularly check my tires for glass shards and pick them out as best I can. I also keep my tires fully inflated (100-115psi) and check them every morning. Still get flats like clockwork, but only on the Brompton. Every other bike, it's been intermittent but nothing like this.

i never got flats on my bromme. was using brompton green, now switched to marathon. do you think it might be your rims?

Nah, with two or three exceptions, it has always been the result of glass getting through the tire. I've had maybe one pinch flat, and one or two tears at the valve.

I would blame all the flats solely on my commute route, except that my other bikes haven't flatted so often or consistently, ever.

I had lots of flats (also caused by small glass fragments) with the Big Apples on my Curve until I replaced them with Marathons. I also installed a tire liner in the back tire. Problem solved for me.

Consider Schwalbe Marathon Plus.. I have the Marathon K they seem OK,
The plus adds a extra bit of resistant material under the tread
to give you more time to remove shards and debris , before it works it's way in.

We are in the 21st century and still suffer from flat tires. Some things never changes.

My Brompton came with the green label tires. I switched to kojaks for the better ride. I get lots of thorns here in Arizona so the kojaks got shelved pretty quickly. I went back to my Brompton greens. The greens were good enough for me once I dialed in the pressure and swapped out the terrible blue rim tape for some cloth tape... Vox i think was the brand of the rim tape.

I agree with fietsbob. The marathon plus is probably your best option.

I got ANOTHER flat on my way home--the third in one week and just ~30 miles after the last tube went on the rear tire. I appreciate how easy it is to change the Kojaks (takes a LOT less effort/elbow grease to get them back on the wheel than the Marathons or Brompton tires), but really?? I have my old Marathons in the basement and am considering swapping them out tonight. I'm heading out on vacation this weekend though, and I really don't want to spend it changing more flats. Ugh. Maybe it's time to eat another $70 and pick up a pair of the Marathon Pluses. Thanks for the input, all!

There are aother options as well:

I had a Marathon Plus on my Birdy but I hated it. It wallowed terribly when not pumped rock-hard and did not stop flats - pieces of glass got through several times near the edge of the blue layer. That was the last time I waste money on Marathon Plus because it wasn't cheap.

Prior to that, I tried out several brands of tyre with Kevlar belt for reducing punctures, but found those to be ineffective. I regard that as a gimmick.

So I started using tyre liners and here I report success. I have not had a single puncture with the liners over several years, over several bikes and riding a wide variety of surfaces. The only problem I found with the liners, they will certainly cause punctures at the sharp edge of the two ends - these will rub through the tube. So I took to sanding the edges flas and smooth and since then, nothing. So the last time I had a puncture was literally years ago.

At one stage I had such huge hashes in a Big Apple tyre I had to replace it eventually because the Slime liner was bulging through, but no puncture.



My advice is to get a set of liners (Slime/Zefal/Mr Tuffy), get the end edges smooth, buy any tyre you want and ride with peace of mind.

Thanks, Jur! My partner put in Mr Tuffy liners after her first flat, then immediately got another. Our LBS/Brompton dealer said the liner was what caused the flat and said they didn't suggest using them on 16" wheels. But that's an interesting idea to sand the edges. I just might have to give it a try! I otherwise adore the Kojaks--they're so fast and smooth compared to the Marathons.

Regarding Kojaks, they are fast and light but I also think they are not very robust. I have one on the front of my Birdy, only one puncture (I only run liners in the back) in some years. It has its share of little cuts, but not badly so. So for me it is still OK. You might consider Primo Comets with the liners. I think these have had the least trouble for me.

You might also consider solid tubes/tyres - while not as good as air tubes, they have improved very much over the years and will give you peace of mind.

for Mr Tuffys, For Customers I use the bench grinder to taper the ends
as much as practical.

the overlap moves a little every time the tire goes around ,
and with a 16 " tire that is fairly frequently,

each motion of the liner end against the tube, is a little abrasion.

I'm not sure whether this plays a role or not, but your Marathons are significantly overinflated according to Brompton's recommendations:

Here is the link https://www.brompton.co.uk/page.asp?p=3069

I'm riding Kojaks right now. I always inflate to the higher end, but with Marathons that was quite a bit below 100-115.

Have you tried Schwalbe Marathon Plus?
https://www.schwalbe.com/gbl/en/produ...ikel=32&info=1

I've been riding Marathon Plus for over 3 years, they changed the design about 2 years ago, the newer ones fit and roll much better than the older/original ones. The originals, I could not get a flat and very tough, I've moved to the newer ones 3 months ago and too early to judge. I've not had a flat for over 3 years and I ride about 200miles/week. I had flats with Marathons and with Stelvio. Marathon Greens I had sidewall failure. Stelvio got flat in 100 miles.

https://www.spinskins.com/bike-tire-liner-duro.html

I have used Marathon Plus for about 18 months and whilst they are very puncture resistant on a bike I have to carry into work each day they do add weight.

Out of interest I fitted a pair of Kojaks about a month ago to try on my commute. Wow what a difference!

They roll so much faster and have saved me over 1/2 kg in weight.

I am not as confident about puncture resistance but after about 5 weeks all is still good. I do feel a little more vulnerable in wet weather though.

At the moment I am thinking I will use these in the summer and either Marathon Plus or the standard Marathons in the winter.

I am loving the Kojaks though

The wired ones are great value. I am also thinking about getting a folding one as that could easily be carried as a spare given a major blow out of the Kojaks.

Regards

Jerry

+1 on the Kojaks. Two weeks in and similarly impressed. More so by the fact that when I pumped them up (they were a little low on pressure - 3 Bar - having been sitting in the LBS awaiting collection), I pumped them up to 6 Bar, which I thought was pretty impressive and much higher than I'd be riding them. Then I looked again and saw that they go up to 8 Bar! Doing by best to avoid the glass, of which there's a lot with the end of University exams. Bloody students!

Tomorrow's commute could be a pretty quick one!

One problem I found with Marathons is if they have punctured due to tiny pieces of glass is that after I remove the glass the punctures reoccurred. I finally worked out that the kelvar linnings had broken due to the glass penetration and if one felt very,very carefully it was the sharp end of the lining that was causing the re-puntures. Like a minute cable end pointing upwards.

I trimmed the fibres and filed it down and then had no further problems. I would always check this now if I remove any glass fragments.
The effect was very subtle, and can easily be missed with the normal tyre inspection after a flat.

Well contrary to everyone else, I have had great results from the Kojaks on my S-type titanium Brompton... they lasted 2 years before needing replacement. Only had two punctures in all that time and I ride on glass strewn streets every day.. Fitted a new set in April and I wouldn't want to use anything else, certainly not a slower, heavier tyre.

+1 on Kojaks.

I hate marathon plus. I still got punctures, and those tires are utter b*st*rds to get off a mezzo rear wheel. I'd be reduced to a ball of frustrated, spitting, obscenity muttering rage every time I had to change them, and typically snap at least one tyre lever in the process. And I watched Jur's video a few times, but that didn't change anything.

I've destroyed two kojaks - misaligned brakes make short work of the sidewalls - but that hasn't put me off. Currently running Kojak on the front and an old marathon on the back, with a kojak in the wings for when the time comes.

Well, my rear tire got a huge gash on the way home one day in late July, allowing the tube to bulge through. It was a goner. I knew the Kojaks weren't long for this world, but really, 3 months from brand new to blown out?? Pathetic.

I've been running the new Brompton tires for exactly one month and got my first flat yesterday in the middle of a downpour, again on the front tire. I couldn't find the culprit in the driving rain, but I'm guessing glass. Sigh.

I guess I'll look into replacing the rim tape and maybe get some tire liners, though the guys at my LBS swear that they're no good on a Brompton, and my partner had poor luck with hers.

anyhow the game with marathon plus, is the 'tire liner' is in the tire,
under there tread, outside the casing.
rather than a strip, with an overlap, inside..

yea low volume tire will lose a more noticeable % of its PSI, pump them up every AM.