1-track-mind

What's the best product for a mixture of paved and off-road riding ?

trailboss7

I don't care for slime: it doesn't work well on side punctures nor on "snake bites" (tube is pinched against rim, usually when running low pressure and there is an impact against wheel) and slime seems to gum up presta valves after awhile and cause a slow leak at the valve.

I've had mixed results with other stuff like liners, kevlar-belted tires, puncture resistant tubes, ...

However, I will go up to a year or longer without significant flats riding on New Mexico broken glass and goat-head thorns by using the "system" approach. For my mountain bike I took old Avocet kevlar belted slicks (where the kevlar belt had snapped and the tire was not useable anymore), cut off the wire bead, and stuffed it into a quality (I like Continental) tire, with lots of baby powder in between the two tires and around the tube. Anything that will penetrate the Conti gets sheared off before it penetrates the Avocet tire.

I do the same system with my road bike. Currently I'm using an old Conti (super sport 23) inside a Conti Gatorskin 23.

Try it. Your bike shop may have some old tires to give you if you don't have any. The extra weight is well worth the peace of mind when I know I don't have to swerve into traffic to miss every encounter with glass.

SandLizrd

Besides, riding The System makes you STRONG!

Show up to the group ride. Casually mention "I've been riding The System but switched to my fast wheels today." Watch them whimper

Photosmith

It sounds like "the system" is similar to the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tire. I recently purchased a set for my bike after getting 4 flats on my stock tires in roughly 200 miles or riding. I've only put about 30 miles on my bike since installing the new tires last weekend, so I can't really make any conclusions yet, but the construction of the Marathon Plus is internally similar to what's described here, where simply having MORE rubber in the treadface is the greatest defense.

SandLizrd

Not incorrect, but there is one additional feature (as mentioned above): Goatheads get sheared off between the different layers of material. As you ride, the inner- and outer-tires are moving against each other due to friction and deformation. Imagine a goathead has just penetrated the first layer and is diving into the second - the motion shears it off, so it doesn't have a nice little 5/16" jab to get through to the inside.

I ran The System before, and I'll probably run it again during goathead season!

twobikes

I just removed my tire liners. They were supposed to protect me from goat's heads, but caused more flats and ruined tires from the ends rubbing against the tire cords or the tubes, even though the ends were feathered out and rounded. In addition, I was once forced to ride through a bunch of goat's heads that found their way onto the road. Suddenly I saw little bubbles of green Slime coming up from my tires to the sides of the area covered by the liners. Slime worked for me where liners did not.

I have had Slime get into Presta valves, but a few drops of water into the valve thins the Slime in the neck of the valve enough to get the offending shred of rubber out of the way.

I have Specialized Armadillo tires on one bike. I think the other bike may have Kevlar tires on it.

Once people used flint catchers. They were a curved wire that essentially scraped off anything the tire picked up before the tire could go around enough times for it to embed in the tire. They mounted on the bolt that mounts the brake. There was one for each wheel. You could make your own.