Whats your thoughts, experience with tire liners ?
 

Thanks

The lack of response may mean lack of experience, which speaks volumes. Back in the day, I tried them. Got over that real quick. As I recall, the edge of the liner split a tube. Worthless and heavy.

Just get a decent puncture resistant tire. You may want to add some Stans sealant to the tube. There is a dramatic video floating around in the ether showing a nail being driven through a tire/tube, pulled out, no leak. Can't find that one, but here is a YouTube vid showing how to. Presta tubes must have removable valve cores. Many don't. Of course, all shraders have removable cores.

I placed some of the new Rhinodillos tire liners on my wife's bikes because she HATES flats and is willing to put up with a little more rotational weight to avoid them. The newly designed Rhinodillos have a tapered edge so they supposedly won't pierce a tube like the Mr. Tuffys been known to do from time to time (not really sure how frequently that occurs). I know Stuart has stated that he has proven to himself that they are well worthwhile when mountain biking anywhere near goat head thorns. Like any flat protection, I think it's a matter of risk vs. benefit assessment for each individual.

Tire liners are a cheap & low-tech way to prevent flats, used them for years. You can offset the weight by using a lighter tire.

I have no experience with them. My impression is that they're from an era before reinforced tires appealing to people who refuse to learn how to change flats efficiently.

As the liners age they will cause flats.

I put them on the mountain bikes after numerous flats from goat horns. Worked like a charm and no flats since. Heavy, but they do work.

I tried some in some 2.0 or 2.125 width tires. When I put them in, I could not keep the liners centered in the tire, but figured it was better than no liner. Then when I inflated the tires, the handling was really weird because the liners did not allow the tires to take the normal shape and the tires rolled quite odd. Took the liners out, no weird handling after that. But I have used liners in narrower tires in the 28 to 32mm range without any problems.

I suspect that they may increase rolling friction, so if you are a speed demon, they may slow you down a bit. But I have no data on this, it is only a suspicion.

Panaracer tire liners are made of Kevlar and are remarkable for their ability to prevent punctures. I have tried to push sewing needles through one of mine and could not do so without placing the needle in a vice and by pushing very hard; I can't imagine one of the dreaded Goatheads ever getting through.

We never hear much about these wonders; perhaps because they are expensive ($18 or so each); perhaps because no one pushes them; perhaps because many say that they cannot be re-used, which is not true.

The Panaracer liners have an adhesive back to hold them in position in the tire. They can be re-used by simply spraying a coat of contact cement over the previous adhesive. --- They work, last the life of many tires, don't cause flats, and, I at least, cannot tell whether they are even in the tire (they are very light and compliant).

There are many sources; do a google search. Here is one link: http://www.amazon.com/panaracer-Pana.../dp/B003UWIGRY

Joe

I've had the cut edge of them make a flat .. abrasion leaks in the tube, now I Buy Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires,

the same sort of polymer lies just under the tread, not inside the casing.

I used them years ago, the 80's, when I couldn't go for a ride in the woods behind my house without getting flats from the large thorns there. They are heavy, and can cause flats if they aren't installed properly, and even if they are, after some time, though I never had that issue. I used them on that bike until 2006 when I started to commute with the bike. The bike felt much better without them. If you are on the road, don't bother with them. Get a good tire.

My nephew was having a lot of problems with flats, so I put a pair on his bike (but will probably upgrade the bike shortly anyway). I do wonder, however, how many of his flats were pinch flats.

I've had a Park Boot wear a hole through a tube after 500 miles or so (crisp edge, and a little movement), so I've wondered about the cut end of tire liners.

Anyway, I second the idea of picking out your favorite armored tire. Schwalbe Marathon, Gator Hardshell, etc.

And, if you're have a lot of problems and hassle, perhaps try a Tannus solid tire.

Some people are also really happy with tubeless tires and a sealant.

thanks for the tip about the Panaracer liners. I've always used Mr Tuffy (when I use liners). Panaracers might be lighter. sure, heavy-duty touring tires don't need liners; but when I got the Disc Trucker I switched from Marathons (had no flats with those) to Ritchey Tom Slick 1.4" tires for a zippier ride. first week I had a flat so I put on Mr tuffy silver & no flats for at least a year. Tom Slicks + tire liners still lighter than Marathons AFAIK. I never had a liner cause a flat.

In the east we don't have thorn problems so much but glass etc can be a problem. When I was a courier getting flats cost $$ so those of us who tried liners were delighted, we'd "laugh" at the spots with broken glass. Marathons are great tires but kinda heavy & don't corner great & a bit pricey FWIW. for a long distance tour I'd use the Marathons but for general local riding they're overkill for me as a lighter rider. Riders who tour light on sporty bikes might benefit from liners too.

I used to run liners on my commuter and I was happy with them. But I commuted on roads with lots of glass and I ran inexpensive tires. Today, I just run a more expensive "flatproof" tire for my commuter. They seem to work but I'm not riding on rough roads either.

FWIW some folks claim that Mr Tuffy doesn't resist truck tire wires perfectly. Apparently tire wire fragments can be as bad or worse than goats-head thorns. But I ride a lot on highway shoulders w/lots of tire wires & never had a flat w/Mr Tuffys.

I've found that the older the liner, the less likely it is to cause an abrasion flat. All of my flats from abrasion by the liner have been with new liners. I would also avoid the "Slime" brand liners. Those cut through tubes like a hot knife through butter.

I've run Mr. Tuffy's for ages in my tires without problems. They work quite well against goatheads...not perfectly, but well enough. Liners are somewhat superfluous now since so many tires come with them already...they are under the rubber of the tire. That's one of the reasons that many tires like the Schwalbes are so heavy.

I wouldn't want to run them myself. They are just another thing to cause problems. I would rather have a nice quality tire, tube and rim strip properly installed at the proper pressure. Those tend to work just fine with few chances of flats. If you clean your tires and check them especially after riding through rough stuff (glass, thorns...).

If you want to run them go for it. They are certainly heavy but work for some and not for others.

This. Tuffy's.

I've found them useful on a bike with light tires where you keep picking up the same type flat time to time, like goatheads in your rear. They simply work, but the rotating weight increase is noticeable.

Yes, aging liners are not the issue, it's the amount of time and number of wheel rotations the tube has contacted the liner. When I use Tuffy liners, I might go a year between flats, and more than once that flat was caused by the edge of the liner eventually wearing through the tube. (Don't try to patch a tube like that, just replace it.)

I tried a different brand of liner once and it ate through a tube in a matter of days. Not all liners are created equal.

If you can afford high quality tires like Gatorskins, that's probably the best way to go. My wife and I recently hit a patch of goatheads. There was one Gatorskin tire between our two bikes, and that was the only tire that survived. I don't mind changing flats, so it's hard to justify $50 per tire, but that event was illuminating.

Hmm, didn't quite realize that there were (seriously) flat-resistant skinny tires too. So it makes sense to buy a flat-resistant tire rather than mess with the tire liner. Changing a flat is not fun if it's dark/cold/raining. Extra cost of flat-resistant tires can mean less cost for tubes (esp for those who don't like/trust patching).

OTOH for Sunday riders on cheaper recreational bikes, tire liners can be nice insurance against flats which they are not equipped to fix.