So many punctures :(

Alkers

Hmmm I have one of those Aldi/Lidl track pumps and it's the business, think it was €7.49 or something crazy. I've even used it on a moped tyre no bother on it.

mmclo

I'm all for pumping up at Garages but surely that's with Schrader valves which seem to be rare on road or many hybrid bikes? I don't like presta valves anyone on why they are standard on road bikes?

Roadtoad

For me 2009 saw 6 punctures on 700/25s (a single, a double and one horrible commute with a triple) over 2000 miles, mostly around Leinster.
Carry new spareS, and put repaired tubes on the bike so that spares are as guaranteed as possible.
Buy the electric Aldi compressor the next time it appears, to hell with the cost! Tell her you intend spray-painting the house next summer, it'll pay for itself dear ..........

blorg

mmclo wrote: »

I'm all for pumping up at Garages but surely that's with Schrader valves which seem to be rare on road or many hybrid bikes? I don't like presta valves anyone on why they are standard on road bikes?

Mainly because they are narrower so you don't have to put as big a hole in the rim, which compromises strength. Higher-end mountain bikes tend to use presta as well incidentally.

Jobst Brandt says:

Jobst Brandt wrote:

Many valve types have come along since the invention of the pneumatic tire but for bicycles mainly Presta and Schrader remain in use. The Presta valve is the more slender of the two and is slightly more cumbersome to use, having a lock nut instead of a spring to ensure closure. However, these two features have kept the Presta valve in use on many bicycles.

In the past, sports and racing bicycles used Presta valves because they are slender and enabled racers to inflate tires with a simple pump with attached chuck (pump head) and no hose. Presta valves are easier to pump than Schrader, because they have no valve spring to overcome. Although a valve depressor for Schrader valves could alleviate this, it would require a check valve, impractical to house in lightweight pump heads.

The small diameter of the Presta valve requires a smaller hole in the rim, whose size is important for narrow rims where cross sectional strength of is significantly reduced by a stem hole. In narrow rims, clincher tires also leave insufficient space between tire beads for larger Schrader valves.

In contrast Schrader valves are more robust, universally used, and have an easily removable core. Spring closure makes them simpler to use because one needs only to press the inflation chuck onto them at an automobile service station. For hand pumps, a screwed or lever chuck provides the valve depressor. The depressor not only makes inflation easier but is necessary to read back pressure in the tire.

You can get a cheap and tiny adapter that converts presta to Schrader, letting you pump up at a garage.

Roadtoad wrote: »

Buy the electric Aldi compressor the next time it appears, to hell with the cost!

Pumping is SO easy with a good track pump I really couldn't see the need for an electric compressor.

Turbulent Bill

I have a Joe Blow pump (the Max II I think), but it behaves a bit strangely with Presta valves. If I inflate from low pressure (<50psi), it can inflate the tyre to 100psi+ without any bother. If I'm just topping up from high pressure, though, the pressure just seems to build up in the pump head and hose rather than going into the tube - releasing the pump head lever drops the gauge pressure to zero. I've tried fiddling about with the pump head mounting on the valve but without any success.

Using the Schrader pump head is fine.

Any ideas?

blorg

Turbulent Bill wrote: »

I have a Joe Blow pump (the Max II I think), but it behaves a bit strangely with Presta valves. If I inflate from low pressure (<50psi), it can inflate the tyre to 100psi+ without any bother. If I'm just topping up from high pressure, though, the pressure just seems to build up in the pump head and hose rather than going into the tube - releasing the pump head lever drops the gauge pressure to zero. I've tried fiddling about with the pump head mounting on the valve but without any success.

Using the Schrader pump head is fine.

Any ideas?

Are you pressing in the presta valve head to release a little air before pumping? I get what you describe if I don't do that.

abcdggs

blorg wrote: »

Are you pressing in the presta valve head to release a little air before pumping? I get what you describe if I don't do that.

+1

kavanagh_h

mfdc wrote: »

Might just be bad luck & the weather. ...I went 6 months puncture free on the commuter and 4 months on the road bike, before these last two weeks. I'm blaming the crap weather

When we cycled from dublin to Paris (delighted to get that in:D!!) there were very few punctures. On the last day, after really heavy rain, three teams of ten had 5,7 an 9 punctures repectively. So maybe the weather has a lot to do with it!

petethedrummer

kavanagh_h wrote: »

So maybe the weather has a lot to do with it!

It does, so it does.

Different Kinds of Flats

Most flats are caused by a sharp object that sticks in your tyre and punctures the tube. This happens more often on wet days than on dry ones, because the water and oil on the road make objects stick to your tyre.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A480313

Turbulent Bill

blorg wrote: »

Are you pressing in the presta valve head to release a little air before pumping? I get what you describe if I don't do that.

Yes, if I want to inflate from 90psi to 100psi (say) then I have to deflate to a much lower pressure, then re-inflate to 100psi - this works fine. What I don't get is why you can't pump from 90psi to 100psi directly, as you're going through the same pressurisation process.

Anyway, it works in the end and I'm not going mad, thanks .

ednwireland

Simona1986 wrote: »

Hmmm I have one of those Aldi/Lidl track pumps and it's the business, think it was €7.49 or something crazy. I've even used it on a moped tyre no bother on it.

i have a lidl one as well as a zefal one, the lidl one is slightly harder to get to 110 psi but it has better foot rests and handle

+1 on releases a small amount of air from the valve before pumping the valves seem to get stuck after a while

blorg

Turbulent Bill wrote: »

Yes, if I want to inflate from 90psi to 100psi (say) then I have to deflate to a much lower pressure, then re-inflate to 100psi - this works fine. What I don't get is why you can't pump from 90psi to 100psi directly, as you're going through the same pressurisation process.

Anyway, it works in the end and I'm not going mad, thanks .

I think the high air pressure in the tyre forces the valve closed- you'll notice the valve stays out and closed when there is air in the tyre while when the tube is empty the valve will jiggle open or closed no problem. Releasing a bit of air reduces the pressure making it easier but I think more importantly simply unsticks the valve.

It is actually possible just to hammer up the pressure in the pump head, you will probably get the gauge rotating well over its max, 200 PSI or more, but the pressure will eventually overcome the stuck valve's resistance and will unstick it. But that is much harder and presumably has a higher risk of damage to the pump than simply releasing a bit of air before pumping.

danindublin

I changed my tyres a couple of days later to Continental Gran Prix 4000's and got them pumped up to the right pressure. So after just over a week, 220 km's and a variety of routes and weather conditions later (country roads and ice . . . I haven't had a single puncture

Vélo

Since I started cycling last year and after doing 5000kms of cycling, I've only had one puncture and that was the same day I posted saying I never had any.

I'm not normally superstitious but I think I'll regret saying that.:(

Beasty

Vélo wrote: »

Since I started cycling last year and after doing 5000kms of cycling, I've only had one puncture and that was the same day I posted saying I never had any.

I'm not normally superstitious but I think I'll regret saying that.:(

I had a very similar experience. Not on the bike today though, so feel safe to mention it:)

LastGasp

Went out on Sunday afternoon in a hurry as I didn't want to spend the whole spin in the dark. Looked at the front tyre as I went and said to myself "a bit soft but sure it'll be grand..." Got almost as far as Roundwood, ran over a bit of plastic - perfect snakebite twin punctures. That'll teach me !

Planet X

Last Saturday I had a front flat at the bottom of a descent (thank God), was telling the guys that "that was my puncture for the winter" (On Gatorskins). Found a thorn, big lad. Dave Peelo said "Fair enough, at least you found something, nothing worse than changing and not finding the cause of the puncture"


Don't ever tempt fate!

The next morning, Sunday, flatted again down the N11, front. Weird I thought. Paul O'Donoghue found the hole on the "rim facing surface of the tube". He told me to check the rim tape for wear. Good idea. Wouldn't have thought of it myself. Tape seemed OK.

Dave Peelo thought a piece of grit from yesterday, Saturday, might have got in while I was changing tubes. Again, wouldn't have thought of that either.
You live and learn from experienced guys like that.

Have ordered new rim tape also.

fletch

Got three punctures in as many days two weeks ago (running Continental Gatorskins). Ordered two Schwalbe Marathons Plus's that night in a rage..inspected the Gatorskins and found LOADS of glass embedded in the tyre (I remembered cycling over the remains of a burnt out car) so I thought that probably explained the three punctures, cleaned out all the glass. Marathon Plus's arrived but decided not to put them on as they were very heavy...WHAM hit with another puncture yesterday evening! Why is it always the rear tyre. Anyway when I got home, attempted to put the Marathon Plus tyres on....OMG what a nasty job, they so difficult to fit. Took me the guts of an hour with my Dad to fit them. Such was the pressure needed the skin tore from under my nail and started to bleed. Barely able to change gears this morning. I don't think I could have changed the tyre without the help of my Dad, I certainly don't think I could do it on a dark, rainy evening at the side of the road...is this normal?

Edit - Oh yeh and is it okay to mix tyres? I hadn't the energy left after puttin the rear Marathon Plus on so I left the front wheel with a Gatorskin tyre on it.

blorg

fletch wrote: »

Edit - Oh yeh and is it okay to mix tyres? I hadn't the energy left after puttin the rear Marathon Plus on so I left the front wheel with a Gatorskin tyre on it.

No, the rear tyre knows you have a Conti tyre on front and will puncture out of spite. You have to keep them from the same company for the puncture protection to work.

fletch

blorg wrote: »

No, the rear tyre knows you have a Conti tyre on front and will puncture out of spite. You have to keep them from the same company for the puncture protection to work.

lol I suppose it's a silly question really...I'm guessing I should be fine once I don't go leaning into fast corners in the wet over drain covers

blorg

Sheldon has a bit on mixing tyre widths which may be of interest.

BostonB

I bought a cheap BBB track pump and it was terrible. Recently got a Joe Blow and its fantastic.

dario28

What the fook..was reading the post this morning about the guy getting back wheel puncture and said to myself lucky never got one of them and guess fooking what....bammmm back wheel puncture on way home, thats 3 in 3 weeks and I keep the tyre at 110 psi , when is it time for new tyres , wats avg kms per tyre ?

Think we need a campaign to ban glass from roads.

Is a 8mm slit in the tyre to big to cycle on ?

LastGasp

dario28 wrote: »

What the fook..was reading the post this morning about the guy getting back wheel puncture and said to myself lucky never got one of them and guess fooking what....bammmm back wheel puncture on way home, thats 3 in 3 weeks and I keep the tyre at 110 psi , when is it time for new tyres , wats avg kms per tyre ?

Think we need a campaign to ban glass from roads.

Is a 8mm slit in the tyre to big to cycle on ?

Short answer - YES !!!! Bin it ! Some people carry a piece of rubber sheet (sometimes known as a "gaiter") to put between tyre and tube at the split, but that's strictly a "get you home" measure !

zzzzzzzz

I've noticed that any time I get punctures they always come in batches.

I went about 18-20 months of doing 2-300km per week without getting one and then got about 10 in the space of 2 weeks.

Put new tyres on after the first couple of punctures, then first spin out on them and one of them was shredded by a bit of glass. Checked the tyres after every puncture for bits of glass, spokes coming through the rim tape etc. even tried a different set of wheels & tyres but still punctured!

My run of bad luck seems to be over now but it was fairly demoralising while it was happening. At one point I contemplated a david millar style bike toss off the N11 flyover near ashford...

pickarooney

I went through two monts of torture when I last had a road-bike, getting punctures every single day I went out. After trying and failing to find the source of the punctures and buying a new gauged pump and inflating religiously to 7 bar each morning, I ended up changing both tyres, both wheels, tubes, rim tape... and still could not get further than 10km without a blow out. The roads I cycle are reasonably clean and I live in a sunny climate. In the end I ditched the racer and got a hybrid. Haven't had so much as a flat in the 18 months since.

dario28

These are the tyres I currently have

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Vittoria_Rubino_Road_Tyres/5360018648/

Done 3000kms on them and got the 8mm slit in the back wheel so need to get new tyre today

They are on shimano wheels

I was thinking

What would be cheap commuting wheels to get and then get these for mon - fri commuting

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/specialized-all-condition-item106288.html

Does that sound right for a commuter / weekend cyclist ?

How much slower will the Armadillos be