newbie question - marathon schwalbe tyres

alton

I just got my bike in the last couple of months and am a complete newbie to cycling... so forgive the novice question and my total lack of knowledge of bikes.

I've only been out on the bike a handful of times, and not in ages, so I decided to take it out for a cycle to the Phoenix Park on Sunday.... and to my dismay I noticed my front tyre was completely flat.

I have marathon schwalbe (kevlar?) tyres and was told I wouldn't even need a pump as they are so reliable (clearly untrue, i'll have to get one!). But is it strange that I would have a flat already? I don't remember going over glass or any hard objects...

So my question is, how reliable are those tyres, and is it going to cost much to fix them if they are punctured? And, is there any reason other than a puncture they might have gone flat?

I'm going to take it down to the local bike place at the weekend, just wanted to get an idea of what it might cost

Any ideas welcome

Dermot Illogical

alton wrote: »

And, is there any reason other than a puncture they might have gone flat?

Not keeping them pumped up?

blorg

Schwalbe Marathon tyres are amongst the best tyres there are for puncture resistance.

But any tyre can puncture. You need to carry a pump and puncture repair kit/spare tube at all times in case it happens, and learn how to fix them. It only takes 10 minutes.

As RT66 suggests, you also need to keep them inflated to correct pressure, for which you generally need a track pump with a gauge. If the puncture you got has two holes in the tube, it is a "snakebite" caused by pinching the tube against the rim due to inadequate pressure.

At the end of the day though punctures are part of the cycling experience and you need to be prepared to deal with them.

As to cost, around €10 in a bike shop to fix a puncture or €0.20 yourself presuming a puncture repair kit with 10 patches costing €2 (it costs less than that here, I don't know what it may cost in Ireland and they aren't so common there any more.)

Stark

Is it the one with "Smart Guard"? I've had a pair for two years. Got one puncture first time when I put the tyre on incorrectly, since then haven't had a single puncture despite rolling over broken glass. Had Gatorkins before that and was getting punctures every second week (bits of broken glass mostly, once a nail, another time thumb tacks).

DePurpereWolf

Technically your inner tube got a puncture. It doesn't mean that the outer tyre had a puncture. It could be due to a bad quality tube, or a sharp edge on the rim not covered by the rim tape. It could've been mounted wrong. Your valve might be broken.

I have Schwalbe marathon supreme and they are very good.
I did have a flat once, a 2 inch nail got stuck in it somehow.

Surveyor11

Would take on board what otehr posters said - may be sue to mounting / pinch flat.

I have the Marathon's on my MTB - they're not infallible though. Got a puncture (first one in years) in the Phoenix Park as well a few weeks ago - a massive thorn perforated the tyre and tube. They're good, but something sharp at speed will still get through. Keep them pumped up to the max as well.