3 rides, 3 punctures - had enough

a148pro

What is your average tube's life expectancy?

The last three times I've been out on the bike I've gotten a puncture each time. None of the cycles were on crazy bad roads, none was for more than 75k. Two different tyres punctured so its not that I haven't taken the offending item out of the tyre.

I'm riding a cheap bike (Carrera TDF from Halfords). The tyres are Kendra road tyres. I weigh about 80kgs so its not like I'm blowing them .

This is pissing me off too much to continue. Its the 21st century and I shouldn't have to go to the hassle or expense of changing a tube every time I get on the bike. Surely to christ someone has designed a road bike tyre / tube that doesn't puncture so easily? I got a different tyre for my hybrid the last time it punctured, one that's more heavy duty and I haven't punctured since.

Does this happen to anyone else? Are there puncture resistant tyres / tubes I can get and do they involve a trade off in performance?

thunderdog

I had a similar problem to this. Drove me mad. Finally realised that in the inside of the metal rim of the wheel there was a slight jagged edge which seemed to be sticking into the tube. Maybe check it out the inner rim of the wheel to see if there are any rough edges

Jordan537

decent tubes and decent tyres will be a great start. Then keep out the glass and sharp rocks

I had 5 punctures in one day once, i went and bought Maxxis larsens and not one yet ( touch wood i wont )

Maxxis tyres seem to be the way forward, many people have them now.

Plastik

I rarely puncture. What tyre pressure are you using?

wersal gummage

what pressure have you got in the tyres ??

also kenda tyres are worthless. i had a similar issue with correctly inflated kendas - one puncture per 100kms or so. swapped over to gatorskins and have had one puncture in last 8k kms or so - and that was a massive shard of glass that would have punctured a motorycle tyre.

reidzer

Kenda road tyres = waste of money.
I had those got lots of punctures...

Gatorskin hardshell, 6K Km 1 puncture, hit a massive pothole full of water.

ozzy jr

I live in Dundrum, if I head south into the mountains I never get a puncture. On my last 3 cycles north I've got punctures at White Hall, O' Connell Bridge and today on South Circular Road.

I'm nearly scared at this stage to turn right at the exit of my estate.

a148pro

There is hope then

Will switch to one of the recommended ones, Gatorskins or Maxxis larsens so far

I am riding at full recommended inflation (bike in shed now - think its 160 from memory? but either way, have a track pump and they're not over inflated)

Sounds like the tyres are just crap

Makes sense given my hybrid didn't puncture after I changed the tyre

SafeSurfer

I had the same problem with Kenda 700 x 25c s on my hybrid. It was driving me demented. Got some continental tyres and have had no problems since.

petethedrummer

Those tyres are not that bad. If you have 3 punctures in 3 rides it is either a run of very bad luck or you are not properly resolving the cause of the punctures.

And you can patch tubes if you don't want to pay for a new tube on every puncture. I usually allow for 5 or 6 patches before dumping a tube.

SeattleSpud

a148pro wrote: »

.. Are there puncture resistant tyres / tubes I can get and do they involve a trade off in performance?

Hi,

I was suffering similar problems to yourself but swapped over to the Continental Gatorskins but also added Mr. Tuffy Tire Liner Strips as well and haven't had a single puncture since (that's 1,000+ miles incl ROK 2011 and Seattle-Portland 2010). The strips alone should help you out a fair bit at lesser cost than new tyres.

The strips add a bit of weight to your wheels, but that's not really a concern for me (18st). I'm not that gentle with the bike and frequently run over unavoidable debris or into unseen potholes but so far no punctures.

While you're at it, one thing you might want to look at is moving up a size...from 23C to 25C or even 28C. The larger sizes will add a bit more rubber and can be run at lower pressures and enhance your comfort.

Hope you find a solution that works.

SS

Alanstrainor

I had Kendas too and had terrible trouble. Switched to gator skins and was sorted. Actually have these on my commuter now:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=31768

I've covered about 1500kms with them without any punctures. Grip is considerably better than the gator skins. There's a bit of wear on them now, but there's still plenty of life left in them. Really surprised with them tbh, for such a cheap option I wasn't expecting much, but they grip a lot better than gatorskins and they've lasted me this long without issue!

Cookie_Monster

covered just shy of 10k km on the bike. Have had three punctures, one drunkenly cycling over glass and two while out and about. The front tube has been replaced twice, the back is patched original

mostly with gp4000's but a cheaper set on tyres on it too for about 3k km.

smacl

I have 25mm Durano plusses on the road bike and 32mm Marathon Supremes on the hybrid. One puncture on the Marathons in two years (big bit of glass that I missed in the dark), none so far on the Duranos about five months in. I'm impressed with the Duranos, as I hit a pot hole very hard at speed last week with no damage. From a previous thread, they're apparently better than gatorskins for grip.

Diarmuid

As others have said, use good tires and don't over inflate. I would consider 160psi as over inflated...

helimachoptor

I feel like a virgin, I've had one puncture in 2.5 years

piston

You need Michelin City tyres. You could probably ride over a bed of nails on them without a puncture.

SeattleSpud

Here's a useful guide to tyre pressures for different tyre sizes and rider weights:
http://www.bikequarterly.com/images/TireDrop.pdf

smacl

SeattleSpud wrote: »

Here's a useful guide to tyre pressures for different tyre sizes and rider weights:
http://www.bikequarterly.com/images/TireDrop.pdf

Very interesting article, at a glance the graph suggest that for 90kg (~80kg for me + ~ 10kg for the bike) on 25mm tires they're possibly a bit over-inflated at 95psi front 105 psi rear, so worth investigating.

Assuming my weight distribution moves between 35%/65% and 45%/55% based on position, but weight of the bike remains evenly distributed, yields 41kg/57kg worst cases. Interpolating from the graph yields 80psi to the front and 115psi to the rear. However, the danger time for me for crippling pot holes is descending at speed, when the weight distribution is affected by gradient, though not sure by how much. Say 60% to the front on a steep section, would shove my front to 100psi. Damn, looks like the tyres could be slightly under-inflated.

Thoughts;

- Measure the weight for different positions and gradients using the scales and a few brieze blocks.

- Losing a few more kgs will not just make the hills easier, but will allow me take some air out of my tyres and have a comfier ride. (The only bit I now miss about the hybrid).

- Sticking a 28mm tyre on the back at slightly lower pressure might add to the comfort factor in the meantime.

G-Money

What are Continental tyres like when it comes to resisting punctures?

Wishbone Ash

G-Money wrote: »

What are Continental tyres like when it comes to resisting punctures?

It depends on the type of Continental. The Gator skins have good puncture resistance but the trade-off is that they have very poor grip in the wet. Some of the lightweight speed orientated ones may have poor puncture resistance.

Lumen

G-Money wrote: »

What are Continental tyres like when it comes to resisting punctures?

It varies, in my experience. I've used Conti GP4000S on road bikes for thousands of km with no punctures, but the 26" Conti Sport Contacts I fitted to a relative's MTB regularly picked up punctures, although I think he spent a lot of time cycling on footpaths and in debris-strewn cycle lanes.

cdaly_

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

It depends on the type of Continental. The Gator skins have good puncture resistance but the trade-off is that they have very poor grip in the wet. Some of the lightweight speed orientated ones may have poor puncture resistance.

Gator skins have good puncture resistance and grand grip in the wet...

subway

get some better tyres, if you're not out to win the tdf, get some with puncture resistance.

ive had 3 different types, specialised armadillo, bontrager hardcase, maxxis detonator.
never had a puncture with any of them.
only one i didnt like were the bontrager, they seemed to actually slow the bike down and i dont cycle that fast

Dexif

On my beater commuter I have cheap tyres but have an old tube lodged between the tyre and the real tube (with valve cut off the extra tube). Obviously not a weight saver but have never gotten a puncture (until tomorrow probably!). Have picked a half inch nail out of the tyre before!

a148pro

Thanks for advice lads

Have ordered a pair of these:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mobile/MobileModels.aspx?ModelID=31765

On Alan's recommendation, well they're a mark up from the ones he was recommending so hopefully won't need to post in this thread again :rolleyes:

By the way the tires were inflated to the max recommended level, it wasn't 160 as it happens, I checked but have forgotten again - 130 perhaps?

But am I to take it that you shouldn't necessarily inflate them to the max as stated on the tire then?

a148pro

Also dexif you deserve some kind of eddie hobbs type award for your solution

Hmmzis

a148pro wrote: »

Thanks for advice lads

Have ordered a pair of these:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mobile/MobileModels.aspx?ModelID=31765

On Alan's recommendation, well they're a mark up from the ones he was recommending so hopefully won't need to post in this thread again :rolleyes:

By the way the tires were inflated to the max recommended level, it wasn't 160 as it happens, I checked but have forgotten again - 130 perhaps?

But am I to take it that you shouldn't necessarily inflate them to the max as stated on the tire then?

Just fitted a pair of the same ones tonight on my gf's bike. Hopefully they'll last a long time.

Arthurdaly

Get a pair of gatorskins and all your worries will be over. Unless you are taking corners at extreme speed in the wet you will be fine.

Wishbone Ash

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Really surprised with them tbh, for such a cheap option I wasn't expecting much, but they grip a lot better than gatorskins and they've lasted me this long without issue!

Exceptional price Alan. What are they like in the wet?

cianisgood

this use to happen to me got some new tyres hasn't punctured since then

n900guy

a148pro wrote: »

What is your average tube's life expectancy?

The last three times I've been out on the bike I've gotten a puncture each time. None of the cycles were on crazy bad roads, none was for more than 75k. Two different tyres punctured so its not that I haven't taken the offending item out of the tyre.

I'm riding a cheap bike (Carrera TDF from Halfords). The tyres are Kendra road tyres. I weigh about 80kgs so its not like I'm blowing them .

This is pissing me off too much to continue. Its the 21st century and I shouldn't have to go to the hassle or expense of changing a tube every time I get on the bike. Surely to christ someone has designed a road bike tyre / tube that doesn't puncture so easily? I got a different tyre for my hybrid the last time it punctured, one that's more heavy duty and I haven't punctured since.

Does this happen to anyone else? Are there puncture resistant tyres / tubes I can get and do they involve a trade off in performance?

It's the wheel, a spoke or something.

a148pro

I'll check to be sure

doozerie

a148pro wrote:

But am I to take it that you shouldn't necessarily inflate them to the max as stated on the tire then?

Yes. It's a maximum figure, so as such it's what the manufacturer says you can safely inflate the tyre to without blowing it apart. It is in no way a recommendation about what you should actually inflate the tyre to. It's a bit like the speed limit on roads though, people simply see it what they should actually aim for and that anything less is unacceptable.

My experiences of various tyres:

* Gatorskin, 23mm - Good puncture resistance (even with panniers on the back), good grip (on wet and dry roads) when new but grip deteriorates relatively quickly with use and even with plenty of life left on the tyre their grip in the wet is poor.

* Maxxis Detonator, 23mm - Good puncture resistance (even with panniers on the back), good grip. In the wet I'd rate their grip as better than Gatorskins.

* Michelin Krylion Carbon, 23mm - Good puncture resistance, good grip but while they grip better than Gatorskins in the wet they do slip a little at times.

* Continental GP4000S, 23mm - Good puncture resistance, good grip. I'd rate their grip as better than the three above, but having said that I haven't used all four tyres for the same purpose or on the same bikes so it's difficult to properly compare them.

* Continental Sport Contact, 26" x 1.3" - Good puncture resistance (even with panniers on the rear), good grip (better than Gatorskins, not as good as GP4000S).

There are many factors that influence a person's experiences with a tyre though, not just the tyre itself. Tyre pressure, weight, riding style, road surface, etc., all play a part. So unless a tyre is truly incredibly bad, or incredibly good, both of which are a rarity I expect, rating a tyre based entirely on other peoples' experiences is not very reliable. Other peoples' experiences with tyres are certainly a useful guide at times but your own experiences with the same tyres could prove to be very different. Similarly, if I swapped the above tyres of mine around onto different bikes then my experiences and opinions of them could change too.

doozerie

Here is a suggested air pressure chart from Michelin, which works for me on 23mm tyres and tallies with tyre pressure suggestions (again for 23mm tyres) that I've read from some respected sources in the past: