Puncture prevention / mitigation

CantGetNoSleep

Just wondering how people prevent or deal with punctures? I've had two rides ruined in the last few weeks (after going months or even years without one). Normally my set up is two spare tubes in a saddle bag and a hand pump attached to the frame. On these particular rides the hand pump just wouldn't do the job and I couldn't find a bike shop or track pump anywhere so had to call for a lift home.

Tyres - I was using Continental Ultrasport (cheap ones that came with a bike). Don't necessarily want to go for something like GP4000 but anyone recommend a cheaper upgrade? What about something like a Vittoria Rubino G+?

Hand pump - any recommendations for one that will get you anywhere near a decent pressure? The one on that bike is already gone in the bin, it would inflate enough to get you moving again but nowhere near enough despite many attempts. Pressure was so low that I worried I'd damage the rim.

CO2 - I've never actually used this before - is it worth it? Anyone recommend a particular inflater?

eeeee

Had Ultrasports as the tyre on my commuter for 5 years. Pumped them every few days was the best puncture avoidance strategy I found.
I use the topeak race rocket, it's an excellent mini pump, got 100psi in repairing a puncture in the park last week.
Have never used c02 so can't comment on that.

ETA this is my mini pump: https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/topeak-race-rocket-hp-pump/rp-prod74898

davidsatelle100

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/schwalbe-marathon-plus-road-tyre-smart-guard/rp-prod24544

That's what i use - heavy and don't roll anything like a slick would but they do the job for me.

Still have two tubes and a small hand pump in the bag\jersey but rare i have to use them

C3PO

As nee says, in my experience keeping the tyres at the right pressure is the best protection from punctures! But decent quality tyres would be a close second in my opinion. Bike 24 do a good deal on 2 x Duranos + 2 tubes - https://www.bike24.com/p2180052.html?q=durano. A very good tyre at a reasonable price.
I don't carry a pump at all - 3 x Co2 canisters in a pouch in my pocket + 2 spare tubes.
Thankfully, very rarely get punctures .....famous last words!

C3PO

davidsatelle100 wrote: »

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/schwalbe-marathon-plus-road-tyre-smart-guard/rp-prod24544

That's what i use - heavy and don't roll anything like a slick would but they do the job for me.

Still have two tubes and a small hand pump in the bag\jersey but rare i have to use them

Fine for a commuter but would suck the life out of you on a spin!

Flaccus

When I wear out my WTB Nanos, I’ll be getting these Panaracer slicks which are pretty light in even 38mm width and the tanwalls look cool.

https://road.cc/content/review/260296-panaracer-gravelking-slick-tread-38

mirrormatrix

nee wrote: »

Had Ultrasports as the tyre on my commuter for 5 years. Pumped them every few days was the best puncture avoidance strategy I found.
I use the topeak race rocket, it's an excellent mini pump, got 100psi in repairing a puncture in the park last week.
Have never used c02 so can't comment on that.

ETA this is my mini pump: https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/topeak-race-rocket-hp-pump/rp-prod74898

Do you get any issue with this pulling out the tube cores? I've a Lezyne mini pump which is basically fit for the bin due to this issue.

(I know that in theory I can use thread locker but i'm too lazy:D)

07Lapierre

Conti GP 4000's at 80-100psi
I have these on 3 bikes and no punctures in 12 months.

I carry two spare tubes, a mini pump, a puncture repair kit and one CO2.

loyatemu

I've had Schwalbes on my bike for 10 years (Lugano then Durano) - only ever had 1 puncture.

I have a Co2 inflator in my saddle bag (from Aldi) but can't give any feedback on it as I've never needed to use it

magicbastarder

have you tested using it though?
i have heard that you want to know how to use them before you need to know how to use them.

07Lapierre

magicbastarder wrote: »

have you tested using it though?
i have heard that you want to know how to use them before you need to know how to use them.

Yes it's a good idea to try them when your at home first. No point waiting until you get a puncture on a cold dark rainy winters night to try them for the first time.

secman

magicbastarder wrote: »

have you tested using it though?
i have heard that you want to know how to use them before you need to know how to use them.

I have 3 CO 2 kits, all 3 work a little different, pain in the asz when you cant remember quite which one it is and how it works
lesson learned, if like me you need more than one kit, make sure all are same brand.

davidsatelle100

C3PO wrote: »

Fine for a commuter but would suck the life out of you on a spin!

yes they do

jimmycrackcorm

I've tannus solid tyres on my bike. The variation on weight Vs normal tyres is offset by not having to carry around a pump/ tubes / tools.

They also behave consistently coated to discovering that one or both normal tyres might be low in pressure. The only disadvantage I've found is thete is a stretch of road on my commute with very rough surface and o can feel that more, otherwise it's a joy not having to worry about glass on the road.

fat bloke

Why wouldn't you use gp4000's? Super deals on em at the moment with the 5000's out now. I bought a pack of ten, worked out close to 30 quid each, great tyres, been using them for years.

On pumps - I've had 7 or 8 different ones over the years and used others belonged to others on rental bikes and club spins etc and I've never encountered one that flat out (no pun intended) didn't work. Any one of them would get you going and up to decent enough pressure to allow you finish a spin. Just takes some patience and shoulder work.

Other than that, a CO2 inflator is highly recommended (by me!). It's my main fix, with the mini pump as just a backup. They're brilliant, quick, and I've yet to have one not work.

eeeee

mirrormatrix wrote: »

Do you get any issue with this pulling out the tube cores? I've a Lezyne mini pump which is basically fit for the bin due to this issue.

(I know that in theory I can use thread locker but i'm too lazy:D)

No, never happened with it. I screw it onto the top of the valve iykwim when I'm using it though, so it's pretty stable. It has a flexible hose you connect to the valve with too so it doesn't swing out of it either.

CantGetNoSleep

loyatemu wrote: »

I've had Schwalbes on my bike for 10 years (Lugano then Durano) - only ever had 1 puncture.

I have a Co2 inflator in my saddle bag (from Aldi) but can't give any feedback on it as I've never needed to use it

Was the same for my pump I had on my frame from Amazon until I actually had to use it - feedback is it's sh1t

CantGetNoSleep

fat bloke wrote: »

Why wouldn't you use gp4000's? Super deals on em at the moment with the 5000's out now. I bought a pack of ten, worked out close to 30 quid each, great tyres, been using them for years.

On pumps - I've had 7 or 8 different ones over the years and used others belonged to others on rental bikes and club spins etc and I've never encountered one that flat out (no pun intended) didn't work. Any one of them would get you going and up to decent enough pressure to allow you finish a spin. Just takes some patience and shoulder work.

Other than that, a CO2 inflator is highly recommended (by me!). It's my main fix, with the mini pump as just a backup. They're brilliant, quick, and I've yet to have one not work.

To be honest because I have six bikes (road, winter, commuter, parent's house and in-laws and then just one extra) and two or three could do with new tyres or are running on the stock that came with them. The others are running GP4000s already, I just saw the Vittoria Rubino's for about 25 a pair from Germany so was thinking of a cheaper option given the bikes that need changing are the holiday bikes.

Will get a CO2 inflater at the weekend in any case

eeeee

CantGetNoSleep wrote: »

To be honest because I have six bikes (road, winter, commuter, parent's house and in-laws and then just one extra) and two or three could do with new tyres or are running on the stock that came with them. The others are running GP4000s already, I just saw the Vittoria Rubino's for about 25 a pair from Germany so was thinking of a cheaper option given the bikes that need changing are the holiday bikes.

Will get a CO2 inflater at the weekend in any case

Used to run Rubinos, GP4000's are much nicer to ride. The rubino's are more puncture resistant in my experience. I never got a puncture on them across various bikes for 3 years, but I kept them pumped regularly.

fat bloke

nee wrote: »

No, never happened with it. I screw it onto the top of the valve iykwim when I'm using it though, so it's pretty stable. It has a flexible hose you connect to the valve with too so it doesn't swing out of it either.

Aw yeah! I had to throw out an expensive enough mini pump that did that. At first I thought it was genius -retractable flexible hose that screwed onto the valve. But then everytime I went to unscrew it, it fcukin took the valve core with it!!! :mad:

The normal press/clamp on ones and plenty pumping work fine in my experience

magicbastarder

fat bloke wrote: »

Why wouldn't you use gp4000's? Super deals on em at the moment with the 5000's out now. I bought a pack of ten

now i have a mental image of fat bloke avoiding punctures by layering tyres five deep on each wheel. probably would be effective, but would play havoc with tyre clearance.

CantGetNoSleep

Lesson wasn't learned and this happened to me again last week - punctured with a 3€ Lidl hand pump that wouldn't get anywhere close to rideable pressure back into the tire in the middle of nowhere and getting dark (the pump did look broken as opposed to not good - at first I thought I had pinched the new tube when seating the tire). Was the first ride on a set of Michelin Pro Race tires too. Luckily I spotted an aero wheel inside a garage a few minutes down the road and the owner had a track pump so it got me home, but would have been calling for help otherwise.

I'm going to learn how to use CO2 first and foremost. Can anyone recommend a good inflator? I will need three or four of them and want all of them to be the same as suggested above.

Secondly I'm making sure each of my bikes has a good pump. Ideally this would be something that resembles a track pump (such as the Lifeline one linked above), has a gauge and fits under a bottle cage. I have a Topeak Mini Morph on one bike but you can only use it with one bottle cage (the Wiggle one seems similar), or alternatively you can cable tie it to the bottom of the top tube. Does any such thing exist?

eeeee

CantGetNoSleep wrote: »

Lesson wasn't learned and this happened to me again last week - punctured with a 3€ Lidl hand pump that wouldn't get anywhere close to rideable pressure back into the tire in the middle of nowhere and getting dark (the pump did look broken as opposed to not good - at first I thought I had pinched the new tube when seating the tire). Was the first ride on a set of Michelin Pro Race tires too. Luckily I spotted an aero wheel inside a garage a few minutes down the road and the owner had a track pump so it got me home, but would have been calling for help otherwise.

I'm going to learn how to use CO2 first and foremost. Can anyone recommend a good inflator? I will need three or four of them and want all of them to be the same as suggested above.

Secondly I'm making sure each of my bikes has a good pump. Ideally this would be something that resembles a track pump (such as the Lifeline one linked above), has a gauge and fits under a bottle cage. I have a Topeak Mini Morph on one bike but you can only use it with one bottle cage (the Wiggle one seems similar), or alternatively you can cable tie it to the bottom of the top tube. Does any such thing exist?

This is the mini pump I have: https://www.topeak.com/global/en/products/mini-pumps/386-racerocket-hp
It's gotten up to 110psi in tyres for me. Excellent pump, really solid. No guage though.

Interestingly, Manchester velodrome don't allow Michelin tyres on the track, following 'an incident'. Put me right off them anyway.

Mercian Pro

After numerous problems with the paper-thin sidewalls in Conti 4000s, I have switched to Rubino Pros and find them great.

My pump is a Lezyne Lite https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/lezyne-lite-drive-pump/rp-prod143570 and it has a pressure release button that you press before unscrewing the hose. This eliminates the problem of the valve core loosening.

My uncle sent me a Lezyne Lite and the matching bottle cage with pump bracket for Christmas, on the bike but not had call to use it ..... and now that I've said that I'm sure to need it on the next spin.

Review in soon :pac:

Cage seems to hold both very nicely though.

rolling boh

Find gp 4000 's pretty good keep inflated very important I would say is to practice at home changing over tubes and inflating with your pump or co2 it may cost you money in the short term but will give you confidence out and about that at least punctures will not be a huge problem .

ednwireland

rubino protyres, mini pump, 2 co2 cannisters and 2 spare inner tubes

havent had a puncture in ages the sunday before christmas three punctures (tyre flat again when i when i got back)

must have been something in the tyre but couldnt find anything but tyre was pretty thin (must have been on 12 months plus)

so binned tyre