July 1, 2009 7:11 pm
Flats No. 13 & No. 14
Posted by Will under biking
[6] Comments
You might look at the numbers in that headline and wonder what kind of fail magnet I am for so many minor misfortunes, but in dealing with the amount of cycling I’m doing, my philosphy is simple: Flats Happen.
Some of them are not my fault as in this what-are-the-odds 3/8ths-inch metal splinter no thicker or stronger than an eyelash or a dog brush’s bristle that I chanced to roll over yesterday morning in the only way to allow the flimsy thing to impale my rear tire and puncture its tube (that’s a slice of nickel on the left for scale):
And some are almost entirely my doing (albeit exacerbated by the cheap materials used in cheap tubes) as in the dismemberment of my front tire’s innertube stem when I attempted to top it off with a few extra PSI after patching the rear tire’s tube before leaving the office yesterday evening:
I know some people who live in heightened fear of flats and I know some people who’ve gone years between them. With me averaging better than two a month year-to-date — or one every 316 or so miles pedaled — they are nothing more than minor and inevitable annoyances. And with all the practice I’ve had repairing them, pretty quickly resolved.
July 1st, 2009 at 8:20 pm
You more miles than I do, but that does seem to be a lot of flats (although I can relate to the cheap tube stem coming apart — I’ve learned it’s worth spending the extra money for a better quality tube).
Are you using a kevlar-belted tire? I’ve found that there’s just too much crap on the streets around here to ride without it. I’ve found that I almost never get a flat when I’m running kelvar tires, and I can’t say I’ve noticed any appreciable difference in ride quality.
July 1st, 2009 at 10:34 pm
You pretty much nailed the root of the evil, Ted: I use one of the cheapest tires available — sometimes its on sale for $9.99 at Nashbar. It’s little more than a slab of rubber between me and the road. The only saving grace is I don’t ride them until they’re wafer thin… I change ‘em out every 3 months, which in the case of these tires case was a couple weekends ago.
I may give in and go kevlar with my next set just to compare/contrast.
July 2nd, 2009 at 1:25 am
Caldrops (Tribulus sp.) will soon be ripening and so you also need a thorn catcher that rides just above the tire.
I too got a flat, but it was from one of those poster staples that sometimes fall into the road.
I patched the inner tube and may carry it around as a spare. But then I will also be forced to carry around a air pump.
July 2nd, 2009 at 1:55 am
Oh they are trying to make a light that duplicates a bike lane:
http://www.h2ovisions.com/smart-design/byol-bring-your-own-lane/
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:58 am
I’ve been using the Continental Ultra Gator Skins for the last few years – very flat resistant and I got almost 4000 miles out of the last rear tire. Still haven’t worn out a front. They can be had for about $40.
July 15th, 2009 at 11:11 pm
You ride on cheap tires?? It’s not worth your time and frustration. Gatorskins, and if you wanna get heavy, Armadillos on the back. You wanna go further – I rode 9000 miles with no flats with Armadillos and Mr. Tuffy liners.