Endless pinch flat issues changing 25 mm tyres

[RhythMick]

I normally ride 35 mm Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres, but as I'm riding my first 100 miler tomorrow I've swapped to 25mm in the same tyres.

All done now, finally, but along the way I discovered...

a) that 25 mm are a LOT harder to get back on the wheel
b) how annoying an endless series of pinch flats can be (think I scored 8 and trashed 3 inners)
c) how important technique is
d) how helpful youtube is
e) that using levers to put the tyre back on was causing the pinch flats
f) that it IS possible to put the tyre back on without using levers, no matter how impossible it seemed when I started

Then again it could just be clumsy old me.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

 

[doog]

[quote="RhythMick, post: 2482891, member: 17479"
f) that it IS possible to put the tyre back on without using levers, no matter how impossible it seemed when I started
[/quote]

I bet your thumbs hurt tomorrow

 

[ufkacbln]

[quote="RhythMick, post: 2482891, member: 17479"
f) that it IS possible to put the tyre back on without using levers, no matter how impossible it seemed when I started

I bet your thumbs hurt tomorrow [/quote]


I had a puncture by the side of the road, and a rather charming and svelte female roadie stopped to see if I was OK

We conversed, and all went well until she saw my tyre lever (NOT a euphemism) and sad that it was possible to put a tyre back on without levers...... then she had to ruin my day and deflate my ego!

.. but I suppose at your age the arthritis might make that difficult!

 

[RhythMick]

I bet your thumbs hurt tomorrow

I had a puncture by the side of the road, and a rather charming and svelte female roadie stopped to see if I was OK

We conversed, and all went well until she saw my tyre lever (NOT a euphemism) and sad that it was possible to put a tyre back on without levers...... then she had to ruin my day and deflate my ego![/quote]

Haha made me laugh thanks. Just got back from my 1st 100 miler (105) and had one visit from the p fairy, no problem doing it - all that practise paid off.

Don't even think it was a p, think someone let the tyre down while I was in the cafe.

 

[albion]

Any tips on avoiding these guys?

At least 50% of the flats on a road bike are pinch ones. Todays roads with endless traffic and potholes means it is hard to not hit them.
I'm almost tempted to try Marathon Plus 25mm but that somehow seems a bit too drastic.

 

[the_mikey]

Any tips on avoiding these guys?

At least 50% of the flats on a road bike are pinch ones. Todays roads with endless traffic and potholes means it is hard to not hit them.
I'm almost tempted to try Marathon Plus 25mm but that somehow seems a bit too drastic.

Inflate the tyres, when using 25c tyres 110psi is going to be a lot softer than it is with 23c tyres, don't use low pressure like 60psi with 25c tyres.

 

[albion]

100psi tyre recommended maximum.
And I even checked the pressure this morning before setting off.

 

[Dangermouse]

See if you can go tubeless, some older rims are fine with a stans kit

 

[slowmotion]

Any tips on avoiding these guys?

At least 50% of the flats on a road bike are pinch ones. Todays roads with endless traffic and potholes means it is hard to not hit them.
I'm almost tempted to try Marathon Plus 25mm but that somehow seems a bit too drastic.

Once you have the tyre back on, and before you inflate it, push the bead inwards and check that you can see rim tape but no tube. Go all the way round the tyre, and then repeat the process with the other bead. That should ensure that there is no part of the tube trapped between the bead and the rim. Once the tube is inflated, and the wheel is back on the bike, spin the wheel slowly and check that there are no bulges which tend to indicate a trapped tube.

 

[PK99]

Any tips on avoiding these guys?

At least 50% of the flats on a road bike are pinch ones. Todays roads with endless traffic and potholes means it is hard to not hit them.
I'm almost tempted to try Marathon Plus 25mm but that somehow seems a bit too drastic.

With properly inflated tyres I never have pinch flats.
Conti 4 seasons @ 110psi

The only time i have had a pinch flat, I knew the tyre was soft but decided it was too far to walk back to the garage for the track pump so went out anyway, hit a pothole and....

 

[albion]

It is the very first puncture on this bike.
I had the exact same on the other and put that down to going on a cycle track.

Most of these routes are new to me, so it is harder to be pre-prepared to avoid that prolific amount of potholes we have up north.

 

[Venod]

With tyres pumped to a high pressure you are not going to get pinch flats, I have been following the advice in the link below, it results in not quite as high pressure but still high enough to avoid pinch flats.

http://www.bikequarterly.com/images/TireDrop.pdf

 

[albion]

I now check them every ride.

This was on my new bike and the very first puncture it has had with me.
It is an old bike but there are more than enough hints of it doing zero miles.

 

[TheDoctor]

I normally ride 35 mm Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres, but as I'm riding my first 100 miler tomorrow I've swapped to 25mm in the same tyres.

All done now, finally, but along the way I discovered...

a) that 25 mm are a LOT harder to get back on the wheel
b) how annoying an endless series of pinch flats can be (think I scored 8 and trashed 3 inners)
c) how important technique is
d) how helpful youtube is
e) that using levers to put the tyre back on was causing the pinch flats
f) that it IS possible to put the tyre back on without using levers, no matter how impossible it seemed when I started

Then again it could just be clumsy old me.

I wonder if 25mm are too narrow for your rims? That would make them proper difficult to get back on...