punctures after punctures after punctures...

[nuttall1991]

As the title suggests, i'm having no end of trouble with flats.
I've bought gator skins as I've seen everywhere how awesome they are and I agree, the ride is great and i'm much quicker with them on. However, they were bought last Saturday (the 1st) and I've had 3 punctures this week and it's really killing cycling for me when I get a flat 4 miles out from home and I have no inner tubes to get going again because I've already used them all. I'm not getting 20 miles out of a single tube!

I've narrowed it down to 4 possibilities...

1. Riding style and surfaces. I did tend to ride close to the curb until my uncle told me to get into the road more on our ride on Sunday so I took on his advice. Also, cycling back from work there are some very dark lanes and some rather big pot holes, not a great combination. My tyres should be ok to take a large jolt from a pothole that sneaks up on my right? Or are they that weak and fragile?

2. My wheels. After a crash and learning to replacing inner tubes my wheels have some "nicks" in them on the braking surface of the rim so I was thinking a jagged edge could be eating into my tyres. But I have check and there are no jagged edges on the inner part of the rim where the inner tube sits so what do you guys think of this as a possibility? (I am waiting upon wheels to be delivered so if you think this is the problem it'll be sorted in a couple days).

3. Tyre pressure. I like my tyres very firm but can't gauge the exact pressure as I only have a hand pump but I find myself pumping up my tyres more then I probably should. Often before every outing.

4. Replacing an inner tube. Am I doing it wrong? I learnt from good old you tube how to do it and I remember the lady in the video saying don't use your tyre iron to get the tyre back on but I simply cannot do that. I avoid the inner tube, as far as i'm aware, and insert the tyre iron at the very point where the tyre is crossing over the rim, I never fully insert the iron only enough to get under the tyre itself.

So guys what do you think?

I'm getting very pi**ed off, poor and disheartened with constant problems with my inner tubes so please give me some advice!!!

 

[smokeysmoo]

Check your tyres very carefully, (better off the rim imo), sounds to me like there is something in them, a tiny shard of glass or a thorn perhaps?

I say better off the rim as then you can (carefully) feel with your fingers.

As for tyre pressures, get a track pump with a gauge, you can't get high enough pressure with a hand pump imo.

[EDIT] FYI I only use Gatorskins myself as ime they have proved to be the most reliable tyre

 

[the_mikey]

Get a track pump with a built in pressure gauge! When you find a puncture, do you check the tyre and tube to establish what caused the puncture? . The hole/holes in the tube can be very telling.

It does seem to me that the tyres are not being pumped up to a high enough pressure.

 

[numbnuts]

As what smokey ^ said there must be something stuck in the tyre.

 

[compo]

Where on the tubes are they puncturing. I once had the same problem and it turned out that my rim tape wasn't hard enough and the tube was being forced into the spoke hole and puncturing, even with a hand pump. I had 4 punctures within 10 miles before the penny dropped.

 

[nuttall1991]

I did run my fingers along the inside of the tyre last night to check that and couldn't feel anything but I'll scrutinise them tonight!

Yeah with my hand pump I have to put my shoulder behind it to get enough force to pump the air in, but you're saying my tyres could actually be a little flat? Interesting...

Thanks a lot for your advice

 

[nuttall1991]

so the general consensus is something in the tyre? I was thinking it was more to do with the big potholes as I'm sure two of the punctures were to do with that... and that coupled with low tyre pressure meaning the tyre actually flattens out and I have my rim hit the floor?

 

[Tim Hall]

A tell tale sign of under inflated tyres is a "snakebite" puncture. Hit a pot hole , the tyre gets squashed out between the road surface and the wheel rim. You'll get two holes from this, and have nothing sharp in in the tyre.

Edit: yes, exactly as you describe above - the tyre flattens out.

 

[nuttall1991]

A tell tale sign of under inflated tyres is a "snakebite" puncture. Hit a pot hole , the tyre gets squashed out between the road surface and the wheel rim. You'll get two holes from this, and have nothing sharp in in the tyre.

EXACTLY what happened last night!

 

[Peteaud]

Get a track pump, as other have said.

Tyres, schwalbe lugano get very good reviews, but where i live they are worse than useless. My new bike came with them, they managed 4 miles before a visit from the p******** fairies, so dont go by reviews alone.

I like Vittoria rubino, cheap and managed hundreds of mile free from hissing noises.

 

[byegad]

Track pump as has been said and pump the tyres up to within 10% of the maximum on the sidewall. If the bike seems a bit skittish on wet roads drop them. one at a time, front tyre first, with a trial between the next drop, by another 5% maximum! Do the same with +5% starting with the rear. If you are 'big boned' start at full maximum pressure. Usually a bike feels best with 100psi tyres with the rear at or near the 100pis and front a few pounds/sq" lower than that.

 

[dodgy]

I'd bet all my bikes on you not pumping up your tyres enough.

 

[nuttall1991]

Track pump as has been said and pump the tyres up to within 10% of the maximum on the sidewall. If the bike seems a bit skittish on wet roads drop them. one at a time, front tyre first, with a trial between the next drop, by another 5% maximum! Do the same with +5% starting with the rear. If you are 'big boned' start at full maximum pressure. Usually a bike feels best with 100psi tyres with the rear at or near the 100pis and front a few pounds/sq" lower than that.

I am "big boned" as you put it! (5.11 and 100kg, that's what 15 years of rugby does to you...) so I guess that adds to the problem of underinflated tyres.

 

[nuttall1991]

I'd bet all my bikes on you not pumping up your tyres enough.

Now that puts my mind at rest!

 

[byegad]

I am "big boned" as you put it! (5.11 and 100kg, that's what 15 years of rugby does to you...) so I guess that adds to the problem of under-inflated tyres.

Certainly does and I'd be prepared to say that full pressure, particularly on the back wheel, may not be enough. Back when I weighed 95kg I used to pump my 38mm wide 95(max)psi rear tyre to 110 psi. This can cause issues, I'm told, but at the time I had 9 bikes and 7 of them had 'over-inflated' rear tyres with no problems in 10s of thousands of miles.