Punctures

[James Blackwell]

Hi all,
Advice welcome. My commute from Clevedon to Bristol is becoming intolerable at the moment, and I do not know whether it is my stupidity, lack of knowledge or the state of the roads.
I am running some Continental Gators, 700x23c, appropriate innertube, to the recommended pressure of 110psi.
In 9 runs I have suffered 7 punctures. They are "Snake Bites" from the roads, avoiding them all is almost impossible.
Advice welcome, do I need different tyres, is there a chance I have damaged the inside of my wheel changing the inner tube, or is it something lots of us are suffering at the moment?

Thank you in advance.

James

 

[Brommyboy]

A snake bite, that is, two adjacent holes, is caused by the tyre bottoming out against the rim. This happens when a soft tyre hits an edge of, eg., a pothole. To avoid this, pump the tyre up much harder. With 23's your tyre pressure should be at least 100 psi, depending on your weight.

 

[Gez73]

Could be that your pump is not putting the pressure in that you assume. I use Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres but they are 35mm tyres. That is a crazy rate of 'visits' from the P fairies! Hope you get it sorted!

 

[Roadrider48]

Gez has a point about the pump. Does yours have a pressure gauge on it?
Are all your punctures near the valve section. If so, it could be down to installation?

 

[jagman.2003]

Might be worth checking the position of the punctures. Could be damaged rim or exposed spoke/s through rim tape.

 

[the_mikey]

Careful installation and 100-110psi should see the end of snake bite punctures. Also check around the tyre bead for damage and check the rims for damage/sharp edges.

 

[fossyant]

Shouldn't be getting snake bites at a good pressure unless you really whack the wheel over a pot hole.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Agree with all of the above but would add that marathon plus go down to 25mm if you want excellent puncture protection.

 

[martinclive]

Got GP 4000s on new bike last year and 2 punctures a week - mostly could not find anything through the tyre

Moved to Gatoskins but before I did - removed everything and carefully cleaned the wheels and rims (use loo paper or similar to check for any snagging areas)

Been good since then - I'm sure it was some shrapnel in the rim somewhere

 

[James Blackwell]

Thanks for the replies guys.
I have stripped and cleaned/checked the wheel every time. I have kept all the inner tubes, and the holes are occurring in different locations. Changed the rim tape, put some protection tape between tyre and tube, cleaned inside the tyre.
The roads are terrible between Bristol and Clevedon, the last pothole I hit wasnt there the day before as it is on a part of the road I use to avoid another large hole. I honestly thought I had broken my thumb I hit it so hard.
Will revisit the wheel/tyre again tonight and see if I can find anything else out.

 

[Smurfy]

If it really is due to potholes and crap roads, you might be better off with something wider, maybe 700x28 (assuming your frame has clearance).

 

[sreten]

Hi,

For commuting and poor roads widest tyre that will fit, puncture protection, general
toughness and hardwearing probably matters more than the tyres being racy.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/michelin-city-road-tyre/rp-prod26232
The reflective version of these is good value. Got the 32mm on the front.
Rolls,well, not the lightest tyre in the world but tough and hardwearing.
Not the greatest grip, run at optimum pressure, front ~15% lower.
28mm should be quite a bit more comfy than 23mm on poor roads.

rgds, sreten.

My opinion : Great tyre for the price. A little heavy for recreation riding
on a sports bike. Good tyre for a hybrid used mainly on road, and
a road bike used for commuting. Will last ages, especially on
the front. Probably not for a enthusiastic rider, too mundane.

 

[Pale Rider]

put some protection tape between tyre and tube,.

Almost certainly part of the problem.

That tape stuff is notorious for causing punctures because it moves inside the tyre.

 

[David Parry]

Geez James, I can't believe it. Gators changed my life and I've been on them for just over a year and not one puncture. I am running them at 120, though. I found that getting them on the rim was a really tough job, so I ended up having to tool them on, and until I sorted my technique, I was plagued by installation flats and slow leaks. I'm with Pale on the tape. Are you tooling your tubes as well? How far are the bite marks apart? Are you sure it from tire compression? Could they be from installation pinching?

Ouch re the thumb. I wrap cork tape to a depth of about 1/2 inch around the platform grips, which reduces finger join and wrist discomfort, and helps keep good blood circulation in the hands. Perhaps more important, though, is the dampening with respect to bumps.

 

[James Blackwell]

Hi Guys,
Thank you for your replies. Lots for me to take away. Spent a good hour in my local bike shop last night, with one of the techs. Wheel all good, so counts that one out, tape removed. usual clean down and inspection of the tyre and wheel. New inner tube installed and gone up to 120 psi. Talked through my tyre/tube changing technique also just to make sure I'm doing it right, a few tweaks and hopefully I will see end of this bad run.
I like the Gators, good ride on them, but they are tight to put on, my fibre glass levers wont do the job, snapped two, so metal levers for the job.