Best flat tire to have on a bicycle... in the garage.

[mrsilv04]

Was getting ready to leave on a ride a week ago today, and discovered that the bike had a flat tire, in the garage.

Granted, I was upset about having a flat... but having a flat while in the garage more than made up for it.

Finally found a less than 3/16" long splinter of metal though the tire... just poking through enough to put the tiniest of holes in the tube. Had to use a magnifying glass and tweezers to get it out of the tire. Needle-nose pliers were much too big.

I knew I was dealing with a tiny, tiny puncture, as I pumped the tire up to 120 pounds, and it only was losing less thna 10 pounds of air per hour.

Since the tire (Continental Gatorskin) had less than a month left of usefulness left, I opted to go ahead and replace it. I had already noticed that this tire was nearly done for, and had already ordered a new tire a week earlier. It was waiting for me to pick it up at the local bicycle shop.

noticed

 

[totegoat]

Good story.

 

[wwillson]

Rarely, like one time, have I ever been able to find the object that flattened a 23c tire. I've changed a lot of 23c tubes.

 

[JohnnyG]

For some reason my bike tires loose air over time for no reason at all. Been happening for years. I just consider it part of the exercise.

 

[Number_35]

I had a flat riding on the Rocky Mountain Legacy Trail last month. Rear tire of course.

Had matchmarked the tire and valve stem with a paint pen so I could search the part of the tire that lined up with the puncture, but could not find anything.

Finally figured the tube had simply developed a leak along the seam, likely due to old age or poor quality. Figured if it happened once it would likely happen again, so decided to retire it rather than patch it. Fortunately I had a spare tube and a small pump, so we were on our way again fairly quickly.

Edit: Maybe we should have a "post your latest flat" thread.

 

[E150GT]

I have tubeless tires. I found a thorn in my tire and I yanked it out. It started hissing. I spun the wheel and when it stopped no more hissing and no more leak.

 

[Kira]

^^Is there sealant in your (or that style?) tires?^^

Twice I've seen a devilish wire the size of the OP's.

 

[y_p_w]

It's been a while, but I've heard of tiny splinters of glass resulting in a puncture. I remember the recommendation to use a leather palmed glove against the inside surface of a tire to try to clear any small bits of debris that might have cause a tiny puncture.

The oddest puncture I ever had a was a nail that went clear through the tire, twice through the tube, through the rim strip, and out through the inside of the rim. The rim remained true (and still ridable) and the tire was fine after the nail was removed. I noticed a clicking sound as I was riding but slowing down because the rolling resistance. One of the riders in our group waited for me, looked at it, and was shocked when he was a nail going clear through the rim. But I kept a spare tube and was fine after installing it. I usually had a patch kit too. But the tube itself was still usable after I patched it.

Not if it were a tubular tire, that would be a real pain. I've heard of people repairing the tubes in those by carefully removing the stitching. One bike maintenance guide I saw recommended not using glue, claiming that the pressure against the casing would press the tube against the patch rubber. But I would use glue anyways. I used to pump up repaired tubes and saw how big they could get where the deformed patch area still held. Obviously it would be constrained inside a tire.

 

[MRC01]

I have tubeless tires. I found a thorn in my tire and I yanked it out. It started hissing. I spun the wheel and when it stopped no more hissing and no more leak.

Sometimes that happens. Other times, you spin the tire and it sprays sealant everywhere making a big mess yet not sealing the tire. I've seen it go both ways over the years.

 

[MRC01]

I knew I was dealing with a tiny, tiny puncture, as I pumped the tire up to 120 pounds, and it only was losing less thna 10 pounds of air per hour.
...
Since the tire (Continental Gatorskin) had less than a month left of usefulness left ...

Isn't that ironic, a tire called "Gatorskin" pierced by such a tiny sliver?

 

[y_p_w]

Isn't that ironic, a tire called "Gatorskin" pierced by such a tiny sliver?

I was told that the tightness of the casing was meant (among other things) to reduce the penetration of objects. But if you've got something embedded in the rubber, it's going to just keep on pounding deeper and deeper and possibly being forced slowiy past the casing. A thinner piece might actually make it through easier than a thicker piece of debris.

 

[supton]

Summer or two ago I had one of those slivers too. Only I didn't know it. Replaced the tube, made it a few miles, another flat. Out of tubes, so... just ran it. Most sketchy riding I have ever done. Never fully went flat but wow talk about zero control.

Ride with 3 tubes now. I *have* gotten two flats on a ride, although the last time that happened I called for a ride (in my defense I bent both rims hitting a pothole in the rain--I was done for at that point).

Flats are no fun, but on the flip side, the more you change, the quicker they are to replace. I wait until the pile of bad tubes reaches about 5, then I patch all 5 at once.

 

[y_p_w]

Summer or two ago I had one of those slivers too. Only I didn't know it. Replaced the tube, made it a few miles, another flat. Out of tubes, so... just ran it. Most sketchy riding I have ever done. Never fully went flat but wow talk about zero control.

Ride with 3 tubes now. I *have* gotten two flats on a ride, although the last time that happened I called for a ride (in my defense I bent both rims hitting a pothole in the rain--I was done for at that point).

Flats are no fun, but on the flip side, the more you change, the quicker they are to replace. I wait until the pile of bad tubes reaches about 5, then I patch all 5 at once.

I usually would have a patch kit. Occasionally I would ride with just a patch kit and no spare tube. It was usually ready to use in 5 minutes. Even if it wasn't fully cured (or poorly patched), at that point the patch would at least stay in place and the pressure of the tube against the patch would prevent the tube from leaking. At least enough to get home where I could make sure I did a proper fix later.

One of my riding buddies rode on sew-ups. He actually had a full tire packed and tied down under his seat. Never saw him get a flat though.

 

[MRC01]

I usually would have a patch kit. Occasionally I would ride with just a patch kit and no spare tube. ...

I ride with a patch kit and a spare tube. The spare tube is a quick fix and the patch kit is there in case I get more than 1 flat.

On the road bike I usually only get 1 flat in several thousands miles (about once per year). But flukes happen. Over the years I've gotten as many as 3 flats in a single ride.

 

[supton]

On the road bike I usually only get 1 flat in several thousands miles (about once per year). But flukes happen. Over the years I've gotten as many as 3 flats in a single ride.

One ride, I rode over some packed down 3" stone or whatever. I knew I was going too fast but needed to make time. Got a flat. Fixed it, took off and thought to myself, "You know, all these years of biking, I've never had a flat tire up front." Didn't even make it all the way through the thought before... you guessed it, that streak got ruined.

 

[wwillson]

Isn't that ironic, a tire called "Gatorskin" pierced by such a tiny sliver?

Gatorskins are better than normal road tires and a bit heavier, but will still flatten if you run over the right object.

I switched to Schwalbe Durno Plus 700x23c tires and have had exactly ZERO puncture flats in over 10,000 miles of riding. They are heavy road tires, but I couldn't care less, I don't race.

 

[MRC01]

I run Gatorskins on my city bike, 700x32c. They're heavy and slow compared to race tires, but durable.
I run GP5000 on my road bike, 700x25c. They're the lightest, fastest tires I have used, and more robust than other racing tires like those from Vittoria.
I tried Schwalbes on my mountain bike. They were the worst! Multiple flats even though they were tubless with sealant, the sealant never sealed. And a tire bead defect. No more Schwalbes for me.

 

[MrQuackers]

I ride with a patch kit and a spare tube. The spare tube is a quick fix and the patch kit is there in case I get more than 1 flat.

On the road bike I usually only get 1 flat in several thousands miles (about once per year). But flukes happen. Over the years I've gotten as many as 3 flats in a single ride.

I recall applying about a dozen patches on a tube on a ride on the Oregon Coast Hwy

Good times.

 

[borgward]

For some reason my bike tires loose air over time for no reason at all. Been happening for years. I just consider it part of the exercise.

Used to be a tube would hold pressure for months until you got a puncture. Looks like tubes are no longer reliable.

 

[MRC01]

It has always depended on the winds of fate and the gods of road debris. I've been an avid cyclist for about 40 years now so I have some historical perspective. Across my various bicycles (MTB, road, tandem) I currently ride about 5000 miles per year, probably 70/30 road/trail. Over the years I've ridden more, and less, than this depending on the year and life/family/events. Overall, for the past 5 years or so I've gotten fewer flats than in years past. This is on GP5000 tires and latex tubes. Tires have vastly improved. Those who were road racing in the 1980s remember Specialized Turbo R and Avocet Fasgrip tires. They were light and fast but so fragile, any century ride or full-day ride would get a flat, with roughly 50% probability. Nowadays I get about 1 flat year year across all my bikes. So over 40 years, if the metric is MMBF (mean mileage between flats), it's improved from 100 to 5000, or 50:1.

PS: when it rains, it pours. Just about 5 years ago I got 3 flats on the same ride. That's why I carry a patch kit in addition to a spare tube. And in the patch kit are flexible plastic shields to put between the tube & tire if the tire has a tear or large hole. After that I switched to GP5000 tires and didn't get a flat for 2 years.

Also, butyl tubes have always had slow leak-down. How slow depends on the thickness and formulation. This is true of bikes, cars, airplanes and anything else that uses them. Thick tubes are heavier, so "high performance" or "lightweight" bike tubes leak down a little faster. Latex tubes lose about 10% per day. Small price to pay for the slightly better efficiency & comfort.