Bike Noob

Because I'm Always Learning Something New

There’s a Flat In Every Tire

by // 18 Comments

Last year, fed up after what seemed like an endless number of flat tires, I decided to pay real money and get some durable tires.

I paid a ridiculous retail price at a local bike shop for a Continental Gatorskin, because I had heard so many good things about them — mainly, that they resisted flats.

I liked the Gatorskin so much, that I bought a second one for the front — ordering online at a much lower price this time. As a full Gatorskin bike owner, I was now set.

I gotta say, they’ve been great. A big difference between the Gatorskins and previous brands I’ve owned — Specialized, Vittoria, Hutchinson — is that they seemed to resist the normal cuts and gashes tires get in normal everyday riding conditions. Let’s face it — it’s a jungle out there, with broken glass, radial tire wire, and microscopic metal shavings all waiting to take your tire down.

The knock against these tires is that they’re heavy, and slower than comparable tires. But if you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, you know I’m no speed demon, so that doesn’t matter to me.

Just the other day, I was inspecting the tires for cuts, and there just weren’t any to speak of. Oh, a couple of really tiny ones — but you’d expect more than that after 1200 miles.

Today, my luck ran out. I was on one of our most popular local routes — the Mopac Expressway — when I heard a “pop — whissssh.” The best tire I’d ever owned fell in combat against a glass-littered shoulder.

I felt around the inside of the tire, but couldn’t locate the cause of the flat. The new tube went in easily, and I used my trusty Topeak Road Morph pump to inflate it to 105 pounds. Then I saw it.

The first big gash I’ve ever seen on my Gatorskin.

I must have hit a dandy shard of glass, because the gash across the tire stood out like a boil on a baby’s butt. When I ran my finger over it, I could feel it protrude up from the surface of the tire. There was a space between the cut tire edges. If I’d noticed it before I did the repair, I could have added a boot to the tire — I keep strips cut from ride numbers in my seat bag just for that purpose — but the last thing I wanted to do was pull the tire off and put it back on all over again. I got on the bike and pedaled gingerly for the remaining four miles home.

Later tonight — or maybe tomorrow morning, depending on my mood — I’ll take off the cut tire, boot it, and put it on the front. I’ll rotate the front tire to the rear.

Then, just to be on the safe side, I’ll go online and order another tire. It’ll be a Gatorskin.

[compare q=”gatorskin” gtm=”on” v=”grid” id=”49acb1694116b6fe3608da991aefb936,e60e01edbcc5773c7fbfbc7e6ea84ef0,01e72b9b6e0a4689cca65410c1db2422,6e53fcd54312478351b87600c38bcdaa,” ft=”fetchProducts” imgt=”original”][/compare]

CO2 or a pump? — It never ends

by // 16 Comments

I was chatting with a friend the other day who’s just getting into biking. He was telling me of his experience with his first flat. No pump, no CO2. He had a patch kit in his seatbag, but realized it was worthless unless he could fill his tire with air, so he wound up walking the bike home — three miles.

CO2
Do you prefer these?

“I saw these canisters of CO2 at the bike store,” he said. “Are they any good?”

Here we go again — the endless debate between CO2 and a pump.

Well, I told him, each has its advantages. CO2 takes up just a little space in your seatbag, and you don’t have to carry a pump. Just attach the inflator, stick it on the valve, and whoosh! you’re back in business. He liked that. He thought he’d try it.

But wait a minute, I said. There’s a problem with CO2, too. Sometimes, you misfire it and waste all the gas in the canister. Then, you can find yourself in the same predicament you were in last week.

Pump
Or this?

I told him of a recent A ride from our club, where a guy flatted along a major highway. One of the other guys had several CO2 cartridges — and managed to depressurize all of them. Without inflating the tire. Luckily, another rider in the group carried a pump, and stood by to watch the antics — then stepped in and saved the day.

“It took me probably 10 minutes to pump up a tire to 70 psi,” said guest poster Don Blount in an email awhile ago. “That’s longer than it took to change the tube.”

I’ve been there. It doesn’t take me that long to pump a tire up to 70, or even 90 psi. But those last 10 pounds to 100, to make it roadworthy again — I should be doing some strength work at the gym.

But Don also said he blew a tube with one cartridge, and when he went to use another one on another tube — it was a dud. He thinks he might just suck it up and go back to the frame pump.

At least that’ll get the tire inflated. With a cartridge — I’m guessing 50-50 odds.

My friend went back to the bike store and got a frame pump.

Tire poll results

by // 5 Comments

The other day I asked Bike Noob readers to send their tire recommendations. This, after dealing with a couple of flats myself, and getting an email from a reader who has had a rash of flats. The question was, What tire do you recommend for puncture resistance?

GatorskinWhile I was pleased with the responses, there were not enough to create a meaningful sample. However, of those who did respond, a clear trend emerged: Continental Gatorskins.

Riders praised Gatorskins for their ability to last many, many miles without flatting. Some suggested that Gatorskins aren’t as “nimble” feeling as other tires, but were willing to make that tradeoff to avoid flats.

The only other tire to get multiple mentions was another Continental model, the GP 4000S.

I put a Gatorskin on the rear wheel this week, after my experience with a warped tire (although I suspect the warping was the result of my hanging the tire in a hot garage for several months). No problems after 60 miles of riding, so I’m happy, but that’s not enough to come to any conclusions.

The only issue with Continental tires is their price. Gatorskins cost about $50 apiece, and the GP 4000S run more than that. However, their proponents seldom mentioned cost — I guess people are willing to pay if it means they have the peace of mind of not worrying about flatting. Sharp-eyed consumers can find bargains online, though. Jeff Hemmel says he paid $31 each for his GP 4000S tires at Pro Bike Kit (probikekit.com) with free shipping to the U.S.

Other tires that got favorable mentions from readers included Schwalbe Marathons and Specialized Armadillos (several for each), Maxxis Columbiere, and Michelin Lithions.

Reader Mike from California had high praise for his Lithions:

LithionI am a heavy guy at 270+ lbs. and Lithions are all I will run. I rarely flat and the last one I replaced on the rear had over 1300 miles on it and had NEVER flatted, not once. It was still at pressure after a 40+ mile ride when I discovered that it was worn all the way around and the casing was beginning to peel.

Several readers mentioned the importance of good rim tape. It’s probably worthwhile to replace the stock rim tape on your wheels with some new stuff, and to replace it every three years or so.

Here’s wishing you a flat-free Fall.

(I noticed that no one is running the Hello Kitty tires pictured in the original post.)

Recent Posts

Categories

Archives