Yet Another Cycling Forum

General Category => The Knowledge => Topic started by: PaulF on 21 April, 2008, 12:59:32 pm

Title: Too many punctures?
Post by: PaulF on 21 April, 2008, 12:59:32 pm
I've had 5 punctures in 1500 miles am I unlucky or are my tyres cr@p?

I'm using Continental Ultrasport Kevlar and most of my riding is either a London commute or in Richmond Park.
Title: Re: Too many punctures?
Post by: Phil on 21 April, 2008, 01:03:18 pm
Are you using good quality tubes? I use much maligned Specialized ones (people say they fail at the valve, but that's not been my experience) because I find I get significantly fewer deflations with them.  Kenda ones are particularly bad for puncturing for no good reason. 

What pressure do you run them at? And what width do you use?



edited for clarity, my bad
Title: Re: Too many punctures?
Post by: Greenbank on 21 April, 2008, 01:04:53 pm
Conti GP 4 Seasons (25mm) at about 80psi and I commute in SW London and I do many laps of Richmond Park.

Usually nothing for 4000km and then I get about 4 in the space of a month at which point I replace the tyre.
Title: Re: Too many punctures?
Post by: PaulF on 21 April, 2008, 01:08:36 pm
Are you using good quality tubes? I use much maligned Specialized ones (people say they fail at the valve, but that's not been my experience) because I find I get significantly fewer deflations with them.  Kenda ones are particularly bad for this. 

What pressure do you run them at? And what width do you use?

Continental tubes at about 100psi, width is 23
Title: Re: Too many punctures?
Post by: Charlotte on 21 April, 2008, 01:11:47 pm
Are you using good quality tubes? I use much maligned Specialized ones (people say they fail at the valve, but that's not been my experience) because I find I get significantly fewer deflations with them.  Kenda ones are particularly bad for this.

Not as bad as Decathlon ones, eh Phil?

:D
Title: Re: Too many punctures?
Post by: Seineseeker on 21 April, 2008, 01:12:04 pm
I would change the tyres anyway if I was getting punctures that often.
Title: Re: Too many punctures?
Post by: Phil on 21 April, 2008, 01:15:21 pm
Are you using good quality tubes? I use much maligned Specialized ones (people say they fail at the valve, but that's not been my experience) because I find I get significantly fewer deflations with them.  Kenda ones are particularly bad for this.

Not as bad as Decathlon ones, eh Phil?

:D

They are verily the work of :demon:

(c) Mr Larrington
Title: Re: Too many punctures?
Post by: hellymedic on 21 April, 2008, 01:17:05 pm
I would change the tyres anyway if I was getting punctures that often.

So would I.
I get the feeling tyres go 'porous' after a while and let all manner of penetrative junk through, whereas new tyres don't tend to behave like this.
Title: Re: Too many punctures?
Post by: andygates on 21 April, 2008, 01:33:02 pm
How often are you pumping 'em up?  Lots of flats in town often means that they're being run softer than you think...
Title: Re: Too many punctures?
Post by: PaulF on 21 April, 2008, 01:38:06 pm
How often are you pumping 'em up?  Lots of flats in town often means that they're being run softer than you think...

Probably every week/100 miles
Title: Re: Too many punctures?
Post by: Rob C. on 21 April, 2008, 02:09:01 pm
Funny you should mention Ultra Sports. Brand new bike, first ride out ... less than 20 miles. Thorn in back tyre.

Mind you I was *slightly* off road so probably no surprise really.

While were on the subject. The tyres (Ultra Sports) are rated at 120psi max, so I tend to fill them with my track pump to as close to this as I physically can. The needle reaches just under 120 on the gauge but I guess this could be off and there is more like 100psi in there. Lets say they are getting up to 120psi, is there any problem running tyres this full?

Rob


Title: Re: Too many punctures?
Post by: mike on 21 April, 2008, 04:16:13 pm
might be worth replacing your rim tape too.
Title: Re: Too many punctures?
Post by: Jurek on 21 April, 2008, 04:20:47 pm
5 punctures in around 600 miles meant that the Ultra Sports on my new bike went in the bin a couple of weekends ago.
To give you comparison:
6,500 miles on the Bianchi , 5 punctures  over two sets of tyres (a mix of Vittoria and Armadillos) all running at max pressure.

The new bike is now shod with Dillo's.

I've never had the valve-making-a-bid-for-freedom problem some have mentioned.
I've never used Decathlon's bargain tubes.
Mostly Specialized, and more recently Michelin and Bontrager.

If you check your tyres for embedded foreign objects and pressure regulary, I'd not expect you to be puncturing as often as you seem to be.
Title: Re: Too many punctures?
Post by: Greenbank on 21 April, 2008, 04:21:49 pm
Where are the punctures on the tubes?
What types of punctures are they (small holes from flints/glass/, vampire bite, bit gashes)?
Same place around the wheel?
Same place around the tyre (i.e. outside facing the tyre or inside facing the spokes)?
Title: Re: Too many punctures?
Post by: Ian H on 21 April, 2008, 04:26:57 pm
Where in the road are you riding? There's a lot of debris and stuff where motor vehicles don't clear a path.
Title: Re: Too many punctures?
Post by: PaulF on 21 April, 2008, 04:55:58 pm
Greenbank: Punctures appear to be where the tyre touches the road (does that make sense?) and are mainly small flints or bits of glass

Ian H: I try to be in 'Primary' at least not sweeping the crud out of the gutter.
Title: Re: Too many punctures?
Post by: Ian H on 21 April, 2008, 05:05:28 pm
Small flints in London sounds like you're picking them up somewhere not quite a highway. Anywhere not tarmacked on your route?
Title: Re: Too many punctures?
Post by: Psychler on 21 April, 2008, 09:21:55 pm
I've had 5 punctures in 1500 miles am I unlucky or are my tyres cr@p?

Last Tuesday night [in the rain] I had 3 punctures in 33 miles