Trikes, quiet lanes and punctures, punctures, punctures...

[gordon taylor]

This is just a moan, sorry.

I ride my trike to work on frosty days, because 4 miles (1/3) of my journey is down quiet lanes which freeze over. By using the trike, I don't fall  off <smug smiley> .

However, the trike wheels run on the edge, and/or the grassy middle of the lane. They pick up thorns from the summer hedgecuttings and I get punctures weekly - despite now running heavy Armadillos. A two wheeler can stay in the vehicle wheel tracks...

BTW, the lanes are so quiet that I could still see my morning tyre-tracks in the frost when I cycled home tonight. They just don't get enough vehicle traffic to clear the thorns and other rubbish - the lanes really do have grass growing down the middle.

I hate fixing punctures on cold, dark nights. 


PS: That's Enson Lane and Marston Lane for the Staffordshire local massive.

[resus1uk]

I took the mtb with ice spike tyres today & promptly laid on the road. Even walking was bad. So I went back for the trike to stay upright & at least got into town.

With regards to flats,I have been able to remove glass debris from the rear tyres (Spec Numbus) without damage. Tyres go through loads of lager bottle shards on both edges of the path down an old rail track on my route. The other problem on a trike is avoiding dog ****, bound to hit it

[alan]

Marston Lane for the Staffordshire local massive.

Thanks for that

[nuttycyclist]

have you tried adding the guards inside the tyres too?

[tatanab]

I don't fall  off <smug smiley> .

Wait until it goes straight on instead of turning.  Plenty of time to contemplate one's fate.

In lanes like yours I am more likely to run the front wheel down the grassy middle.  I find it easier than having alternate back wheels kicking on the debris at the side or in the middle.

Some years ago my commute had lanes like this, and on my commuting trike I put heavy old 32 section tyres with puncture resistant strips as well.  This was so I could  ride through the potholes at speed without thinking about them.  I still got the occassional puncture.   Blackthorn would go through the sidewall of the tyre.

[gordon taylor]

have you tried adding the guards inside the tyres too?

Heavy tyres on a trike are awful; as the lumpen brute takes so much windng up. The thought of adding even more rotating mass with those guards fills me with dread.

I've realised that I get punctures with whatever tyres I use... so I've orderd some folding Gatorskins today in the belief that I will go too fast for the thorns to catch me.