Almost every week, I get a flat tire. Currently use clinchers. Are there any type of tires that are more puncture proof? Or any tips on preventing flats?
It depends on the kind of flat you are getting. If you continue to get pinch flats then you may be installing your tubes incorrectly. If your tires are getting cut up then you either need to find some cleaner roads or go to a tire with a high puncture resistance material. Something like a Conti Gatorskin or Michelin Pro4 endurance tire may help.
Is there a way to tell if a tire has better protection over punctures?
The training tires I’ve used feel stiffer/harder and whole lot less pliable than racing tires. Other than that, just buy tires labeled for training, and they should be less prone to punctures.
Almost every week, I get a flat tire. Currently use clinchers. Are there any type of tires that are more puncture proof? Or any tips on preventing flats?
you probably have something wrong with your rim, or rim tape, or a piece of debris stuck in your tire causing the same flat over and over.
hear me now, believe me in 10 years when you finally figure it out yourself
Almost every week, I get a flat tire. Currently use clinchers. Are there any type of tires that are more puncture proof? Or any tips on preventing flats?
you probably have something wrong with your rim, or rim tape, or a piece of debris stuck in your tire causing the same flat over and over.
hear me now, believe me in 10 years when you finally figure it out yourself
x100. A very high percentage of my flats came from the rim side, and not the road side. See if you can figure out exactly where the flat is coming from. I used a marker to mark the drive-side of the tube on the valve stem. Then when I removed it, I found the hole, traced it back in the tire and wheel, and went from there. Velox rim tape and some electrical tape in the valve-stem area did the trick for me.
Are you in Goathead country?
If you have ruled out rim, faulty installation and such, maybe you could try a different route. There is a stretch of a bike trail that I avoid in late Fall through Winter because I almost always pick up a thorn during this time. Few tires will stop the Goathead, self-sealing tubes can help.
Had this problem also. I installed a better quality cloth rim tape, and made sure my tires were inflated to the proper pressure before every ride (probably the biggest cause of flats I’ve seen). Only had 2 flats in the past 4 years. BTW gatorskins would stop almost anything. You could look at pretreating you tubes with calfe latex I’ve only used it on tubies but that stuff is awesome. Good Luck
Is there a specific rim tape I should use? Also any suggestions on type of gatorskin tire?
I’ve had a lot of luck with Gatorskin hardshell 25mm. Plenty of reasonable protection and not too heavy for what they are capable of. I have taken these on all sorts of dirt roads and desert farm roads throughout the South West.
it kind of depends, you may not need to buy anything. When you get a flat, you need to carefully run your fingers around the inside of the tire casing and find what caused it. Put some air in the tube and locate the hole. Is it 1 hole or two? Two is a “snake bite” which is caused by low PSI and running into holes and crap. I poorly installed rim strip may be the issue. I like the cloth tape from Velox.
Are your tires cut up or do they have crap embedded in them? Are you running at least 90 psi?
Figure out what is going on first. Is there a lot of winter debris on the roads? Ours here are horrible in winter and we need to run heavy duty tires like Armadillos or Hard Cases for training. Tires like that are a drudge to ride if you don’t need them. The Gatorskins are the least awful riding of the heavy duty tires, but they still suck.
Just a newbie question, but do you eventually lose tire pressure over time?
Just a newbie question, but do you eventually lose tire pressure over time?
In the black tubes you lose a little over time, the yellow latex will lose pressure faster. I might pump up my tires once a week, but I’m not picky and kind of like softer tires.
Maybe try a 25mm tire. It adds a little more puncture resistance. Make sure all the other components are not damaging the tube. Check rim strip and if anything sticks in the tire casing. You might get the same flat over and over again.
I like to ride at 115 psi. I lose about 10-15 lbs every couple days. Once you start getting below 90 you start getting more risk of pinch flats. A lot of people never check and end up with flats.
As far as rim tape I have had good luck with Velox cloth rim tape
I have mine at 100psi, but didn’t realize that they could go to 115. How much does it affect the ride when you have higher psi or lower psi?