This Continental 4000- split and punctured on a ride- I had to put new inner tube and ride home like this! If I had been clever, I would have founded strong leaf to improvise some protection between tyre and inner tube. But, I only thought of that after I luckily got home.
If I listed the biggest irritations of cycling, I would say that getting a puncture would be pretty high up. Firstly the most common reasons for getting a puncture.
- Tyre not put on properly (inner tube caught between rim and tyre)
- Thin, cheap tyres much more likely to puncture.
- Worn tyres with cracks in.
- Rear wheel more likely to puncture
- More likely to puncture in wet.
These are some tips for avoiding punctures.
1. Puncture Resistant tyres.
Unfortunately, at the moment it is hard to get completely puncture resistant tyres for road bikes. For some bikes you can get solid tyres, which offer a puncture resistant ride, but I wouldn’t want to ride them. When racing I always choose a tyre with good layers of puncture resistance, at least 1 or 2 kevlar belts. For training and even racing, I would rather choose a slightly heavier tyre and have an improved chance of avoiding a puncture. Only on very short hill climbs, will I risk the lightest tubulars.
On my winter training bike, I have an Armadillo Specialized All Condition on the rear, and a Continental Dura Skin on the front. The Armadillo is the most puncture resistant. I put it on the rear because the rear tyre is the most likely to get a puncture. Schwalbe Marathon Plus offer one of biggest resistance to punctures. (puncture resistant tyres)
2. Avoid the grit at the side of the road.
Often on busy roads grit and debris accumulates on the side of the road; riding amongst all this grit definitely increases the chance of getting a puncture. Don’t feel pushed into the edge, keep an eye on road surface and avoid potential problems. (BTW, don’t ride in gutter, but give yourself a good distance from edge. This gives you room for manoeuvre when avoiding potholes and thorns.)
Also, there have been times, when I’ve got off and walked by a newly cut thorn hedge which the farmer has kindly left on the road.
3. Put on the tyre properly
The biggest cause of ‘repeat punctures’ is putting on a tyre with tyre leavers. This invariably causes a pinching of the inner tube between rim and tyre. To avoid this, it is important to always put a tyre back on with your hands.
If you have to use tyre leaves, you must check after it has been fitted. When the tyre is part blown up, you can check around the rims to make sure there is no inner tube squeezed between the rim. I go around the rim and push the tyre inwards to see any sign of an inner tube. See: How to mend puncture
4. Avoid riding in the rain.
People often find that riding in the rain causes an increased chance of puncture. I think this may be due to the fact that the water reduces friction and makes it easier for grit to penetrate the tyre. I guess no body would choose to ride in the rain unless they can avoid it. But, be prepared for higher risk of puncture.
5. Correct Tyre Pressure
Not sure how much this helps but worth doing for other reasons anyway. See: Correct Tyre pressure.
6. Use New Inner Tubes
I never use a puncture repair kit. I just buy inner tubes in bulk. At least a failed puncture repair is one less thing to worry about.
7. Self Healing Inner Tubes
For MTB’s I recommend these Green slime self healing inner tubes. They are great for automatically fixing any flat caused by thorns e.t.c I don’t use them on my road bike because they are slower.
8. Check Tyres for Wear / Scratches and embedded Grit.
I frequently check tyres for wear. I prefer to replace at early signs of wear. I have seen some riders wear tyres down so much, you can actually see the outer layer is completely gone!
Another good thing to do is to check for pieces of glass that have got embedded in the tyre. I will use a sharp point (nail or similar shape) and flick the grit out. (watch out for your eyes). This prevent the grit getting pushed further into the tyre and causing a puncture at a later date. I usually tolerate one or two scratches in a tyre, but, when they start to look deep or prevalent, I chuck tyre out. Better to replace too early and avoid that puncture!
9. Make Sure there is rim tape on the wheel.
I’ve had two punctures because the rim tape slipped off the centre of the wheel; this meant inner tube was in direct contact with metal rim, and this caused a puncture.
10. Tubulars over Inner Tubes and Tyres.
There is anecdotal evidence tubulars are less likely to cause punctures. There is certainly no chance of the ‘pinch puncture’. But, it really depends on the quality of the tubular. For racing I use tubulars, not so much for better puncture resistance, but they are lighter. However, when you do puncture it is more expensive. So road tyres and inner tubes are better for training.
11. Never Blog About How you never Get Punctures
see: the time (I got 5 punctures in a week)
See also:
Originally posted July 2010, substantially updated Jan 2012.
Hi Tejvan,
“I guess no body would choose to ride in the rain unless they can avoid it.”
Not at all! I’ve always held that the cyclist who enjoys cycling in the rain gets twice as much pleasure as the one who doesn’t.
Commuting? Club rides? Solo rides? Holidays? Enjoy the rain!
Cheers,
Ian
Hi Tejvan,
You’ve missed an obvious tip – avoid debris on the road and potholes, both of which could lead to “snakebite” or compression punctures more often than not.
I’m surprised you don’t repair inner tubes – buying tubes in bulk and throwing a punctured one away seems expensive / wasteful.
When repairing an inner-tube at home, I subject the newly applied patch to considerable pressure with a rubber-faced clamp – works very well. If I have multiple punctures when on the road (and have run out of spare inner tubes), a clothes peg on the new patch for 5 minutes does the trick.
get a smaller tyre and put it inside a bigger tire