Readers Question: hi there my partner has a kraken carrera mountain bike and has over five punctures in last three weeks and is ready to throw it out, he went to two different bike shops in south lanarkshire scotland uk and they fitted new tubing, new tire etc and still no joy and had puncture day after it was fixed! i have tried taking the tire off but have no tools and the tire seems very very tight even tho its flat as anything any help please please
I’ve had a similar experience with my Apollo Mountain Bike. I rode it for a few weeks no problems. But, when I lent it to my lodger he got three punctures in the rear tyre in space of a week. I got fed up with mending my own bike, so bought one of these slime green inner tube which is supposed to not get punctures. But, after one week, he’d had another puncture in the same rear wheel tyre. I can’t work out why the bike got so many punctures. I think it was just partly bad luck.
Punctures may be more common if:
- You put them on wrongly. i.e. if you pinch the inner tube between rim and wheel. See: Avoid pinching tyre
- You leave sharp things in tyre. Check for things stuck in tyre.
You can reduce punctures if you:
- Buy best quality puncture resistant tyres. see: best puncture resistant tyres
Avoid wet gravelly roads - See: Tips for avoiding punctures
On some bikes I can cycle 3,000 miles without punctures. But, when I go on one cycle path near Oxford, when its wet I always seem to get a puncture because of all the grit and gravel on the path.
Dealing with Stiff Tyres
I’ve had many frustrating experiences with stiff tyres. I often use three tyre leavers to help get it off. But, after using tyre leavers I half inflate tyre then double check there is no inner tube stuck between rim and tyre.
It would be a great shame to give up cycling because of frequent punctures. It can just be bad luck. But, if you get right tyre and put it on properly, punctures really aren’t such a pain.
Related
Video – how not to put on a tyre
One other area which can cause continual punctures is the rim itself, where you sometimes get a spoke end with a sharp or uneven edge . Worth checking under the rim tape.
I tend to get a lot of glass pieces causing punctures. This is down to commuting through not so great parks. Gator skins certainly helped, but this year I’m going for the nuclear option and fitting Weldtite Sureride Anti-Puncture Tape. It a thick plastic band that goes between the tyre and the inner tube, heavy but super tough.
mountain bike tyres seem to get more punctures
I had the same problem; turned out it was a bad spoke that kept nipping the tube.
nice article. The bike in the photo looks to be in a small-small gear combination – hope it’s not yours!