Punctures

NotAGolf

NotAGolf

NotAGolf

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I've getting a bit cheesed off with the amount of punctures I seem to be getting on my bike. It seems that every other ride I go on I get a puncture. Just wondering what the problem might be.

It's a new bike, about 3-4 months old now, and I've had punctures from day one. It's a new puncture each time, it's not a patch I've put on coming unstuck or anything. I've gone through a couple of inner tubes (just the standard Specialized ones) as I thought that maybe having a tube with 3 or 4 patches on is a bad idea.

I think the problem might lie with the tyres. The bike is a Specialized hard rock 09 that comes with the Specialized fast track tyres. They seem to basically be slightly less chunky tyres so they're a little bit quicker on the road. My guess is that because they have a lower profile that they are more prone to punctures... but I don't really know much about bikes so could be wrong here, as after all road tyres are completely slick.

Could that be the problem or do you think it might be something else? Perhaps get some better quality inner tubes? Or do you think I'm just unlucky?

I always check inside the tyre when repairing punctures and I don't think there's anything on the tyre/wheel causing it. It happens equally to the front and back wheels.

Could it be to do with tyre pressure? Unfortunately I don't have a pressure gauge on my pump so don't know what it is. I don't like to have them soft as I do a few miles on the road with it, but I don't have it jacked up like road bike pressure! I make an indentation with my thumb when I push on it but not by too much.

Thanks for any help.
 
You shouldn't really be getting that many punctures unless you're riding through the sea of broken glass on a Glasgow street on a Sunday morning.

if you're sure there's nothing sharp stuck inside the tyre, you might want to check the rim tape as well as the inside of the rim itself for any sharp edges ect. The rim tape that comes on bikes is usually pretty poor. Also check for any loose spoke screws that could be digging into the tube. Other than that, are you sure that you're fitting the tubes properly? It could be that you're pinching the tubes when you fit the tyre and are getting pinch punctures. You could always just buy some puncture resistant specific tyres as well, although they tend to weigh a fair bit.
 
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If your tyres are running at too high a pressure they won't deform around any sharp objects. I used to get plagued by punctures when I was running at 120psi on my road bike. Dropping to just 110psi has made a massive difference. Of course, too low a pressure and you'll bet pinches and snake bites.
 
Thanks for the response chaps.

Does this sound about right for what a pinch puncture would look like?

"...the tell-tale sign of one is two slits parallel to each other running along the tube about a centimetre or so long and just under an inch apart"

If so then it's not pinch punctures I'm getting as it's always just a single hole. Always very small, as if it's been made by a pin, and impossible to see unless the tyre is fully inflated.

I'll check the spokes as I didn't check under the tape but unless it's lots of the spokes sticking out then I don't think it's that as the punctures are always in a different place. I've checked inside the tyres and around the rims before but I couldn't see anything. Gave them a proper shake out and everything.

Might have to invest in a track pump with a gauge to make sure it's at the right pressure then. This would be handy if I ever need to pump my roadie up as well as doing that by hand takes forever!

Thanks again.
 
[DOD]Asprilla;16524408 said:
If your tyres are running at too high a pressure they won't deform around any sharp objects. I used to get plagued by punctures when I was running at 120psi on my road bike. Dropping to just 110psi has made a massive difference. Of course, too low a pressure and you'll bet pinches and snake bites.
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I also found that out, when commuting on my Road Bike in London.

However, I'd also say that if you are commuting or regular road riding in any major city, such as London, then there is so much glass and bits of metal and whatever else on the roads that I was getting punctures a few times a week.

The only way around it is to get some much stronger puncture resistant tyres. I personally am using the Specialized Armadillos. I've only had one puncture since I switched to them, and that was a nail that went right through and nothing was going to stop that.
 
Luckily I've been ok with my roadie so far (touchwood). Been riding about 20 miles everyday for a month with no issues.

It's just my mountain bike that seems to be the problem. Do you think chunkier tyres might be an idea? If so any recommendations? I don't ride extreme DH or anyhing, just general trail stuff around the South Downs. Some of the paths have a fair bit of flint on but I'd imagine they'd create a pretty big tear if I caught one of those. Majority of stuff is on dry muddy tracks really.
 
Oh right, you had me confused.

If you are mostly mountain biking on trails and getting punctures, go tubeless!
I've not had a proper puncture since I switched a few years ago.
 
Nexus said:
Oh right, you had me confused.

If you are mostly mountain biking on trails and getting punctures, go tubeless!
I've not had a proper puncture since I switched a few years ago.
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As in the solid rubber tyres? Don't they weigh a ton and make the ride incredibly hard?
 
They do weigh more than your standard innertube, however the only people who really tend not to like them are XC racers looking to save every bit of weight in a race.

Personally I don't really notice the difference and they ride like any other tyre. They do also have one big advantage in that they let you run much lower pressures than any innertube, as there is no risk of getting pinchflats.

I have Mavic rims on my MTB and they are designed to be used with tubeless tyres if you so desire. There are options out there to use them on standard rims, I believe 'Stans no Tubes' is designed to work with regular rims.

Basically what you do is take the tubeless tyre, put it on the rim, then put some latex tubeless solution inside the tyre. You then need to pump the tyre up, but you need a track pump to do it quickly so it locks on to the rim. When you get a puncture, the latex solution quickly seals the leak. So when ever you get something like a thorn that would usually cause a puncture repair, it just seals it up.

The one downside is that if you really did have a puncture that caused the tyre to totally deflate, you need something like a compressed air dispenser to fill the tyre back up on the trails. It's offset though by the fact that you can always just put a regular innertube back in. So I always carry one with me, but I've never had to do that.

In I think three years or so I've been using them now, all I've ever had to change are one tubeless valve that was leaking a bit, and you also need to renew the latex solution as it eventually congeals rather than staying liquidy.
 
My girlfriend has an 09 Hardrock and I've just sold my own 09 Hardrock and both of us suffered really badly from punctures. She's just replaced her tyres a few weeks ago and hasn't had any punctures since. I think it's just the tyres are crap to be honest, just bite the bullet and buy some decent ones, probably the best solution.
 
Lol, no not annoyed anyone. Not that I know of anyway!

That's interesting eidolon. I think that tyres could be the problem here. Don;t they use the fast track tyres on a lot of their models though? I'd have thought that if they are this succeptable to punctures they'd have heard about it and switched to a normal chunky tyre??

Thank's for the advice about the tubeless tyres. They sound pretty good but tbh I don't use it enought to warrant spending the extra money. Having punctures every now and then isn't a problem. Having them every few hours is!

Any recommendations for some new tyres? Budget is as little as possible really, although don't want naff value stuff. No idea how much tyres normally cost :o.
 
what pressure are you putting in your tyres,for everyday use mainly on road i have 55-60psi last night i went for a ride (off road, yes at 55-60psi i was just to lazy to deflate them a bit) got to a place with lots of stones and got a puncture same as you explained (small hole) i don't usually get punctures but normally if i go off road i take them down to 30-40 psi.
i've learnt my lesson from this exprience and i'm going to let my tyres down to the correct psi for off roading apart from the puncture it was a bloody rough ride at times.
i'd suggest investing in a track pump with a psi gauge, monitor the psi when you go out and find out what psi range gives you the least punctures.
 
Well I havent had any trouble with the Bontrager tyres that came with my Trek 4300 and Ive ridden road and paths and some quite nasty chalky/flinty areas that look like a giant cheese grater :|

I also bought some road tyres which are pretty much slick but they have some puncture proof armour or something in them. I ended up with these:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Continental_City_Contact_Reflective_MTB_Tyre/5360029997/

Because they had them in stock and had half decent reviews. Ive had no punctures on them but Ive only used them for about a month's worth of riding to work with the occasionally jolly at weekends.

Pressure is probably also a big factor - I personally would make sure Im over at least 40psi :/ but thats quite low.
 
You can also get innertubes filled with slime, which is very similar to the latex solution that goes in tubeless tyres. They are obviously heavier tubes, but they will seal up small punctures.
 
i've been running Continental Travel Contact on my Rockhopper 2010 for about 2 months, which previously had the same Fast Trak tyres as your Hardrock

the Conti's come with a year long anti-puncture guarantee, and they are a hell of a lot easier to ride on the road than the Fast Traks. They're also suitable for light trails.

no punctures so far with the Conti's (touch wood) - the first time i went out with the Fast Traks (just after i'd got the bike home from the shop) i got 6 punctures. They're not very tough tyres
 
robotCocks said:
i've been running Continental Travel Contact on my Rockhopper 2010 for about 2 months, which previously had the same Fast Trak tyres as your Hardrock
Click to expand...

I've been using the same Continental tyres for about 300 miles and not had a puncture yet. Mainly road riding (occasionally had to go over broken glass) and some toepath riding.
 
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