Punctures and more Punctures......
- Thread starter Neil Bedwin
- Start date
OP
OP
Even goo would not have fixed this yesterday! Must have hit a piece of glass. Put a patch on the inside and swapped the innertube then rode it gently home.....
Wow that’s bald. You won’t get far round here with that 
So what are you lot using to carry all these spare parts that are required? Some form of man bag.
So what are you lot using to carry all these spare parts that are required? Some form of man bag.
OP
OP
Wow that’s bald. You won’t get far round here with that
So what are you lot using to carry all these spare parts that are required? Some form of man bag.
It's a road bike so the Gatorskin that replaced that tyre is ever balder!
Manbag on the back of the bike......
I’ve got a nice saddle bag that I’ve had for years, but can’t use that as I’ve got a dropper seat post.
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Just use a small saddle pouchWow that’s bald. You won’t get far round here with that
So what are you lot using to carry all these spare parts that are required? Some form of man bag.
Phil
Found a mark on the tyre where the hole is.
Had a close look at at it and pssssssssssssssssssssssss
woops mane shouldn’t have touched it
Had a close look at at it and pssssssssssssssssssssssss
woops mane shouldn’t have touched it
Out for the third ride on my new Cube Kathmandu this morning, enjoying the ride around the lanes, cycle past a farmer cutting a *hawthorn* hedge on his tractor, and within half a mile had a puncture on the rear tyre.
First time in years (25+ !) I had changed a tyre, but managed to get rear wheel off ok. Getting the tyre off was really difficult but I was probably not doing it properly, resulting in skinned knuckles and blood everywhere! Finally managed to get the inner tube out to find a huge thorn right beside the valve. Put in the new inner tube, put wheel back on, pumped up tyre and 45 mins later
stood DH down who was on his way up to collect me.
Cycle another half mile down the road only for the front tyre to puncture. Major sense of humour failure on my part, and phone call to husband to ask to be collected after all.
I’m expecting to find another thorn in the inner tube but for the moment the bike is in the car in disgrace!
I obviously need to sort out better tyres for the bike. It has “Schwalbe Big Ben, Performance, 55-622” tyres on at the moment. I will be mainly riding it around here on roads and lanes and some Sustrans tracks.
My last bike had puncture resist tyres which in hindsight were a load better than this bike’s tyres!
Any suggestions / advice please on best option?
First time in years (25+ !) I had changed a tyre, but managed to get rear wheel off ok. Getting the tyre off was really difficult but I was probably not doing it properly, resulting in skinned knuckles and blood everywhere! Finally managed to get the inner tube out to find a huge thorn right beside the valve. Put in the new inner tube, put wheel back on, pumped up tyre and 45 mins later
stood DH down who was on his way up to collect me. Cycle another half mile down the road only for the front tyre to puncture. Major sense of humour failure on my part, and phone call to husband to ask to be collected after all.
I’m expecting to find another thorn in the inner tube but for the moment the bike is in the car in disgrace!I obviously need to sort out better tyres for the bike. It has “Schwalbe Big Ben, Performance, 55-622” tyres on at the moment. I will be mainly riding it around here on roads and lanes and some Sustrans tracks.
My last bike had puncture resist tyres which in hindsight were a load better than this bike’s tyres!
Any suggestions / advice please on best option?
OP
OP
One of the easiest things to do is not to ride close to the curb. Try to ride where the car tyres would be as they have cleared a path free of thorns.....
We ride a road tandem and use Continental Gatorskins on the summer bike and 4 seasons on the winter bike, running at 100PSI. Both are folding tyres and I wouldn't use anything else.
Had two punctures this year generally happens when the hawthorn hedges get cut! I do inspect the tyres regularly which I think helps.
Had two punctures this year generally happens when the hawthorn hedges get cut! I do inspect the tyres regularly which I think helps.
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Kannon Fodda
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I think manufacturer's of so many things build to a price. If they can cut a few pennies somewhere it increases their margins. So bikes get fitted with the basic model of a tyre. It would perhaps have cost them (as buying in bulk) an extra quid a wheel to do a reinforced tyre. Meanwhile the rider gets frustrated.
The Big Ben does have a reinforced version. Big Ben Plus.
- Apr 19, 2018
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I'm really impressed that you removed the back wheel and repaired the puncture. Did you turn the bike upside down in the time-honoured way?Out for the third ride on my new Cube Kathmandu this morning, enjoying the ride around the lanes, cycle past a farmer cutting a *hawthorn* hedge on his tractor, and within half a mile had a puncture on the rear tyre.
First time in years (25+ !) I had changed a tyre, but managed to get rear wheel off ok. Getting the tyre off was really difficult but I was probably not doing it properly, resulting in skinned knuckles and blood everywhere! Finally managed to get the inner tube out to find a huge thorn right beside the valve. Put in the new inner tube, put wheel back on, pumped up tyre and 45 mins later ☹ stood DH down who was on his way up to collect me.
Cycle another half mile down the road only for the front tyre to puncture. Major sense of humour failure on my part, and phone call to husband to ask to be collected after all.
I obviously need to sort out better tyres for the bike. It has “Schwalbe Big Ben, Performance, 55-622” tyres on at the moment. I will be mainly riding it around here on roads and lanes and some Sustrans tracks.
My last bike had puncture resist tyres which in hindsight were a load better than this bike’s tyres!
Any suggestions / advice please on best option?
View attachment 440443
kevenh
Free Member
1. Practise removing a tyre without tools. This is possible because the tyre has to have a radius larger than the centre of the rim.
i. The technique to practise is breaking the beading (I think that's the right term for the contact patch of tyre to rim edge)
ii. then getting the tyre edges pushed together in the middle of the rim.
iii. then you need to offset the tyre to the rim so you've one edge off the rim! simples.
iv. now you've a bit of tyre to pull off the rim.
And no tools used.
Here is a tutorial video & text.
The idea of this tool-less tyre change could just be practise. Afterwards out on the road or trail your puncture repair will be a POP task - even with a tyre tool
2. Go tubeless. I'm not sure how practical that is for your bike type but worth looking at. My bike had all the parts ready to go tubeless, but the internet has scenarios for making any wheel & tyre tubeless. ymmv
3. Failing #2, yes, do buy reinforced tyres. I've used Specialized All Condition Armadillo 700x23 Road Tyres on my road bike successfully (wrong size for your bike).
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Hi Neil! Thanks for your reply! I hadn’t realised how lucky I’d been with my last bike and it’s puncture resistant tyres! Tbh I was only reading this thread this morning before my ride, thinking how lucky I was not to have had a puncture in so long, and hey presto two punctures on my ride!
I‘ll take on board your advice to ride slightly in from the curb - that’s excellent advice, thank you. This morning I think I was the first car/bicycle along the road after the hedge had been cut, and I overtook the tractor on the narrow country lane so in hindsight I think the tyres OD’d on the thorns!
Hi Clanjones, Thanks for your reply and recommendation for the Continental 4 Seasons tyres. I have been researching tyres this afternoon and these tyres get great reviews but I’ve not been able to find any in the 55-622 (28“ x 2.15”) size, but will keep looking.
Also, I appreciate this is a numptie question but what does it mean when tyres are referred to as “folding tyres” please?
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Hi KF! Thanks for your reply! I have looked up the Big Ben Plus tyres, but the nearest I’ve found to the current tyres which are 28“ x 2.15”, are 28” x 2”, but I’ll continue with the search!
These are top notch bike tyres and they do a range of puncture proof ones.
www.schwalbe.com
you can also get slime anti puncture inner tubes, and also a puncture proof liner that goes inside the tyre between tyre and inner tube.
Bike Tires | Schwalbe Bike Tires and Wheelchair Tires
Schwalbe Professional Bike Tires - Bike and Wheelchair Tires
www.schwalbe.com
you can also get slime anti puncture inner tubes, and also a puncture proof liner that goes inside the tyre between tyre and inner tube.
kevenh
Free Member
Those are tyres with Kevlar instead of wire.
Those are lighter and as suggested by the name can be folded up & easily stored.
Hi K&C! Thanks for your reply! I must admit I was a bit out of my comfort zone, especially as the bike is new to me this week - and it’s really heavy. The only place I could work in was a very muddy and rutted field gateway so I just balanced the bike and managed to get the wheel off and back on again!
Just read this from start to finish for the first time.
There is a small percentage of useful information, alas mostly about the cutting of hawthorn hedges and the avoidance of.
I'm not going to say I'm an authority, but I know what works for me.
There is no right tyre pressure, even if we were all the same same size and weight, because we might be riding on road, grass, chalk etc. Having done some trips across the alps, if I now the first half of the day is going to be a tarmac climb, I'll pump my mtb tyres up ridiculously high because it makes my life easier, when i hit the top and head off road, the time to let some pressure out is way less than the time i save climbing on higher pressure tyres for 3 or 4 hours.
You do not need a compressor or Co2 to inflate tyres, tubeless tyres do not all have wire beads. I find wire beads easier, you and get them on to the 'step' at the edge of the wheel rim manually with a tyre lever instead of depending on a compressor or Co2 bottle 'popping' them out there.
I held off going tubeless because on a trip to the Alps a friend make it look a real nightmare, he'd let his tyres down for the flight (thought that was the right thing to do!) and had all sorts of bother reinflating /sealing them as a newbee. I had issues to start with, but the more experience you have there is definitely no going back!
I used to race 12 and 24 hour endurance events, and ride pretty much every day over many many years. Only had one 'slice' that was hard to seal, needed more sealant adding, and only one that wouldn't seal, luckily this was a local ride and only a couple of miles from home.
Always carry a tube (good for a sling if you break your collar bone, as my brother found out) and always carry more sealant and anchovies, to repair the hole. Not the edible ones!
Get out and ride.
There is a small percentage of useful information, alas mostly about the cutting of hawthorn hedges and the avoidance of.
I'm not going to say I'm an authority, but I know what works for me.
There is no right tyre pressure, even if we were all the same same size and weight, because we might be riding on road, grass, chalk etc. Having done some trips across the alps, if I now the first half of the day is going to be a tarmac climb, I'll pump my mtb tyres up ridiculously high because it makes my life easier, when i hit the top and head off road, the time to let some pressure out is way less than the time i save climbing on higher pressure tyres for 3 or 4 hours.
You do not need a compressor or Co2 to inflate tyres, tubeless tyres do not all have wire beads. I find wire beads easier, you and get them on to the 'step' at the edge of the wheel rim manually with a tyre lever instead of depending on a compressor or Co2 bottle 'popping' them out there.
I held off going tubeless because on a trip to the Alps a friend make it look a real nightmare, he'd let his tyres down for the flight (thought that was the right thing to do!) and had all sorts of bother reinflating /sealing them as a newbee. I had issues to start with, but the more experience you have there is definitely no going back!
I used to race 12 and 24 hour endurance events, and ride pretty much every day over many many years. Only had one 'slice' that was hard to seal, needed more sealant adding, and only one that wouldn't seal, luckily this was a local ride and only a couple of miles from home.
Always carry a tube (good for a sling if you break your collar bone, as my brother found out) and always carry more sealant and anchovies, to repair the hole. Not the edible ones!
Get out and ride.
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March Hare kevenh beat me too it! We use them all the time and they are great for travelling as they don't take up much room in the spares box!
Hi KH, Thanks for all of the info, and the link! The video is really useful, and I’ll certainly give that a try next time, as it was really tight to insert the tyre levers in to remove the tyre from the rim! I’m weighing up whether to go for tubeless or reinforced tyres atm - I had no idea that there’s so much to learn on the subject.
March Hare the tyres you have fitted now are they Big Ben, or Big Ben plus?
The plus ones are puncture resistant,
The plus ones are puncture resistant,
Hi LA, The tyres on the bike are “Schwalbe Big Ben” tyres. Kannon Fodda raised about the Big Ben Plus tyres, but the nearest I’ve found to the current tyres (which are 28“ x 2.15”), are 28” x 2” - I’m not sure if these might fit ok?
kevenh
Free Member
The ones you found are .15" slimmer. Doesn't sound a lot different. Especially for the same make & basic model but standardisation on these dimensions is poor. But poor between manufacturers.Hi LA, The tyres on the bike are “Schwalbe Big Ben” tyres. Kannon Fodda raised about the Big Ben Plus tyres, but the nearest I’ve found to the current tyres (which are 28“ x 2.15”), are 28” x 2” - I’m not sure if these might fit ok?
How you'd get on with slimmer tyres is down to you.
I expect on firm trails the slimmer tyre may be a better choice.
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Ahh ok. The Big Ben plus are available in the same as you have 28-2.15. But stock appears hard to get hold of currently.
hollandbikeshop.com
Buy Schwalbe Big Ben Plus E-Bike Tire 28 x 2.15" Reflec
Order the Schwalbe Big Ben Plus E-Bike Tire 28 x 2.15" Refle
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Hi Onemanandhisdog! Many apologies for a late reply, but thanks very much for your reply and all of the information on tubeless tyres!
I've watched some of the MTB videos from the Alps and it's totally amazing the terrain they attempt on a MTB. Even though we have some very steep hills in Northumberland, they're nothing in comparison probably to what you cycle over. Thanks again!
Hi, Just a quick update to say that I called into our local MTB Shop yesterday. I was still undecided whether to go to tubeless or stay with the current tyre/inner tube set up. He went through the options and he suggested that I stick with the tyre/inner tube, and recommended the Schwalbe Marathon E-Plus Tyres which are in stock with their suppliers, so they'll be getting them this week hopefully. I'm hoping that this will help avoid Friday's two-puncture ride! If they don't then I'll definitely look at moving to tubeless. Thank you again!
Have you considered slime (self repairing) inner tubes with the new tyres?
That is what I was running on previous bike that I had no punctures with for a few years. Annoying as I gave bike to my best mate, and on first ride out I got three punctures on my new bike, and he got none with Marathon tyres, and slime inner tubes.
That is what I was running on previous bike that I had no punctures with for a few years. Annoying as I gave bike to my best mate, and on first ride out I got three punctures on my new bike, and he got none with Marathon tyres, and slime inner tubes.
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