Feel my pain - went through 4 tubes

[Hmmmmm]

I recently moved from the east coast to the tornado alley region and the roads here suck at times. Did a ride the other day and the front tire flatted - changed it out and continued on no problem. Got home, and it was flat again the next day. Checked it over, changed it, and then the next day the rear was flat. Found glass in the rear tire and pulled it out, changed it. Decided to further inspect front again, and found a small needle like piece of metal in the tire - pulled it out with needle nose pliers and it went flat. Damn! 4 tubes in no time. WTF? Just griping as never went through this many before - my record was 3 flats on one ride. I use Vredestein Fortezza TriComp and flats are usually a rarity.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

Sorry for your plight, but I sacrificed those same exact tires to the dumpster gods for the simple fact that I've never had so many flats as with Vredestein Fortezza TriComps, bought a pair once and never again. Sounds like you just had bad luck. Not the greatest training tire IMO, sure are grippy in the corners though. Try Michelin Krylion Carbon for high mileage training tires, very flat resistant too.

At the beginning of this year I accidentally circulated some old patched tubes into my good stuff, 3 flats in one week before I realized what I did. Oh well, oops!

 

[TheDude]

Time to try gatorskins.

 

[LugHugger]

Time to try gatorskins.

Or Four Seasons if they don't work out

 

[karlboss]

Or Four Seasons if they don't work out

+1 Slow rolling but in my experience damn nigh indestructible

 

[Ferdinand Artichoke]

At the beginning of this year I accidentally circulated some old patched tubes into my good stuff, 3 flats in one week before I realized what I did. Oh well, oops!

Either you are using the 'glue-less' patches (my experience rates them at about 400km).... or when patching you don't wait for the rubber solution to penetrate into the rubber of the tube (thus appearing dry) before applying the patch.

A good patch becomes one with the tube and is not a weakpoint

 

[usedtobefast]

also if you did not already, be sure to really clean the inside of the tire, as things can get stuck in there, so you flat and don't know why. i feel your pain, but that's biking.

 

[elapid]

A friend and I were cycling the Bicycle Tour of Colorado last year. It was the rest day and we went on a charity ride out of Crested Butte with Tom Ritchey. We were taken over a hilly dirt road and my mate got a rear flat. For reasons I still don't understand, the rest of the group rode off without us. Anyway, he rode a few more meters up the road and another flat. This repeated itself four times in total until we were both out of tubes (and we had no puncture repair kit). We ended up hitching a ride back into town (thanks to a nice couple from Texas with a big truck that could take two guys and their bikes). The tube was again replaced at the bike shop, all looked good, got outside and boom. A fifth tube. Ended up that there was a small crack in the tire that none of us could see. Anyway, tires were discarded, new tires in place and no more flats. But five flats on one day and stranded in the middle of nowhere in an unfamiliar place on a charity ride that didn't wait. Nice.

 

[bikerlar]

Good Tires

I have riden Michelin for years. Great grip in the rain,get close to 5K miles before they wear out

 

[BroDeal]

A friend and I were cycling the Bicycle Tour of Colorado last year...

September and October is the worst time for these bad boys:

The current tally for the front tire of my MTB is 32 thorns that caused air to leak when the thorns were pulled out. Sealant is a gift from Jeebus. Goathead thorns will go through anything.

 

[rgmerk]

Either you are using the 'glue-less' patches (my experience rates them at about 400km).... or when patching you don't wait for the rubber solution to penetrate into the rubber of the tube (thus appearing dry) before applying the patch.

A good patch becomes one with the tube and is not a weakpoint

I haven't had much luck with glueless patches - but I haven't had much luck with traditional patches either.

Maybe I've got more money than sense, but I'd much prefer to just pay $6 for a new tube rather than deal with a tube that's just as likely to let me down on my next ride.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

I haven't had much luck with glueless patches - but I haven't had much luck with traditional patches either.

Maybe I've got more money than sense, but I'd much prefer to just pay $6 for a new tube rather than deal with a tube that's just as likely to let me down on my next ride.

That's rich! Buy a case.

 

[analo69]

OMG.

Those thorns are ridicoulous. Are they just scattered all over?

I once had 5 flats on 3 days. Two on my commuter, two on my racer and one on my mtb in just over 40 km of riding. In Denmark they sometimes use gravel on icy roads and that is why I got all those flats.

 

[Ferdinand Artichoke]

I haven't had much luck with glueless patches - but I haven't had much luck with traditional patches either.

Maybe I've got more money than sense, but I'd much prefer to just pay $6 for a new tube rather than deal with a tube that's just as likely to let me down on my next ride.

I never used to either til working in a bike shop in Amsterdam- shops there patch 'em standard- they say the dutch are canny with their coin...

big tips:
1-you sand the tube to remove the waxy preservative put on tubes to delay rubber perish-not to smooth the surface
2- WAIT for the 'glue' to dry

 

[elapid]

September and October is the worst time for these bad boys:

The current tally for the front tire of my MTB is 32 thorns that caused air to leak when the thorns were pulled out. Sealant is a gift from Jeebus. Goathead thorns will go through anything.

My one and only flat during the BTC was because of these damn thorns. But 32 of them ... wow!

 

[BroDeal]

OMG.

Those thorns are ridicoulous. Are they just scattered all over?

At the end of summer the thorn plants dry out and die. The thorns then detach from the dead plants and get scattered. Below a certain altitude they are commonly found on the roads. In late summer/early fall it is not unusual to get a flat two out of every three rides.

My one and only flat during the BTC was because of these damn thorns. But 32 of them ... wow!

That 32 is a running tally over a few months. I hated mountain biking until I discovered latex based sealants.

I hear Arizona has it a lot worse...

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

I hear Arizona has it a lot worse...

Yessir. I spent a year in AZ finishing up college and regularly tagged along with the ASU squad. On average 2 out of 5 would get flats in 50 miles, something like that. I was flatting every other ride until I figured out that the Colnago I was riding at the time had enough clearance for the old Conti Top Touring 2000's. Never flatted the rest of my time there, and these were heavily used from my messenger days. We also carried plastic scrappers so if you catch a thorn tagging along for the ride you can knock it off while still rolling before it has a chance to go all the way through.

 

[Hmmmmm]

Appreciate advice, sympathy, etc...

Thanks for all the advice and the postings. After last night's ride front was flat again this morning - no problem during ride. Took off tire and inspected it and it looks good. Outside of tire has the usual wear but inside still solid. I always put tires on with labels lined up with valve stem so I can match up the tube hole with location of problem in tire. It rained this weekend so there was a lot of debris last night. I am going to try some new tires sometime in the near future. As stated by myself and others, yes, flats go with the territory. That's cycling!

BroDeal - those thorns are definitely nasty. Yikes!

Cheers!