Schwalbe and flats: Is it just me?

[Tim]

I've only been riding bigger tires for about a year and a half now. I
always rode a too small racing-ish bike with 23's. I only had the
occasional flat, and have even gone a whole season with only one flat.
Ok, that's good. I bought my Homer last February, with 30mm Marathon
Racers. I put over 7,000 miles on last year but I probably had at
least 40 flats, with over half of those on the Marathon's before I got
sick of it and took them off. I must have averaged at least 2 per
week. I changed to Ruffy Tuffy's midway through the summer and have
had better luck with them. My rear Ruffy wore out and I but the old,
but not all that worn, Marathon and I've had a couple more flats on
it. I thought that Schwalbe's were supposed to be the real deal when
it comes to durability. Do you think it was a fluke or has anyone
else's experience been similar. By the way I've got some Jack Brown's
that I'm going to when my Ruffy wears out, but, even though I love the
fatter tires, I'm not sure why last year was so bad with all the
flats. Any ideas?

[Jim M.]

My bikes vary from 28mm Ultremos to 40mm Marathon Supremes and I haven't had a flat on any of them in 2+ years. I reach down and brush the 28's clean occasionally, especially after riding through glass, but no special treatment otherwise. Are you getting punctures or pinch flats? What pressure do you run? 40 flats in 7,000 miles sounds unusual for any tire.

[cyclotourist]

I probably get that many punctures over the same mileage. I don't like heavy/dead-feeling tires, so it's my cross to bear.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/V977PS8xNx0J.

To post to this group, send email to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.

--
Cheers,
David
Redlands, CA

**
“I believe in an America where millions of Americans believe in an America that’s the America millions of Americans believe in. That’s the America I love.”

[dougP]

Tim:

I find that seriously weird, & would look for a cause of 40 flats per
year. Sumpin' ain't right.

I've been using Marathon Supremes for 5 years & average zero flats per
front tire & maybe 1 per rear per year. The rear is usually something
serious like a big honkin' roofing nail (last one) or those pesky
wires from steel belted radials. The Supreme is not Schwalbe's most
durable tire but decent riding IMHO. I'm on my 3rd set since '08 &
while the current ones aren't shot will probably put a fresh set on
shortly for touring season. Figure maybe 6,000 or so miles per rear
but it's mostly so I don't have to think about tires.

dougP

> love.”- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[dougP]

Tim:

David & I have ridden together. I wait while he picks goat heads out
of his tires & changes tubes. It gives my heart rate time to come
down. He works; I relax. Good stuff.

dougP

On May 16, 8:16 pm, cyclotourist <cyclotour...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Philip Williamson]

Two (three) thoughts: wider tires are wider, so they're plowing a furrow through the world that's twice as wide as a narrow tire, so they should pick up twice the trash, right?
Do you always have a culprit for your flat? Similar to the question about pinch flats vs pokey flats, you might have ridden through a field of goatheads and embedded them in your tires. I've had them hiding in the tread where you can't see them unless you really stretch the tire. Inflating, though, brings the sharp tip into contact with the tube. Mysterious flat.
DougP's comment cracked me up. He rides 10x as many miles as I do, and I suspect that he pays better attention to what's in front of his tire than I do.

[Beth H]

On Wednesday, May 16, 2012 9:31:05 PM UTC-7, Philip Williamson wrote:

Do you always have a culprit for your flat? 

Good point. I ride through some sketchy streets with potholes, broken glass and all sorts of flotsam.

My Surly Big Dummy uses Schwalbe Marathons (26 x 1.75) and I've yet to flat on those in three years.

My All-Rounder WAS using Pasela TG's until today; I got a fast leak just as I getting ready to leave the shop. First a replaced the tube. Half a block away, another flat. Returned to the shop, replaced both the tube and worn rear tire; now I'm trying out the Rubena city tire (26 x 1.75) that's similar to the Marathon. So far it feels okay; I think if I don't run it super-hard it might feel a little better on the road. I also don't think I'll get many flats with this tire, it's fairly beefy (though not as heavy as the Schwalbe).

I'll report back after the first 200 miles or so.

Beth in pdx

[cyclotourist]

It's a hobby of mine...

[Michael Hechmer]

Condolences.  I use Marathon Racers (1.6x26) on the tandem and haven't had a flat in two years, about 1500 miles. That's pretty amazing when you consider a steel tandem and two riders add up to almost 400lbs!  I also have a pair of Avocet Cross tires with many, many miles on them and no flats.  On the other hand my experience with Ruffy Tuffy's and Pasellas, not so good.   I get far fewer flats since I retired and stopped commuting into a city every day.

Some questions.  How many of the  flats were punctures and were you always able to find what went through the tire?  If not, then the suggestion that there is something(s) embedded in the tire is probably a good one.  I once went on a short tour (Cumberland Head to DC) with a woman who had the heaviest mtb tires in the group and got three flats.  Only after the third one and many people searching  were we able to find the tiny shard embedded in the tire.  Were all your flats in the same tire?

BTW, I've got 500+ miles on a  pair of Jack Browns and have no flats and a nice ride.  I just put a pair of Grand Bois Cerf, Green on the Rambouillet, we'll see how they do.

Michael

[Christopher Wiggins]

You've gotta check that tire.  Where are you getting the flat?  Topside of the tube?  Bottom?  Is it in the same place every time?  I wouldn't be so quick to blame the tire.  I know that once I started riding wider tires that COULD go places skinnies wouldn't go, I went there.  More pesky things live in those places.

[Minh]

I'm superstitious so i hate talking about flats but i have not gotten one in quite a long time.  I use non-racing (read heavy) tires on most of my bikes, schwalbe marthon plus (bullet proof but heavy), marathon racers (in 25mm so pretty high pressure), and some dutch touring tires (heavy).  I also ride in the city alot so am susceptible to road detritus more then thorns etc.  what's your weight profile?  As others have mentioned, were you always able to find the source?  I know some people when they get a flat they 'mark' the tire so that if they get another one they can see if it's in the same place and possibly caused by something embedded in the tire itself.

[Tim]

Well, I have almost never been able to find the source of my flats.
Most of them have been punctures, with the occasional snake bite
thrown in for good measure. I always search for something inside the
tire after a flat. I wrecked a wheel on a pothole last year got some
flats with the new wheel and discovered that it was from a spoke hole
that was not completely covered with rim tape. I retired my rear
Marathon Racer when I found some damage inside the tire. I weigh
around 200 and only carry a small carradice big with basic items, so
I'm not loaded at all. And virtually all of my miles were paved last
year. I guess my main frustration is that I keep reading and hearing
that bigger tires=less flats, and my experience has been quite the
opposite, and I thought I was doing all the right things. I keep the
tire label at the valve stem so I can locate the source of the
puncture. I try to use every advantage I have heard about. I ran
110psi on my 23s, and 90-100 on my 28's, 80-90 on 30's...you get the
picture. This year has been better than last, although my mileage is
also less. I'm not going back to skinny tires, that's for sure, so
I'll keep searching...

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

I ran 700x38 Marathon Racers at about 60-70 psi on my most-ridden bike for most of last year. No flats. If you're getting that many punctures but haven't found a culprit wire or glass or thorn in the tire, I suggest you look harder. There has to be at least one little gremlin in there. If you can't find it, take it to a reputable LBS and let them try.

[PATRICK MOORE]

One very annoying and hidden source of repeated flats is slipping or
misplaced rim tape that lets the inflated tube creep down onto a spoke
head. I discovered this a number of times to be the cause of
maddening, repeated flats. Note that it sometimes takes high pressure
and time for the tube to work its way into the spoke hole.

The evidence of such a puncture is that it always on the valve side of the tube.

FWIW.

Patrick Moore, who is very happy getting only two punctures a week
from goatheads in Albuquerque, NM, USA.

[Philip Williamson]

If you haven't found the culprit, it could still be in there. I like the idea of marking the tire, but I've never done that. I reuse my patched tubes, which might give a little extra protection if there is a 'gremlin' in the tire casing. Great word for a hidden flattener. :^)
Patrick is right - if the flat is on the rim side, it's a spoke hole (or burr?), not a tire problem.
In the case of a tire-side puncture, SOMETHING caused it, right? I run my finger carefully inside the tire, trying to avoid puncturing my flesh on the thorn or wire, or getting a paper cut from the edge of the bead. I line up the patched tube to the tire, and search in both matching locations, in case I flipped the tube around during the patch process. i.e.: if the valve stem is 12:00, and the puncture is at 3:00, but I can't find any cause there, I check at 9:00 as well. I bend the tread in hard at that point with my left thumb, and press against it with my right middle finger, trying to force the sticker all the way through the tread. I usually find it.

I did just realize that the heavier tires have a thicker tread where thorns and wire bits can hide. That could be the whole of your problem. Thinner threaded tires are easier to find the culprit, so it doesn't stay a gremlin, causing more mischief.

Philip

Philip Williamson
www.biketinker.com

[Bill M.]

I hear you, Tim.  I used a set of lovely, lightweight 25 mm Vittoria Open CX's on my go-fast until the rear tread wore through with one, maybe two flats total over a couple of thousand miles.  But, when I was trying to commute on 650b's I went through a stretch where I flatted daily, that's less than 25 miles between flats.  I switched from Col de la Vie's to Marathons, still had flats.  All due to thorns or glass, I found every one of them.  At least I was never late to work.  I stopped commuting on that bike and bought some Pacenti Paris-Motos to try to use it for faster fun rides.  I averaged about 30 miles between punctures until I got tired of that and traded them for some Hetres.  I think those wide tires found every sharp object in the road.  None of my 700c tires flat nearly so often. 

Bill

[newenglandbike]

I have experienced this same phenomenon with a set of nokian hakkapalitta(sp?) studded tires recently.    Those things NEVER flat.      After the second slow flat in a row, I figured it must be something wedged in the casing.     It was NOT easy to find, but it was a small sliver of rusted metal about 3mm long-   tiny!     I still don't know what the heck it came from, or how it got wedged so deep into the tire.   I guess it could have been from a chunk of rusted snowplow blade or something.  

Matt