Magic tips for clearing rocks from inside tires?

[Deacon Patrick]

For all the riding I do on the supplest tires I can find in the widths for each bike, I am blessed to only have 2-4 flats a year. However, one ongoing challenge in the field is the wet/muddy flat fix, in which sharp decomposed granite is a primary component. If it get into the tire (inevitable short of brooming off the tire after it is fully dried, which is what I do at home). Things I've tried in the field to clear the gathering of future punctures from the trough:

- remove the tire entirely. In wet conditions this just makes everything worse. Better to leave it on on one side, tilted so detritus falls away from the trough.

- flip the bottom bit of tire inside out, after inserting the tube, but  just before inserting the bottom bit of tube. The trick here is to make four hands out of two.

This works about 80% of the time, but that remaining 20% is stubborn. Any additional tips? (Note, by "wet" conditions, I mean everything from -20˚F, which is a different kind of wet, up to normal wet). Fortunately, I've only had one flat below zero. Grin.  

With abandon,

Patrick

www.MindYourHeadCoop.org

www.CatholicHalos.org

www.DeaconPatrick.org

[Steve Palincsar]

On 12/27/19 5:33 PM, 'Deacon Patrick' via RBW Owners Bunch wrote:
> For all the riding I do on the supplest tires I can find in the widths
> for each bike, I am blessed to only have 2-4 flats a year. However,
> one ongoing challenge in the field is the wet/muddy flat fix, in which
> sharp decomposed granite is a primary component. If it get into the
> tire (inevitable short of brooming off the tire after it is fully
> dried, which is what I do at home). Things I've tried in the field to
> clear the gathering of future punctures from the trough:
>
> - remove the tire entirely. In wet conditions this just makes
> everything worse. Better to leave it on on one side, tilted so
> detritus falls away from the trough.
>
> - flip the bottom bit of tire inside out, after inserting the tube,
> but  just before inserting the bottom bit of tube. The trick here is
> to make four hands out of two.
>
> This works about 80% of the time, but that remaining 20% is stubborn.
> Any additional tips? (Note, by "wet" conditions, I mean everything
> from -20˚F, which is a different kind of wet,

It would have to be around 150 proof to still be wet at -20˚F, wouldn't it?

> up to normal wet). Fortunately, I've only had one flat below zero. Grin.
>

I can't imagine there would be much to grin about trying to fix a flat
at -20˚F.

--
Steve Palincsar
Alexandria, Virginia
USA

[Deacon Patrick]

The grin at -20˚F comes from the snow that fell on the face, melting briefly before freezing beard into a grin. That is also one of the ways you get the wet without it being 150 proof. Sardonic grin.

With abandon,

Patrick (where it's a delightful balmy 25, making this fond reminiscence. Grin.)

[Patrick Moore]

Wha!!!??? Two to 4 flats per year? I used to think that the world was spinning normally if I got 2 to 4 flats per 70-to-100-mile week!

As for granite debris inside the tire carcase, just possibly this might help: I don't contend with rocks, but I very often have to clean up sealant explosions and leakages, and I carry a rag -- old bandana, shop rag -- around with my repair kit to wipe the mess out of the inside of the tire. The rag also alerts you to thorn remnants.

Perhaps a wipe with a soft rag around the inside of the tire will catch the flint bits?

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

[Steve Palincsar]

Do your hands freeze ontto to what you're working on?  That drove us crazy trying to assemble Bailey bridges in Engineer AIT at Fort Leonard Wood, MO.  They told us it was 30 below, probably an exaggeration but definitely colder than 5 below, which I was used to in upstate NY.  Coldest I've ever been, and I never want to experience anything like it again.

On 12/27/19 6:56 PM, 'Deacon Patrick' via RBW Owners Bunch wrote:

The grin at -20˚F comes from the snow that fell on the face, melting briefly before freezing beard into a grin. That is also one of the ways you get the wet without it being 150 proof. Sardonic grin.

With abandon,

Patrick (where it's a delightful balmy 25, making this fond reminiscence. Grin.)

[Deacon Patrick]

Och, aye. That's the trick, Steve. How to have enough dexterity without risking loosing skin. Slow and steady wins the race.

Tricks I've learned:

- Glomitts are brilliant, and then quickly get back into a chopper mitt with wool lining at those temps, having worked with intentional slowness so as to be fast by avoiding dangers and screw-ups.

- avoid getting snow on fingers
- avoid touching metal when snow does get on fingers. Wood, rubber, fiber are fine to touch wen wet.

- get good at doing as many tasks by mitten as possible, exposing fingers only briefly and intermittently as required.

Everything takes longer at colder temps. Everything has twenty additional steps to consider because of all the layers and temps. The above tips also work well for packing and unpacking, setting up tent, etc, if stopping or camping.

With abandon,

Patrick

[Deacon Patrick]

Wet bandanna for the win! At least in temps above freezing. Simple, brilliant! Thanks, Patrick of the Moore!

With abandon,

Patrick of the Highlands

On Friday, December 27, 2019 at 5:28:27 PM UTC-7, Patrick Moore wrote:

Wha!!!??? Two to 4 flats per year? I used to think that the world was spinning normally if I got 2 to 4 flats per 70-to-100-mile week!

As for granite debris inside the tire carcase, just possibly this might help: I don't contend with rocks, but I very often have to clean up sealant explosions and leakages, and I carry a rag -- old bandana, shop rag -- around with my repair kit to wipe the mess out of the inside of the tire. The rag also alerts you to thorn remnants.

Perhaps a wipe with a soft rag around the inside of the tire will catch the flint bits?

On Fri, Dec 27, 2019 at 3:33 PM 'Deacon Patrick' via RBW Owners Bunch <rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

For all the riding I do on the supplest tires I can find in the widths for each bike, I am blessed to only have 2-4 flats a year. However, one ongoing challenge in the field is the wet/muddy flat fix, in which sharp decomposed granite is a primary component. If it get into the tire (inevitable short of brooming off the tire after it is fully dried, which is what I do at home). Things I've tried in the field to clear the gathering of future punctures from the trough:

- remove the tire entirely. In wet conditions this just makes everything worse. Better to leave it on on one side, tilted so detritus falls away from the trough.

- flip the bottom bit of tire inside out, after inserting the tube, but  just before inserting the bottom bit of tube. The trick here is to make four hands out of two.

This works about 80% of the time, but that remaining 20% is stubborn. Any additional tips? (Note, by "wet" conditions, I mean everything from -20˚F, which is a different kind of wet, up to normal wet). Fortunately, I've only had one flat below zero. Grin.  

With abandon,

Patrick

www.MindYourHeadCoop.org

www.CatholicHalos.org

www.DeaconPatrick.org

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