anti-puncture tyres/tubes etc

[purple_mog]

Hey peeps,
I've just repaired the 4th puncture in less than a month (broken glass fragments on the cycle paths) so think its time to invest in something more technical!

I've seen slime tubes (?) and puncture resistant tyres among other things - what if any do you use? Any recommendations? This is primarily for a Dawes touring bike ridden on road and slightly rough cycle paths. Also considering similar for my road bike though as its a real bugger to change tubes on it...

ta!

[GrahamC]

Get Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres.

[Big Good Wolf]

Those Schwalbe tyres are around 900g each. That's pretty heavy for a road tyre isn't it ? I guess it's a quick easy solution if you don't mind the weight or the cost of two new tyres.

I use ghetto tubeless. A rim strip cut out of a smaller inner tube to cover the spoke holes combined with a sealant.
There's a good How To article here with pictures.

I've been riding tubeless on both mountain bikes for a couple of years now and have only had two punctures, both on VF rides.
The first was on the back at Afan Forest. There was a fairly big hole in the tyre and every now and then it would open up and I would lose a bit of sealant before it sealed up again. Eventually I lost all the sealant and had to stop and fit a tube.
The second was at Reading. Another big hole in the front tyre. I stopped and blew it up a couple of times, but again, I was losing sealant out of the hole every time before it resealed. This time I was prepared and was carrying plugs. I plugged the hole and it lasted the life of the tyre.
Both times the tyre went down slowly. A tube would have burst and gone down instantly.

I'd never go back to tubes now. I can ignore brambles and can hit rocks at high speed without risk of pinch flatting.
I have to run my tyres pretty hard to avoid them burping, but then I think the improved rolling resistance outweighs the reduced grip anyway. Lighter riders can get away with lower pressures if they want to.

[the crazyest vegan]

You can get strips of tape like plastic made by slime that go inbetween your tyre and your innertube, i've used them and have only had 2 punctures with it in, one was when a bent stanley knife blade went straight through the sidewall and the other was when i hit a pothole at speed and burst the tyre. but i use them every winter, i dont use them in the summer because they can give your tyre edges and make cornering a bit dangerouse, so if your a manic descender might be best to give them a mis

[Dave Noisy]

Aye, an option is these tire liners that go between your tube and tire, and it's a fairly firm plastic. It'll prolly prevent most flats, but compromises ride quality, tho you may not notice.

As at a shop, they're pretty well know, although the name escapes me at the moment.

[purple_mog]

many excellent ideas - thanks folks! Have opted to try the Schwalbe tyres for now since my existing commuting tyres are getting rather perished and will see how it feels.

Am fascinated by the idea of tubeless but not sure about my DIY skills....might try later though.

Haven't gotten anything new for the racer just yet - at the moment am on standard road racing tyres but not sure if its worth upgrading before my first Tri

[clintpatty]

Continental TouringPlus are a similarly heavy tire and maybe better than the Schwalbe. I'm not sure. I used to use Specialized Armadillo tires, but I got 3 flats on them.

[Seitanist]

Conti GrandPrix 4000S have worked great for me in training and racing. Not too heavy.

Specialized Armadillo Elites are also super-tough, though heavy.

[Seitanist]

Of course, after typing that, I got a flat in my 4000S today. Awesome.

[Big Good Wolf]

What a coincidence. I got a flat on Sunday.
A 2" nail went through the tyre. The sealant sealed the hole in the tyre OK, but the point of the nail ripped a hole in the rim strip and as the sealant relies on centrifugal force to spread it around the inside of the tyre, it didn't seal the hole against the rim.

[Herbsman]

Get Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres.

Seconded. I've had them on since May and rode from Paris to Amsterdam with them, and have been using them every day since then - at least 20 miles a day - and not even a suggestion of puncture has occured.

Don't care about the weight. It makes my legs that little bit stronger and its a small price to pay for not having to fix a puncture.

[purple_mog]

Get Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres.

Seconded. I've had them on since May and rode from Paris to Amsterdam with them, and have been using them every day since then - at least 20 miles a day - and not even a suggestion of puncture has occured.

Don't care about the weight. It makes my legs that little bit stronger and its a small price to pay for not having to fix a puncture.

Those are the ones I ended up with - so far all good and I know (by the crunching sound) that I've gone over at least two patches of broken glass but no punctures yet