Biking Q:

[GEARHEAD]

ok for all you bikers, i need some help, am discouraged. i bought an iron horse maverick last year, first bike i have had since i was a kid, i'm 44 now, lol been awhile. question is with regards to tires. i managed to flatten both tires within 200 yards, thorns, last year . so much for that hunt attempt. Are there any bullet proof tires systems out there, i'm assuming i need better tires and tube protection, whats your tips, i need some help, super discouraged, i hate flats. thanks!

[rasbo]

ask a shop there are some kevlars out there

[lokidog]

I am not sure I'd even like to walk where there are thorns going through tires, let alone bike.....   

Sorry I can't help with the tire info.

[littlemac]

I'd check with your local REI store and their bike department.  I doubt many shops would have any more opportunities to answer your questions than them.

Here's part of an article on flats and thorns:

Ways to Reduce Flats
While no tire is completely puncture-proof, there are some options that greatly reduce your likelihood of getting a flat. The downside of these is that they add a bit of weight.

Puncture-resistant Tires
These tires won't feel as speedy as standard bike tires, but commuting customers have told us that they experience flats much less frequently (reportedly up to 7 times less) when using these tires. The reason? Many tires makers employ a durable belt of aramid fibers (such as the well-known KevlarŪ brand) to resist punctures; others simply increase the tread thickness. These tires are marketed by a variety of proprietary names: the Serfas Flat Protection System, the Continental Safety System, the Panaracer Protex Shield and so on.

Tire Liners

A tire liner is typically a thin strip of extruded-plastic that fits between the tire and the tube to reduce the chance of puncture flats from thorns, glass or other sharp objects. These add 6 oz. or more to the weight of your tires.

Thorn-resistant Tubes
These are simply thicker (and heavier) versions of conventional tubes.


http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/bike+tires.html

[Coasthunterjay]

yes i would deffinently look into getting kevlars....only issue...is money...

BUT SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT.......

1st) THERE REALLY EXPENSIVE..REALLY..REALLY...and youll still need liners... but there lighter and will be easier for you to ride with. there tough!

2nd)and i would never recommend the one piece bullet proof tires.... you have to be carefull with them because they dont add to much shock protection for those that are riding off road or on dirt roads, heavy, and well....they suck..! there good for kids thats about it.....

3rd) might wanna look into keeping the tires you have and getting some good liners...(only draw back is there gonna be heavier than the kevlars..but if you like the results you get you can change over down the road to kevlars and still put the liners in the kevlars making them better off...)

4th) NOT RECOMMENDED EITHER.....LOL....slap that bike on the back side and stick some of that there tire goop stuff in it and call it good......just aim it down the hill and go for it....lol.....!  


IN THE END I THINK IDE STILL RECOMMEND GOING TO YOUR PRO SHOP....actually all of them if you have a few in the area...typically what ive noticed is alot of shops will be more geared for mountain bikes, others for bmx stuff..and you might not get the Mountain bike guy at the BMX bike shop...so hes might not now exactly what to tell yah...that and ive noticed that some stores can be difficult to work with...So shop around for advice...pick the shop you like the most...

GOOD LUCK MAN!

OH AND I WENT WITH THE LINERS METHOD ON MY BIKE....NO KEVLAR YET..but i might get them later this year....

[Coasthunterjay]

OH, and the weight in your tires thing...incase i didnt make sense....

More weight in tires means that much more force your body will have to push in order to turn the tires...regardless of what gear your in...

on the same terrain.......

with light tires.......you could be in a higher gear with better ease, going faster....

with heavier tires.....youll be in a lower gear, and be able to tell that it still takes noticably more effort to ride your bike....

there is some information i saw on a website a while back that said something about for every lbs of weight you removed was like5-7 lbs of effort you didnt have to use in turning your tires...But another thing to think about if your wondering if kevlars are worth it or not...

[MikeWalking]

First; buy quality tires I had kevlars on my Mt. bike, dont think it was over 60$. I'll go see what's on there now...been a while.

Second; the tire liners, real cheap work really good, did for me. although I didn't like'em on my road bike. They made them feel a little square, like they had a really stiff sidewall, made the cornering feel freaky. They also gave a squish ride on pavement, I kept thinking my air pressure was to low...

the weight?  less than a full water bottle, forget about it.

[mtbiker]

Combine any of the Specialized Armadillo tires with some Mr. Tuffy tire liners.  The Armadillo tires aren't cheap.  You may want to just start with the tire liners.  See links below for more info:

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCEqSection.jsp?sid=EquipTires26_Flat&eid=5098&menuItemId=9304
http://www.mrtuffy.com/

[GEARHEAD]

I knew i came to the right place you guys Rock!, will chase down all the leads offered. thanks again guys.

[Webfoot]

I tried the kevlar tires at the bike shop guys reccomendation.
Had 2 flats in one summer.
They were so thin I don't know how they would keep anything from puncturing them.
One flat was a blackberry thorn and the other one was a torn bead.

John

[MikeWalking]

tried the kevlar tires at the bike shop guys reccomendation.
Had 2 flats in one summer.
They were so thin I don't know how they would keep anything from puncturing them.
One flat was a blackberry thorn and the other one was a torn bead.

   Cheap Kevlar??  Torn Bead?  Was it damaged during installation? 

[heavy hauler]

i would check the old tubes for  either pinch flats or puncture.  if you suspect  thorns i   would think that maybe your  spokes  are a bit to long  and some  rim liners  would help    and of course you could run electrical tape around  your rim.if you are  carrying alot of gear on your bike you may also want to use a bike trailer and  lighten up the load on your bike tires.

[fishm@n]

ok for all you bikers, i need some help, am discouraged. i bought an iron horse maverick last year, first bike i have had since i was a kid, i'm 44 now, lol been awhile. question is with regards to tires. i managed to flatten both tires within 200 yards, thorns, last year . so much for that hunt attempt. Are there any bullet proof tires systems out there, i'm assuming i need better tires and tube protection, whats your tips, i need some help, super discouraged, i hate flats. thanks!

Been mountain biking for a long time and I'm older than you.. there are some good ideas but the best is to keep your tires inflated properly. Most flats are pinch flats from running the tires too low on pressure.  Keep an eye on that and you'll be good. Keep an extra tube and some stick on flat fixers and tire irons,mini pump and you can fix a flat in 10 minutes as long as it isn't your stem that is cracked at the base.

[WDFW-SUX]

GREEN SLIME

[Special T]

Have you ever changed a tire with that crap in it? ON the trail? Slime and other tire sealants work best on tubeless tires... The sealent compound swells and conditions the inner liner of the tire making it more flexible and/or has fiber /rubber to fill any seepage. Tubes tend to leak the stuff all over in between the tube and wheel or tire the tube isn't really that thick... Slime can work, but I would save the hassle of trying to clean the slime off when you need to patch it anyway...