[Nardog]

How often do you get a flat, and is it just me or do they come in bunches?
When I first bought my mountain bike, 10 years ago, It seemed like I couldn't ride for a week without getting a flat tire and then I went for over a year without a flat and have seldom had one since.
Today, I finally finished fine tuning the derailer on my new road bike, transfered my cycling computer to the new bike and headed out for my first "Real Ride" on my new bike. It was also my first real ride with "Clip Type" shoes and pedals (Ultegra SPD SL)
I made it about 2 miles from home and got a flat tire!
I hadn't purchased a portable tire inflater or a spare tube yet, so as I speak, my new bike has 2 road miles and 2 miles being caried on my shoulder while walking home in some very uncomfortable shoes (Great for peddaling, lousy for walking)
When I had the wheels built (32 spoke Open Pro's laced to Ultegra hubs) the guy at Colorado Cyclist recommended Michelin Krylion Carbon tires because I requested a durable, puncture resistant tire.
Needless to say, I was unprepaired for a flat. I drove to the LBS and bought a small pump, 2 new tubes and a patch kit. I can't wait for it to stop raining so that I can get back out there! The new road bike is so-o-o-o much more fun to ride on the road compared to my old mountain bike.
View attachment 47598

 

[Argentius]

Pretty bike!

Flats will only come in buches if there's something wrong. Oftentimes, when you change a flat, you don't notice and get rid of the tiny shard of glass that caused it, and it'll cause another. Or, the rim strip is junk and is allowing damage to the tube that way.

If you've corrected the problem, and the tire's casing isn't junk, flats should be pretty rare, barring loads of "goatsheads." unavoidable glass, and the like.

 

[Midwestern Biker Dude]

2 miles and a flat? Bummer!

Where was the hole in your tube? One hole or snake bite? It wouldn't suprise me if the tire caught a small piece of tube because of a mistake mounting it. Pretty common flat 2 miles in. I would be figuring out what caused the flat by putting the tube back in place and seeing if you could find the exact problem area (only have to do it 2 ways to cover all the possibilities). If you don't, there is a real chance that you will be posting here again after your second ride.

Pretty bike, have fun with it.

 

[Nardog]

When I got the flat, I thought the tire blew.
It made a loud Pop, followed by the sound of air hissing out as it went flat.
I managed to stop and unclip before I was sitting on the rim, but the air continued to come out as I was pushing it home. Once all the air was out, I picked it up and carried the bike so that I wouldn't damage the tire or rim.
I took the tire and tube off together so that I could reference the tube position inside the tire and I added air to the tube until I could locate the leak. It was a tiny little hole in the tube and it looked like a tiny hole in the tire at the same place (at about the 2 O'Clock position, if you were to look at a cross section of the tire. "Between the top and the sidewall"). I flexed the tire and scraped it with my finger nail, but I couldn't feel or see anything in the tire.
I was thinking that I ran over something small and sharp that I didn't see, and it either didn't stick with the tire or it was small enough that the outrush of air flushed it back out of the hole. Also worthy of noting was that the tube looked like it was twisted in two places when I removed it. Almost like one of those baloon animals that clowns make for kids at the carnivals.

 

[Coolhand]

Sounds like they screwed up the tube when they installed it. Annoying but it happens. Nice bike.

 

[Nardog]

Thanks Guys!

I sure hope it was a fluke, or a mounting problem (something that can be corrected)
That's why I posted my story. I haven't ridden a road bike since my old Raleigh 10 speed when I was in college, 25 years ago (40 pounds ago) and I was afraid that frequent flat tires might be something I was just going to have to "Live with" riding those skinny tires at 210 pounds.

 

[bigrider]

You may want to ride 700 X 26s instead of 23s. I have found you can get a tire that will inflate to 110psi and will help you avoid pinch flats. It won't make a difference at all in your speed if you ride tar and chip roads most of the time. It will make a tiny difference if you are riding real smooth road surfaces and are riding tires inflated to pressures at 120psi.

 

[ChuckUni]

Hey....It happens. I got for long periods of time without flats. I begin to wonder why I carry all this stuff with me....then it happens...

And it always happens to me at the worst times. The last two for me were: Last summer....hottest day of the year, middle of no shade eastern shore MD...POP! I for some reason decided to patch it even though I had a new tube. I guess there was too much sweat and dirt and it leaked....but only after 15mins. So I had to change it again in mid day sunlight. The other time was last fall....in a torrential downpour. This time I knew I wouldn't get the patch to stick so I changed the tube. I checked the tire...but apparently in a rush in the rain didn't get the glass piece out. Two miles later...flat. No chance of getting to a dry spot to patch it....had to make a phone call. The only time I ever did that.

 

[Sledgehammer03]

Definitely bunches. I'm not sure if it is 3's or 7's. I rode to work last Thursday, 1st time on my new road bike, after not riding in years. Got 2/3 of the way home and picked up a piece of glass, had to call for a pick-up (no pump, but I have 1 now). Then Friday, I come out from lunch and the right front tire on my truck (that came to my rescue the day before) was dead flat. I hope that is the end of the bunch, not the beginning.

 

[ericm979]

Sounds like you hit a rock or some other obstacle and pinch-flatted the tire. The bang and hole position in the tire are classic. There is often two small holes in the tube where it got pinched between the obstacle and the rim. Being a mountain biker you are not used to looking for and avoiding the small rocks that can "snakebite" a road tire. Check your tire carefully. Even a small hole can cause more flats if the tube can get worn when the tire flexes.

Carry your gear! I always have a pump, tube, stick-on patches, and a 'boot' which is a 1.5 inch section of old tire with the bead cut off. That, tools and a $20 go in a small pack under the seat. I put one on each bike so it'll always be there. I only have had one walk home 3 miles because I forgot my pump experience in the last 20 years, and I don't want to repeat it!

 

[Spoke Wrench]

It's quality not quantity.

I only get one or two flats per year. That's the good news.

The bad news is that I can't remember the last time that I actually wore out a tire. I always seem to get a sidewall cut or something like that and feel that I have to replace the tire long before the tread wears out.

 

[Mr. Versatile]

I get very few flats. I rode 5000 miles last year, and got 1 flat. So far this year, I've ridden about 1000 miles, and I've had 1 flat on my commuter bike. It was 25*F at 5:45AM. Black as a bear's a$$ out there. No real prob changing it, but by the time I was done I was frozen. Even when I got going again, the remaining 11 miles to work didn't warm me up.

 

[alienator]

My last flat was nearly 4000 miles ago, although last fall, while my bike was sitting behind me in my office, the tube pushed through the shagged rear casing and blew. Since it weren't on the road, I didn't call it a flat.

 

[CC09]

i got my first flat ever today. 97.5 miles on the new bike. pinch flat apparently, did it in a pothole (some awful, awful roads here) about 3/4 of a mile from campus, it didnt deflate that much and i road home slowly and carefully. Shop gave me a free tube saying it hopefully was just a defective tube. Plus i changed it all by myself, which was a nice feeling since i'd never done it before

 

[Mr. Versatile]

i got my first flat ever today. 97.5 miles on the new bike. pinch flat apparently, did it in a pothole (some awful, awful roads here) about 3/4 of a mile from campus, it didnt deflate that much and i road home slowly and carefully. Shop gave me a free tube saying it hopefully was just a defective tube. Plus i changed it all by myself, which was a nice feeling since i'd never done it before

Good on you! It's a good feeling, isn't it?

 

[Peter5]

So do you bother repairing punctured tubes, or do you just throw them out and buy new ones. They seem so cheap that it isn't worth the effort of repairing them?


Someone who hasn't had a flat tire yet..

 

[alienator]

So do you bother repairing punctured tubes, or do you just throw them out and buy new ones. They seem so cheap that it isn't worth the effort of repairing them?


Someone who hasn't had a flat tire yet..

Repair them. Is there any reason why they should just be chucked in a landfill?

 

[Kerry Irons]

Cost ratio

So do you bother repairing punctured tubes, or do you just throw them out and buy new ones. They seem so cheap that it isn't worth the effort of repairing them?

If you don't ride much, then tubes may well be a throwaway. But if you're getting a half dozen flats per year, that's one $2 patch kit or $15-30 worth of tubes. If you don't want that $20, I'll send you a postal address and you can send it to me

 

[Mayday]

Patches are even cheaper

If you don't ride much, then tubes may well be a throwaway. But if you're getting a half dozen flats per year, that's one $2 patch kit or $15-30 worth of tubes. If you don't want that $20, I'll send you a postal address and you can send it to me

That's right. Tubes don't cost much, but patches cost even less. It's just a waste to throw away a tube that is easily repairable. Some people think it's unsafe to ride on a patched tube, but I disagree. I've patched many, many tubes and have continued to use tubes with multiple patches. The patches, if applied properly, don't fail.

Carry a spare tube or two so you can do your patching at home. Use glued patches and follow the instructions. Eventually, of course, tubes can't be repaired -- they'll split open or tear at the base of the valve and you trash them. But a simple puncture is so easy and cheap to fix that it seems silly not to.

 

[bigrider]

I love the environment and all that but I average around 4 flats per year with a total of 4200 road miles per year. I have found it very difficult to patch the skinny tubes and I buy four or five tubes every year for 2 bucks a piece. If I flat I put in a new tube and shoot some CO2 in and go on my merry way.

I figure two bucks saves me the time and frustration caused by patching and it is worth it. I give my holey tubes to a tightwad in the club who patches them and uses them.