@rider73, does sound like you have had an awful lot of luck and it's all been bad
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting
Confessions of a Cycle Commuter
(1669 posts)-
Posted 7 years ago #
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argggggg
7 rides
7 punctures
first time back on the bike after a week off due to severe flu,
rode back today and rear slowly went down as i joined the FRB - on the other side i had to try and take out a 1cm thorn from the tyre.terrible run of it! got some new tyres coming the post - Schwalbe Durano Plus!
hopefully that will be the end of new inner tubes and dirty fingers!!!!Posted 7 years ago # -
just spent 2 hours fitting the durano plus (although i think i ordered the wire bead ones by mistake) - getting them on ruined 2 tyre levers and 2 inner tubes, and 2 THUMBS!
finally they are on, and pumped up - hope i never have to fix a puncture with how hard they are to get on /off to get the tube out.
time for a g&t
Posted 7 years ago # -
@rider73
Look on youtube for tips on getting Marathon plus back on without tyre levers. I've used that technique quite a few times, most recently yesterday morning.
Posted 7 years ago # -
@paddyirish, go on post the link to the YouTube marathon plus guy, he hasn't been on here for a wee while :-)
Posted 7 years ago # -
just spent 2 hours fitting the durano plus
find them a dawdle compared to marathons
there's a determined twist you give your thumbs to push the rim bead on for that final quarter, both ends at once, while holding the wheel dish flat against you
i'm not describing it very well
Posted 7 years ago # -
Swearing helps...
Posted 7 years ago # -
i think i'm trying to say that technique is more important than thumb strength with durano plus
but marathon plus need more strategy and tactics (and swearing)
on the summer bike i've switched from durano plus to schwalbe one
they go on without any fuss
Posted 7 years ago # -
I think I know what you mean re: the Marathons. Punctures may be rare but they make you PAY in cunning and effort. (I had to change one after an exploded inner tube caused by a high speed encounter with a cattle grid in Shetland. In the one single place on Shetland with no wind. So. Many. Midges. Never in the history of punctures has it taken so long to get the tyre back on.)
Posted 7 years ago # -
re: marathon plus
i recall having reasonable success in the final quarter by using zip ties instead of tyre levers to hold position
its tantamount to admitting defeat but perhaps saves ten minutes of frustration if applied calmly
Posted 7 years ago # -
Having recently updated both of my 6 yr old Marathons I can confirm the new ones are indeed harder to fit. That said I have the thumbs of Hercules it turns out.
Posted 7 years ago # -
rider73 appears to have now disappeared from this discussion to focus on downing G&Ts, but the correct protocol is to keep drinking and posting until you pass out
Posted 7 years ago # -
@bax - that's genius! Stealing for next time (I don't care about defeat, I just want to swear less).
ETA: I meant the cable ties, but am taking the drinking & posting till unconsciousness under consideration too.
Posted 7 years ago # -
@unhurt
before the final quarter zip tie eureka, i used to experiment with applying ky jelly to the rims
but that was strictly messy amateur histrionics
Posted 7 years ago # -
...did you always used to carry KY in your repair kit?
Posted 7 years ago # -
every ounce counts
as a multi-purpose lubricant, ky beats sudocrem
Posted 7 years ago # -
I'm thinking of starting evening classes on how to fit Marathon pluses.
Bring tyres, rims & thumbs.
Tie-wraps, KY & levers are haram.
Posted 7 years ago # -
@iMcR
i like it.. a martial art of marathon tyre replacement
genuinely, i think this initiative has legs
Posted 7 years ago # -
Tie-wraps, KY & levers are haram.
Puritan! Maybe I'll set up a competing evening class (or club night...) where all three of these things are present in abundance.
Posted 7 years ago # -
if we consider the marathon replacement conundrum
there's a big difference between doing it at home, or out on the roadside
yeah baby
you might appreciate a quick KY out in the field, or the artful non-lube zip tie scene back at home
horses for courses
Posted 7 years ago # -
@bax, unhurt - classic thread drift. Hope that heads are not too sore this morning. And the less said about rims, the better...
Posted 7 years ago # -
@everyone
yes i did abandon the internet and this site (apologies for going against protocol!!!!) for the soothing cooling of a tall glass of G&T (s) against my thumbs..... while starting at the two wheels with the new tyres .......the look of Arnie at the end of Predator in the chopper......as my mind rationalises the sheer effort - i also realise these are tubeless rims, which **i** believe can make things harder....
ride in this morning, no punctures
but now i live in fear of not only punctures but getting the tyre back on if i do
perhaps i need some KY on the rim before i attempt anything...Posted 7 years ago # -
I've seen a professional use zip ties to get a marathon plus (mine) on in field conditions, so no shame accompanies that choice.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Genuine question - do Marathons need to be so hard to get on? Can't imagine it either helps or hinders the puncture resistance.
Posted 7 years ago # -
@paddyirish drift driven by 100% proof redbush tea so no head issues here. But I did wake up wondering if KY would really help...
Posted 7 years ago # -
do Marathons need to be so hard to get on?
I've been meaning to write to them and ask them to make their tyres a millimetre bigger for a while. Maybe I'll do that. They're just a smidgin smaller than other makes.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Could it be because they are much stiffer than other less puncture proof tyres?
You may find it's easier to fit tyres on some wheels e.g. my Mavic Open Pros are easier to fit tyres on than some Eastons and H+ Son rims I have. So it's probably tyres x rim combination
Posted 7 years ago # -
Re Marathon Pluses
After putting on the Marathon Pluses in Nov/Dec year ago I thought it was impossible to put them on without any extra tools (I used bits of strings and levers). But then I was at the Cycle Republic workshop and the guy was demonstrating taking off/putting on the tyre on my bike and he put it back on with his own bare hands!
Since then I had three punctures (one outside work and two close enough home to walk). I still haven't managed to do it without the strings and lever. And I really hope I won't get a puncture when it's dark, cold and far away from home.
Another Marathon Plus related question: Do you clean/pick out bits of glass/rock from your tyres? I do it every couple of months and I noticed that in quite a few places I can see the blue layer being exposed. Do you somehow fix with e.g. superglue or something else or just leave it?
Posted 7 years ago # -
Just moved from Marathon to Marathon+ after a spate of punctures, the most recent being a shard of mussel shell. Crows pick mussels from the beach, fly above the prom and drop them to break them open, leaving a litter of small, sharp shell debris.
Anyway, I got the rear on after a long struggle. Am too scared to try the front but may have a go tonight. I tried heating the tyre a little when it got to the last 150mm or so (my gas soldering iron has a hot air blowing attachment) and that may have helped. I wondered about sitting the tyre against the radiator before fitting.
Am also no paranoid about chance of a field repair if I do get a puncture.
Posted 7 years ago # -
A colleague had a mussel shell go through his Marathon+ on the prom.
I currently have + on the back and neutral on the front, with anti-puncture tape in each (though it is unknown where this is actually sitting after the wrestle to get the things mounted, combining warming the tyre, shoving it right down past the bead on the mounted bit and usually involving using a lever at some point). The stiff sides seem to help to keep the rim from banging the ground too much if you do get a puncture and have to wheel the bike a bit.Posted 7 years ago #
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