CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Questions/Support/Help

Puncture Prevention/Recovery

(14 posts)
  • Started 8 years ago by Greenroofer
  • Latest reply from acsimpson
  • This topic is not resolved

  1. Greenroofer
    Member

    Mrs G has recently started working at Heriot Watt, so will be a regular towpath commuter. Her bike is immensely practical (hub gears and drum brakes) until it has a puncture, whereupon it's an extended job to get the wheel off. She's worried about getting a puncture on the way back into town to collect the children from school because it could take ages to fix and by the time she's finished it they'd have taken the children into care on the assumption that they'd been abandoned.

    We're looking for a solution that either reduces the risk of punctures to near-zero, or allows a very quick recovery from one without taking the wheel off.

    We're too mean to buy Marathon Plus (the obvious answer) at the moment because the bike has a perfectly good pair of Specialized Armadillos on it at present. She's got some stick-on patches so that she can make a reasonably quick repair without taking the wheel off.

    But we were wondering, are any of those 'slime' type things any good as either a pre-emptive or reactive fix for punctures. Have you any experience of them? What would you recommend?

    Posted 8 years ago #

  2. chdot
    Admin

    "

    We're too mean to buy Marathon Plus

    ...

    taken the children into care on the assumption that they'd been abandoned.

    "

    All a question of Risk Assessment and Cost Benefit Analysis.

    Compromise option - MP for rear and keep SA to replace front when worn.

    Analyse route for proximity of intersecting with taxis.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  3. gembo
    Member

    Slime will get you home, as Coldplay sing

    I have some you can have if you want, bought as bargain never used.

    With a marathon plus, I found one night after one of my mindfulness classes at the Salisbury centre near the commie pool, I had a puncture, semi slow. I pumped it up and cycled it home to Balerno, it did deflate again but your marathon plus does just about work without any air. I mean thick enough to stop the rims touching the ground.

    Armadillos I dunno? But chdot's idea of MP on back and then your two armadillos for the front is cunning.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  4. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    Armadillos are pretty tough tyres. Blackthorn might go through, but that'll go through Marathons too.

    Slime does work. You can have my spare bottle too if you like.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  5. jdanielp
    Member

    I've yet to suffer a p*ncture with my hub geared commuter bike on the canal towpath, but my rear tyre is noticeably worn. I've bought a single Marathon Plus to install at the rear sometime prior to the winter.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  6. wingpig
    Member

    I now wear strips of anti-puncture tape inside Armadilloes, following several instances of the stupid new super designs holding pieces of glass for long enough for them to wear through. So far they're holding.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  7. acsimpson
    Member

    While riding to Cromdale last week I suffered my first every blow out. The sidewall of my tyre was damaged enough for the inner tube to come through and eventually pop with dramatic effects (thankfully on a climb).

    The sidewall has a small cut about 5mm long and is currently bodged together with a standard inner tube patch plus a piece of spare inner tube however this isn't a long term solution.

    Short of replacing the tyre is there a better method of repairing such damage to the sidewall of a tyre?

    Posted 5 years ago #

  8. paddyirish
    Member

    @acsimpson

    Good bodging, I've heard of people using gel wrappers, part of a milk bottle and even plastic banknotes to effect similar bodges.

    Think it is more of a way to get you home rather than anything long term. Would probably be looking for a new tyre.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  9. gembo
    Member

    We used grass once on the west linton moor road, got us home

    not so much side wall more a very worn tyre, indeed more a light inner tube covering made of hessian

    my own gatorskin from my winter bike taken down as other bikes in shop, also puncturing freely abouve Cousland last week.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  10. dessert rat
    Member

    I've carried these for years when MTBing, used by a friend when riding the South Downs Way last year, it lasted no probs for 3 hours until we got back to the car.

    https://www.wiggle.co.uk/park-tool-emergency-tyre-boot-patch/

    Posted 5 years ago #

  11. LivM
    Member

    A section of toothpaste tube, from my bike repair stash, did good service for a bike colleague when we were on holiday in the Cairngorms a few years ago and he had a big sidewall rip.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  12. jsh
    Member

    I’ve sewn holes like this tyres back together with dental floss, when the tyre was new enough that it felt wasteful to replace it... that’s held for a good long time for me, but it depends on your own feeling about the risk. 5mm is smaller than some of those I’ve fixed, and they’ve been going strong for 1500km so far.
    I covered the sewn up cuts with Shoe Goo glue as well, and a patch or gaffer tape on the inside.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  13. rbrtwtmn
    Member

    Since having the same experience, with a very bodged repair (large inner tube patch), I carry some plastic toothpaste tube and linen thread wound around a needle. Haven't used them yet, but it's such a small thing to carry...

    Posted 5 years ago #

  14. acsimpson
    Member

    Thank you all for your advice. It sounds like there isn't an "officially approved" method and I'll need to take a call on whether to stitch and hope or just replace the tyre. As it's only a small hole I may go for the former.

    Posted 5 years ago #

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