Switch to better tires

[Highpowernut]

Went for what I thought would be a quick ride last night. Away from home due to work.
Ride by a LBS to check out and say hi.

Left there had a flat in about 2 miles, said ok, I'll go back to lbs and replace tube and co2 and finish ride.

Got to lbs bought replacement went to get on bike, had two flats, said wow ··· this sucks.
Fixed both of those , decided I'm going to go back to the hotel. LBS gave cell number and said if I'm ever stranded give a shout.

Got half way back, and yes the fourth flat of the day. Lbs gave me a lift home, good shop I'll go back when needed or just to say hi.

Thinking I need better flat protection. Running cont gp4000s tires, never had that much trouble. But this is not my normal area so idk.

How are gator back tires? Or other suggestions.

Wayne

[nooneline]

It's only the tires' fault if those flats are due to punctures. You should check those old tubes - and check your tires, too. Could be that the holes in the tube don't come from punctures. Or, could be that your tire still has a piece of glass or something else stuck in it.

Also, often, when I see multiple flats in a row, I wonder if the problem is with the nut that holds the seat down - so to speak. no offense. if you're repairing the flats but pinching the tube between the bead and the flange, you'll get another flat. and if you do it again, you'll get another.

Hope that's helpful.

[Highpowernut]

The flats were from thorns, I pulled all of them out before replacing tube. I am in the desert so kind of common.

We've had a lot of wind, might have blown them out to road lately.

[Lovetoclimb]

After an ill fated trip to New Mexico and Arizona in the summer I switched my travel bike tires to Ruffy Tuffys. The next trip I took had me in West Texas and back up in New MExico with no issues. Between Ruffy Tuffys and Vittoria Paves, I have never had flats over thousands of kilometers. And I do not change my tires nearly as often as suggested, but I do rotate thm every 500km or so.

[SlackMan]

Check for bad / worn rim tape too. I would strongly suspect something besides normal punctures caused all of those flats.

[palincss]

Went for what I thought would be a quick ride last night. Away from home due to work.
Ride by a LBS to check out and say hi.

Left there had a flat in about 2 miles, said ok, I'll go back to lbs and replace tube and co2 and finish ride.

Got to lbs bought replacement went to get on bike, had two flats, said wow ··· this sucks.
Fixed both of those , decided I'm going to go back to the hotel. LBS gave cell number and said if I'm ever stranded give a shout.

Got half way back, and yes the fourth flat of the day. Lbs gave me a lift home, good shop I'll go back when needed or just to say hi.

Thinking I need better flat protection. Running cont gp4000s tires, never had that much trouble. But this is not my normal area so idk.

How are gator back tires? Or other suggestions.

Wayne

Are you sure you didn't have the same flat four times? That is, did you actually remove the embedded sharp that caused the first flat, or did you leave it in place, letting it go on to cause flats two through four?

[palincss]

The flats were from thorns, I pulled all of them out before replacing tube. I am in the desert so kind of common.

We've had a lot of wind, might have blown them out to road lately.

Ah, well that's an entirely different story. Folks who live in Goathead Hell tell us the only way to survive is sealant; one guy I know from mailing lists says he has his best success in goathead country with Parigi Roubaix tires (yes, the most flat-prone tires in the known universe) with tubes filled with Stans sealant.

[Ken Robb]

I never had a flat on Ruffy-Tuffys or Cont Ultra Gatorskin tires but I am not in goathead country though we have our share of broken glass and wires from disintegrated truck tires. Years ago I briefly tried Specialized Armadillos. I'll bet they would be very flat-resistant because they rode like they were solid concrete. The R-T and U.G. tires rode acceptably for me. OTOH, I have had very few flats on GP 4000 tires but lots on Michelin Pro whatevers.

[dgauthier]

Ah, well that's an entirely different story. Folks who live in Goathead Hell tell us the only way to survive is sealant; one guy I know from mailing lists says he has his best success in goathead country with Parigi Roubaix tires (yes, the most flat-prone tires in the known universe) with tubes filled with Stans sealant.

Yes, goathead thorns are ridiculous. I once has 10 punctures(!), though it was all at once, so it only required fixing both tires and I was on my way again. To the OP: you're not doing anything wrong, though I don't think there's any tire that will make a difference. I've never tried the sealant, but if people say it works I'd give that a go.

[tv_vt]

Goatheads - sounds like that's your problem. My bro lives in ABQ. Locals use two tires per wheel. Really. They cut up one, taking off the bead and part of the sidewalls and use it as a liner inside the other tire. Think there are other ways of beating these things - kevlar liners, thicker inner tubes, etc.

Horses for courses kind of thing.

[Highpowernut]

Think I'm going to install tire liners and see how that works , when I wear out the tires might change to gatorskin if needed

[etu]

i visit my in-laws in western nebraska regularly and i've had my run in with goatheads on the local gravel roads. the first time, there were about half a dozend separate thorns penetrating through the tire! local shop recommended the heavy, thick puncture proof tubes which worked, although it didn't help the ride quality. when i went to pack the bike and remove the tires, there were several thorns sticking through the tires by a few mm's that would have caused punctures with a regular tube.

[HenryA]

Try some Panaracer Type D tires. They have full coverage aramid casings all around. A real tough tire that rides nice and is not expensive.

[bjf]

I ride a lot on a highway (well, actually, the shoulders) that is well sprinkled with old, tiny glass shards from auto accidents. I used to ride GP 4000s, but got some flats. Switched to gatorskins; so far 0. :)

[choke]

I don't think these are available in the US but if you could get your hands on a set they'd cure the problem...

http://tannus.co.uk/

[Ken Robb]

Similar tires were marketed in the USA at least ten years ago but they must have died due to their dreadful ride/performance.

[JWDR]

When I lived in El Paso, normal tires with sealant tunes were more than adequate for goat heads.

[oldpotatoe]

The flats were from thorns, I pulled all of them out before replacing tube. I am in the desert so kind of common.

We've had a lot of wind, might have blown them out to road lately.

Orange Seal.....

http://orangesealcycling.com/

[flydhest]

Do all sealants work for tubulars and clinchers as well as tubeless? Many are billed as tubeless tire sealant.

[oldpotatoe]

Do all sealants work for tubulars and clinchers as well as tubeless? Many are billed as tubeless tire sealant.

yes...Most are billed as 'tubeless sealant', but it's just a liquid latex type hole sealer.

Orange Seal, Stans, even Slime...

[Shiversolitude]

I used to live in So Cal, and we would get these little thorn ball things.. sand spurs maybe? not sure what they are called. Like a little tiny marble covered in thorns. Those will punch through most any tire I think. So your only option would be tire sealant, a tire liner (strip that goes between the tube and tire). Or ride somewhere else. I think a sealant like stans would do the trick though.

[Highpowernut]

I might try some sealant, with the liners. Never used sealant so that'll be new, the orangeseal video was interesting

[oldpotatoe]

I might try some sealant, with the liners. Never used sealant so that'll be new, the orangeseal video was interesting

Stuff works great. I use preemptively in my tubulars and clinchers.