Comments on: Commuting 101: Flat Resistance

By: Gene

Gene — Tue, 17 May 2011 22:04:43 +0000

I hate flats! I have tried solid tube. Don’t do it. I almost bent my rim trying to put it on. Also slime doesn’t work for me. It just makes a mess and doesn’t seal. lot’s of goatheads and junk where I ride. I like a combo of kevlar tires (I use armadillo) with tuffy tire liners. I tried thorn resistant tubes but they seem to get pinch flats more easily. This combo reduces flats but doesn’t eliminate them. Mostly I get pinch flats now. (I know, watch tire pressure.) But I am still looking for no flat nirvana.

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 14:46:39 +0000

I used to use some lightweight wires which were lightly suspended from the brake mounting bolt by lightweight plastic tubing. They were curved to lightly sit on the surface of road bike tires as they turned and would remove any road debries with in a single rotation to prevent flats. They made a very slight rubbing sound when riding but had no noticable drag. I almost never had a flat when using these. Does anyone know where I can buy these? I tried kevlar liners, flat proof tubes, tough tires and they all create large degradations in performance do to the inertia they add at the outer rim.

By: ohio biker

ohio biker — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:11:58 +0000

I’ve had good experiences with my Serfas FPS tires.
Since I’ve had them, I’ve not had any puncture flats.
(I’ve had a couple of pinch flats, but those were
my fault for not checking my inflation before
starting a ride)

I got a couple of thousand miles out of one of them.
(The FPS was starting to show through!)
Naturally the rear tire wears much more quickly
than the front.

I realize that nothing short of those solid closed
cell foam tires, are really flat proof. I also
realize that Kevlar or Aramid by itself will not
necessarily protect from all insults. One critical
item is how closely woven the Kevlar fibers are.
If not closely woven enough, something could
still poke through to cause a flat.

By: Fritz

Fritz — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:07:39 +0000

Dan — photos!

Is the tube hard now or is it still pliable?

By: Dan

Dan — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:08:13 +0000

Well, it’s been 2 weeks and so far so good. I removed the valve stem and squirted the foam into the tire. I replaced the valve CAP to hold the stuff in and allow it to harden for a few hours. When I went back to see how it went, I removed the cap and the stuff squirted out at me. It was under pressure in the tire. If the crap set under pressure, it would set in the can. I let a fair amount of the foam out, replaced the valve stem and refilled the tire with air, replacing the cap. I checked on it yesterday and it was holding fine.

By: George

George — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 15:18:17 +0000

Air-less solid insert bicycle tubes really work. If you commute to work and must be on time they are a must have item.

No matter how great the bike rider is any kid
with a thumb tack can ruin your whole day with air bike tubes.

By: Fritz

Fritz — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:56:01 +0000

Reasons spray foam didn’t work:

* The spray foam seems to soften the rubber tube.

* For on the road repair, there wasn’t a good way for me to remove the valve core to get the foam inside.

* The foam doesn’t get distributed evenly around the tube — in fact, it just wants to squirt back out of the hole.

In a workshop with tools you might have a little bit better luck. If you get desperate enough to experiment I’d love to know if you can make it work or not!

By: Dan

Dan — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 14:39:17 +0000

What is the reason that spray foam doesn’t work? Is it tire pressure? I was looking to repair a rototiller tire that doesn’t need much pressure. It has been sealed to the rim prior to my ownership so placing a tube inside it is not an option. I have tried “Slime” to no avail. I figure that I only have one shot with the Spray foam though.

By: Mark

Mark — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 18:57:38 +0000

As a mountain biker in Arizona, I learned quickly I needed flat protection. After unsuccessful uses of tire liners (wore out tube, didn’t protect upper sidewall), thorn-resistant tubes (heavy, and didn’t give 100% protection against the thorns, broken glass, or cactus needles out here), and Slime tubes (heavy, yucky green stuff just didn’t seal well, I found.)

I then tried Specialized presta sealant tubes with a much lighter white tire sealant. These weight only about what a thick, thorn-resistant tube weighs, yet unlike the latter, they actually work against big thorns. With a good kevlar-lined touring or thick MTB tire, these will hold air against all but large nails. Larger holes can be patched just like any other tube.

My last MTB Specialized sealant tubes lasted 6 YEARS, that’s right, 6 years on my mountain bike before needing replacement.

By: Choke

Choke — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 00:12:51 +0000

I’m using Slime tire liners and Nashbar self-sealing tubes. Had 3 staples on a piece of cardboard go straight into my front tire at the same time without a flat. It’s kind of tough finding liners & self sealing tubes with presta valves for the tires I use, 700 x 40, though. My girlfriend is using thorn-resistant, self-sealing tubes from Wal-Mart, and she hasn’t even lost air pressure in her tires in a few months. I’m seriously considering using Stan’s No Tubes for my 29er.