The last time I was using my bicycle, a nice new one, it seemed the tires went flat every time I rode the bike. They didn’t have any leaks that I could find. In exasperation I stored the bike away years ago and forgot about it. Now I want to take it out of storage and start using it again.
Someone suggested my problem was that I had “gum tires,” whatever that means. What, does having gum tires mean they have to keep going flat all the time? I don’t get it. Why would anybody market tires that never held air? What good are they? Frankly, making tires out of chewing gum doesn’t sound very durable to me! :rolleyes:
I’ve decided to just get new tires altogether. What would be the best kind of tires anyone could recommend? TIA
I don’y know about gum tires, whatever THOSE are, but when my kids’ bikes kept getting flat tires, I discovered that there was a burr on the inside of the wheel rim. After filing and sanding it away, they never had that problem again.
Of course, then they just ran over a lot of broken glass and whatnot…sigh.
I used to be a bicycle messenger and would get flats all the freakin’ time. We all did. There was really no way around it. One thing I recommend is to buy thorn-resistant tubes. They are about ten times as thick as regular tubes but AFAIK they are only made for MTB and BMX, so if you have a road bike, I would get some cyclo-cross tires. They have a thicker tread and some even have little knobbys.
If you have a mountain bike I would recommend Continental Town&Country tires. They are great for the city and for light-medium trail riding. I wouldn’t use them in any thick mud or really soft dirt or sand. The reason I recommend them is because they have really thick rubber, and will last you for years and years. I have had mine for three years already and they look brand new(my front one does, my back one isn’t, I like to skid out a lot).
I’ll look in my Nashbar catalog and see what else I can think of.
No, you tires are not supposed to go flat all the time. I used to have a high-performance racing bike with those thin tubular tires, I used to ride it 35 miles a day, hard riding with a sprint the last mile, and I never ever got a flat. The only precaution I used was a “thorn puller” which I recommend for all bikes especially in urban areas. That’s just a little gadget with a wire that skims the surface of your tire, plucking out sharp objects before you can run over them again on the next revolution of the tire.
If your tire goes flat all the time, you probably have a leaky valve stem. Fill it up, put some soapy water around the valve stem and see if it bubbles.
Was it the same tire that always went flat? What do you mean when you say it didn’t have leaks - you just filled it with air and it was flat again, or you replaced the tube and it would only last a few days?
If you aren’t replacing the tubes, you’d want to do that first. If you keep having to replace the tube, it’s probably something wrong with the tire or the wheel. The rim has holes where spokes are attached, and there should be a cloth or plastic tape which prevents the spoke tip from touching the tube. Make sure the tape is properly installed, and replace the tape if necessary. Also inspect the inside surface of the tire - there might be a small thorn or wire sticking out. Or you might want to replace the tire with a new one.
I don’t know what “gum tires” are. Perhaps he was referring to the stuff you squirt into the tube and are supposed to seal punctures. I don’t know how well they work, sorry.
The best tire in terms of flat resistance is the Airfree Tire which uses urethane foam instead of an air-filled tube. It’s impossible to get a flat tire. This company seems to be doing a lot of research, and I’ve heard that their latest products are far better than ‘solid’ tires from other companies. The performance (rolling resistance) and weight is slightly worse than normal tires, but many people think the peace of mind is worth it. Especially since you save time and weight by not needing to carry and use any repqir equipment (pumps, spare tubes, patch kits). I’m planning to order some soon myself.
I concur that your problem most likely is one of these three:
Small, unnoticed horn/glass shard/wire stuck through the tread or sidewall of the tire that repunctures the tube even after its been patched or replaced. (Tip: note the location of the puncture and VERY CLLOSELY inspect/feel the inside of the tire for an offending object.)
Burr/spoke tip inside the rim that keeps repuncturing the tube like #1.
Loose/leaky valve stem.
Now on to “gum” tires… the person probably meant “gumwall” tires. Gumwall tires are the ones that have transluscent brown sidewalls (the treads are generally black). Gumwalls, may be made of natural rubber; perhaps he meant that they are less puncture-resistant than all-synthetics. Dunno.
I wonder if your friend meant latex inner tubes when gum tyres were mentioned.
Pure latex tubes give a better ride and handling but they are slightly porous, over a couple of days they do go down.
You can get latex tubes that have a non-porous coating inside them, they cost a little more but if roadholding and handling are important they are well worth the extra.
Yea, bicycling in the city can be fun: if you use Continentals pumped up to 150 PSI, they sound like a firecracker when you put a hole in them, and people nearby somtimes duck and run. They go flat INSTANTLY though, so you have to stop right away or ruin yer rim… - MC
Another thing - when you remove a punctured tube, fill it with air and dip it into a bucket of water to find the hole. Then check the location on the tire or wheel that corresponds to the hole. That should help you find any wheel or tire problems. Of course, you need to keep track of how the tire and tube locations correspond. Just mark the location of the valve on the tire or something. (Actually the standard practice is to align the tire’s label or logo with the valve.)
Do these people actually have products available? Based on the web page it looks like vaporware - a lot of promises and nice CAD graphics but no product photos. I’m not saying it’s bogus, but it looks like they have yet to prove the design.
As for the OP, you need to tell us the tire size and use (mountain, road, or hybrid?) if you want specific tire recommendations. Though I still stand by the Airfree Tire recommendation, and they make many different types and sizes.
