flat free tires? or am i dreaming?

[mopinko]

i had a thread in the lounge recently about the pain of flat tires. a couple people put up links to kevlar or foam tires, but none of them had the size i needed. anyone got any good ideas? i am so bummed when my bike is dead.

[happyslug]

1. Most Tires are to thin, you should add a Tire liner to your Tire

The reason for this is Racers want the thinest tires possible for the rotating weight of the tire has more affect on one's ability to peddle then the same weight on the frame. Thus the lighter the tire the easier it is to peddle and the faster one can go. The down side of this is most bike tires are just to thin, which makes them susceptible to any road hazard.

Given this situation I always add an Tire liner between the tire and the inner tube. I find these make the tire "Thicker" so that the tire can better withstand road hazards. I have also used inner tubes that were thicker on the bottom, but I have found the Tire Liners much more effective.

Everyone gets flats, the real issue is how to minimize them. I have found the Tire liners that makes the tire "Thicker" is the best solution.

Some examples of Tire Liners (I have seen better ones at most bike stores):
http://www.bicycletires.com/tek9.asp?pg=products&grp=93
Please do NOT confuse these with "Tire Tape" or "Tire InsertS" which are to protect the tube from the Wheel rim. The tire liners are flexible pieces of Rubber that lay in the tire. This adds an additional barrier between road hazards and the inner tube.

[mopinko]

2. the bike shop near me says-

i stopped in there the other day. they sell a kevlar tire for $37. i think i may go with this. i asked them about mr tuffy, and they said it causes more flats than it stops. this seems a little crazy to me, but what do i know. i suspect it is a case of a biased observation.

[happyslug]

3. Kevlar had one big weakness, penetration.

Kevlar was developed for the Military for Armor Vests. It worked well on blasts, but is MUCH weaker when it came to penetration (i.e. bullets and knives). Now Kevlar vests have several layers of kevlar to help defeat bullets and knives (The various layers are weaved opposite to each other so that if a weapon penetrates one layer, the next one should catch it).

Kevlar chief strength is that it is a LONG fabric and as such can spread the impact of what ever hits it a long distance within the fabric thus spreading out the effect of the weapon of penetration.

When it comes to tires, the threads are all in the same direction (we are NOT worried about weapons penetration on bicycle tires). Thus Kevlar's thread length, can spread out any damage, but the real cause of MOST flats is NOT damage to the tire, but PENETRATION of the TIRE that causes a hole in the inner tube. In this regard Kevlar is no better than Steel belts (Which was used in ALL Tires till the Kevlar tires came out). Kevlar came into bicycle tires because tires made from Kevlar can be folded, while steel belt tires can NOT be folded (i.e. Steel Belt tires MUST always be spread out in a circle, even when NOT on a wheel. Kevlar Tires, on the other hand, can be folded up. This ability to fold tires is why Kevlar was first introduced to tires, NOT TO REDUCE FLATS.

Remember tires MUST have something to give it rigidity. Prior to Kevlar, the sole material for the structure of a tire was STEEL (Made into thin belts). Kevlar is used the same way, as BELTS for tire Structure. Kevlar is equal to if not Superior in strength to Steel AND can be folded (Steel belts can NOT be).

The main problem with Steel Belts tires is the same problem with Kevlar tires, there is a tendency to make the tire to thin. Kevlar should help this (Kevlar does NOT have to be as thick as Steel Belt it is replacing in the tire) but I have had very good luck with things like Mr. Tuffy insert, as opposed to Kevlar. Now the Kevlar belts in the Kevlar tires may have superior resistance to penetration than Steel belts, but the main complaint I have heard is the LACK of Rubber do to the tire being made to thin. I have used Tire inserts for the last five years and have NOT had a flat while biking (I have had flats overnights do to some small leak, but no flats while I was biking). I use Steel Belted tires instead of Kevlar tires, but with the Inserts I have notice a drop in flats I get WHILE biking. Thus my observation that the Insets may be a better investment then a kevlar Tire.

[MsRedacted]

4. Carry extra tubes. You can learn to change a tire so that it takes just a couple of minutes.

I ride a road bike and live in an area with a lot of thorns in the fall. I just get off and change the tire.

I keep 2 tubes, 2 air cartridges and tire levers in my saddle bag. I also keep a candy wrapper and a dollar with me in case the tire itself (not the tube) gets damaged. A dollar in the tire will get you to a place that has cell service. (I ride in areas that are pretty remote sometimes).