flat tyre prevention

Question

Hello, Paul Plak

I will be participating in my first long bicycle ride, which will last for roughly 8 hrs.

I'd like to know the best way to prevent flat tires, more specifically which gears you can suggest for my bicycle to avoid flat tires.

Also, any additional tips on long bicycle rides would be helpful

Regards,

Jay K.

Answer
Hello Jay,

I don't know what type of bicycle you have, or if your trip is a race or just a ride.

The best way to avoid flat tires, is to have very resistant tires, reinforced with Kevlar or stuff like that. Theses tires prevent punctures due to glass or other sharp dirt on the roads. Generally they require to be inflated to high pressure. This also helps to expel all sharp objects from the tire while you ride, in case you rode on one of them.

Of course, the inside tube must be resistant to high pressure too, and installed properly so it is not squeezed somewhere between rim and tire, or near the valve.

Tire brands I use are Schwalbe Marathon, and Dutch Perfect tires also have a good reputation among cyclists.

There are also add-on products or foam you can inject into the air within the tube. They are supposed to prevent punctures by quickly creating some hardened foam block on the puncture. This system works, but you'll still lose some pressure while the process takes place. Used permanently, these foams tend to harden the whole rubber tube, and the ride smoothness will suffer after time (but this is weeks or months, not just 8 hours).

So it all depends on your choice and the options you have.

If you can buy those high quality tires, and you can afford them, it's your best bet. Your tires will last longer, and maybe you'll even save money on tires in the long run. This is what I do, and I had only one flat tire in ten years. But I make sure they are correctly inflated, if the pressure of the tire is too low, you get flat tires much more often, because they get squeezed more often too.

If you cannot find the tires, and you feel you cannot afford to do any repair during your 8 hours ride, the anti-puncture foam is also a valid choice. But not having used the myself, I cannot recommend any brand or give you extra advice, you'll have to read their product description and manual by yourself.

Last possibility is to take an extra tube with you, so you can change it very quickly if you get a flat tire, without having to glue a repair. But check the tire for nails, otherwise you have a new flat tube in no time.


Good luck.