CO2 or a pump? — It never ends
November 10, 2009 at 5:59 pm | In Accessories | 15 CommentsTags: Accessories, CO2, flat tire, pumps
I was chatting with a friend the other day who’s just getting into biking. He was telling me of his experience with his first flat. No pump, no CO2. He had a patch kit in his seatbag, but realized it was worthless unless he could fill his tire with air, so he wound up walking the bike home — three miles.
Do you prefer these?
“I saw these canisters of CO2 at the bike store,” he said. “Are they any good?”
Here we go again — the endless debate between CO2 and a pump.
Well, I told him, each has its advantages. CO2 takes up just a little space in your seatbag, and you don’t have to carry a pump. Just attach the inflator, stick it on the valve, and whoosh! you’re back in business. He liked that. He thought he’d try it.
But wait a minute, I said. There’s a problem with CO2, too. Sometimes, you misfire it and waste all the gas in the canister. Then, you can find yourself in the same predicament you were in last week.
Or this?
I told him of a recent A ride from our club, where a guy flatted along a major highway. One of the other guys had several CO2 cartridges — and managed to depressurize all of them. Without inflating the tire. Luckily, another rider in the group carried a pump, and stood by to watch the antics — then stepped in and saved the day.
“It took me probably 10 minutes to pump up a tire to 70 psi,” said guest poster Don Blount in an email awhile ago. “That’s longer than it took to change the tube.”
I’ve been there. It doesn’t take me that long to pump a tire up to 70, or even 90 psi. But those last 10 pounds to 100, to make it roadworthy again — I should be doing some strength work at the gym.
But Don also said he blew a tube with one cartridge, and when he went to use another one on another tube — it was a dud. He thinks he might just suck it up and go back to the frame pump.
At least that’ll get the tire inflated. With a cartridge — I’m guessing 50-50 odds.
My friend went back to the bike store and got a frame pump.
Tire poll results
September 6, 2009 at 4:27 pm | In tires | 5 CommentsTags: flat tire, tires
The other day I asked Bike Noob readers to send their tire recommendations. This, after dealing with a couple of flats myself, and getting an email from a reader who has had a rash of flats. The question was, What tire do you recommend for puncture resistance?
While I was pleased with the responses, there were not enough to create a meaningful sample. However, of those who did respond, a clear trend emerged: Continental Gatorskins.
Riders praised Gatorskins for their ability to last many, many miles without flatting. Some suggested that Gatorskins aren’t as “nimble” feeling as other tires, but were willing to make that tradeoff to avoid flats.
The only other tire to get multiple mentions was another Continental model, the GP 4000S.
I put a Gatorskin on the rear wheel this week, after my experience with a warped tire (although I suspect the warping was the result of my hanging the tire in a hot garage for several months). No problems after 60 miles of riding, so I’m happy, but that’s not enough to come to any conclusions.
The only issue with Continental tires is their price. Gatorskins cost about $50 apiece, and the GP 4000S run more than that. However, their proponents seldom mentioned cost — I guess people are willing to pay if it means they have the peace of mind of not worrying about flatting. Sharp-eyed consumers can find bargains online, though. Jeff Hemmel says he paid $31 each for his GP 4000S tires at Pro Bike Kit (probikekit.com) with free shipping to the U.S.
Other tires that got favorable mentions from readers included Schwalbe Marathons and Specialized Armadillos (several for each), Maxxis Columbiere, and Michelin Lithions.
Reader Mike from California had high praise for his Lithions:
I am a heavy guy at 270+ lbs. and Lithions are all I will run. I rarely flat and the last one I replaced on the rear had over 1300 miles on it and had NEVER flatted, not once. It was still at pressure after a 40+ mile ride when I discovered that it was worn all the way around and the casing was beginning to peel.
Several readers mentioned the importance of good rim tape. It’s probably worthwhile to replace the stock rim tape on your wheels with some new stuff, and to replace it every three years or so.
Here’s wishing you a flat-free Fall.
(I noticed that no one is running the Hello Kitty tires pictured in the original post.)
Flats — get different tires or ride it out?
September 1, 2009 at 7:26 pm | In tires | 11 CommentsTags: flat tire, tires
After my experience with a flat two weeks ago, and a warped tire last week, this e-mail from Don in California hit home:
Flats have been bugging me for what seems to be the past month. I had a double blowout with old tires. I put on new tires and am still getting them, including averaging about one a week to the point that I’m considering changing to a different type of tire. The ones I’m using now are Forte Pro DC, the same tire that came with my bike. I had only ONE flat in about the first 1800 miles of riding. Now they are coming on like lemmings. Should I look at changing tires? If so, what brands should I consider or should I just try to ride this string of flat luck out?
My reaction to times like this has been to change tire brands. I’ve run Specialized, Vittoria, Hutchinson, and Continentals. I have yet to find a tire that will last a full year on the bike, although one managed to hang on for over 2,000 miles. Kevlar belts seem to help, but they’re not a panacea, either.
Furthermore, I have a special request of Bike Noob readers: Give Don a suggestion in Comments about dealing with flats, but send me a separate e-mail naming your favorite make and model of tire. Include a line or two about why you like them best. I’ll collect the votes and see if there’s a single tire that’s head and shoulders above the rest, and I’ll post about it at a future date, when I’ve got enough data.
Patched tubes vs. new ones
August 27, 2009 at 6:44 pm | In Equipment, Maintenance | 11 CommentsTags: flat tire, tires, tube
Last weekend, I flatted on my Saturday morning ride. I was only two miles from home, and was too worn out to change the flat then and there, so I called my wife and had her perform sag duties.
That evening, in the cool of my kitchen, I pulled out the tube and replaced it. The replacement tube had two patches, but they looked pretty sturdy. I generally will patch my flatted tubes and reuse them, so doing this again wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for me.
Sunday morning, I went out to the garage 20 minutes before the club ride was due to begin, and to my horror, found that the tire had gone flat overnight. Yikes! I pulled the wheel from the bike and hauled my tire levers and floor pump into the kitchen again. Then, I grabbed a new tube that was still in its box, fresh from the bike shop.
I scrambled to get the tube replaced and the tire remounted on the wheel. Everything seemed okay, so I quickly filled my water bottles and dashed to the coffee shop to meet the club ride. I got there within five minutes of the start — a record time for me at replacing a flat tire.
Then I proceeded to worry throughout the ride that I had been too hasty, and that the new tube might not be seated correctly, or any of a dozen other things that could cause me to flat again. But the tire performed well, and caused me no problems.
Obviously, I had missed a leak in the repaired tube — the one with two patches. There should have been a third one in there. The question is, when do you patch tubes and when do you replace them?
I’ve got four older tubes hanging from the wall in my garage right now. Each has one patch. Each would be called upon as a replacement tube if I get a flat (although since I’m running a new tube in the tire now, I would probably just go ahead and patch it, and remount it).
But is that a wise policy? Are patched tubes less durable somehow than new tubes? How many patches can you put on a tube and still have it give good service? How do you deal with the question?
Flat tire cleanup
March 10, 2009 at 9:31 pm | In Odds 'n ends | 5 CommentsTags: flat tire, litter
“Here’s what you should write about in your blog,” said my friend David, as we cruised the Veloway on an easy after-work ride. “Stuff like that.”
He pointed to the side of the road. There was a bicycle tire inner tube, obviously tossed away after an unlucky cyclist replaced it after a flat.
“Now that the weather is getting better, and more people are out riding, I see that kind of thing more often,” he said. I recalled that on Sunday’s ride out in the country, I had seen a crumpled up tube next to the road, too. “Heck, on one stretch of Mopac, I saw three of ‘em,” continued David.
“Now I know someone is probably really pissed off that he had a flat. Maybe the group he was riding with rode off without him. That’s still no excuse. I don’t care if you’re mad. Fix the flat, roll up the bad tube, and stick it in your jersey pocket.
“You can take it home and throw it out there,” he added. “Or patch it. Or use it for a whole variety of other things. There’s no excuse for leaving it as litter.”
I mentioned that leaving a tube behind was a contradiction, since many bikers feel that by riding instead of driving, they’re being green.
“Green, or pink — it doesn’t matter,” he said. He was really on a roll now. “You just do the right thing.
“You know, that’s all we need. Some guy in a big Ford pickup with duallies sees that tube by the road, and he thinks, ‘Hm. Those ******* cyclists.’ Then the next time he comes up on a group ride, maybe he gets his mirror a little too close to one of ‘em, and knocks him over. We can do without other bikers creating a bad image for us.”
Then he came up with an addendum. “And water bottles. You can’t tell me someone’s not aware of it when a water bottle pops out of its cage. You just stop and pick it up. This isn’t the Tour de France, where when Lance tosses a bottle, a hundred people try to beat each other to it. It’s a souvenir. Stop, turn around, and get the bottle.”
He’s right, of course. There is no excuse for leaving our junk by the roadside. Most people don’t toss garbage out of their cars on the road. Let’s not leave our biking detritus behind, either.
#$%^&!@* pinch flats!
February 15, 2009 at 9:07 pm | In tires | 1 CommentTags: flat tire, tires
Got up and out earlier than usual yesterday morning. My wife is on the local Advertising Federation cycling team that rides in the Hill Country Tour for AIDS, and they have regular training rides leading up to the Tour. It was in the 40s, overcast, and breezy, and Mrs. Noob decided she wasn’t riding. But I was.
I assumed it would be just a few Ad Fed folks, but when I got to the elementary school where the ride starts, I found it was a full-blown training ride organized by the Tour. At least 50 people turned out. There were even three SAG vehicles.
This was an easy ride, because it’s still early in the season. A number of riders were even more noobie than the Bike Noob. Lots of hybrids, even a few cruisers, and some riders in mid-weight jackets and blue jeans. The route was the Mopac loop I take all the time. One loop is eight miles, and riders had the option of doing as many as three.
The ride organizers explained the route and procedures. They passed out cell phone numbers of all the SAG vehicles. They went through all the common hand signals. Then it was time to leave.
I was among the first half dozen riders out of the parking lot. The wind actually wasn’t as bad as it was for the last couple of weekends, and I had dressed right, even wearing full-fingered gloves, so I was all warmed up by the time I got to the end of the first lap.
Going around the second time, I picked up a little speed over the first lap. A couple guys passed me on a downhill, but I passed them back going uphill. As I approached the intersection with a major road, I checked behind me to see if it was safe to cross over to the left shoulder and prepare for my left turn. It was. Still looking back, I started my turn to cross to the left. When I looked back to where I was heading, I saw it — then I hit it.
“It” was something squarish. There was no way I could avoid it. My rear tire went flat immediately. I stopped on the left shoulder, assessed the damage, then walked the bike back across the road to change the tire next to the right shoulder.
Once I got the tire off, I did the usual inspection to try to find whatever caused the flat. But I could find nothing. Remember, these were the new Kevlar-belted tires I bought just last week. I was displeased. I checked the tube, but a cursory examination there turned up nothing, either. Unfortunately, when I ride, I wear prescription sunglasses that have only my distance prescription, and not my bifocals. So I can’t see anything close unless I hold it inches from my eyes.
I pulled the spare tube from my seatbag, and had just about got it and the tire back on the wheel when one of the SAG vehicles pulled up. He held the wheel while I pumped up the tire. We put it back on the bike, and I packed up my seatbag.
When I turned back to the bike to resume the ride…the tire was almost flat again! The spare tube must have had a leak! Defeated, I put the bike up on his carrier, and he drove me home.
Back in my garage, I grabbed the first tube that had flatted, and took a closer look at it. There it was: the “snake bite” — two small punctures side-by-side. Whatever I had rolled over caused a pinch flat.
I blame myself on two counts: I didn’t see the thing that caused the flat (it turned out to be a a small rock, about three inches across by two inches thick — it was still in the road when I rode by it this afternoon), and I probably didn’t have enough pressure in my tire. If you saw last week’s post about the new tires, you know I planned to experiment with pressures to find what was right. I had already ridden at 100 pounds, and for this ride, I was down around 95 — maybe a tad less.
The late Sheldon Brown, my main source of information for all things bike, says tire manufacturers are conservative when they put recommended pressures on the sidewall. Brown says if the tire bears a 100-pound load, a 25 mm tire can be pumped up to 110 pounds. Since I weigh about 210, that’s about 105 pounds per tire. Hutchinson recommends a tire pressure of 101 pounds max.
This afternoon, I pumped the tires up to 100 pounds again, then went for a ride. No problems. I may still fiddle with pressures, but they’ll be firmer, not softer. And I guess if I find the energy this week, I’ll be patching two old tubes.
CO2 — A new top post
December 30, 2008 at 11:47 am | In Accessories, Blogging, Maintenance, Rides, training | 2 CommentsTags: Accessories, blog, CO2, flat tire, pumps, Smoked
Here’s a minor milestone for the Bike Noob blog — there’s a new King of All Posts. “CO2 cartridges or a pump?” from July 29, 2008 has overtaken “Smoked by an Old Guy” from April 16.
“CO2″ has racked up 1,082 page views, passing Smoked’s total of 1,078. Both posts got a little added push after I created the Favorite Posts tab at the top of the blog, but lately, I’ve watched CO2’s visits jump by as much as 30 a day to rapidly close the gap.
“Smoked By An Old Guy” has some sentimental value for me, because it was this post that made this blog catch on. Kent Peterson, the author of the popular “Kent’s Bike Blog,” spotlighted this story on his blog, and my daily number of page views surged. So once again, thanks Kent.
I appreciate the attention both posts continue to get, and I wonder: Are there still some unresolved issues about using CO2 cartridges as opposed to pumps? Let me know — I’m interested in what you have to say on the matter, and I’ll be happy to update everyone on where the sentiment lies.
Seating a balky tire
December 9, 2008 at 2:27 pm | In Maintenance | 4 CommentsTags: flat tire, tube
I’ve gotten pretty good at fixing flats, especially in light of the rash of them I’ve had lately.
The other day, I was itching to do a ride, but the tire had gone flat the day before, so I had to fix it before getting out. No problem. I found the puncture and marked it so I could patch the tube, I found the teeny tiny shard of glass in the tire tread that caused the flat (probably all of 1/16th inch long) and got that out. Put the new tube in the tire, mounted it on the rim, and started to pump ‘er up.
I’ve learned my lesson about checking to make sure the tire is seated correctly — that the tube isn’t pinched between the rim and the tire bead. After a few pumps of air, I pulled the tire off the pump to check it. Problem. The bead was not seated correctly near the valve.
I let out all the air and re-seated the tire. Pumped it a little again, and checked.
Hm. This is getting old.
That tire refused to seat itself. The tell-tale “witness line” doesn’t lie — I still had a problem.
Let the air out again, reseat the tire again. Pumped it up — slowly and with less air than before. Worked the sidewall with my fingers. This time, it looked like it might be okay. I pumped it up to about 2/3rds of my preferred pressure.
Yeah, the third time’s the charm. I put it on the bike and pumped it up the rest of the way. Raised the wheel off the ground and gave it a spin. Everything seemed copacetic. But there was only one way to find out.
I patched the punctured tube and put it in my seatbag, got on my cycling clothes, and headed out. The day was a great one for a ride, sunny, temps in the mid to upper 60s. Wind light from the north.
I survived a 20-mile trip on roads that seemed to have more broken glass than usual, with no mishaps. Another flat, another successful repair — but I’m not sure why the bead didn’t want to cooperate.
The pump performs
December 2, 2008 at 10:27 pm | In Equipment | 3 CommentsTags: flat tire, pump
The other day, Mrs. Noob and I took a 12-mile ride. A stiff northwest wind pushed us along during the first leg — I could coast at 28 mph. When we reached the Veloway and turned back into the wind, she told me to take off on my own.
“I’m going to do two laps,” she said. “That’s about all I can handle in this wind.”
I took off. Several riders in cycling gear were ahead of me, and I fell into line, eventually passing two of them, and being blown off mercilessly by a third. On the second lap, I reached the short hill, and felt the back wheel waver a bit. At the top of the hill, I slowed and pulled over. The young lady I had passed a half lap back caught up, and asked me if I needed anything. I told her no, and pressed the rear tire. It was soft.
But it wasn’t really flat yet, and I couldn’t find a puncture. Now was the time to test my new pump in the field — for real. It did a nice job of pumping up the tire. I reattached it, and pedaled easily around to the Veloway entrance. Pat wasn’t there yet, but the tire was a little soft again, so while I waited for her, I got out the pump and filled the tube again.
Pat pulled up to me as I was finishing, and I told her what happened. She was glad I’d be going slowly on the way home, since the wind would be in our faces most of the way, and she was having a tough time maintaining forward momentum.
On a long downhill stretch during the trip home, I found myself keeping the bike’s speed in check, because the rear tire was going soft again, and wasn’t all that stable. I got through the stoplight and pulled the bike off the road one more time for a pump up.
I had one mile to go to reach the house, and I made it. I suppose I could have replaced the tube out on the Veloway, but since the tire seemed to be only leaking, and hadn’t gone flat, I figured a try to get home would be worth it. It was. The pump proved itself, and I got used to operating it quickly. This is one purchase I’m glad I made.
Back in the garage, I pulled the rear tire and replaced the tube. I’ll patch the bad one later, if I get bored and am looking for something to do.
Phwfffffssssst! Duh…
October 10, 2008 at 9:34 pm | In Equipment, Rides | 12 CommentsTags: bike maintenance, CO2, flat tire, pumps
I think I’ve had a very fortunate summer and fall. My last flat tire was on May 31st, during the Real Ale Ride. Since then, I’ve ridden lots of miles over some pretty rough patches, but the tires have held up beautifully.
Tonight, I had just completed a Mopac loop, and turned into the Veloway to knock off a few quick laps before heading home for supper. I crossed the gravel and dirt parking lot, jumped on the asphalt track, and pedaled easily, taking time to grab a swig from my water bottle.
When I reached the first curve, I immediately sensed that something was wrong. The rear wheel wobbled. It lost stability. !@%&*#! A flat.
I pulled over to the side and took off the wheel. Couldn’t find the tire levers! It had been so long since I poked around in my seat bag, I forgot that I had tucked them into a nifty little wallet that I keep my patch kit in. I got the tire off, and another rider came along.
“Got everything?” he asked.
“Yep,” I said. He nodded, and kept going.
Once I got the tube out of the tire, I inspected the inside of the tire for the culprit. There it was — a tiny sliver of sharp metal, about a quarter-inch long. I had to pull it out of the tread with my teeth.
“You okay?” asked a female rider as she passed.
“Yep, I can change this myself,” I replied. “Good,” she said, and pedaled off.
I always carry a spare tube. I got it into the tire, mounted both onto the wheel, and dug around for my CO2 cartridges.
WTF? Why am I carrying around a CO2 cartridge that’s already been used, and has a puncture?
Oh, there’s another good one in here. Let’s just stick it into the inflator and screw the top down…
Pop! Phwffffsssst! Oh no! I punctured the cartridge! Quick! Get it on the presta valve before…
I screwed down the top of the inflator, and stopped the leaking — but not before a cold white residue covered the cartridge, my fingers, and my gloves.
“!@%&*#!,” I shouted. I got the rest of the CO2 into the tire. There was enough to give the tire some shape, but not enough to make it rideable. I wasn’t far from the parking lot, so I started walking the bike back.
At the beginning of the path, a biker was taking it easy next to the water fountain. I leaned my bike against the bench nearby, and asked if he had a tire pump.
“No, but I have one of these things,” he said, holding up a CO2 cartridge. “I don’t know much about them. Can you use it?”
“You betcha,” I said (I’m originally from the Midwest). “Hey, it’s the threaded kind. That’s better.”
I screwed it onto the inflator, and fitted the end over the presta valve. Pulled the trigger. Whoosh! In about one second, the tire was inflated. I tested it with my fingers. It was firm to the touch. Let’s see…if I give it one more shot, it’ll probably inflate to the pressure I like…
Bang!
“Aww,” said the guy.
I said something stronger.
I inspected the flat tire. Dummy! The tube had gotten caught between the tire and the rim. One of those things they teach you to check for when you first learn how to change a flat tire.
I got out my cell phone.
“Honey? I’m at the Veloway. Can you come pick me up?”
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