BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

If I was to have a catastrophic blowout at 20 mph, I'd want it on the rear wheel in most cases.

A new tire isn't that expensive, certainly cheaper than endlessly replacing inner tubes over and over. I bet you could get a used one for pretty cheap at free ride.

Never switch a worn tire onto the front, well unless you like to live dangerously. A blowout will mean the tire bead can disengage from the rim, roll off said rim, and your steering ability goes to hell pretty quickly. The tire can also get caught between the rim and the fork, and down you go face first. I mean if that sort of thing is your cup of tea, then go for it but otherwise a new tire is probably in order. If you note year rear tire is wearing out though, you can move the front tire to the back and install the new one up front. You want your best tire up there where you steer the bike.

Also, if you can see daylight through the tire, you are going to continue to get flats. The inner tube is under pressure and is looking for a way out of the tire, that little hole is giving it one. You can buy these plastic tire boots from Park tool (I've seen them at Performance) that stick inside your tire to fix holes like that* but on a tire this old, probably not all that cost effective.

*By the way, these things don't seem to stick very well, but once you inflate a tube inside the tire and ride it? NEVER coming off.

Thanks for the advice. Consider me duly warned and on the way to a replacement

Jeff,one question - you suggest moving front to back and installing new tire up front. I take that to imply that replacing both tires at the same time is not considered imperative?

thanks....

You don't have to replace both tires, Jeff's advice is good. I always put the new tire on the front and move the old to the back.

Also as tires get worn the tread area gets thinner and it is easier to get punctures through the tire. That is why I like the new tires on the front.

here, a look at a blowout on the front tire.

i would show you a pic of my leg looked like afterwards but just go to the store and take a look at the ground meat. it is the same thing.

@hshoch, the question is already answered but yeah, no need to replace both. The rate at which your front tire wears out is postively glacial compared to the rear. Like Jason, I often put the front tire on the rear and the new on the front.

If you back tire wears out much more quickly than your front, you might want to consider braking more with your front.

For years I rode around on a junker bike (we called them "campus bikes" - the bike you don't care what happens to it) without an effective rear brake. There was one, but it didn't really work, so I never bothered to use it. The front brake stopped me, as dangerous as it was.

The back tire still wore out rather quickly, while the front one looked like new. Even without skidding, I think there is a lot more wear on the rear because it is your drive wheel, and maybe because there is also more weight over it?

A good time to replace a tire is when you can see daylight through it, or perhaps a bit before then.

I buy new tires when the kind I want is on sale.

I believe the rear wears faster for reasons listed above, so I replace the rear as it needs it- theorhetically maybe nearly every other time I will need to replace the front tire when I do the rear a second time. I do sometimes put something on the inside of a worn tire just for a short while until I get to putting a new tire on.

Related- I usually buy the least expensive ones with a kevlar belt, and put in one of those gummy plastic strips on the rear tire bewtween the tube and tire, which I do think helps with flats. Is it worthwhile to pay more for a tire? I always thought the more expensive ones were more for lightness and performance than for flat avoidance.

@Mick, I brake almost exclusively with the front, but my rear tires still wear out faster.

@helen, cheap tires often don't tolerate as high a pressure as the more expensive tires, which can be a factor in preventing flats, so there's that. But for the most part I think you're right. The construction of the tire also affects the way it feels on the road, but honestly, the roads here are so bad that I can't enjoy a fancy tire anyway.

Thanks for all the replies, folks. I'll be going to the bike shop tomorrow to pick 2 new tires, most likely. Given that I don't know the provenance of either tire, a fresh start seems in order..

what size of tire do you run? I'd bet you could get some sage advice on the best type for your wheel/ preferences her

@spakbros. Thanks, I'll bite.

26 x 1.95.

I'm just looking for some basic slicks for commuting. don't need or want anything fancy, but I do want durable.

for what it's worth, the front tire looked pretty questionable as well...

I recommend them here all the time for their flat protection — Panaracer Ribmo tires rule. They aren't cheap, they are heavy, they last forever, you won't get a flat.

They make them in 26" versions, they run about $30 each.

http://urbanvelo.org/panaracer-ribmo-tires/

I ran the tires in the above linked review for over a year without ever experiencing a penetrating flat tire.

Brad - thank you for that link, I'm planning on getting at least one for the back wheel (as well as a good patch kit, spare tube, and pump) tonight. I have learned my lesson. I'll learn it even better trying to fix the problem myself to get rolling again tomorrow morning, since it's the back wheel that went and I have no idea how to change the back tire. It will be a fun night.

And thank you for being a broken record on this, otherwise I'd have less info to peruse now that I need it the most (having put it off too long).

I guess I jinxed myself. Got a snakebite flat this evening

!@#$% potholes.

Target sells a decent Bell 26 x 1.95 mountain bike tire reinforced with Kevlar for $16.50. If you are in a jam they are not bad for the price.

I had a blowout last weekend going downhill on a Schenley trail last weekend, and due to circumstances had to continue another mile or so at a decent rate of speed. Control was a bit of a challenge, but managable. The tire and tube went into the trash today though.

Here is a question- can you put a patch on a patch? Somehow I developed a hole in a rear tire patch- no corresponding item remaining in the tire though.

I'd like to add to Helen's question...

I was told that a patch was a bandaid to be replaced with a new tube as soon as a new tube could be located (which should become the highest priority)... How long is a patch expected to last? Initially I figured patch = fixed long term, but since I was corrected, I figured I'd get some more (experienced) opinions.

i've never heard that - i've always patched tubes and considered them "good as new". i think whoever "corrected" you was full of it.

Depends - are you using "real" patches or those instant peel-n-stick jobbies? The latter are definitely temporary. The former just leak air real slow and trick you into riding with less volume than you need until you snakebite on Wilkins.

I mean, "real" patches will last forever if they're put on right. It's just hard to do with skinny tubes. With a bigger tube (like the ones on your bike), it's possible.

Real patches (patch + glue) is as good as part of the tube. They will last for years and years. I have had tubes with a dozen patches on them, no joke. DO it right and they won't leak either.

I've found "real" patches - rubber put on with rubber cement - on tubes that had to be 20 years old. Permanent. The peel&stick things, I tried one once, uggh, only for an absolute emergency.

hunh - I had no idea there were different kinds of patches. Perhaps I was holding the temporary peel n stick kind during the discussion, and missed the typical conversation signifiers that he was referencing what was in my hands only.

Now I'll have to actually open up my patch kit and see what's in it. Glad I asked!

The more you know [cue rainbow, star, music].

I've found "real" patches - rubber put on with rubber cement - on tubes that had to be 20 years old. Permanent. The peel&stick things, I tried one once, uggh, only for an absolute emergency

If you've already used your spare tube, and it's raining, those peel and stick patches come in mighty handy to get you home. It's hard to glue a patch on to a wet 18-25mm tube properly. Plus the patches can be used as an emergency tire boot. But @ejwme if you have a kit big enough to have an 'inside'--you probably have the kind with rubber cement.

The trick to using them "right" is to use that little piece of sandpaper to rough up the tube slightly, and to get the rubber cement (glue) spread out enough that the entire patch is covering the glue. Then press hard. Small patches are much easier to use than large ones for this reason. Don't bother trying to peel off the flimsy plastic cover on the top of the patch.

@Helen S, I'd say no. If you have a hole in your patch, it's time to start over with a new tube.

If your patch kit is bigger than a pile of postage stamps, it's "real".

You must let the glue dry. You must let the glue dry. You must let the glue dry.

I wrote a tech piece for our first issue on how to patch a tube:

http://www.urbanvelo.org/issue1/UrbanCyclist_Issue1_p64-65.html

I always enjoy the UrbanVelo pieces. Nice archive design too.

Brad - is it better for Urban Velo if I just view online? Or does subscribing to paper copies generate additional revenue? I'm becoming a huge fan and wondering which route I should take - I like less waste, but I like supporting Good Things And People.

You must let the glue dry. You must let the glue dry. You must let the glue dry.

+5, forgot to mention that!

If your patch kit is bigger than a pile of postage stamps, it's "real"

I have a patch kit from Knog that is bigger but has stick on patches (with rather cheesy graphics). It has these cute little folding tire levers that seem like a fabulous idea but of which I am suspicious, I can just see them snapping in half at the wrong moment. I liked the box though. Impulse buy!

cute little folding tire levers

Definite fail.

+1 for "real" patches. No hard and fast rules on how many times you can patch a tube, really. My high is something like 7 or 8.

Pick your poison. We give away the online version and keep them archived for people that don't necessarily want or need a paper copy, and because both of us at UV read a lot of online content and can't stand logging in to do so. You can subscribe via iTunes (also free) if you want it beamed to your iPhone, iPad or computer too. Easy.

You can pick up paper copies at most shops in Pittsburgh free of charge as well, and at certain BikePgh events that they make it to.

Subscriptions are more a premium service, and are certainly worth more to advertisers. It gets you the reader your very own paper copy delivered to your house as soon as it's printed, and doesn't have an ugly paper label adhered over the cover art.

Since I've never repaired a tube roadside -- always in my driveway/carport -- I guess this is why it always takes me 45 to 75 minutes to change a tire. I never knew NOT to let the glue dry. But yeah, I can see, roadside, dim light or dark, w/o a jar of rubber cement, you just want to get rolling and quickly, so those postage-stamp kits (like the one I just bought for $3) are handy -- but temporary.

Helen S Here is a question- can you put a patch on a patch? Somehow I developed a hole in a rear tire patch- no corresponding item remaining in the tire though.

I imagine you double and triple checked the tire? If not, you might want to. Little pieces of glass can hide.

I'd also check the rim - I was dubbed "The flat tire king" one painful winter. Even with Kevlar tire and and extra kevlar inner belt.

It turned out to be a problem with the rim, tiggered only when I used my brakes hard.

At the time, I claimed -repeatedly- "Those kevlar inner belts don't do ANYTHING!"

Right, I think it's definitely worth carrying a spare tube so you can (hopefully) do the patching in the comfort of your own house.

I always carry a spare tube, and rotate when I have a flat. Goes something like this.

1. Hssssssssssss. SHIT.

2. Remove old tube.

3. Put glue on old tube.

4. In the time it takes for the glue to dry, I have the replacement tube on the bike.

5. Put the patch on the glue.

6. Pack up and go.

I only triple checked the tire, and double checked the rim and rimstrip. I am guessing something penetrated and fell out.

a spare tube *and* a patch kit. The tube is for your first flat. The patch kit is for the piece of glass you didn't find that's still stuck in the tire.

Thanks for all of the advice, folks. I took the quick way out and got a pair of tires as recommended by the LBS. Went for narrower slicks and I'm _very_ happy with them.

You folks are a great resource- thanks for the assistance!

For those of you wondering how well the reflective sidewalls on the Randonuers are, I had my wife come outside and shoot a couple photos with the flash.

These tires have been ridden all summer long, in the rain, on dirt paths and I did wipe them down lightly when swapping wheels.

Those other reflectors in the picture did a pretty good job too. Some of them appear to be visible at a distance of 50-100 yds down the road.

rsprake, the photo is now showing as unavailable. I know it was there Saturday morning. ??

I cant see it either. I think he's pulling a "lyle."

This lyle can see it.

Bah. I think Aperture must have deleted it from Flickr. I will upload it again tonight.

As promised...

There oughta be a contest for the most reflective cyclist.

@dooftram - reflective bike, or reflective cyclist - because ejwme is very thoughtful...

Somewhere back in the archives is a thread mentioning making friends with someone in a town/city/county/company sign shop. Anytime they make a sign with reflective material, there is scrap left over. Have friend stash the scraps in an agreed-upon location. Acquire scraps. Cut to fit and adorn bicycle.

awe, ALMKLM, you're sweet