Nothing is 100% efficient in stopping you from getting a flat tire in your bike. You do, nevertheless, you’ve various choices that may vastly scale back your chance of getting a flat. With this recommendation and/or merchandise, chances are you’ll by no means have to fuss with tube punctures or patch kits once more.
Your first technique ought to at all times be to ensure you are using with the correct tire strain.
Every tire has a most well-liked air-pressure vary, which is measured in psi (kilos per sq. inch). Look on the tire sidewall for the really helpful strain. As a basic rule:
Beneath-inflation can result in issues with “pinch flats.” This may happen while you hit a bump and your under-inflated tire compresses all the way in which to the rim, inflicting 2 small holes that resemble a snake chew. Over-inflation, however, does not trigger flats though it is potential to blow out the tube in excessive circumstances.
Use a tire pump or gauge to verify your strain. Greater-end tire pumps will embrace a psi gauge, however in case you have a lower-end pump, you will want to hold your personal tire strain gauge. Be sure you know whether or not you’ve a Presta or Schrader valve stem (the slimmer Presta valve must have the highest nut unscrewed earlier than checking strain).
It is a good suggestion to periodically examine your bike tires for embedded glass, rock shards or different sharp objects, particularly after using a route that has substantial particles. These small embedded gadgets might not trigger a right away flat however can slowly work their means via a tire to ultimately trigger a puncture. Use your fingernail or a small device to take away this particles earlier than it causes an issue.
Periodically verify your tire sidewalls and tread for extreme put on, injury, dryness or cracking. Tires with any of those signs enhance your threat for a flat tire. If not sure about their situation, ask a motorbike professional at your native REI or different respected bike store to guage your tires.
This selection is useful as a result of you’ll be able to restore an current flat tire with it or use it as a safety measure to keep away from future flats. The idea is straightforward: Squeeze in a little bit of sealant via the valve stem to coat the within of the tube. Within the case of a small puncture or reduce, the sealant shortly fills the leak and creates a plug that always outlasts the tube or the tire round it.
REI carries 2 forms of sealant. The Slime model is designed to be injected immediately into Schrader-type tubes solely; the Café Latex model is designed to be injected into Presta-type tubes or tubeless tires. Café Latex requires use of a no-mess injector which is bought individually.
Some tubes (with each Schrader and Presta valves) come “pre-Slimed” to supply a preventive strategy to flat tires. These tubes are usually a thicker thorn-resistant selection, that when pre-injected with Slime, supply a superb flat-avoidance technique.
The downsides to sealants? Some could be a little messy to put in, and sealants alone don’t shield towards giant gashes or cuts.
A tire liner is a skinny strip of extruded-plastic that matches between the tire and the tube. This further layer vastly reduces the prospect of puncture flats from thorns, glass or different sharp objects. Liners are in style and work nicely, however they do add 6 oz. or extra to the load of your tires which provides noticeably to your rolling resistance in increased efficiency tires. Nevertheless, when you dwell in an space with plenty of thorns or highway particles, liners may very well be nicely definitely worth the weight.
A reviewer nicknamed iGottabike provides the next nifty set up tip on REI.com:
An alternative choice is to alter out your tires to ones particularly designed to withstand flats. These tires will not really feel as speedy as customary bike tires, however bike-commuting prospects have advised us that they expertise flats a lot much less incessantly when utilizing them.
How do they work? Many tires makers make use of a sturdy belt of aramid fibers (such because the well-known Kevlar® model) to withstand punctures; others merely enhance the tread thickness. These tires are marketed by quite a lot of proprietary names: the Serfas Flat Safety System, the Continental Security System, the Michelin ProTek reinforcement system and so forth. The draw back of those tires is that they’re comparatively heavy which reduces your pedaling effectivity.