General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Tire Question - tired of getting flats... Rss Feed  
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2008-04-14 3:37 PM

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Subject: Tire Question - tired of getting flats...

Okay, so I flatted on my back tire for the 4th or 5th time in as many months.  I'm getting real tired of it (no pun intended). 

The tires I use (which came with my P2 SL) are Vittoria Diamante Pro Lite.  Yes they are fast, but it seems any pebble or shard of glass will go through them.  They are as durable as saran wrap.  I went to www.roadbikereview.com and there is a horror trail of reviewers that have the same experience of constantly flatting with this tire. 

So for training purposes I went and purchased a Continental ultra gatorskin road tire.

Now the questions:

1.) I never flatted with the Vittoria front tire so I kept that tire on.  Is it okay to ride with two different tires for training purposes and short races?

2.)  What is a good racing tire that corners well (I almost wiped cornering with the Vittoria's several times) and rolls fast, but will be less likely to flat on an Olympic or 70.3 course?

I want to buy the Michelin Pro2 Race for my Olympic tri's and HIM, but I don't want to flat...   I guess I don't have much confidence in my tires since I keep flatting and I am developing a phobia about it.  I love the swim and bike because if something goes wrong, it's probably cause of me, not a piece of equipment. 



2008-04-14 3:44 PM
in reply to: #1337338

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Master
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Subject: RE: Tire Question - tired of getting flats...
I train on Vredestein TriComp.  I used to train on Continentals but they didn't seem to last that long.  Soft rubber I guess.
2008-04-14 3:46 PM
in reply to: #1337338

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Resident Curmudgeon
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Subject: RE: Tire Question - tired of getting flats...

Yes, you can have different tires on the front and the back, but if the Vittorias are as bad as you say it's more a matter of when they will cause you trouble than if.

Love my Michelin Pro2 Races for training and racing, great flat resistance and very low rolling resistance. Not sure about the cornering but I've never had problems and I'm nearing 15K miles of experience on them.

Edit to say that 15K miles is on four sets. I get over 5K per set.



Edited by the bear 2008-04-14 3:47 PM
2008-04-14 3:47 PM
in reply to: #1337338

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Master
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Subject: RE: Tire Question - tired of getting flats...
Also, check your rim tape and replace it if it's old (> 1 year).
2008-04-14 3:50 PM
in reply to: #1337338

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Veteran
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Subject: RE: Tire Question - tired of getting flats...
The only tires I use are the Continental grandprix 4000's. I have been using them on both my road and tri bikes for the last two years. Great wet traction, roll very fast. I have had only 1 flat in the last 2 years. (The morning after a metric century in a downpour, found a piece of glass in the front tire. didnt flat on the ride, lost air overnight)

I havent tried the 4000S "hot chili" yet, they are new this year. (well, first saw em last last season. I think this year is the first spring they are out. I usually put new tires on every spring)

hope this helps
Bryan
2008-04-14 3:51 PM
in reply to: #1337370

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Subject: RE: Tire Question - tired of getting flats...

Stupid question, but have you ever run over glass with the michelin Pro2's?  Where I ride on Long Island, no matter what I do I am going to hit glass now and again. 

I have this silly phobia now with a Sprint, 2 Olympics and a HIM coming up of flatting. 

Will my gator skin ultras slow me down that much over a Michelin Pro2?? 

Can you tell I've only been biking since December 06!!



2008-04-14 3:52 PM
in reply to: #1337384

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Subject: RE: Tire Question - tired of getting flats...

Bry03cobra - 2008-04-14 4:50 PM The only tires I use are the Continental grandprix 4000's. I have been using them on both my road and tri bikes for the last two years. Great wet traction, roll very fast. I have had only 1 flat in the last 2 years. (The morning after a metric century in a downpour, found a piece of glass in the front tire. didnt flat on the ride, lost air overnight) I havent tried the 4000S "hot chili" yet, they are new this year. (well, first saw em last last season. I think this year is the first spring they are out. I usually put new tires on every spring) hope this helps Bryan

If they roll fast and are puncture resistant, I'll check 'em out for sure.  Thanks.

2008-04-14 3:54 PM
in reply to: #1337386

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Subject: RE: Tire Question - tired of getting flats...
Dream Chaser - 2008-04-14 3:51 PM

Stupid question, but have you ever run over glass with the michelin Pro2's?  Where I ride on Long Island, no matter what I do I am going to hit glass now and again. 

I have this silly phobia now with a Sprint, 2 Olympics and a HIM coming up of flatting. 

Will my gator skin ultras slow me down that much over a Michelin Pro2?? 

Can you tell I've only been biking since December 06!!

I ride in south Louisiana, litter capital of the world. I swear they have world championship competitions involving the tossing of beer bottles out of cars onto the roads where I ride.

So, yeay, I'm always in the glass with my P2Rs.

Actually, the last month I've been riding 25mm gator skins on my road bike and I really can't tell the difference. But that's not under race conditions.

2008-04-14 3:56 PM
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Champion
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Subject: RE: Tire Question - tired of getting flats...

Have you taken off your tire and searched for the glass shards etc. that's going through them?

1.  I was flatting like crazy on Vittoria Zaffiros and it turned out my rim tape loooked like a two year old put it on.  Haven't flatted for about nine months on those and just moved up to the Rubino Pros and they seem pretty resistent.

2.  I keep flatting on some kind of Bontragers on my old bike.  Couldn't figure it out until I finally felt something sharp in the tire.  Turns out I had a metal shard stuck in there that popped every stinking tube.  Once it was out I never had any more issues.

Check the tape, check the tires for debris, try them some more.... then if they still are terrible, chunk and lay out the money for some new tires.

Although, I too haven't heard good things about that particular tire. 



Edited by sesh 2008-04-14 3:58 PM
2008-04-14 3:59 PM
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Elite
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Subject: RE: Tire Question - tired of getting flats...

First you're making the right choice getting off The Island on Thursday and riding Harriman. No glass but plenty of hills, Only your legs will flat

2nd - I think it's just mostly bad luck. I had the same issues early on. Lots of flats. I swithed from the PR2's to Conti 4000's and flatted often. I don't think it was really the Cont'is just bad luck. That being said, I'll never use them again. Went back to the PR2's and all is well. I'll get the 3's next time prolly. FWIW I only train them as I have race wheels. Tubular of course

That's a   long way of saying, keep riding it all evens out. Or move off Long Island  



Edited by rollinbones 2008-04-14 4:02 PM
2008-04-14 4:00 PM
in reply to: #1337338

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Subject: RE: Tire Question - tired of getting flats...
What size tire you using? 700X23? 700X25? If you're flatting alot, you may want to up the tire size (not sure of your stature, but sometimes a 25 tire can help if you're a larger rider or really hammer hard). In addition, have you checked over your back rim thoroughly? You may have a burr or obstruction that keeps resulting in flats, and you'll continue to flat even after a tire change. You may want to take the rim tape off too just to see if you have a sharp edge or burr on a spoke hole. Sometimes, these things can be missed if you run your finger over the tape, but will be exposed when weight/high pressure is applied.

As for tire options, I use Conti 4000GP S's for everything. They roll great, and seem much more durable than the standard 4000GP.


2008-04-14 4:06 PM
in reply to: #1337338

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Subject: RE: Tire Question - tired of getting flats...
My Cervelo also came with Vittoria's and I had quite a few flats. However, for me, the flats was more a function of the tubes than anything else. I have switched to the puncture-resistant tubes you can get from Performance and that has made a big difference. In addition, they make your training wheels heavier, so it lets you train with a heavy wheelset and then change to your light set for races.
2008-04-14 5:02 PM
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Subject: RE: Tire Question - tired of getting flats...
What kind of flats are you getting, is something puncuring the tire and then piercing the tube or are they pinch flats.  I was getting alot of flats when I first got my bike, basically I had on cheap yellow rim tape that was sliding and causing the stem to shift and break.  Then later on the front I believe I was getting flats after riding. I had not changed the tape on that rim when I did the rear and the tape had cracked and was pinching the tube.  Obviously this was not the tires fault.  My guess is unless something is piercing the tube the tire really has no control over the tube going flat, right?  I have the tuff liners in my bike so that if something punctures the tube the liner stops it.  My guess is you have something else going on.
2008-04-14 7:22 PM
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Master
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Subject: RE: Tire Question - tired of getting flats...
Getting that many flats is pretty odd, bt nt impossible. I would make sure your rim tape is in good condition and nothing else is in your tire when you put the new tube back in.
2008-04-14 7:52 PM
in reply to: #1337338

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Extreme Veteran
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Subject: RE: Tire Question - tired of getting flats...

Continental Gatorskins - I swear by them.  Since I've had them (going on a year now), I've had exactly 1 flat.  It might be just really, really good luck, but I'm inclined to believe the thin kevlar strip inside the tire is helping.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=&sku=1632&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=Show%20All%20Products

My only complaint about the ones linked above is the wire bead - takes a little getting used to if you're not handy with flats.  I'm pretty sure you can get them in a folding bead though.

2008-04-14 9:09 PM
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Subject: RE: Tire Question - tired of getting flats...

ranger5oh - 2008-04-14 5:22 PM Getting that many flats is pretty odd, bt nt impossible. I would make sure your rim tape is in good condition and nothing else is in your tire when you put the new tube back in.

I agree--I had two flats in as many days, and lo and behold, I needed new rim tape.



2008-04-14 9:45 PM
in reply to: #1337338

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Subject: RE: Tire Question - tired of getting flats...

Hi everyone.  Thanks for all the responses.  The rim tape is perfect.  I also checked for any debris, glass shards, etc... inside the tire itself -- and it's clean.  This flat was from a teeny weeny shard of glass that had pierced the tire and then the tube.  Prior to that I was pinch-flatting because I didn't have a enough PSI pressure in my tire. 

I swapped out my back tire for a Continental Ultra Gatorskin and took it for a ride just before.  The handling and especially the cornering is unbelievable by comparison to the Vittoria Diamante's... but all the positive differences end there.  When I put the hammer down I can feel the back tire pulling.  Ugh.  But hey, it'll make a nice training tire.  I look at it like my running shoes.  The gatorskins are my trainers, and my race wheels (yet to be purchased) are my racing flats.  Although I'm hesistant to even use that word.

Does anyone know of any bomb-proof racing tires?  Or is that an oxymoron?  I'm assuming they probably really don't exist, and I'm just going to probably go with yellow (to match my bike) Michelin Pro2's for my Olympic and HIM and just pray I don't flat.  And hope that on race days I'll mostly be riding in the middle of roads and not on the shoulder, which is usually littered with glass.

 

 



Edited by Dream Chaser 2008-04-14 9:47 PM
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