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2014-08-06 9:44 AM

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Katy, Texas
Subject: Tube Training?
So I have issues with chronic flat tires. Some of it from bad luck, some of it from my learning curve and some from where I ride has a lot of debris, however I don't have any options to ride anywhere else (I live where there is only one road). So I was at Walmart the other day and saw they had Slime Self-Sealing inner tubes. I picked up a couple because I figured it couldn't hurt. I currently ride on Gatorskins and have tire liners but still manage to go flat. So I was thinking that I'd use these next time I changed out a busted tube (which shouldn't be too long based on my experience so far).

When searching the forums for information on these, or other self sealing tubes, I found references to sealants, tubeless, tubeless with sealant, etc, etc. So does anyone have a reference that goes over what all this means? What's a tubeless tire? Is it where you actually put the air into the tire as opposed to a tube within the tire? That's what logic would dictate. So how is this better or worse? Does anyone have experience with self sealing tubes? Any basic information would be helpful.


2014-08-06 10:03 AM
in reply to: 0

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Subject: RE: Tube Training?

Track where you get the holes in the tube, you may have a tire pressure, wheel/spoke issue, rim strip issue or not getting the tire "clean" after a puncture. With Gatorskins you should be safe unless you just run over everything you see. ;-)

No experience with the sealing tubes, but I would guess they are not the solution or more of  "us" would be using them/ talking about them...



Edited by 1_Mad_Madone 2014-08-06 10:05 AM
2014-08-06 10:23 AM
in reply to: 1_Mad_Madone

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Boise, ID
Subject: RE: Tube Training?

 

The tubes you are looking at are not generally used in a road bike, basically they are just regular tubes filled with that green slime you used when you were a kid. It basically just adds a lot of weight to the wheel that most of us don't want.

I read your other post about getting a lot of flats, looked like all but 2 were user error. And the two times it was not user error, the metal was enough to go through a gatorskin, and a liner, so the slime wouldn't have done any good in that case anyway.

If I were you I would correct the user errors then just stick with the gator skins. 

As far as the other sealant you were referencing. Some people are running tubeless rims and tires these days. So it is just like a modern car tire, smooth rim and no tube at all. You need a rim that is capable of running tubeless, then a tire that is capable as well, then you have to add a certain type of sealant when blowing the tire up. 

A tubeless setup invites a lot more user error so I would stay away from that if I were you.

2014-08-06 11:02 AM
in reply to: Aarondb4

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1502
1000500
Katy, Texas
Subject: RE: Tube Training?
Originally posted by Aarondb4

 

The tubes you are looking at are not generally used in a road bike, basically they are just regular tubes filled with that green slime you used when you were a kid. It basically just adds a lot of weight to the wheel that most of us don't want.

I read your other post about getting a lot of flats, looked like all but 2 were user error. And the two times it was not user error, the metal was enough to go through a gatorskin, and a liner, so the slime wouldn't have done any good in that case anyway.

If I were you I would correct the user errors then just stick with the gator skins. 

As far as the other sealant you were referencing. Some people are running tubeless rims and tires these days. So it is just like a modern car tire, smooth rim and no tube at all. You need a rim that is capable of running tubeless, then a tire that is capable as well, then you have to add a certain type of sealant when blowing the tire up. 

A tubeless setup invites a lot more user error so I would stay away from that if I were you.




Give me a little credit....there were 4 that were from debris

There is just a ton of debris on the side of the road down here and I constantly running over stuff. There really isn't any way to avoid it in a lot of cases. A ton of re-tread tire bits. Broken glass and misc sharp debris from car accidents (if you've ever been to South Florida, you'd know...it's like bumper cars down here). I was riding up a bridge the other day and had to swerve around a huge pile of debris from an accident and right as I was along side it a huge gust of wind pushed all of it right into my path and I ran over all kinds of stuff. So even when I don't have a flat, I'm constantly on edge about getting one. I'm just looking for whatever I can to help.
2014-08-06 11:45 AM
in reply to: 3mar

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Exton, PA
Subject: RE: Tube Training?
Originally posted by 3mar

Originally posted by Aarondb4

 

The tubes you are looking at are not generally used in a road bike, basically they are just regular tubes filled with that green slime you used when you were a kid. It basically just adds a lot of weight to the wheel that most of us don't want.

I read your other post about getting a lot of flats, looked like all but 2 were user error. And the two times it was not user error, the metal was enough to go through a gatorskin, and a liner, so the slime wouldn't have done any good in that case anyway.

If I were you I would correct the user errors then just stick with the gator skins. 

As far as the other sealant you were referencing. Some people are running tubeless rims and tires these days. So it is just like a modern car tire, smooth rim and no tube at all. You need a rim that is capable of running tubeless, then a tire that is capable as well, then you have to add a certain type of sealant when blowing the tire up. 

A tubeless setup invites a lot more user error so I would stay away from that if I were you.




Give me a little credit....there were 4 that were from debris

There is just a ton of debris on the side of the road down here and I constantly running over stuff. There really isn't any way to avoid it in a lot of cases. A ton of re-tread tire bits. Broken glass and misc sharp debris from car accidents (if you've ever been to South Florida, you'd know...it's like bumper cars down here). I was riding up a bridge the other day and had to swerve around a huge pile of debris from an accident and right as I was along side it a huge gust of wind pushed all of it right into my path and I ran over all kinds of stuff. So even when I don't have a flat, I'm constantly on edge about getting one. I'm just looking for whatever I can to help.


Have to agree with Aarondb4 on this.

Trust me you will get much better at avoiding stuff on the road. Even those 2-4 flats that were caused by debris you will learn to avoid most of the time. Skill on the bike takes a while. Even the items you feel are unavoidable, some of us simply bunny hop over them.

The township next to mine where I do a lot of riding actually spreads ground up glass in the winter instead of cinders and salt. Even with that I have had only 1 flat in the last 1500 miles, that one I consider my fault as I was doing 35 mph down a hill and did not see a big rut in the road in time- I jumped in late and the rear tire still hit. Your roads may not be great but I don't think they are as bad as some places in the north east or Michigan or ....

For now just take some extra tubes(or patches) with you and get good at the mechanical stuff.
2014-08-06 11:46 AM
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Subject: RE: Tube Training?

 We just did the ride from Key Largo to Key West and back (220 miles) and there were lots of flats in the group but only one in our group running Gatorskins. We put 110-120 PSi in the Gatorskins and had no issues.... I will say I changed all four of the tires upon our return.

Tubless tires look like a mess and not sure the slime would do any good.

Good luck maybe try your Gatorskins without the liners and at higher pressures to prevent pinch flats and make the tire "harder" but thats a trade off too. 



Edited by 1_Mad_Madone 2014-08-06 11:48 AM


2014-08-06 11:51 AM
in reply to: 3mar

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Melbourne FL
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Subject: RE: Tube Training?

Bummer on all the flats.  Hint, call the county or city road maintenance depts.  Up here in central east coast FL they put in a bike lane on what was a restricted highway (causeway) that people were riding on anyway.  All the causeways seem collect a lot of debris and one of the LBS put up on there website the numbers to call for road side cleaning.  Apparently if they get a call they must act on it. 

2014-08-06 12:29 PM
in reply to: 1_Mad_Madone

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1502
1000500
Katy, Texas
Subject: RE: Tube Training?
Originally posted by 1_Mad_Madone

 We just did the ride from Key Largo to Key West and back (220 miles) and there were lots of flats in the group but only one in our group running Gatorskins. We put 110-120 PSi in the Gatorskins and had no issues.... I will say I changed all four of the tires upon our return.

Tubless tires look like a mess and not sure the slime would do any good.

Good luck maybe try your Gatorskins without the liners and at higher pressures to prevent pinch flats and make the tire "harder" but thats a trade off too. 




Was it this past weekend? I saw a big group of riders go by me in Key Largo when I was at a gas station fixing a flat tire. Wouldn't that be a small world if that was you.
2014-08-06 1:09 PM
in reply to: 3mar

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Boise, ID
Subject: RE: Tube Training?

 

Went back and read your old post again. Unfortunately I don't think there is an equipment change that can fix your problems. The slime is not going to do much if anything for you, you already have gatrskins and liners. About the only thing equipment wise might be to try Specialized Armadillos instead of the gatorskins. Quick google search found a few posts of people saying the Armadillos are tougher than the skins, the ride is more harsh, but supposedly they are more flat resistant.

Other than that I'm afraid your only option is to be more proactive in avoiding road debris, easier said than done sometimes. Hopefully now that you have the skills to avoid the user error flats, the overall number of flats should come down. Any chance to get off the shoulder and ride in the actual roadway? You do have the right to ride in the lane which is usually much cleaner than the shoulder, however it is not always feasible given traffic and speed limits, etc. 

If all else fails you could get an indoor trainer or rollers, but that tends to suck the soul out of you so I do my best to avoid it. 

2014-08-06 1:17 PM
in reply to: Aarondb4

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1502
1000500
Katy, Texas
Subject: RE: Tube Training?
Originally posted by Aarondb4

 

Went back and read your old post again. Unfortunately I don't think there is an equipment change that can fix your problems. The slime is not going to do much if anything for you, you already have gatrskins and liners. About the only thing equipment wise might be to try Specialized Armadillos instead of the gatorskins. Quick google search found a few posts of people saying the Armadillos are tougher than the skins, the ride is more harsh, but supposedly they are more flat resistant.

Other than that I'm afraid your only option is to be more proactive in avoiding road debris, easier said than done sometimes. Hopefully now that you have the skills to avoid the user error flats, the overall number of flats should come down. Any chance to get off the shoulder and ride in the actual roadway? You do have the right to ride in the lane which is usually much cleaner than the shoulder, however it is not always feasible given traffic and speed limits, etc. 

If all else fails you could get an indoor trainer or rollers, but that tends to suck the soul out of you so I do my best to avoid it. 




Thanks. I hope that as my skills improve (both riding and mechanically) I'll be able to lessen the number of flats. I've thought about riding in the road but Florida as repeatedly ranked the number one most dangerous place for pedestrians and cyclists. It's a very "cars rule" mentality here and I would be taking a big risk going in the roadway. I've considered it though. One of the nice things about living here is being able to train outside all year, so I don't think I could do a trainer. I agree with your "soul sucking" description of that.
2014-08-06 1:47 PM
in reply to: 3mar

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Boise, ID
Subject: RE: Tube Training?

 

If you do have a road with a relatively low speed limit and decide to try riding in the road, make sure you "take the road" so to speak. I find if I hug the white line too much it encourages drivers to attempt risky passes, if I am further out in the lane they tend to wait for a good time to pass and give me more space. I usually hang out in the right hand tire groove, works well for me around here.

Another option to look into is group riding. Not sure what is available in your area, but the harassment from cars goes down considerably when you have a group of 10-20 people. Much safer road riding when you have some people with you. 



2014-08-06 3:48 PM
in reply to: #5035837

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Extreme Veteran
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Sacramento, California
Subject: RE: Tube Training?
I will throw in a positive post for tubeless. I run tubeless tires and haven't had a flat in two years with them. Mountain bikers use them all the time. IMHO, they aren't difficult to use and maintain. Sure. There is a learning curve, but I found it kind of fun actually. I did some reading and bought a rim conversion kit from Stans and did the conversion. There are lots of videos and forums that provide support.

It was worth it for me... no more flats.
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