I keep getting frickin punctures, but do not want to go tubeless…
Currently on Panracer XC Fire Pros with decent conti tubes – they tick most boxes but keep getting flats…
Any thoughts?

More pressure. I run 35F/40R, still get the odd puncture though. UST is the best solution I’ve found, though I only have them on the race HT.

Yup, more pressure – I run mine pretty hard and rarely if ever have punctures.

With my Fire XC Pros of old they had a nasty habit of ripping valves off inner tubes – you’re not having that problem are you?

why not tubeless ? seems the obvious answer

re nicko74 – that’s been happenng to me – Spech innertubes (loads of them so not a bad batch) coming away from the presta valve. I always assumed I had a burr or something on the valve hole that was slicing through it, but despite filing, it kept on happening. I never considered it could be the tyre – how does that happen then?

I use maxxis minions at pretty low pressures a lot of the time and don’t get pinch flats. Had real problems with them when I had conti mountain kings with flimsy sidewalks, if they weren’t around 40 psi. I’m pretty light though at 72kg.

What sort of punctures?

Conti with the protection belts in them are pretty good Only glass slivers will go thru them

I have to say tho continual puncturing is the only thing that would make me go tubeless

Tried slime tubes – or puncture proof strips in the tyre?
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f_ProductID=2260&f_SupersetQRY=Kpuncture&f_SortOrderID=0&f_bct=

Go tubeless. I mean, really. Just do it already.

It’s a massive faff to get it to work. But you’re doing the faffing around in the comfort and warmth of your own home. Cup of tea? Cake? No problem. Beer? Coming right up.

Out on a night ride a week ago. Really properly cold. Lots of snow on the ground. Someone got a thorn. OK. Stop, and stand around shivering while he sorted it out. Then, just as we’re heading off, it turns out someone else now had a flat in their back tyre from another thorn.

So we stood around for another fifteen minutes (it’s not easy to change a tube when the insides of the pump have frozen). Finally this tyre was fixed.

And then we found his front tyre had a flat as well.

echo.

Haven’t had the valve-shredding, that sounds boring.
I’m gonna try upping the pressure first and if I still get a flat every third ride I’ll take on the tubeless epic.
It scares me though… so much fiddling (but as above, at least I can do it in my shed).

Thanks all.

I never considered it could be the tyre – how does that happen then?

worn/stretched bead allows tyre to slip round on rim, pulling tube with it but valve stays put

Dual Ply Minions
tyres are like women over a certain age
Light Grippy Puncture Proof
Single Sane Attractive
Pick 2

I run paper thin 1.8 Nobby Nic Evos but at highish pressure and get very few punctures despite riding over sharp rocks, thorns, etc all the time.

It’s a massive faff to get it to work.

I disagree. To set up a tubeless tyre it takes only a little more time than a traditional tyre/tube set-up. It does depend on the tyre manufacturer I suppose. I have experience with Conti, Maxxis and Bontrager, they’ve all been quick and easy to set-up…so there.

It’s worth mentioning that since going tubeless I haven’t had a puncture or noticed one in about 18 months.

elgolfo – Member

re nicko74 – that’s been happenng to me – Spech innertubes (loads of them so not a bad batch) coming away from the presta valve. I always assumed I had a burr or something on the valve hole that was slicing through it, but despite filing, it kept on happening. I never considered it could be the tyre – how does that happen then?

As scaredypants says, if the bead gets loose on the rim, the tyre can slip round, while the inner can’t – particularly on the front under braking (for me). I used talc to try to solve it, and it kinda helped, but in the long run the solution that worked for me was switching to another tyre (Bonty Jones ACX). The bead’s pretty tight on that and I haven’t had the same issue.
Interestingly, I also haven’t had a flat with them for years!

null

i’ve been running these Weldite Sureride Anti Puncture Tape jobbies for a while now and have had very,very few punctures since.

http://www.weldtite.co.uk/productdetail/248/products.aspx?RID=248

stopped using nobby nics on rear because I was always puncturing. For all sorts of reasons – ran highish pressures on a HT and still had probs..sidewalls just too thin / flexy. (Maxxis Advantage now – no issues)

i run spesh armadillos on tubes and have never had a puncture and ive ridden over every kind of terrain and been out with someone who has conti MK and has had 2 punctures on the same rides as me over the same grounds.suppose they dont call them armadillos for nothing!!!

Panaracer Trailraker PR’s.

Used a pair of them almost year round for 2 years and only had a small handful of punctures. Want to get some more but they’re pricey and i’m getting tighter with old age.

more recently i picked up some michelin all terrain jobbies for a nice price at the beginning of the year and although these were really light and fast with fair amount of grip, my lordy did i get some punctures. yes i did.

back to panaracers again now but fire xc pros. (note to santa Father Christmas – trailrakers please 😀 )

I used to run Slime tubes for about three years, never got a puncture that didn’t seal. Gf had one punture that wouldn’t seal.

Switched to tubeless with Stans sealant, still good but we get more punctures than with Slime, still rare though.

If you don’t want the faff of tubeless, it has to be Slime. Its easy, adds a small amount of weight but that is worth it if it just saves you one puncture this winter 🙂 P.S the Slime Lites don’t work as well.

Run tubeless on both bikes and have found loads of thorns in Nobby Nic, Racing Ralph, Maxxis Advantage recently – pulled 12 thorns out of the Ralph when I swapped it for a mud tyre!!

If it hadn’t been for tubeless that would almost certainly have been 12 punctures on the one tyre