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[Closed] How to get rid of the puncture fairy?
I've been riding for three years now, and apart from a puncture on one of my first ever rides, until two weeks ago, I'd never had one. Since then I've had three, two on one training ride on my regular evening loop on my old hard tail, and one today on my new full susser. All of them pinch flats.
Now I've recently changed to Racing Ralphs on my hard tail, and I've got Nobby Nics on my full susser, part of me wonders whether it's just Schwalbe tyres that are puncture prone, part of me wonders whether it's because I've increased my speed, without necessarily increasing my bike skills, meaning that I'm being very heavy on my tyres.
Your suggestions on how I might make the puncture fairy go away again?
Put more air in your tyres.
I'm running the same pressures that I always have been. Any more, and I start to lose grip.
I had this problem for a while. I suddenly found that if the tyres were soft enough for good grip, I got loads of pinch flats. If the tyres were a bit harder then they just pinballed off the big rocky stuff.
The answer is probably heavier tyres, heavier tubes or, the one I went for, a tubeless conversion. It's transformed my bikes.
Hmm, tubeless. Tell me more? I hear both good and bad things about this.
It was a heck of a faff to set up. About 30-45 minutes per tyre and a few days of shaking, leaving on one side, shaking, leaving on other side etc. However, my tyres have very thin, porous sidewalls and most would be much easier to seal.
Once done though, they're great. You can run them pretty soft, no pinchflats, loads of grip, faster rolling, more comfortable.
I'm using 2.4 conti mountain king supersonics. So I have 550g 2.4s, run at 25psi and no pinchflats.
Sure the tubes are actually the right size ?
I had 2.25 tubes in 1.9 tyres and had lots of problems. Then got the right tubes and also switched to Schwalbe kevlar belted tyres. As I mainly nite ride in winter so punctures in cold weather are hard work.
I'm 15stone and ride at 45psi on a 2inch full susser. It's only in Provence on 'Caillietoux' which is rocky, loose, sharp trails do I get pinches.
Nick
after a few pinch flats, particularly with older tyres, you may find your sidewalls are pretty knacked, leaving you reliant on the tubes, I've found a new tyre has generally got me out of this pinching cycle
Have you put on weight?
CaptJon, I don't think so, if anything I'm losing it because I'm riding much more these days.
more often than not it's not exactly hard to pinpoint which part of the trail has caused the tube to pinch.
choose a smoother line or jump it! (or run higher pressure/better tyres)
Jumping scares me, especially onto loose rocky landings. 🙄 😀
Like wot gingerflash says.
Been there too.