5 Hacks For Fewer Flat Tyres On Your Road Bike | GCN Tech's Guide To Road Bike Maintenance
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 มิ.ย. 2024
- No-one likes punctures, so here’s our guide to reducing your risk of a flat tyre. From new school - road tubeless - to old school - the flint catcher - these five tips will keep you on the road and make puncture repair kits a thing of the past.
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Minimising punctures is something that every cyclist wants to do. So we’ve put together five ways that you can make it happen.
1. Use latex sealant in your inner tubes
If you’re a fan of tubeless tyres, you can skip this one, but, if you haven’t made the jump to tubeless tyres on your road bike just yet, latex sealant could be a good halfway house.
2. The flint catcher
If you find that you’re getting lots of flats from sharp objects, the flint catcher is a super-old school hack, and one that is designed for rim brake frames - we did say that it was old school. You can make your own flint catcher from something like an old spoke, or, if you feel inclined, scour eBay and see if you can pick up a genuine retro item.
3. Quality rim tape
Rim tape is one of those fit-and-forget components. But, old, thin or just plain low quality rim tape can greatly increase your chances of puncturing; either from pinch flats or sharp edges like spoke holes. Investing in some high quality thick rim tape that’s also the right width for your wheels, is one of the cheapest ways to upgrade your ride.
4. Heavy duty tyres
Some people say that it’s not a hack if you have to spend money on it. While they may have a point, quality tyres will reduce the number of times you puncture, add grip, reduce rolling resistance, and more.
5. Lining your new tyres with old ones
Another old school hack and one that will greatly increase the rotating weight of your wheels. It’s a trade-off then; fewer punctures and more rolling resistance or more time spent fixing flats with less rolling resistance. Consider using this one on your training wheels and take the puncture benefit alongside a bit more resistance, which could potentially increase your training effect. Win/win?
Despite all of these hacks, you still need to make sure that you know how to repair a flat tyre. Subscribe for more how to videos, hacks, tips, and the best in road bike tech: gcntech.co/subscribetogcntech
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What do you need to fix on your bike? Let us know and we might make a video!
Internal cable routing..... you may have already done one but I can’t find it?!
+Nash Cycling you're right, internal cabling can be really tricky. We'll be sure to make a video or two on the best way to do it.
Happy days, it’s one of the jobs I can’t bring myself to do, it’s something that would frustrate me no end...... 😂
Can I attach my rear brakes to the under side of my seatstays for aerodynamics (giant tcr)
I'd actually love to see you guys do a series on how to build a bike from scratch.
I once used electrical tape as rim tape. It’s much heavier but it works. Clean your wheel before application and stretch it a little bit and apply it tightly. The more times around the better but you should be more than fine with 5. I used that in Las Vegas for two years and was cycling 10,000+ miles a year. Only applied it the once as well.
I'd also love a complete road bike disassemble - assemble video, from scratch. Partly for people who might build their own bike, partly to understand completely how a road bike works. I have not found anything like that yet. I mean I realize that there are videos for each part of the bike, but not a complete build. Would be nice to have something like that.
+Daniel Czirjak that's a great shout. We'll definitely see what we can do
Great idea...to do it justice, perhaps a series of videos showing all the build steps in detail. We hoping for detail on this channel!!! (Incidentally, GTN is woefully short on detail for a sport which is riddled with technique and triathletes pursuing the sport(s) with perfect technique to shave off seconds!!)
Yup, buying part by part, by saving little by little, knowing whats compatible and what's not, then assemble them one by one. Also why not buy from different brands
check out the youtube channel RJ the bike guy
I’ve been using tyre liners for years. I haven’t had a flat since using them. The little bit of extra weight is worth the reliability.
Simon nailed one of the biggies. Watch where you're riding, and for crap on the road! But he missed another one. Always check your tires fairly often for bits of glass, etc. Many flats aren't immediate, glass etc. has to work its way into the tire. Get it before it hits the tube, you're okay!
Absolutely loved that bit at the end there. Super real and upfront!
"not riding in the gutter of the roads"
so not riding on any bike lane then? got it
Some bike lanes are just the shoulder.
@@noonehere4332 this is true where I live, and more often than not it's littered with glass shards...
I use thorn resistant tubes along with Mr. Tuffy liners and Velox tape with mine.
I usually buy whichever tyres give the most protection. I don’t mind if it’s a bit slower.
What about buying best protection and least rolling resistance? Yes, not all slow tires are actually the optimal solution for puncture protection. Here you can find some good sceintific data on the matter:
www.bicyclerollingresistance.com
Lots more to come on GCN Tech - make sure you subscribe!
Good video lads! My tip to avoid flats is to stop immediately if I ride over a sketchy road surface, for example an intersection where there was a vehicle accident. More often than not, I can pick out a few small shards of glass out of the tyre before they get worked in deep into the rubber and create a puncture. We follow the same protocol on group rides: stop for a quick tyre inspection and save yourself a change.
Thanks Georges - that's really good advice
You must have some great roads! If I used your tip I'd be stopping every few hundred metres.
We do have great roads in Ottawa... when they are not covered in snow!!
There are a LOT of cycling videos to watch every day now!
This is brilliant! Thank you guys :)
+toasty bear thanks for the support!
Loving the new Tech channel and looking forward to more! One thing I'd say about this video - and perhaps applicable to future Tech videos - is; DON'T SKIMP ON THE DETAILS! People are here for the geeky stuff and the small details. For instance the bit about using sealant inside your inner tube sounded interesting but would've been good to get some more info, like is it actually effective and what are the pros/cons etc. Keep up the good work!
+Gregg the Square Peg and that Sir is where we are heading. Early days on tbe channel. So much to do and work out our end but we are focused and on it! Thanks for the feedback and support.
Double the tire is brilliant thanks mate
I see no reason to unlike this video.. It's always fun to watch tech videos like this. Great first job GCN! I liked it.
Thanks Sterling! Really appreciate it.
Wonderful tips. thank you
This is 'Top Gear' at its best, wonderful tips for my 3 bikes !
This is the first video and I'm already in love with this new channel. Never will replace GCN in my heart though.
+Evan V thanks Evan. Great videos coming up on both in 2018
The belt joke is great
Go for schwalbe marathon plus if you want puncture resistance!
Aye, but they're so dead feeling. Only worth it if you must ABSOLUTELY minimize flats at all cost, imho.
Pin just messed mine up
Good Job
I have been having puncture problems for a long time due to the area I have to ride in. I pass scrap yards and bars, where people have thrown beer bottles on the road side. after a lot of testing through the years I have found the best way and some what an easy way to fix the problem. I took notice that nine out of ten punctures were on the back tire so I started using a forte puncture resistant inner tube on the rear tire only because the inner tube weights 265 grams. I had a rod go through the tire from right to left and pulled it out with no leaking air at all. over 2000 miles later that inner tube is still good. only one puncture to the front tire in that time and it is a normal inner tube. thanks to forte for this amazing inner tube and thanks to the people of GCN for their great work.
+mightytim2010 thanks for sharing!
Nice channel guys i learn a lot of things through your channel, LONG LIVE ''GCN Tech''
+Robert Arsen cheers Robert. Thanks for watching and your support. All the best.
Works good
tannus airless tires. use them and love them. havent had a pump in years!
Nice entry level bike
You guys read my mind
I love my Schwalbe Marathan Plus. I use them on both my hybrids and my road bike. I've yet to have a puncture since I started using them four years ago.
I found a great tire that’s given me very few flats - the Vittoria Rubino Pro G+. I just replaced the rear tire after 11131 km. I had only four flats. The first two were caused by an aging rim strip. The third was only two days before replacement, and I found a very thin wire had penetrated the tread. I didn’t yet determine the cause of the fourth flat; i saw a tiny patch of thread showing and changed the tire. I’ve used Rubino Pro tires for years, but the graphene model has surpassed all the previous versions!
A really old school one is to use a 5cm long part of an old tube with a hole for the valve to reinforce the tire around the valve stem to avoid the sharp corner / abrasion caused by the hole.
We have a real problem with the small wires from exploded truck tires. Besides tubeless, the only thing I've found that works is using the tire within a tire. An old 23mm fits well inside a 25, but not the other way around. Be sure to trim and tape the ends to avoid a seam that will cause an issue.
Great hack Dave, I hadn't heard of the inner tube one before.
hi Dave, where are you riding to have that many exploded truck tyres? thanks, Jon
Kona, Hawaii along the Queen K.
After 3 punctures this winter on my Schwalbes I am running with Tannus inserts on my commuter bike. Good solution so far.
The sealant hack sounds great, I might try it one day. But what would happen if the sealant gets dry inside the tube?
I've got a Gatorskin tyres plus a slime tape between the tyre and the tube. Running 25mm tyres with 100psi air pressure. Your advise for the liquid sealant is very helpful. Didn't think about it earlier. Thank you!
+D. R. Pleasure Sir. Thanks fir your comments and feedback. All the best.
Please make a video on Microshift shifters arsis and centos... thanks.
Good suggestion Partha - we'll see what we can do.
Another I've found is to make sure your tyres are in good condition and replace them before they get too thin. I also replace the tyre if i'm unlucky enough to get a flat with a reasonable gash on the tyre.
I can’t wait to have to worry about getting flats, I’m stuck inside and would give anything to ride outside at the moment, it’s way too cold to get out
I've been riding in 17F all week
HTFU
Evan V I would harden up, but I can’t perform very well and get any quality training in when I’m freezing my nads off. I’d rather ride inside and get stronger than go outside for a ride just to brag about how badass I think I am
Wow, how did you know that's why I was riding?!
Toronto is -20c today, being outside riding or jogging when EVERYONE is indoors is magical. Last man on earth feeling!
Hello from lockdown
Nice video👍👍
Thanks Rajvir
How about using tougher tires and Thorn resistant inner tube with the tubeless sealent? Just a thought.
Instead of lining your wheel with an old tyre, line it with an old inner tube. Does the same job and will probably be much lighter.
Hey Si, love your work! Can i suggest everyone buy a park tools valve core remover? They are cheap and work great! Some valve cores are way too tight to remove by hand and some of your novice viewers may not know how to solve a bent or stuck core.
Bigger rider here (190 lbs) commuting a large American city in the rustbelt with crap roads. My best combo so far is running 32mm Gatorskins. Have had only one flat in around 5 years and that was a pinch flat from a hidden pothole.
Not that I'm complaining, but I haven't had a single puncture in almost 3 years and 8,000 miles of riding now. And that's in rutted roads of Northumberland. Sorry to brag.
+AnTeallach2011 a few of us have cycled up there. That's impressive, lucky or both!
Review the tannus all solid tire.
With a lack of rim tape when I had to do some spoke replacements, I ended up actually cutting apart an old intertube into strips and wedging it down into the rim. It's been working for half a year now. :P
I put latex sealant in four of my bikes last year and it was a bad idea it didn't work all that happened is the sealant leaked out of the tube and into the Tyre as it went down then you have a big mess to deal with.That's not what you want when your out the road also i found that a tube covered in sealant is difficult to patch.After this happened five or six times i threw all eight tubes in the bin.Anyway that's what happened to me you may have better luck.
Mr Tuffy liners. They work.
Does the liquid latex work on tubes? Has it been tested? Also avoid debris that accumulates at intersections that may contain glass, nails, rocks, thorns etc! How do you feel about road tubeless! I tried them once. Had a puncture that didn’t seal and of course the ensuing mess was obvious when putting a tube in. I went back to clinchers and tubes an I haven’t looked back! Check bicycle tire rolling resistance online. He actually tests puncture resistance on each tire tested. It’s very good when comparing tires. By the way, it was 80 degrees F here in Southern California today. Just trying to make you a little jealous! Happy New Year 🎆🎊
I have no car I ride about 300 days on my bike to work and back 50 km a day in the weekend with my mates around 100 _160km for training so we can get good in the summer so if we feel like it we do a race around the church or velo.cloude criquielion wan of the hardest to race in Belgium so we're are staying in schappe we are going between the ages of 40&55 the mates are hardest on the planet. Nice videos man.
"super cereal" about punctures 🤣🤣🤣 ... reference South Park ManBearPig
Go tubeless with sealant ... best advice
What about Kevlar inserts. I did not know they existed until my friendly neighborhood bicycle shop told me about them. Fitted one in the rear, changed my inner tube never had a puncture since.
had a flat from a nail, and got 4 snakebites in my inner tube. at home i tried some of Schwalbes doc blue sealant (=notubes), it fixed all of the holes. after a not so good tubeless try (i dont like the feel) i ll go back to normal tires with some sealant in it.
I'm new to road bikes and road riding but can you put a bigger 28c tire on the rear where I get most of my flats and still use 23c up front? Or will the different sizes produce some unwanted effects?
is there a piece were you can insert to keep valve hole so when you put in the tube valve it wont cut it over time that the bigger one I always run to because I notice that over time the tube in the tire tends to slide causing the valve tube to get cut from sharp edges of tthe valve hole on the frame
Mr Tuffy/polyurethane tyre liners stop drawing pins, sharp flints, glass.
Never known anything to fully penetrate them.
But ...
the tyres can't be pumped up so hard (tyre space loss)
and over time they themselves wear out the inner tube - especially on the back wheel.
The shortest life of an inner tube (from new) was 4 months/~600 miles, yet the eventual abrasion puncture was slow: a pump every 10 mins got me home.
4 months of no punctures is still better than a roadside inner tube change.
FORTE puncture resistant tubes, AMAZING, made of very puncture resistant butyl rubber , a lot thicker than regular tube
Can I put tube sealant on inner tubes that has schrader valves?
I bought a early 70's Gitane Tour de France that I'm rebuilding with more modern Shimano parts - it had one of those flint catchers on it and I had to Google what the thing was for - first time I had seen one. (Its not going back on in the rebuild).
Go on, try the flint catcher!
Yeah.... Hipster belt..... I can see where Si's fashion sense is heading :)
I didn't realize that this is the tech channel
Just stopping to use Conti and shimano brought down brought down my punctures to almost 0. Contis are good sonst punctured sure. But they stuck with cuts.
I was a "Velox" man for many years but I found Schwalbe plastic rim tape is much more useful. It protects fine, no messy glue, and less interference with bead seating. Just make sure to get the correct width for your rims.
Good tip thanks!
You can use tyre liners too.
are you sure that sealent works in the tube? there is talk inside the tube that wil absorb the selant and nothing can come out when punturing.
Does putting sealant in your clincher inner tube actually help?
Umm, why did you mention those solid rubber inserts? I'm looking for those for my e-bikes 4 inch tires.
why do rim brake tires have those big round plates inside the rim but disks dont?
And what about latex inner tubes? I’ve drastically reduced the number of punctures just by switching to latex.
Okay, so…convert to tubeless. Got it! 👍
The best thing I've done to reduce the amount of flats is riding wider tires. And on top of that I bought anti-flat tires.
My road bike is inside for the winter. So i didnt have had Any flats lately. But my last flat tire in summer was a good one it ripped a hole in the tire. But i'm a mountainbiker who somethimes rides a roadbike so maby i just ride to agressive haha.
GCNTech, it’ll be interesting to see a tech video on various saddle types like Specialized Power and which are used in pro peloton
+Omar Tan thanks for the comment. We'll be covering lots of pro tech, starting soon.
Bring a frame pump and patch kit keeps the debris gremlins at bay. Every time i ride the xcountry bike out to my trails im good but i forget one of these ive had 2 flats lol.
Ok my tire is old and worn and my mavic rim is old and no rim tape but it has this smooth plastic along the inside the rim. But i say gremlins lol
0:16 Well actually Si it’s fewer flats, not less
Oscar Laight I can’t help it, I’m like a rapper, never one to let a bit of grammar get in the way of a good title.
Stannis Baratheon fan ?
Don't apologise. You are absolutely right. Well done.
I also keep a small Swiss Army Knife in my saddle bag. At the end of each ride, I will check for glass and pull them out with my knife. During a 7-day, 545 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles, I did not get any punctures because of this practice. Oh, and you'll like this Simon, I wash my bike almost after every ride.
+Diana Theriault impressive stuff Diana - both the punctures and the bike cleaning. Thanks for sharing.
Hi,
A good maintenance Monday would be how to clean mouldy handlebar tape?
Thanks Sam richards
Dont. Just Replace it. That sounds vile!
My durano's have several holes in the rubber but none of them got through the protection.
The biggest cause of most of my flats seem to be super small pieces of flint in the tyre from previous rides that then get pushed through when they roll over a tiny pebble. I inspect my tyres after every ride now and pick them out with a small blunt picking tool. I reckon the rate of flats for me has gone down by 80%.
+tarmacsurfers sounds like a flint catcher could be the thing for you!
GCN Tech I hear you, I might try knocking one up to see if it makes a difference. Will see if I can improve on yours Si ha ha.
+tarmacsurfers very very smart. Thanks for passing on your experience. All the best.
GCN Tech 👍🏼
the big problem is were you put in the air the littlie tube the go in that hole were in the frame the metal from the frame cuts it over time is the something that I can put around the hole of the frame were I put the air in so it wont get cut
GCN tech.👍
+Yusuf Kadri Taşkın cheers NY friend
The Continental 4 seasons are far from being safe, I already had 3 punctures with them in les than 1000 km. I was expecting more from those tires to be honest. In my old bike I had Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires, and never, not even once, have a puncture; they´re very heavy, but you can forget completely about punctures.
Unfortunately there are a-holes in Chicago who like to deliberately break glass beer bottles in the bike lanes.
If you’re looking for puncture protection wouldn’t you run Gatorskins not 4Seasons?
Gatorskins all the way. Flat-free
Been riding for years on my gators 1 puncture
Yeah, hipster belt😁!!!
I got a set of gatorskin tyres and thought they were protecting me from punctures pretty well... Then managed to get 3 in the space of 20 miles.
but what did Dan say when you borrowed his belt without asking?
The chain slightly rubs my front derailleur on a few gears , how do I solve this @GCNTech
Front derailleur adjustment can be tricky sometimes, we'll make sure we do a video on it soon.
Flats are an interesting topic, I run tubulars all the time and get very few flats, I have a theory here, as I see clincher tyres get so much more flats, and when they do flat, they don’t find a object which caused the puncture on many occasions. I do believe the problem is the tube gets fatigued in the tyre casing, this could be the indents in the rim for the spokes or just the casing rubbing on the tube. Ever noticed the dirty powder in the tyre when you change a puncture? I believe it is the rubbing of the two materials. In a tubular it has another membrane between the tube and the casing + no rim to rub against. Maybe I could be talking rubbish here, but remember at 100psi, and the flexing of the tyre ever rotation, maybe possible??? Who knows. I also use 30mls of stans in my tyres. Works a treat for thorns. Happy cycling everyone and the flat fairy leaves you alone.....
You missed the most obvious hack: making sure your tires are properly inflated before each ride. (I also find that my latex inner tubes flat less than my butyl tubes.)
As well as correct tyre pressure that many of the team highlight below, another hack:
1. Dig out embedded glass shards regularly, deflate tyre slightly say to 40 psi, then inspect each tyre, and flick out any small glass embeds in tyre carcass before they penetrate... pay particular attention to any mini cuts. Squeeze or pinch tyre either side of cut or embedded glass shard and then flick it out of tyre say using a very small screw driver / carefully using end of sharp knife / end of nail file etc... just to remove the shards.
+Simon Watson cheers Simon. Really useful insights there. All the best.
All the best advice is at 4:40 !
4:02 yeah hipster belt 🤣🤣
I ride about 10k miles a year and get maybe 1 or 2 punctures during the period To be honest almost any "extraordinary" measure to reduce puncture probability feels like too much of a faff to me.
If you do get a flat, take everything apart when you are able and inspect everything very well (wheel, tire, location of the tube puncture, etc.). Even if there isn’t a foreign object found, the initial flat may have damaged something enough like your actual tire that it causes future flats. That happened to me and I missed a spot due to the damage being in multiple spots and subtle. Good excuse to buy a new tire though. 😁
+Aaron David very good advice Aaron. Thanks k you very much for sharing your tips and experience. All the best.
you could do a video how to reduce flats on turbo trainers. it makes me mad...
+Mateusz Zdyb that's happened to me once or twice and it's so frustrating when it does!
Happened to me twice. No idea why.
Hi, I cut the beading off old tyre so basically just tred it was a 700x25c and put it inside my new 700x25c laid it in then inner tube so it's a tyre in a tyre an inner tube works well no more punctures, 😜😜😜😜😜🎉#tyrehack
adding extra rim tap will make it harder to install and remove tyres
How about a video on best tyre/rim combo’s that you have come across in your time...for ease of use/performance point of view. I’ve tried 6 brands of carbon rims and probably every tyre and still think they’re a bugger to fit/change
+Josh Pearson we're going to steer away from reviewing products but we definitely have a few tricks for those difficult to fit tyres coming up
Thanks GCN, an idiots step by step guide to fitting/changing tight tyres is what I need if possible 👍
How about the ideal tyre width for the inner width of different rims. For example the best tyre width for a rim with an internal with of 19mm.
Absolutely. I've broken I don't know how many tyre levers trying to fit the buggers back on the rims!
How about how to setup bike with clip on aero bars
Great idea Marius, thanks!
關於雙層輪胎這點我要吐嘈，我很懷疑GCN有真的自己這樣做過（騎很久）。
但是我的經驗是，雙層輪胎中被剪掉胎唇的那個，剪切的邊緣長期使用下來是會弄破內胎的。
還有關於輪圈膠帶，我有自認更好的辦法，只需要使用普通電線膠帶，還有寶特瓶。
首先把寶特瓶剪開成一片片，大小可以蓋住輪圈孔，然後邊黏膠帶邊放寶特瓶片蓋住輪圈孔就行了。
我自己是用比較麻煩的方式，我把寶特瓶片中間縫上一片長方形外胎，外胎片長邊比輪圈孔長一點，短邊比輪圈孔小一點，這樣就可以剛好卡進輪圈孔。
然後再套上一圈普通的襯帶。我用這麻煩方式是考慮維修的拆裝會比較方便。
Hi, I've just started cycling 3 months ago and have seen a huge difference in performance from when I first started. However I'm still finding it hard to do the long up hill trek. I do pace myself, but somehow find myself haulting midway. Please advise. Thank you