Rob Raux - Observations

How to prevent a flat tire on your bicycle

There is plethora of information on the internet on fixing and changing flat tires. Unfortunately there is significant less information available on preventitive measures. With this in mind I set out to determine what I could do to prevent flat tires on my road bike as I commute to work.

Here are a few steps to keep you from having to “fix a flat”:

1. Keep your tires inflated to their correct PSI. Soft tires will get you a flat out on the road in no time. Soft tires compress to the road and and object they may pass over. Instead of repelling the object in question, the tire will welcome it into your tube.
2. Don’t run over garbage. Simple but effective. By reducing the amount of broken glass and gravel you traverse you limit the chances of receiving a flat. It is never possible to completely avoid debris in the road but you can certainly improve your chances.
3. Armadillo Tires. This brand of tire, made by Specialized, is great at resisting the urge to flat. They are heavy tires, they are difficult to get on your rims, and they are a bit on the pricey side, but these tires are spectacular at avoiding flats. If you’re going to purchase any single product to avoid a flat this is it. If you’re changing a few flats a week, or even a month, these tires will quickly pay for themselves, not to mention alleviate the aggrevation of changing a flat on the road.
4. Tire Slime. Placing liquid goo in your tires can add heal leaks as they occurr. This works great for smaller incisions and tears that would normally cause you to receive a slow leaking flat. This will not help much with a hard blow out. In fact, it may even leave you with a bit of a mess to clean up afterwards. It is however another reasonable solution.
5. Tire Liners. A piece of hard plastic that guards the area between your tire and your tube. These act as limited coverage protection against flats. Popular brands include SpinSkins and Mr. Tuffy.
6. Air free tubes or tires. I haven’t yet assessed this option myself as it is a bit out of my price range (and the Armadillo Tires have worked wonders), however tires such as GreenTyre, StopAFlat, and AirFreeTires. I’d be interested in hearing others opinions of these productions.