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Getting pretty sick of punctures.. Was a lot better prepared this time.

I suppose I get all I deserve for buying a cheap entry bike that has cheap wheels on them.



I'm looking for suggestions for a good set of wheels & tyres that will help cut down on the punctures a bit. My budget is £200 as I've just spent the best part of £400 at Christmas (turbo, pedals, tri shoes, new goretex cycle jacket etc)



I wanted to get out for a decent cycle today and got 3m into and got a puncture. Had to call the wife to come and get me... she found in hilarious!!!

Comments

  • BlinkybazBlinkybaz Posts: 1,144
    Whats causing the punctures? Road debris or is it from the turbo trainer and heat?
  • shadowone1shadowone1 Posts: 1,408
    Was forced from the road and hit a hole. didn't think it was particulary a big hole but nonetheless got a puncture.



    Don't get me wrong, I freely admit that the wheels are cheap so I know its better to upgrade but to what???
  • jacjac Posts: 452
    Gator skins are pretty good.
  • bathtubbathtub Posts: 280
    Do you use a track pump to pump up the tyres to the recommended tyre pressure, as stated on the sidewall.



    If not, having under inflated tyres can cause "snakebite" punctures.
  • shadowone1shadowone1 Posts: 1,408
    what is a snakesbite puncture?



    I'm using just a normal hand pump. I had the bike serviced not so long ago and I do check to make sure the pressure is ok.



    Having said that, I know previously in 220 that they done some testing on wheels so what do you's think of these?



    [ol][*]M:Wheels Mavic Open/Pro Tiagra

    [*]Shimano RS20

    [*]Fulcrum Racing 7[/ol]



    These all fall in my £200 budget and would be a little left over to go for better tyres. What do you's thinnk?



    Cheers
  • TommiTriTommiTri Posts: 879
    i have some easton ea50s a great wheel for 200ish, about 180 off wiggle. and a bit aero too.
  • treefrogtreefrog Posts: 1,242
    I bought a pair of Campagnolo Khasmin wheels for Winter training and they have been great they're shod with Continental tyres and I've had no problems with them.

    I think get yourself a quality set of tyres before new wheels as very often bad batches of tyres come onto the market and they become very prone to punctures. Maybe you have just got a bad set of tyres?
  • BARNYBARNY Posts: 157
    I had massive problems with puncture when I first started out!



    Now I have largely resolved the issue:



    1) Decent rim tape!!! - Take off your tires and tube and look what is on the inside of the rim of your wheel.. Rip out what there and replace with the good stuff - the toughest most expensive you can find.



    2) 100psi MINIMUM - I would rather have a sore ass then mend a puncture... You must buy a track pump if you want to play road biking! (and carry a mini pump that can go hard).



    3) Don't ride in the gutter - Motorist might beep but contary to popular belief they do not own the road (also stops them trying to whip by when there is little room).



    4) Avoid potholes (The hardest bit!) not only is it unhelathy for your bike it avoid the snake bite puncture where the tube is nippid by the tire compressing to the rim when you hit a steep bump.



    5) Decent tires - they state the TPI - buy ones with a high TPI!.. GP4000's are good all round.



    ?????) buy tubulars.... I don't have these but I think this woudl largely reduce our biggest threat the aforementioned snakebite... Who ever had a different kind of puncture.



    There you go - by the way - new wheels wont solve your puncture issues!
  • agent_tiagent_ti Posts: 306
    Agree with above, except for the tubular thing. Yes they will reduce pinch (snakebite) flats, however, you wont find them on your budget and they are a b**ch to change and expensive when you do flat, save them for racing.



    I have a pair of 50 quid wheels on my commuting bike, and have only punctured twice since september. Keep your tyres pumped up to the recommended pressure, check the rim tape and dont use featherlight inners. The easiest way to avoid punctures is get some decent tyres. I use michelin pro3 race, and granted they are the same price as the wheels themselves but are great! They have a kevlar lining in them which should stop most things getting through, and if you keep them pumped up and trying to avoid massive pot holes you will be fine. Also give your tyres a quick check before you go out each time to remove any debris as it can usually work its way in over a couple of rides. And that should solve your problems. Remember that punctures are a fact of life, you can do all you can to prevent them, but a long shard of glass or thorn will always get through sometimes, so always carry a spare inner, patch kit and pump with you
  • BopomofoBopomofo Posts: 980
    Was just typing a response then realised that agent_ti covered it all. Nice one.



    I'm using Panaracer Extreme Evo2, which seem very confidence inspiring in the wet and haven't punctured yet. They also fit my requirement of taking a huge amount of air - I always ride at max pressure, in this case 160psi. Most road debris doesn't stand a chance with a tyre that hard!
  • graham33graham33 Posts: 265
    OMG! 160psi!



    I'd have to wear 2 pairs of shorts for the padding! Ouch!
  • BARNYBARNY Posts: 157
    Hey MOFO - You sure your wheels can take that pressure?
  • BopomofoBopomofo Posts: 980
    Gulp! Wheels have a pressure rating too? Oh dear... I'm just using the Mavic Aksiums that came on the bike... am I going to break them at 160psi?



    **EDIT** Thanks for the tip-off, Barny. It wasn't easy to find the information, but I managed to find a username and password for the Mavic tech-support site and had a dig around. On a 23mm tyre the max recommended pressure for Mavic road wheels (all of them, it seems) is 138psi!! I'll consider myself deflated. Thanks.



    The full list of numbers is:

    19mm-146psi

    23mm-138psi

    25mm-131psi

    28mm-117psi

    32mm(tractor tyre, surely!) - 103psi
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