ColinD
Well-known member
Hi,
I'm not sure if a bicycle counts as Miscellaneous Nature Study Equipment, but it certainly gets me to and from a large percentage of my nature study, so here goes!
I have a Carrera Subway which I bought from Halfords last summer. It’s a nice, light weight bike which I really enjoy riding, described as ideal for road and track. However I am plagued by punctures. I average one puncture every 3 times I go out on the bike (each bike ride is about 15 miles, so one puncture every 45 miles). It’s getting so bad that I am seriously considering selling the bike and taking some other form of exercise, which would be a shame because I love my bike rides.
I usually do the same 15 miles every time I go out. The journey is about 60% normal roads, 40% farm tracks. The Carrera has Kevlar tyres which is supposed to minimise the risk of punctures. I have also use a product call slime. Not the stuff you put in the inner tube, it’s made by the same people, but is like a plastic band which goes between the inner tube and the tyre. I’ve also wrapped two or three layers of electrical tape around the wheel, just in case the punctures are coming from a sharp object on the wheel itself, such as a spoke sticking through. Nothing works. I still keep getting punctures.
Anybody got any suggestions on how I can improve the situation, because I am almost at the stage of dumping the bike and going back to the car. I know that punctures are part of bike riding, but this is ridiculous. I can’t believe that in this day and age, we are still riding on thin bits of rubber filled with air. Surely there must be some product which has the same same properties, but which doesn’t rely on air. If not, why not?
Any help greatly appreciated.
I'm not sure if a bicycle counts as Miscellaneous Nature Study Equipment, but it certainly gets me to and from a large percentage of my nature study, so here goes!
I have a Carrera Subway which I bought from Halfords last summer. It’s a nice, light weight bike which I really enjoy riding, described as ideal for road and track. However I am plagued by punctures. I average one puncture every 3 times I go out on the bike (each bike ride is about 15 miles, so one puncture every 45 miles). It’s getting so bad that I am seriously considering selling the bike and taking some other form of exercise, which would be a shame because I love my bike rides.
I usually do the same 15 miles every time I go out. The journey is about 60% normal roads, 40% farm tracks. The Carrera has Kevlar tyres which is supposed to minimise the risk of punctures. I have also use a product call slime. Not the stuff you put in the inner tube, it’s made by the same people, but is like a plastic band which goes between the inner tube and the tyre. I’ve also wrapped two or three layers of electrical tape around the wheel, just in case the punctures are coming from a sharp object on the wheel itself, such as a spoke sticking through. Nothing works. I still keep getting punctures.
Anybody got any suggestions on how I can improve the situation, because I am almost at the stage of dumping the bike and going back to the car. I know that punctures are part of bike riding, but this is ridiculous. I can’t believe that in this day and age, we are still riding on thin bits of rubber filled with air. Surely there must be some product which has the same same properties, but which doesn’t rely on air. If not, why not?
Any help greatly appreciated.
I average 120 miles a week, and haven´t had a puncture for about two years. So if you´re getting one every 45 miles, either there´s a lot of glass out your way, or there´s a problem with your tyres/tubes/inner wheel rims. Don´t shy away from spending top prices on tubes and tyres, because crap ones are really crap, and good ones are really good. There are a lot of products out there that claim to be puncture-free, but I´ve never used any. I hope this gets sorted because it sounds like something quite simple and specific, and it shouldn´t put you off cycling. (P.S. - Bicycles are Crucial Nature Study Equipment!)
