2023 Black cat award (punctures)

[warthog1]

Opened my account for the year today.
Challenge getaway pro HTLR on the rear.
Another gravel tyre with a stick punched right through it.
Nearly home today after a gravel ride on the O'Keefe rail trail and some dirt roads. About 10km from home and psst psst psst as the tyre rolled, spraying sealant everywhere.
Didn't know what had caused it to start. The sealant almost plugged it. Couldn't be fagged plugging or bunging a tube in, it so just pumped it. Nearly made it home but it got that flat it started to unseat.
A CO2 cannister got me home.
The tyre was half worn and I found the stick in it when I removed it.
Glued a big tube patch on the tyre and back on. That'll do.

I am finding the gravel brings more punctures than the road though.

[jasonc]

I'm first, am I?
Went out to the garage this morning to find my front tyre 100% flat. Replaced tyre and tube. binned them as they were old. New tyre, new tube and on my way
I remember hearing a weird noise near the end of my ride last night. Oh well
New Total: 1

[Bunged Knee]

No, you are not the 1st one.

[Bunged Knee]

Hey, Friday the 13th was my speciality......

[cyclotaur]

After very few punctures in recent times, copped two in nearly successive rides on different tyres.

First one a slow leak after hitting a sharp pit-lid hard on Djerring Trail inbound - took another 5-6 km to notice it and had to stop and pump 3 kms from home, but made it. Found a fair old tear in the sidewall later. Shame as the tyre (Schwalbe P-Durano 32) has worn really well over at least 10,000 kms.

Second was on an older Conti CX Speed 35 I replaced the Schwalbe with for the next 2 rides. Did a short ride near Sorrento, then rode homewards the next day (last Thursday - turned out a stinker 40C ) and managed 92 kms on road and gravel before a similar thing happened. Slow flat about 10 kms from home on Murrumbeena Rd - probably would have made it with a few pumps but heat and cramp in both legs saw me calling up the 'support' vehicle. Found a tiny tear in the tread this time, must have run over something that eventually worked its way into the tube - very tiny hole.

[find_bruce]

Came a cropper - was braking hard & down I went - thought I had stuffed up but when I limped off the road to check myself & bike I noticed the tyre was dead flat - changing the tube & saw a big split in the tube with a 2nd smaller one. Not sure what caused it - a pinch flat would be unusual in a 40mm tyre, but perhaps the tube split & the 2nd was pinched as a result. Either way binned the tube.

Little bit of bark off elbow & knee & a bruise on my shoulder, so a good outcome all things considered

[jasonc]

nasty bruce. and thanks for closing/amalgamating my other thread

[find_bruce]

nasty bruce. and thanks for closing/amalgamating my other thread

It's not too bad thanks Jason, one day off the bike & then back to commuting. Any time mate

[warthog1]

I forgot to include the tufo thundero I wrecked a couple of weeks ago when I failed a small jump landing.
Dinged the rim (which I repaired) but binned the tyre.
viewtopic.php?f=34&t=107216

Today on another gravel ride I felt a spray on the back of my legs.
Almost home and kept going. The orange seal did its' job and sealed.
There was a 4mm long cut in the tread which was located via the dried sealant around it.
Bugger. I pulled the tyre off and patched the inside of it.
Given I removed the tyre and patched it, I'm calling that another.

3 so far

Gravel is hard on tyres.

[warthog1]

And another one on the same tyre above.
Again wet legs and a hissing sound.
Plugged it with a strip, held it to the bottom and all good.
CBFed patching it. Asked the fellas on the ride I was on with, a couple who do mtb.
One bloke said he has just ridden on tyres that are plugged plenty of times on the mtb.
A bit less pressure on bigger tyres than these, but stuff it, I will top up with more orange seal and see how it goes.

That's 4 now.

[Mr Purple]

First puncture for the year today.

Hit something at speed down the front of Cootha, probably a rock. Slow pinch flat a few hundred metres later, fortunately slow enough to safely stop.

Another incentive to trial tubeless I suppose. Though the TPU change by the side of the road took less than five minutes and seems to be rolling well.

[Mr Purple]

Second for the year, rear tyre two weeks after the front.

Some sort of small spiky thing just went through it and slow punctured the tube. Fortunately I found out when I arrived at work, which is roughly 50m away from my local bike shop.

Annoyingly both the punctures I just had would probably have not occurred if I'd actually installed the tubeless Vittorias sitting in my garage. It's a sign.

[jasonc]

20230223 -
Went out to the garage this morning to find my front tyre 100% flat. Replaced tyre and tube. binned them as they were old. New tyre, new tube and on my way
I remember hearing a weird noise near the end of my ride last night. Oh well
Old Total: 1
20230426 - damp roads and the rear tyre picks up some glass. Replaced and on my way
New total: 2

[warthog1]

And another one on the same tyre above.
Again wet legs and a hissing sound.
Plugged it with a strip, held it to the bottom and all good.
CBFed patching it. Asked the fellas on the ride I was on with, a couple who do mtb.
One bloke said he has just ridden on tyres that are plugged plenty of times on the mtb.
A bit less pressure on bigger tyres than these, but stuff it, I will top up with more orange seal and see how it goes.

That tyre has ~800k since I plugged it. Haven't patched it and don't think I'll bother now.

[jasonc]

20230223 -
Went out to the garage this morning to find my front tyre 100% flat. Replaced tyre and tube. binned them as they were old. New tyre, new tube and on my way
I remember hearing a weird noise near the end of my ride last night. Oh well
20230426 - damp roads and the rear tyre picks up some glass. Replaced and on my way
20230619 - rear tyre punctured whilst going up the stelvio from the prato. A small rock was the cause
20230815 - rear tyre started going flat. No idea what got it. Nothing in the tyre
New Total- 4

[jasonc]

20230223 -
Went out to the garage this morning to find my front tyre 100% flat. Replaced tyre and tube. binned them as they were old. New tyre, new tube and on my way
I remember hearing a weird noise near the end of my ride last night. Oh well
20230426 - damp roads and the rear tyre picks up some glass. Replaced and on my way
20230619 - rear tyre punctured whilst going up the stelvio from the prato. A small rock was the cause
20230815 - rear tyre started going flat. No idea what got it. Nothing in the tyre
Old Total- 4
20230831 - rear tyre went flat instantly less than 1km from work this afternoon. Nothing in it. Snapped two tyre levers but got the tyre back on with the third
New Total - 5

[Retrobyte]

Front tyre half flat on Tuesday morning after Monday's ride home - my first puncture of 2023, and I had none in 2022. Assumed the tube is getting old, so put a new one in.

[OnTrackZeD]

Got a nail in the side of rear tyre, a new one for me.
With the flat I got back in March

Total = 2

[Arbuckle23]

Broken bit of bitumen flicked up in the dark by the bike in front of me (in the dark). Small hole in the sidewall.
Rode the 3 km to home, tubeless FTW

[OnTrackZeD]

Got a nail in the side of rear tyre, a new one for me.
With the flat I got back in March

Total = 2

Found the hole but no debris. Two in two weeks, I hope its not a pattern.

Total = 3

[cancan64]

I purchased a new old bike. It was a Tri bike that has collected dust for a while and I converted it to a road bike but it has 80mm deep dish rear wheel and had ultra light tri tire's that punctured first ride on a stone.. and discovered 80mm valves doesnt fit. Lucky I had phone reception but changed the tyres and carry a valve extender. Went to go for a ride last Monday and found the rear flat. I found a small cut but couldnt find the culprit so replaced tube and headed out but punctured the new rear... replaced that got home.. further inspection I found a tiny bit of glass... also discovered that all the tubes I have are 48mm and they dont fit with the valve extender... LBS doesnt stock anything so have had to wait a week for tubes to turn up... that meant riding the gravel bike but I also punctured the front but goo fixed it... only had to pump the tyre twice to get it to seal and get home

[warthog1]

^^How good is tubeless?!
I am sold. Not interested in tubed tyres now.

[Mr Purple]

^^How good is tubeless?!
I am sold. Not interested in tubed tyres now.

4000km in on road tubeless without a puncture now!

Gravel not so much. Though excluding the Tufo Thundero I’ve only had two.

[warthog1]

^^How good is tubeless?!
I am sold. Not interested in tubed tyres now.

4000km in on road tubeless without a puncture now!

Gravel not so much. Though excluding the Tufo Thundero I’ve only had two.

Yes gravel is hard on them. Tufo were useless for me also.
Otherwise had a few but most seal. Have plugged a couple too.
Gravelkings are working for me, very tough. Hopefully the Pathfinders you are running now are the same.

[jasonc]

20230223 -
Went out to the garage this morning to find my front tyre 100% flat. Replaced tyre and tube. binned them as they were old. New tyre, new tube and on my way
I remember hearing a weird noise near the end of my ride last night. Oh well
20230426 - damp roads and the rear tyre picks up some glass. Replaced and on my way
20230619 - rear tyre punctured whilst going up the stelvio from the prato. A small rock was the cause
20230815 - rear tyre started going flat. No idea what got it. Nothing in the tyre
20230831 - rear tyre went flat instantly less than 1km from work this afternoon. Nothing in it. Snapped two tyre levers but got the tyre back on with the third
Old Total - 5
20231006 - front tyre went down instantly whilst descending Mt Coot-tha. That was scary. replaced tube and on the way.
New total - 6