Puncture proof tyres

[Rabid Infant]

I do not know anything about puncture proof tyres, are they exactly what they say they are?

Is there anything I need to know about them? They just sound too good to be actually true.

Thank you.

[mercalia]

Welcome to the forums. There is no such thing unless you mean the new solid variety that dont have any air in. properly called puncture RESISTANT tyres. There are some tyres like the Greenguard Marathon which dont cost too much and have a thickish rubbery layer under the tread to stop nails and such like, but they are not infallible. The cost is they are heavier and for light riders can be a harsh ride and I am led to believe they dont roll as well as those which dont have such a belt. You can get some inner tubes that have some slime in them that claim to self repair if punctured I am sure other people here will comment on them..

[gxaustin]

Some thorns, Blackthorn is worst I believe, are like carpet tacks and no tyre will keep that out, ditto screws and pop rivets. The only thing with a chance of keeping that kind of thing out is tough tape - a polythene tape inside the tyre. I used it in the 80s for commuting and it stopped the average of two punctures a week I was getting from windscreen glass on the cycle track. I don't use it now though because I found it too much of a fiddle in narrow road tyres. I don't get that many punctures on the road. I have fitted a slime tube on the rear wheel of my winter bike and haven't had a puncture after about 2,000 miles. I've had a front puncture from a thorn in that time though. I seldom puncture a front tyre so didn't bother with a slime tube (a case of famous last words?). Make sure you always have a spare tube, or two, when riding.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
None of this stuff stops thorns and glass, nails included.

[Threevok]

The closest I have ever come to "Puncture Proof" tyres was the Panasonic (Panaracer) RibMo

I never once had a puncture in 10,000+ miles, despite having to pull just about everything out of them, including screws, nails, pop-rivets...

I even took them off-road once

When they eventually wore down (after many years) I used them as turbo trainer tyres for a few months

If I could get another set in 26" - I would jump at the chance.

[Psamathe]

I managed 9500 miles with only two punctures of Schwalbe (sic?) Green Guards which are puncture resistant (one because of a flint, the other a thorn). But such reports are meaningless as it might be that the only two potential puncture hazards I went near both went right through the puncture resistance. Or might have been that hundreds of potential penetrating thorns and flints were shrugged off thanks to the protection. Who can know ?

So much must be down to what you ride through and you could be getting loads of punctures or very few not because of the tyres you use but because of what is on the surfaces you are riding over. I'd guess that puncture protection by tyres must be a statistical thing and thus the outcome must be dependent on the exposure to potential puncture hazards.

Ian

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

I managed 9500 miles with only two punctures of Schwalbe (sic?) Green Guards which are puncture resistant (one because of a flint, the other a thorn). But such reports are meaningless as it might be that the only two potential puncture hazards I went near both went right through the puncture resistance. Or might have been that hundreds of potential penetrating thorns and flints were shrugged off thanks to the protection. Who can know ?

So much must be down to what you ride through and you could be getting loads of punctures or very few not because of the tyres you use but because of what is on the surfaces you are riding over. I'd guess that puncture protection by tyres must be a statistical thing and thus the outcome must be dependent on the exposure to potential puncture hazards.

Ian

I think that's about the long and short of it.

[reohn2]

The nearest thing you're going to get to puncture'proof' with any pneumatic tyre,will be Schwalbe Marathon+.
But due to they're weight(almost twice the weigh of other types of tyres)and very stiff carcass(due to the very thick layer of blue coloured rubber between carcass and tread),the ride is terrible,dead and stodgy like riding in treacle.That said for a utility bike used for short hops of <3miles on glass strewn cycle paths and city roads covered in all kinds of debris they have their uses.
Though don't think they're a fit and forget item,they do need occasional checking for small sharps in the tread that if not removed will eventually be pushed through the carcass by force of riding.
For less 'hazardous' riding I prefer a light,slick,large volume tyre,with a supple carcass run at the correct PSI for load and be prepared for an occasional puncture,because the ride is much more pleasant and pedalling effort isn't wasted trying to keep a brut of a tyre such as an M+ rolling.Of course there's a panoply of tyre between the two,Panaracer Ribmo has been mentioned above which IMO are a good compromise providing a good ride with high level of puncture protection if you live and ride in a puncture prone area.
Otherwise Vittoria Voyager Hyper if you want the ride that dreams are made of

[pwa]

My understanding is that, as a rough guide, the more puncture resistant a tyre is the harder it is to push forward. Very puncture resistant tyres will tend to be a dog to ride on, and tyres that puncture easily (apart from very low quality tyres) will tend to be at the faster, more free-rolling end of the spectrum. So you decide on your priorities. You look for tyres that seem to you to strike the right compromise.

[Psamathe]

The nearest thing you're going to get to puncture'proof' with any pneumatic tyre,will be Schwalbe Marathon+.
But due to they're weight(almost twice the weigh of other types of tyres)and very stiff carcass(due to the very thick layer of blue coloured rubber between carcass and tread),the ride is terrible,dead and stodgy like riding in treacle.That said for a utility bike used for short hops of <3miles on glass strewn cycle paths and city roads covered in all kinds of debris they have their uses....

When my Marathon Green Guard's finally died (removal of a thorn damaged the threads and the back was worse than bald) I was concerned about comments about weight and ride but switched to Plus' anyway and to be honest I didn't notice the difference. I'd been on the Green Guards for 9500 miles so was well used to the feel of them (riding a Croix de Fer, typical rides 30-40 miles on country lanes).

I can only comment on my own experience switching Schwalbe Green Guard to Plus as those are the only two tyres I have experience of since starting cycling again.

Ian

[whoof]

I ride Marathon plus for my commute (25 mile round trip). They are a pain to get on and certainly slow to accelerate, although I can still pull off from traffic lights a lot quicker than cyclist who stop in a really big gear. Once they are up to 15-16 mph tapping along feels relatively easy.

I ride through quite a bit of broken glass as throwing bottles on to the floor in underpasses and on shared paths seems to be a hobby around here. Didn't have one puncture last year in 9600 miles. I do occasional pick out bits of glass that are imbedded Marathon +s

[mercalia]

The nearest thing you're going to get to puncture'proof' with any pneumatic tyre,will be Schwalbe Marathon+.
But due to they're weight(almost twice the weigh of other types of tyres)and very stiff carcass(due to the very thick layer of blue coloured rubber between carcass and tread),the ride is terrible,dead and stodgy like riding in treacle.That said for a utility bike used for short hops of <3miles on glass strewn cycle paths and city roads covered in all kinds of debris they have their uses....

When my Marathon Green Guard's finally died (removal of a thorn damaged the threads and the back was worse than bald) I was concerned about comments about weight and ride but switched to Plus' anyway and to be honest I didn't notice the difference. I'd been on the Green Guards for 9500 miles so was well used to the feel of them (riding a Croix de Fer, typical rides 30-40 miles on country lanes).

I can only comment on my own experience switching Schwalbe Green Guard to Plus as those are the only two tyres I have experience of since starting cycling again.

Ian

if you dont mind are you a heavy person like me as I dont find the marathons at all harsh to ride - i think heavy people need thicker walled tyres than light people? not an issue that is ever mentioned? I also then wonder how this relates to speed

[Psamathe]

The nearest thing you're going to get to puncture'proof' with any pneumatic tyre,will be Schwalbe Marathon+.
But due to they're weight(almost twice the weigh of other types of tyres)and very stiff carcass(due to the very thick layer of blue coloured rubber between carcass and tread),the ride is terrible,dead and stodgy like riding in treacle.That said for a utility bike used for short hops of <3miles on glass strewn cycle paths and city roads covered in all kinds of debris they have their uses....

When my Marathon Green Guard's finally died (removal of a thorn damaged the threads and the back was worse than bald) I was concerned about comments about weight and ride but switched to Plus' anyway and to be honest I didn't notice the difference. I'd been on the Green Guards for 9500 miles so was well used to the feel of them (riding a Croix de Fer, typical rides 30-40 miles on country lanes).

I can only comment on my own experience switching Schwalbe Green Guard to Plus as those are the only two tyres I have experience of since starting cycling again.

Ian

if you dont mind are you a heavy person like me as I dont find the marathons at all harsh to ride - i think heavy people need thicker walled tyres than light people? not an issue that is ever mentioned? I also then wonder how this relates to speed

Around 65Kg.

But I only started cycling again in 2013 and since then 9500 miles on Green Guards, then 3000 on Plus' so maybe not massively experience and in Flatlandia.

I'd expect more experienced cyclists having ridden on a wider range of tyres to maybe notice differences more - so not claiming that there isn't a difference, just commenting that I did not notice a difference between Green Guard and Plus' under the conditions I ride in.

Ian

[horizon]

I thought the general consensus was that tyres are so much better these days that a puncture is a pretty rare thing. That's certainly my experience. I would have thought too that a newish tyre would be better than one that is heavily worn.

I suppose the problem is that many people want puncture protection to be an absolute (i.e. 100%) because getting a puncture is an absolute disaster for them. I would say better than puncture proof tyres would be a few quid put aside for a taxi and a few more quid put aside to pay a bike shop for the repair (usually about £15.00). Or a bottle of wine for a friend.

Of course, best of all is to learn to do them yourself and having the kit/spare tube ready but for many people it really is too difficult.

[mercalia]

I thought the general consensus was that tyres are so much better these days that a puncture is a pretty rare thing. That's certainly my experience. I would have thought too that a newish tyre would be better than one that is heavily worn.

I suppose the problem is that many people want puncture protection to be an absolute (i.e. 100%) because getting a puncture is an absolute disaster for them. I would say better than puncture proof tyres would be a few quid put aside for a taxi and a few more quid put aside to pay a bike shop for the repair (usually about £15.00). Or a bottle of wine for a friend.

Of course, best of all is to learn to do them yourself and having the kit/spare tube ready but for many people it really is too difficult.

I just dont like getting my hands dirty. You dont mention just take a spare inner tube with you? as for the taxi how do you put your bike in a taxi?