I got flat tire this morning, my first. I had to walk my bike 2.8 miles home, I’m just glad I wasn’t further away from home. Today I installed the Smart Tube: The Slime Self Healing Road Presta Tube by Slime. It’s supposed to instantly seal punctures up to 1/8″ as you ride and work repeatedly. The tubes come pre-loaded with SLIME Tire Sealant. Once installed the Smart tube are supposed to work continuously and instantly seal most punctures in the tread up to 1/8″. I’m really excited and the reviews look pretty. We shall see how it works
The Smart Tube
Tuesday January 13, 2009 by TBLJ
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that sucks! ..but thanks for the info. lc
Lisa et al–as an ex-wrench, I noted that with these types of products that sometimes the slime will take a cycle or so to “repair” the hole, which means you should consider taking a pump along as you may need it. Additionally, a small patch kit can be a life saver when the slime won’t work. Good luck!
As a female cyclist with many many flat tires in her history (and as a former bike shop employee):
1) Slime sucks to work with. The day that tube dies it’s gonna make a mess.
2) You really owe it to yourself to learn and practice how to change a flat quickly. Always carry a spare tube, a tire lever, and a pump that gets you to good enough pressure to get home. You never want to be stranded in the middle of nowhere or in a questionable neighborhood with your only way home being your feet. (I would say this is particularly true as a woman – being self-sufficient is the safest option) Practice changing tires in your living room while you’re watching TV in the evening. Get as close to 5min as you can. If you don’t have quick release wheels, also carry a 15mm closed box wrench with your pump. I wrap mine up in a bandana and keep it in the bottom of my bag so I am never without.
http://www.topeak.com/products/Mini-Pumps/MiniMorph
Pumps with a fold-out foot thing like this allow you to get to ~80psi on the side of the road – so you don’t get another flat on the way home. (Or you could go with CO2 cartridges, but the pump is a bit more reliable if you are inexperienced with the cartridges.)
Hey Sandra,
As a regular commuter, I also *highly* recommend one of the brands of Kevlar-belted tire out there. I use Conti UltraGatorskins, but I hear Specialized Armadillos and some of the Schwalbes are great, too. They won’t protect you from anything spike-shaped (I’ve gotten flats from an industrial staple and the tine of a plastic fork), but broken glass is no problem.
And changing flats on the fly really isn’t that big a deal – at least, not if you practice at home first. That first change will take you forever – and then every subsequent one will take you less than five minutes. If you travel with a spare tube you can always patch the flat one at your leisure at home.
Oh, and Panaracer T-servs are supposed to be hot, too. Yours in bike nerdiness…
I bought 700/25 c Conti Ultra Gatorskins in 2005 and I’ve only had one flat…and that was a “snake bite” pinch flat from hitting an open manhole at 25 kph. Most likely any tire/tube combo would have flatted in that situation. The tires are a bit bald at this point. I’ve rotated them front to back a few times. Best tires I’ve ever purchased for commuting…no fuss. I ride about 5 months a year. They are lighter that the Specialized Armadillos.