Flat proofing Tires

Rick Moore

Member
I heard that if I get a front flat on my Vendetta, I’m going down...

Is that true?

If so, I need some tips on flat proofing my tires. Should I convert to tubeless? Or is there a sealant that I can put in a regular tube?

Thanks in advance.
 
I have not had one yet, but have heard front flats can be rough.

A number of riders have gone tubeless. If your rims and the tires you want support it, that is a good option. There does appear to be an option of adding it to your tubes as well. I have not looked at that enough, but perhaps someone else has.
 

Bill K

Guru
I've had maybe 4 front flats on the V20 (before I went tubeless). Most of them were pinch flats from running too low pressure.
I've never gone down because of this, but you do have to be super careful coming to a stop. No pedaling at all, brake with the rear wheel only and try not to turn.
You can prevent a lot of flats by inspecting the tires often, and removing all the little glass shrouds before they have a chance to work their way through the tire. If you ride through some glass, immediately stop and swipe the tire clean with your glove. Standard road bike tips.
 

RojoRacing

Donut Powered Wise-guy
Well that's just simply not true since I've had a dozen flat tires with some happening at over 40 mph and never crashed. What you want to avoid is riding until the tire is completely flat because then you will probably crash, but you normally have at least 10 seconds to come to a full stop by then. The other thing you want to avoid is a slow leak you can't hear and let the pressure drop low enough that you lose traction in a corner, this is a problem on every style of bike. Tubeless will seal those silent leaks 99% of the time and it'll slow faster leaks and give you more time to stop. Also tubeless will never have the innertube burst and instant flat which a rare but possible in a tubed setup.
 
On an S40, but the concern is the same. I went down once with a front flat on my QX100, but that was early on in the initial learning curve. I've had several flats, front and rear, on the S40 and haven't gone down. Jason is absolutely right.

I run decent flat resistent tires (lots of brands to choose from, just go with personal preference) and tubes pre-injected with Flat Attack sealant. I carry a regular spare tube in the event of catastrophic failure, but the sealant generally takes care of things. Things like wire staples can be problematic if they get embedded, don't seal completely because the the wire continues to shift & the wheel ends up with the injury facing up. If I can find them, pulling out small irritants, spinning the wheel until the hissing stops & then adding more air as needed is all that's needed. I like the sealant infused tubes because I find them easier to install. Down side is that it is very difficult to patch a puncture the sealant can't close. Not that big a down side, though, since most of the time the tubes last as long as the tires or longer (though to be safe I almost always go ahead and put in a new tube when I put on a new tire).
 

Rick Moore

Member
Thanks for all the info....I didn’t think a flat on my V-20 could be worse than a flat on my DF with my weight forward on the aero bars. I will try the Flat Attack sealant and maybe try tubeless.
 

bladderhead

Zen MBB Master
I agree with Pollock. Thanks for that info. Sounds like a brilliant idea. I wish you had told me about it before I got Tannus on my Grasshopper.

I have had several front flats on my Silvio, and always maintained control. Except once, when both tyres exploded at once. Two big bangs. Tyres were completely bald. I just forgot to keep checking them.
 

benphyr

Guru-me-not
@bladderhead
It still amazes me: your double explosive flat! With the two bald tires and the explosive nature of the flat it doesn't seem like sealant would have overcome your oversight in that case. Prevention vs. reaction. Prevention is boring but reaction can be too exciting! :eek:
 
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