Flat Tire Protection: Test Results from Homemade and Retail Options

Keeping bicycle tires from getting punctures can be a challenge. For the most part, I've given up on having pretty, soft (comfortable) tires because I have found that they aren't low maintenance when it comes to dealing with road debris. When making a run to the grocery store or taking care of a quick errand, it can be a nuisance to have to stop to fix a flat.

There are a variety of options available for sale. Everything from putting goop in tires to thicker tubes, but last fall, I decided I wanted to try out a couple of options that I'd been curious about, and I thought I'd share what's happened to date.

Over the last several months, I have been testing a couple of fairly inexpensive flat protection possibilities. One is a homemade option, while the other is store bought. I wanted to see if either (or both) would actually provide protection from glass and other potentially poke-through-the-tire debris found commonly on roads and paths. I will say from the get-go, I have been pretty impressed thus far with both options.

Stop Flats 2 comes with a set of two liners, one for each tire.

When I picked up another bike early this year, I wanted to put cream tires on it, but the two tire options I enjoy riding have both left me wanting when it comes to flat protection. I decided to try StopFlats as liners in the tires to see if would provide the protection I need.

These liners are not new to the market, but I haven't yet had the opportunity to test them. I have had the opportunity to see and hold them close up and thought that they seemed a viable option to actually help prevent flats, but the only way to know for sure would be to put them on and get to riding.

The first challenge was deciding which size to buy. There seems to be a plethora of size options and it's supposed to be made easier by the color coded liners, but I still found it to be a bit challenging. There seems to be some overlap in sizing in a few instances and some sizes that are still missing from the line up too.

A few samples from the size line up of StopFlats

Ultimately, I settled on a size to try for my 650bx38 tires and went about installing them. The installation is pretty simple and wraps around the interior of the tire before the tube is inserted. I had installed these once before on a customer's bike while filling in at a local bike shop, but the process seemed a bit more challenging with my tires. It could be that they are simply a softer tire so keeping the liners in place while adding the tube presented a bit of a challenge, but nothing that was unmanageable.

My tests with this liner are still fairly limited as they have been in place for only a couple of months (and certainly not the most thorn-centric months), but thus far, they have not disappointed. I have ridden through glass shards, dirt paths with goatheads and other stickers, and rolled over metal and other road debris without experiencing a flat tire. To date, these liners have lived up to expectations, but I look forward to testing them over the longer term to see how they withstand longer use over roads and paths with debris.

The second liner I've been experimenting with is a homemade option. Several years ago, I read a comment on a forum about someone who was going to try lining his tires with tyvek to see if it would help prevent flats. There was never any follow up to this statement, so I always wondered if it was something that could really work. In theory, it seemed reasonable because those mailing envelopes are pretty strong and durable, but I wasn't sure if it would work in real-world use.

It has been suggested that USPS mailing envelopes can be had free of charge,which is true, but I would point out that it is illegal to use USPS envelopes for anything other than mailing a package via the post office... and I don't want to feel responsible for someone breaking the law.  

The first step was to get some tyvek mailing envelopes. These can be obtained at just about any office supply store, Amazon, or many other big box retail/discount establishments, if they aren't already somewhere in your home or office.

I decided to test this liner on my fat tire bike because it's more challenging to find flat liners for this size bike tire. To make the liner, I took a mailing envelope and folded it width-wise so that it would be narrow and long. Depending on the width of the tire and the envelope in question, the envelope may need to be cut down a bit so that it isn't too wide.

Then, I repeated the folding step with the next envelope and used packing tape to attach one end of the first folded piece to one end of the second envelope. This process continues until there is enough of the envelope length to make a circle to fit inside the tire.

The worst part about this homemade creation is fitting the "liner" into the tire. I may have left a bit too much on the width, creating a bigger headache than it needed to be. The secret seems to be getting the envelopes to lay flat against the tire. Once that happens, it's much easier to get the tube in place.

I have had these tyvek liners in the bike tires for about seven months now and I have not had to deal with a flat tire. While I have ridden through the same types of debris as on the other bike with its liners, I have not yet had a goathead or any debris physically stick and stay in the tires, so I don't know if I've just been fortunate enough to not run directly over any goatheads (unlikely, but possible), or if they have simply been pushed out prior to my seeing them. The same is true for glass. I have definitely run over pieces, but nothing has stayed long enough for me to inspect at the end of a ride.

Both of these options add a small amount of weight to the bike, but both are fairly light and for the bikes in question, the added weight is not significant enough to cause issues. They are both bikes that are heavier than a race bike and are used for transportation and/or dirt riding, so a few extra ounces is not noticeable when pedaling. The ease of knowing I won't get a flat (or at least, am far less likely to get one) is worth it, certainly, to me.

I'll be continuing to test these options and look forward to updating after more long-term use is had, but in the meantime, I thought perhaps one of these might be an option for anyone looking for flat protection.

What do you use as flat protection, if anything? Have you tried retail or homemade options that worked well? I would certainly be interested in hearing about other experiences with preventing flat tires.

Four Flats in Three Days: Perhaps the Universe Wants me Off My Bicycle?

We have all been there... out with some friends, doing a training ride, or just transporting ourselves in to work. You look down because something just "feels funny," and you realize that air pressure is dwindling in your tire. It could've been glass shards on the road, a random nail or screw that you just didn't notice, or a sticker/goat head that just managed to find its way into your tire. It's that moment of realization that you have no choice but to stop and attempt to patch the flat.

Today's flat - flat tire #4 in 3 days

Unfortunately for me, this was my third and fourth flat in a matter of three days. {sigh} As I was rolling up to my morning kickboxing class, I noticed that there was a goat head sticking out of my front tire. I muttered a curse under my breath and figured I'd deal with it after class. "Hopefully, if I leave it in, I can at least make it home," I thought as I went to lock up the bike. Just as I finished the thought, the sound of rushing air filled the silence. Another obscenity came rushing out of my mouth (I have been known to curse like a sailor when the timing is right). "Seriously?!" I said aloud. I got close to the goat head, expecting that, of course, it was coming out of this spot. But, as my head got closer to the area, the pssshhhhh sound seemed somehow farther away. "Weird," I thought, "It almost sounds like it's coming out of the rear tire."

I thought nothing of it and went in to class, ready to kick some butt. We finished up and I went out to check on the bike, assuming that I'd probably need to put a bit of air in the front tire to make it the slightly more than 2 miles home. I squeezed the front tire, and while it had lost some air, it seemed as though it would be okay to get home. I went to grab the pump out of my saddlebag and realized that there was another goat head in the rear tire, and that the tire was completely flat. "Well, at least my senses are working, and it was in fact the back tire I was hearing," I proclaimed to no one as a big sigh came out.

My attempt at putting air in the tires was futile. As soon as I pumped them up, the air came rushing back out. I knew that I'd either have to pull both wheels off, both tires, and patch the tubes, or just walk the bike home. As I started calculating, I figured it would take me about 30-40 minutes to patch both of the tubes, assuming that nothing went wrong (Yes, I am slow- but hey, at least I considered patching them), or I could walk home in about that same amount of time and not deal with the glaring sun and heat on me. I opted for the latter choice. I have to say, I probably should've just patched the tubes, as it really isn't fun walking in these summer temperatures.

Apparently, the universe is trying to tell me something. These two flats are in a series that have taken place entirely too close together, and I'm beginning to think that either 1) I need to stay off of a bicycle for awhile, or 2) I need to consider different tires with a bit more protection. Each of the flats has been due to goat heads, and while I love the Grand Bois Hetre tires, I simply cannot deal with having a flat every single day. While it is the season for these little buggers here in Colorado, I'm not sure I can endure another month or two of this taking place on a daily basis.

Have you found yourself with more flats as summer starts to fade, or are you also spending more on Super Patch kits than just picking up a more thorn-resistent set of tires?

A Weekend Ride {and an unfortunate, but fixable, flat tire}

Last night, we went for a fairly mild-paced little group ride with a few folks associated with Bicycle Longmont, and even though it was cloudy, windy, and eventually raining on us, things started off quite nicely.

We stopped along the way to take in scenery and get some information on local habitat for the area.

We took a little rest after trudging up a hill to get to a nearby park area.

Sam was even smiling during the ride past all the corn fields... miles and miles of corn.

Then, one of the riders got a crazy flat. It was so loud that several of us stopped because the air just came gushing out of the rear tire. Fortunately, there are some really helpful people along, and everyone attempted to help fix this minor delay.

While difficult to see, the flat was actually quite a little slice out of the tube.

Sam, the handy (and frequent) flat fixer was prepared to get this tire off and back on quickly.

Soon we were able to get back on the road to finished up our ride.

But not before a lovely view of this rainbow through the clouds. As usual, I didn't have an appropriate camera with me, but even the camera phone seemed to pick this up a bit.

Hope you're out enjoying a nice weekend ride, wherever you may be in the world.