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Tire puncture opinions.


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I just got back from a 2800 km ride through the Appalachians during which I picked up a nail or similar. It's in the centre of the tire, about the diameter of a bicycle spoke. It wasn't leaking until I messed with it now the tire is loosing about one psi per day. The tire was new at the beginning of the trip (Bridgestone T-31) and the puncture happened half way through a seven day ride.

I took it to my local bike shop and the mechanic said that he no longer repairs tires and that no one will anymore. Liability issues.

Repair it myself or buy a new tire?

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Call around.  There is probably a shop nearby who will plug it properly.  Look for an independent moto garage.  The mushroom plugs (plugged from inside the tire) are better than the twisted rope type, in my opinion.  I have ridden plugged tires for thousands of miles, and would not hesitate to do it again.

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Got one of these, and some gas bottles to pump the tire up along with a hi pressure hand pump. Haven't had to use the tool on my bike yet BUT used it to repair a mates car tire and it worked well. Simple to use, compact and works well.

 

 

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I've heard that it's not advisable to ride on a plugged motorcycle tire if the plug is the twisted rope type applied from the outside. If you must use that style in an emergency, the tire should be replaced as soon as possible.

The mushroom type from the inside is what I was hoping the shop would do for me.

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The same thing happened to me during the last SumSum in Montrose. I plugged it with a twisted rope type and road it directly to the sponsors bike shop and had a new set of tires installed. Thanks to MotorMike who had ordered a set to be delivered during the meet-up but did not need them.

 

I'd never trust a repaired tire. Too Much At Stake.

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THE CHOICE
The choice is yours but I'd start plugging because there is mounting
evidence that plugged tires work and are safe... I have yet to note
anyone armed with first hand knowledge to the contrary...

 

REPAIRS
Minor tire repair is limited to an area of three quarters of the
normal section width. The maximum diameter of penetration damage
and/or cracking at the base of the injury should be no greater than
3mm. The repair patches must not overlap.

For permanent repair,it is only recommended that small punctures
restricted to the tread area be repaired, using a rope type plug. The
current condition of a tire is important in determining whether a tire
is suitable for repair. Some damage limits include: if the tire has
reached its minimum tread depth as indicated by the TWI (tire wear
indicator); ply separation, separation of inner liner and or cutting
of ply cords by penetrating object; brittle or cracked rubber caused
by exhaust heat; broken or bent bead wire, damaged bead zone; damage
caused by under-inflation; softening or swelling of rubber due to oil
or chemical attack; punctures too close together; damage or previous
repair of a puncture outside of area specified for suitable repair.
300607829_6ab1a4c4fc_o.jpg

 

MY EXPERIENCES
My screwed Rennsport... boo hoo...
496520122_af50b796c5_o.jpg

 

My plugged Rennsport that covered 2K miles and not in moderation
either... it's seen over a 140 mph more than once...
1367272260_7813226a08_o.jpg

 

Inside the Rennsport for proof that the rope type plugs stay intact
whereas my mushroom type plug started to come unstuck

1367272268_68c4474380_o.jpg

 

You can see by the diagram that Safety Seal plugs that are installed
properly establish an mushroom shape inside the carcass that holds
fast under pressure... you'd have more luck pushing the plug inside
carcass than you'll ever have it pop out under pressure...
gallery_3131_51_10376.jpg

 

I don't recommend the inside mushroom type plugs because they can become unstuck...
attachment.php?attachmentid=481999&stc=1

 

Technically speaking the inside patch is solely dependent on a bond
between a plug company's material and the tire manufacture's rubber
compound... thats a crap shoot the two chemical compounds are
compatible enough to hold a bond when the rubber is stationary and at
room temperature... but tires are elastic bodies that flex from
completely round to completely flat at every rotation... every
rotation builds heat that works against that bond... every rotation
flexes that mushroom patch from round to flat that works against that
bond.... so we have heat coupled with flex working against the two
competing chemical bonds from being as consistence as a self
vulcanizing rope plug installed from the outside...

Staying stuck and holding air is all you can ask for in a plug
installed by the masses...
1367272268_68c4474380_o.jpg

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I’ve used both interior and exterior plugs with no trouble. Exterior rope plug cause I found a quarter inch Phillips bit stick in my tire at Seb’s Fall meet on the morning of a 1000 mile ride home. Made it home and left it in until the tire was worn out. It did take a little more vigilance with checking tire pressure but it’s not going to fail catastrophically. 

Before I was changing my own tires I would take my Nighthawk to a little independent shop. I jokingly accused them of installing a magnet inside every time they put a new one on because it seemed like I would get a flat within a couple weeks. So I’d take it back and get a plug that would last until the tire was worn out. (Maybe 2 or 3 times it happened)

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I've used the sticky rope plugs twice recently and not had one fail in subsequent use. For my last puncture (tyre 1000km old) I took it back to the shop and got them to fit an internal mushroom patch, I feel better about the integrity of those over the long term but don't have any evidence to say the sticky rope would fail. I think Buzzner is quite right that they won't fail catastrophically in any case. 

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On 7/10/2019 at 8:26 PM, gr8vfr said:

Come by the house, I can put on a new set with 2019 date code Dunlop Roadsmart II in less than an hour.

 

 

 

I've done that very thing at least twice while out your way during T-Mac. Best service I've ever received.

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If the hole is not in the sidewall, I'll pay to have the tire shipped to me and take it off your hands.that way you dont have to pay the disposal fee at the stealer...see I'm saving you money!

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Thanks for the offer gr8vfr. It's about a 20 hour ride to your place for me so I'm going to pass.

As can be seen, the puncture is quite small and I'm currently only loosing about 0.5psi per day. The Canadian dime used for scale is the same size as an American dime. The value however is unfortunately the same as an American 7.5 cent piece 😞

I'm just living with it for now but I'm sure I should be removing it and plugging the hole. A plug will be much larger than the existing hole but I guess that would make for a good seal.

IMG_7699.JPG

IMG_7700.JPG

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5 hours ago, HughJebolzak said:

Thanks for the offer gr8vfr. It's about a 20 hour ride to your place for me so I'm going to pass.

As can be seen, the puncture is quite small and I'm currently only loosing about 0.5psi per day. The Canadian dime used for scale is the same size as an American dime. The value however is unfortunately the same as an American 7.5 cent piece 😞

I'm just living with it for now but I'm sure I should be removing it and plugging the hole. A plug will be much larger than the existing hole but I guess that would make for a good seal.

IMG_7699.JPG

IMG_7700.JPG

You need to plug that with sticky rope, inside mushroom patch et al ... you never know when it will let loose and you're riding down the road on a flat tire...THAT is a safety hazard...MUCH more so than a plugged tire.

 

Stay safe.

 

Matt 

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I will. I'll get some sticky rope. Up until my original post, I was under the impression that stuff was a last resort. Sounds like it's the way to go here. Simplest, least expensive and recommended.

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The BEST is the Nealey Tire Repair Kit from a little family run place in Iowa. Been using them for years. My current rear tire (anybody ever have a puncture on the front!?) has over 2000 miles on it with a Nealey plug in it. No leaks, never had a problem with one. About 12 bucks for the small kit. 

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19 hours ago, rangemaster said:

The BEST is the Nealey Tire Repair Kit from a little family run place in Iowa. Been using them for years. My current rear tire (anybody ever have a puncture on the front!?) has over 2000 miles on it with a Nealey plug in it. No leaks, never had a problem with one. About 12 bucks for the small kit. 

I was told a theory one that the front tire lines up the object to then spear into the rear tire. I can’t recall a front flat. 

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7 minutes ago, BuzznerSuntrusts said:

I was told a theory one that the front tire lines up the object to then spear into the rear tire. I can’t recall a front flat. 

That is absolutely correct.

I have changed a tire or two. I have only seen one front tire with a puncture. It was from a guy running over a board.

 

I have found some really neat stuff inside of people's wheels.

Even large allen wrenches.

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On 7/15/2019 at 6:34 PM, rangemaster said:

My current rear tire (anybody ever have a puncture on the front!?)

In 50 years worth of riding my front has suffered punctures but the majority have been the rear... my theory is the bigger the contact patch the more chance of finding stuff...

 

ContactPatch3.JPG

ContactPatch2.JPG

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On 7/15/2019 at 2:54 PM, HughJebolzak said:

I will. I'll get some sticky rope. Up until my original post, I was under the impression that stuff was a last resort. Sounds like it's the way to go here. Simplest, least expensive and recommended.

 

Self vulcanizing ropes are in whereas inside mushroom plugs are out...

rope stays stuck even if I allow my customers to install it themselves...

 

Technically speaking the mushroom patch are solely dependent on a bond
between a plug company's material and the tire manufacture's rubber
compound... thats a crap shoot the two chemical compounds are
compatible enough to hold a bond when the rubber is stationary and at
room temperature... but tires are elastic bodies that flex from
completely round to completely flat at every rotation... every
rotation builds heat that works against that bond... every rotation
flexes that mushroom patch from round to flat that works against that
bond.... so we have heat coupled with flex working against the two
competing chemical bonds from being as consistence as a self
vulcanizing rope plug installed from the outside...

 

Staying stuck and holding air is all you can ask for in a plug
installed by the masses...
1367272268_68c4474380_o.jpg

 

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1 hour ago, BusyLittleShop said:

In 50 years worth of riding my front has suffered punctures but the majority have been the rear... my theory is the bigger the contact patch the more chance of finding stuff...

 

ContactPatch3.JPG

ContactPatch2.JPG

My theory is that an object lying flat on the road gets flicked up by the front tyre and can then embed in the rear. I got more punctures on rear bicycle tyres than fronts even though they are the same size. 

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • Member Contributer

I got a tire repair kit and pulled the object out of my tire. It looks like part of a pallet staple or similar. It's so narrow that the reaming tool and the tire repair needle will not fit into the hole. Unfortunately it looks like I should I try to enlarge the hole somehow. Recommendations? 

tire_staple.jpg

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