I don't recall having flats on anything since my Austin nail. That's has been at least 17,000 miles since then. Nope just remembered. I did get one on my motorized picked up a nail[to the rim] at 30 miles an hour on a rapture tire that was 26x52/34 tire size.[Bike frame clearance is why I had a smaller tire]I weigh about 330 pounds, but I can still run these tires at 16-18 psi when I want to. The drawback is that they are thick-treaded and slow as street tires go. But they are so cushy I can't resist them. I don't think these tires are available anymore, or at least I can no longer find them. When I have to change them out, my consolation will be the tires I was using before: Schwalbe Big Apple 26 x 2.35" slicks. These are faster, but less high and mighty.
I do recall having had at least one flat in each kind of tire on my mountain bike. On another one of my bikes equipped with Big Apples
Even though both these tires seem tough and streetworthy, I don't expect that either of them would put up a worthy fight against New Mexican goatheads. The Kenda would do a bit better, just because it has more rubber on the tread.
Chalo
Then there was also the razz-er blade that was still sticking out of the same tire[rear] a weak later when I got home riding. [Key word home] It was through the tube and about a 8 to 10 mm gash. Honestly when I got to the house I looked at one of my arms and saw a speck of green. I was lucky I did not get as dirty as I would of expected. I hosed off the bike. The slime sealed off the hole fast enough not to make a big mess.
I don't like to count that as a flat because I pulled the razz-er blade out re-aired the tire and road it for 7 more days. Sure I had to re air it every once in awhile it did good considering. [till pay day]
Yet I gotta say that's me with the 10mm slits. I did that on my own risk can't recommend that folks try it. Just getting a my views out. At some point use good judgment get a new tire and tube. Uber speeds or just plain riding on any kind of bike is kinda silly just plain wrong if the tire is severely compromised!
Funny you should mention this because the tire you are suggesting has a bulky liner in the tire. Doing the same thing if not worse. http://jimsbikeblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/schwalbe-marathon-plus-image.jpg My tires with no liner extra soft tire and thick tubes rolls awesome! Your tire is like having a power robbing tire liner. Not necessary with slime and my set up!Some of us consider the lousy ride quality of a tire with a tire liner to be a problem. That problem would be one that doesn't go away even in your best case scenario.
Chalo
I don't want a mechanic working on my car that is bashful about getting dirty.There is a place for Slime. In my opinion, that place is the tubes of someone who does all his own service, and doesn't mind the tradeoffs.
Chalo
Funny you should mention this because your tire with the built in tire liner and scabby [for a better word dunno] would be a rough rideIf you lose only 1 mph to clunky-riding tires and tubes, it doesn't take very much riding at all before you are giving up a lot more time to them than you would to fixing the odd flat-- and that doesn't even take into consideration the less pleasant ride of tires that thud instead of bounce.
Chalo
I gave this a thunk a long time ago!Think for a moment what highly engineered automobiles and motorcycles use
Chalo
If you take the palm of your hand and press on your pants leg then try to slide your palm the harder you press your hand the harder it is to move your palm. Now if your palm had traction it would be even harder.
Now a motorcycle weighs considerably more than a bicycle. [your extra stiff scabbed tread slicks with built in tire liner] Also imagine older aged rubber on the tread so stiff it will not even try to grab the road. A mild tread that is flexible will regain traction and not hydro-plain.
So a bicycle is not a good match for such a tire in my opinion. Automobiles and motorcycles are something scaled up in a different class of weight verses traction. They weigh enough to flex the tires too. Take a stock Oldsmobile 98 and a old Volks Wagon which one is going to hold the road better when testing skidding and cornering on pavement?
Lots of cars with the stock tires have more flex to them to grab and claw there way into the road.
Take into account my tires are softer and much more flexible at the tread area with out even thinking about how aggressive of knobbies they might have. If they made slicks that did not have all the crud that makes them so stiff I might using them.
I like my knobby extra soft tires when some of the aggression is wore down on my peddle bikes. They flex perfectly with no drag from a tire liner or pre-lined extra stiff tire. I ride my tires until they are bald with no worries of flats. I just don't use any form of tire liners ever!
Who cares ya have a motor on it why not a smooth ride.That doesn't mean that a motorized bike should be any heaver, slower, or clunky-riding than necessary,
Chalo
Do you have any tire suggestions for those of us that want reasonable flex in the tread like I am suggesting. Keep in mind my tires aired up to 40 psi are perfect to me, the road is very play full and I can feel the tires flexing and clawing down. Seriously I want to know?
I am not talking about extreme knobbies here I am talking about real traction from a flexible tire. I can take my thumb and easly push in on the tread portion of the tire aired at 40 psi.
I am suggesting this because these tires are the Holly grail to me. Some of us cannot put hella wide tires on to make up for stiff dragging pre-tire-liner-ed tread flex in order to get traction.
Notice my bike is geared for long distance running I am always on a greedy quest to go search and find Goat Heads http://motorbicycling.com/attachments/f11/28871d1283972071-goats-head-001.jpg I hate some of the cruisers its like working on the bike on the side of the road now its gonna take all day to get there. Gearing peddling and going no where. Snork!!!
Just so you know I did not bring up my case of Austin being slick in the rain just here lately I have spoke of it on the forum before months ago http://motorbicycling.com/f47/fr31-scsw-boxer-13930-12.html
I care about peoples safety!!!
While I have said before my tires are softer they were engineered for traction down hill competition.
The same approach could be said of a milder tread pattern. They don't go screaming down a mountain on hella stiff scabbed tires. Remember I am talking about a bicycle here we are scaled down for weight verses traction. The ratio is an uneven match for a stiff tire. Bikes are engineered to be light.
You admitted having to go as low as 16-18 psi to get your traction to work. Mine is always working!
I follow the pro's YouTube - Longest Bicycle Downhill
Sure this does not match all we see on a street. But its a cool Video! These guy's ride here in Albuquerque with my kinda tires [flex] in mountain trails. They will run thin slime tubes too. There tires flex and they get traction while they test the limits of there skill!
I chose the world champion ship series steel beaded down hill tires for my Morini not for quit the aggressive tread but the flex. That is what holds a road. Ever since Austin Texas I ride world champion down hill type tires. Once again for the flex, yes I will not lie I love the tread too! It just does it for me.. More traction..
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