# Tire liners



## dytakeda (Jul 8, 2010)

Do tire liners make a bike harder to ride, i.e., does it add resistance to the bike rolling, other than the added weight?


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

dytakeda said:


> Do tire liners make a bike harder to ride, i.e., does it add resistance to the bike rolling, other than the added weight?


I have no firsthand experience with them, so can't vouch for their performance (or lack thereof) but as far as your question, they'd have no different effect than riding a heavier tire versus a lighter one. As you say, just the weight (which IMO is negligible).

That aside, I'd probably opt for a puncture resistance tire. Less hassle, less to deal with.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

PJ352 said:


> That aside, I'd probably opt for a puncture resistance tire. Less hassle, less to deal with.


If flats are a problem, something like Continental Gator Skins (or similar makes from other brands) should be much easier. They'll be a tad heavier and a shade more rolling resistance, but that usually beats constantly changing tires.


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## skyliner1004 (May 9, 2010)

dont use tire lines, i use Gp4000s tires and haven't gotten a flat in 1000 miles


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Experience?*



skyliner1004 said:


> dont use tire lines, i use Gp4000s tires and haven't gotten a flat in 1000 miles


So you ride in an area with lots of glass, bits of wire, construction debris, or Goathead thorns and you make this statement? Or are your local conditions perhaps completely irrelevant to the needs of the OP? Just asking.


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## skyliner1004 (May 9, 2010)

Kerry Irons said:


> So you ride in an area with lots of glass, bits of wire, construction debris, or Goathead thorns and you make this statement? Or are your local conditions perhaps completely irrelevant to the needs of the OP? Just asking.


are you looking for someone who rides in the same exact conditions as the OP? what does your question even mean?


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## dysfunction (Apr 2, 2010)

Kerry Irons said:


> So you ride in an area with lots of glass, bits of wire, construction debris, or Goathead thorns and you make this statement? Or are your local conditions perhaps completely irrelevant to the needs of the OP? Just asking.


gp4000's here in Tucson.. with all the above (last flat was a staple in the front.. hate those).. usual flats, more than with gator skins, but faster over all which makes up for it... less than others I've tried. I'll go a few hundred between flats, but that's like a week and a half or two.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Meaning*



skyliner1004 said:


> are you looking for someone who rides in the same exact conditions as the OP? what does your question even mean?


The meaning is that you can't just make blanket statements like "dont use tire liners, i use Gp4000s tires and haven't gotten a flat in 1000 miles" because there are places, like with the conditions I described, where you would be lucky to 100 miles on a GP4000 withouth "extra protection." Just because YOU haven't had a flat in 1000 miles doesn't mean others, riding in very different conditions, wouldn't have many flats. The people who ride in Goathead thorn country talk about getting 3 flats in one ride.

Making sweeping statements without understanding the riding conditions doesn't add much to the discussion. Do you get my meaning?


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## northcoast (Jul 11, 2003)

Yep, thorns go right through ALL the puncture resistant Contis (including the Gatorskins). I've run Gatorskins with tire liners for years on my commuter and yes, they help. Feel a little heavy and kinda ride like crap, but I really hate flatting on my commute. Just installed Vittoria Randonneurs last week and am loving them. Heavy, but roll better than tires with liners. With the "double shielding" business it's pretty much like a built-in liner. Only been running them for a week. Others probably have more experience with the Randos than me.


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## ColoradoVeloDude (Oct 7, 2005)

Your mileage may vary. 

I always seem to get the worlds smallest sliver of glass work up into the tire casing and, yes, through the tire liner too. 

I've found that the better shape your tires are in, the better the action of the tire to fend off the nasties of the road. 

Ride with them then without them and see if they work for you. Another option is a tire like a Specialized Armadillo. I found these hard to get on and off the rim (yeah, got a flat on one of those too). 

I have found that the Continental GP4000 tire has been the best all-around (and puncture resistant) tire (25MM) 

Remember to add a pair of tweezers to your saddle pack with your spare tube. Can't tell you how many times I've had to work out a really small piece of sharp junk out of the casing. Just pick one up the next time you ride by a Walgreens or CVS. 

Good luck!


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## dytakeda (Jul 8, 2010)

OP here.... the reason I was asking was because I did add tire liners to my bike. I use it to commute with occasionally, and I really can't be late to work. I don't want to have to change a tube early in the AM. After I added them, the bike just seemed sluggish. I posted the question here because I didn't know if it was just my imagination or if I was really feeling it. The front tire makes a weird noise too.... as a certain section of the tire passes over the pavement. I did consider the puncture resistant tire route, but that's like $80 vs. $15. But now, I'm pretty sure I'm going to get the puncture resistant tires at earliest opportunity.


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## skyliner1004 (May 9, 2010)

Kerry Irons said:


> The meaning is that you can't just make blanket statements like "dont use tire liners, i use Gp4000s tires and haven't gotten a flat in 1000 miles" because there are places, like with the conditions I described, where you would be lucky to 100 miles on a GP4000 withouth "extra protection." Just because YOU haven't had a flat in 1000 miles doesn't mean others, riding in very different conditions, wouldn't have many flats. The people who ride in Goathead thorn country talk about getting 3 flats in one ride.
> 
> Making sweeping statements without understanding the riding conditions doesn't add much to the discussion. Do you get my meaning?


so we all should reply to posts here based on every riding condition imaginable. You dont know the roads he rides on, i dont know the road he rides on, nor does anyone else. discussion over after the original post? 

i can make any statement i want as long as its related to the topic.


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## dysfunction (Apr 2, 2010)

dytakeda said:


> OP here.... the reason I was asking was because I did add tire liners to my bike. I use it to commute with occasionally, and I really can't be late to work. I don't want to have to change a tube early in the AM. After I added them, the bike just seemed sluggish. I posted the question here because I didn't know if it was just my imagination or if I was really feeling it. The front tire makes a weird noise too.... as a certain section of the tire passes over the pavement. I did consider the puncture resistant tire route, but that's like $80 vs. $15. But now, I'm pretty sure I'm going to get the puncture resistant tires at earliest opportunity.


It's not your imagination, the liners will increase rolling resistance a bit, which will certainly make them feel sluggish. I'd be willing to bet that the noise coincides with where the liners overlap in the tire


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

I hate flats more than anything. I have had bad experiences with tire liners and, in my experience, a thicker more robust tire is preferable. I used Mr. Tuffy's, which make your tires ride like cement. Also, where the Mr. Tuffy's overlap with each other always wore a hole in the tube after a few weeks, despite my attempts to use ducktape to prevent it. I used some light kevalr tire liners (I think they were made by Panaracer) in my Michelin's for about a year. They did not affect the ride and I never got flats, but after about two months, the kevlar, which had the consistency of insulation, would ruin the tube by wearing about a million littles holes in the tube, which would have to be replaced. I now prefer a better tire and take the weight hit. I would also suggest running a gloved-hand over the tire after you ride over something that looks sketchy.


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## josephr (Jun 17, 2010)

great chance for someone to talk about going tubeless!


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## dysfunction (Apr 2, 2010)

josephr said:


> great chance for someone to talk about going tubeless!


If there were more choices of tires.. I'd be all over it. I love it on my mtb.


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## Hask12 (Sep 21, 2008)

I have tire liners along with Michelin tires. Put them in when I bought the tires. Have never had a flat. I don't know it it's the liners or the tires, and I don't really care. I just know that I haven't been caught anywhere having to change a tube or repair a flat. The extra weight is well, let me just say I find it very hard to believe that anyone would notice if I took the liners out.


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## Peanya (Jun 12, 2008)

Kerry Irons has a valid point about where you ride affecting flats. Road conditions, tire construction are two of the four things you can do to prevent flats. 
The other two are: find the right pressure for you. People will ask how much you weigh and recommend a specific pressure. That doesn't do any good. What's right? It's between too high (lots of punctures) and too low (pinch flatting). 
Secondly, and more equally important to the other factors is watching how you ride, and riding over obstacles properly.


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