# How often do you flat?



## addict42 (Nov 2, 2006)

After 2 years and several thousand miles, I finally flatted during my commute (two days in a row even!). Flats seem to just be pure luck, but I am bored and I wanna know: How often do you guys flat?


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

lately......WAY too often


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

There are so many reasons for flatting that I think time is the wrong way to measure flat frequency.

Tire choice and tire wear, riding surface, moisture present, area of the country (folks in the SW are flat EXPERTS!), rider weight, time of year (winter will get you a lot more flats), wheel condition, how well you take care of your equipment, miles and just plain a run of rotten luck are all contributing factors.

Most riders that keep riding end up messing with the above variables (and I no doubt missed a few) until their miles to puncture ratio is acceptable to them.

BTW I ain't voting because I just don't want to jinx myself........


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## Scot_Gore (Jan 25, 2002)

MB1 said:


> Tire choice and tire wear, riding surface, moisture present, area of the country (folks in the SW are flat EXPERTS!), rider weight, time of year (winter will get you a lot more flats), wheel condition, how well you take care of your equipment, miles and just plain a run of rotten luck are all contributing factors.


You are too kind. You left off rider inattention, poor judgement, bad technique, lazy check after the last flat. These are the ones that seem to get me


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Scot_Gore said:


> You are too kind. You left off rider inattention, poor judgement, bad technique, lazy check after the last flat. These are the ones that seem to get me


We'll just lump them together as "User Error" and add it to the list.


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## ethebull (May 30, 2007)

MB1 said:


> BTW I ain't voting because I just don't want to jinx myself........


Me neither. Bad Vuggum.


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## PdxMark (Feb 3, 2004)

no votee - no way.... it's just wrong to say the F-word... (spitting and tossing salt over my shoulder)


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## JohnnyTooBad (Apr 5, 2004)

Just posting this is bad mojo!

I put new rubber on my ride last night (down to the cords on my Gatorskins - probably 2000 miles with only 2 flats (in 2 days last month- I missed the piece of wire the first time). The whole way into work today on new Mich Oriums, I was paranoid about keeping air in them. They are much softer than the gatorskins, and probably lousy for commuting, but for $14, it's a cheap test. They stick well in the corners, though.

Time to go buy a dozen new tubes!

All hail the tire gods! All hail the tire gods!


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## addict42 (Nov 2, 2006)

It's only bad luck to say you don't flat. For instance, I was recently bragging about my tires, and then I found a nice piece of metal scrap and then a big nail the day after. I still can't believe it took me so long to flat on my commute. Of course, I'm not sure if it helps at all to say you flat all the time, but it can't hurt!!! 

On another note, I'm getting less and less worried as I put some time between myself and my last flat.

Paranoia = (1/T)

T = time since last flat


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

I flatted on ym way to work this morning. I'm blaming this thread.


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## murbike (Jan 22, 2004)

*For years, no flats*

Then, this year alone, I've had 5.
I did some checking, and found that it's time to change my tires. So it goes.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

addict42 said:


> .....Paranoia = (1/T)
> 
> T = time since last flat


Just because you are Paranoid doesn't mean you are wrong.


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## Masi-Rider (Nov 2, 2006)

I just flatted after I glanced over this thread title...why would someone throw out some bad juju like that?


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## Bianchiguy (Sep 8, 2005)

I'm all for not messing with the juju when it comes to talking about the ride, but seriously, I commute during the week and do group rides on wekends, and after every ride I religiously wipe my tires down with a wet rag and check for cuts and any imbeded pieces of crap. In my reality, those 2 minutes seem to help keep the flats to a minimum.


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

*tires tires tires tires*

It seems I have gotten back to Flatsville lately. I need to go back to my superarmored tires.

On my 'cross bike, I have "flat-proof" Marathons, and I have never, um, flatted them. They are 700x35 XR's, so, I hope not!

I had super-heavy tubes plus tire liners in my road bike training wheels, and that seemed to work well. I took out the tire liners for some reason.

In the past 2 weeks I've had I think 4 flats. Crap. When it starts raining, all the rocks and glass and everything just stick to your tires... I should just spend all of my time on the 'thons.


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## haroldson5 (Oct 1, 2006)

*Too often*

Fixie + sh!tty roads + heavy traffic + cheap tires + user error = NOT AGAIN?!?

Latest flat story:
Last week, before heading out on a road ride, I made sure I grabbed the patch kit and a CO2 cartridge. "Funny", I thought to myself, "I didn't think I had an extra cylinder. Oh well, it doesn't look punctured. Time to get moving." 
15 miles later...With a head spin that almost gave me whiplash, "Man that chick is hot!" Bang! "Uh oh, that was a big pebble I just hit." Pssssssssssst. 
MInutes later..."Well, I guess that cartridge was empty after all. D'oh!"
I proceeded to begin the walk of shame. No worries, there is a bike path ahead and there will surely be someone riding with a pump. Then, along comes a pickup with two mountain bikes in the back...and there goes a pickup with two mountain bikes in the back.
Luckily, I was picked up a couple of miles later by a woman and her young daughter who were kind enough to take me to the nearest bike shop where I filled my tire and got a few cylinders and was back in business. As I walk out of the bike shop what do I notice...yep, that very same pickup with two mountain bikes parked in front of the shop.


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

and, in all that, did you also purchase a nice Zefal HPX pump?


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## Doggity (Mar 10, 2006)

Armadillos+vigilance=.....nope, not '0' flats. But damn few. I've had one for sure that was due to a construction staple. That's the only one I can remember.


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## Sledgehammer03 (Mar 7, 2006)

I'm not afraid of flats. I get 1 from time to time. I ordered some Schwalbe Marathon Plus 28's today, to replace the used up Dillo's. This was based on what I read here. I will keep the Mr. Tuffy's. the last flat was from a piee of steel wire. With riding in the dark, it is pretty hard to avoid road hazards, so I will cover for that with bulk.


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## My Own Private Idaho (Aug 14, 2007)

I'm not superstitious, even about flats. I get one every 2000-3000 miles on average. I use cheap tubes, but I run good tires, I keep them good, and I replace them as needed. I make sure to properly inflate my tires at least every couple of days on the commuter, and before every ride on the fast bike. I'm big, but very careful.


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## RandB (Mar 12, 2007)

yep, this thread is bad juju. Had first flat since spring yesterday. Rear conti geoforce. One of those parking flats were someone sticks a knife into the side of the tire. I suppose it is to be preferred to the practise of kicking the rim to see how much it can be bent. That was the last vandalism about two years ago. Mind you the parking interactions around here are not all negative as this spring some kind and anonymous soul replaced the lense on my rear light that had popped off while cycling a couple of weeks before.


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## MDGColorado (Nov 9, 2004)

*Almost every ride*

Feels that way sometimes, anyway. I average one flat every few hundred miles -- I've had 10 or 15 this year. Almost all are thorns, with the occasional bad patch job on my part. I'm running Pasela TG's on 2 bikes and Specialized 28mm (actual 26) All Condition Sport with flak jacket on another.


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## Plank (Apr 23, 2006)

On my road bikes I never get flats, I have ruined a couple of tubes but that is my fault and not while riding. No on my mountain bike I get flats almost constantly. I personally blame my mountain biking friend he never gets a flat but all his friends get flats all the time. So I figure he must have some special mojo that protects him and gives flats to everyone around him.


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## jpick915 (May 7, 2006)

I voted then read the thread and am now very paranoid. I had a rash of 5 flats in roughly the same number of weeks about 4 months ago and have been flat free since that time. I am currently knocking on wood.

Please no flats on the way home, Please....


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

*the only safeway to respond to this thread ...*

Nice weather we're having, eh?


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## hankbrandenburg (Aug 3, 2007)

tarwheel2 said:


> Nice weather we're having, eh?


Warm here - some showers expected this afternoon/evening.

Tomorrow's commute should be coool.


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