# High number of flats in Walnut Creek?



## w-g (Mar 9, 2006)

Normally I get maybe 3 flats a year. Maybe. This year.... almost weekly and nearly every time coming back from Diablo on Northgate and/or Walnut roads. I've done the standard stuff... check rim tape, even changed tires, checked for junk stuck in tires and of course get another flat on Sunday. This is getting stupid. 
Anyone else notice an increase in flats in that area or am I the designated flat magnet for everyone's benefit?


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## jetdog9 (Jul 12, 2007)

I ride in generally the same area, I think it's time of year. A couple weeks ago, 3 flats in 2 rides. Definitely more this season than I can remember in a while. Especially on MUTs (yes, real riders should avoid MUTs but foot traffic on certain parts of Iron Horse and Canal Trail is pretty sparse so I think they're decent routes).

Your comment does worry me a little, I have no desire to flat coming down NG.

Lots of goatheads and other thorns out there right now. And it's been a little too dry for too long out there now. Brittle debris everywhere. 

If you keep track and seem to be getting flat on same spot of tire/rim, there may be a tiny thorn embedded in the tube. I have found those harder to spot than you might think. Also perhaps tire is getting a little old/thin? One of my tires was getting old, I swapped/rotated, and no flats on the last 3-4 rides (fingers crossed).


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## calrider61 (Jul 1, 2012)

w-g said:


> Normally I get maybe 3 flats a year. Maybe. This year.... almost weekly and nearly every time coming back from Diablo on Northgate and/or Walnut roads. I've done the standard stuff... check rim tape, even changed tires, checked for junk stuck in tires and of course get another flat on Sunday. This is getting stupid.
> Anyone else notice an increase in flats in that area or am I the designated flat magnet for everyone's benefit?


Walnut Creek Public Service Department is waiting on new street sweepers backordered with Tesla.

Try reporting on Bike East Bay. 

https://bikeeastbay.org/node/add/hazard

Maybe they can also get the cracks filled on Northgate.


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## MoPho (Jan 17, 2011)

w-g said:


> Normally I get maybe 3 flats a year. Maybe. This year.... almost weekly and nearly every time coming back from Diablo on Northgate and/or Walnut roads. I've done the standard stuff... check rim tape, even changed tires, checked for junk stuck in tires and of course get another flat on Sunday. This is getting stupid.
> Anyone else notice an increase in flats in that area or am I the designated flat magnet for everyone's benefit?


Last Thursday heading towards the NG on Walnut my riding partner had his tire cut clean off the rim, turned out someone had thrown utility knife/razor blades in the bike lane, some of them were embedded blade up in the road. Don't know if it was sabotage but seems fishy to me. 

We had 4 flats on this past Sunday group ride, I got some hook like metal staples or something embedded in my tire so hard it took 5 minutes to dig it out. Left a nice hole in the brand new tire I had put on the day before too :mad2:


.


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## MoPho (Jan 17, 2011)

calrider61 said:


> Walnut Creek Public Service Department is waiting on new street sweepers backordered with Tesla.
> 
> Try reporting on Bike East Bay.
> 
> ...


Northgate has been marked for repair to a bunch of sections for a while now, not sure when this is happening. I know they are supposed to start painting the double yellow and put new signage about passing bikes up next week 

.


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## w-g (Mar 9, 2006)

calrider61 said:


> Walnut Creek Public Service Department is waiting on new street sweepers backordered with Tesla.
> 
> Try reporting on Bike East Bay.
> 
> ...



If the streets can just get cleaned, I'd be happier. The park road surface is a known entity. 
Its the crap on the road (left overs from garbage pick up etc) after leaving the park where I get nailed. Went and road dirt through Shell Ridge and Wall point today. No issues


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## jetdog9 (Jul 12, 2007)

Oh btw, I rode NG to junction the day after the thread started (Wednesday)....

-Took the Canal Trail / YV Trail on the way, and they were just in the process of mowing down the weeds, that did not help in terms of debris on the MUT 
-However NG and Walnut seemed really clean, I was specifically watching out for debris so maybe some of it got cleaned up. Especially NG where it's been repaved more recently (near the church, not too far from the roundabout) was in good shape.

This is not to discount OP's sentiment, I agree it seems to be flat season, I just got lucky.


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