24/02/2021
🚲 Use Talcum Powder
Liberally dusting a new inner tube with talcum powder before installation reduces chafing on the tube’s rubber surface. This keeps the tire and tube from sticking to each other and lessens friction that can possibly wear a hole in the tube.
🚲 Watch Your PSI
Keeping your tires inflated within the correct psi range will help keep flats at bay, specifically what’s known as a “pinch flat.” A pinch flat occurs when the tire compresses and pinches the tube against the wheel rim. It’s often caused by an under-inflated tire or a hard impact against an obstacle, like a curb, manhole cover, or pothole. You can identify a pinch flat by the two, side-by-side holes it creates in the tube.
🚲 Go Tubeless
It can be a bit more expensive than some other options, and it depends on your bike and rims, but buying a tubeless conversion kit or switching to Universal System Tubeless (UST) tires altogether can be very effective ways to bring down your number of flats and improve a bike’s overall control. With no tubes, pinch flats become a non-issue, and less air pressure is required to inflate your tire, allowing for better shock absorption on rough terrain. The sealant used in tubeless tires will also prevent flats from minor punctures.
🚲 Add Extra Protection
Both rim strips and tire liners guard the sides of the tube from its neighbors, the rim and the tire. As the name implies, rim strips protect the tube from the holes in the rim, and the ends of the spokes. These are as simple as a rubber strip or a cloth tape and fit inside the rim bed. Tire liners are similar to rim strips in their function but protect from objects attempting to pe*****te from the outside. Both are inexpensive to purchase, making them cheap insurance against flats.
🚲 Replace Your Tires Regularly
While it’s tempting to get the most mileage that you can out of your tires, pushing the limits of their lifespan will inevitably end in a flat. Mileage can range from 1,000 to 5,000 miles and varies by tire type. Even if you don’t track your mileage, you should replace a tire if it has dry rot or if the threads are visible.