How many punctures are too many?

[EricV]

All this flat tire talk has me scratching my head as a new road/gravel rider. I've been driving cars and trucks for 35 years (only one flat).

There are lots of variables. Riders that ride more miles are more likely to get flats. ADV riders that ride on/off pavement and look for interesting places probably are willing to cross areas a street bike rider would not consider, that may have debris. Some guys live or commute near construction zones, which often causes more flats. Riders that do a lot of tag games and take photos more often pull over more often, not always in 'standard' parking spots and get more flats.

Some people are just lucky, in either direction, when it comes to flats.

 

[Dirt_Dad]

I was surprised to go out to the bike today and find the tire still inflated. I was not so surprised after I put a pressure gauge on it to see it was only holding at 25lbs. Looking forward to the delivery of the new Mitas E07 Dakar.

 

[markjenn]

I average about 10K miles/year these days and get about a flat every other year, but it's highly variable; I'll go five or eight years and then have two the next year. I've probably had fifteen or so total in my riding career, but never a front.... always the rear. Lots and lots of variables and has been mentioned, there is the simple roll of the dice. 90% of the time, it's foreign objects: nails, screws, staples, wire bits, etc. As has been mentioned, if you ride in areas where construction is going on, your changes go way up. But I also had one last year on my sportbike with a brand new rear that was a simple sharp-rock gravel puncture.... that was a PITA to find and fix.

I'd caution anyone who thinks they don't need to be prepared for flats because they've never had one to think again about this....more than likely, you've simply been lucky. They can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime and no riding habits are such that anyone is immune. For tubeless, what you need to carry to fix the flat is pretty straightforward and fits in a small bag. For tubes, it gets a lot more complicated and this is one reason I won't buy a bike I intend to tour with unless it has from-the-factory tubeless.

I think cars get fewer flats per mile mainly because the tire carcasses are a lot thicker, stiffer, and more resistant to foreign-object penetration. There are probably other reasons too.

- Mark

 

[Don in Lodi]

I wonder if we can throw lane positioning into the variables. I come across solo riders every time I go out that choose to ride the white line side of the lane, hugging the line sometimes, giving up all their lane to whomever wants to use it. The point being that most road debris manages to work its way towards the shoulder sooner or later.
The only mc flat that I've had was on a sabotaged trail, and there I managed to stop with just the front wheel into the roofing nails poured across the trail... Bastards. 36 years, not bad. And my 23yr old Toy has only once had the right rear pick up something. Knock knock...

 

[markjenn]

Riding in the car tire tracks has often been taught as a way to reduce road debris hazards and it does make some sense to favor more towards the center of the road since debris tends to migrate to the sides, but I think lane positioning for other reasons (traffic, cornering lines, hazards, sight lines around corners, animal hazards coming from the ditch, etc.) has to trump worrying about flats.

- Mark