How Often Do You Get A Flat Tire?

I've been riding for triathlons for 4 years now... believe it or not, I've never had a flat! I'm dreading the day I get one and actually have to change it.

3 years riding now and not a single flat.

I've never had a flat while riding. I have come back to my bike after months of it sitting the garage to find the tires completely flat from a slow leak.

But, until this year, I never rode that much. So I assume my time for a flat on the road is coming. 

Edited by MacMadame 2009-05-14 2:02 AM

I went through a rash of flats that I believe were between the cheap tubes I was running, the pro3 race tires and what seems to be the past time around here of breaking every bottle they can on bike paths I had a flat at least twice a week.

Since I changed to Gator Skins tires and went with 20-28 tubes (a little thicker than the 19-23 ones) I haven't had a single flat for about 5-6 months.

Edited by DanielG 2009-05-14 2:43 AM

3 years and 2 flats.

Yes it seems like it. I can't this year so far I've had 1 flat and it was cuz a piece of metal went through the entire tire otherwise I can't remember the last time I had one before that.

Make sure to ALWAYS pump your tires at the adviced PSI (varies from brand to brand) and check for foreign objects every now and then. good luck!

Gator Skins for me too, never had a flat with them.  Great training tire.

I had one then went several years (6-7) with no flats at maybe 2K miles per year over that period of time.  Last year, all of the sudden I had about 3 flats over a couple week period.  Part of the problem was that in a single ride a truck had dumped a bunch of very large rocks on the bike lane of the road I was riding on.  One tire blew then.  The other blew the next ride-likely from damage in the prior ride.  I was responsible for third because I should have inspected and changed one of the tires, not just the tube after hitting the rocks.  Very frustrating.  

As DanielG points out, the ProRace 3's are somewhat soft.  I like them, but they are not the most durable.  

3 flats in 2 weeks!! Mine was a rim tape issue. Frustrating though, like you say though, now I am good at changing them!

This post is too dangerous for me to say.

Have you checked the rim tape inside your wheels?  It may be time to change them out.

Also, when you flat, do you check inside of your tires for thorns, etc?  Run your finger inside the tire whenever you flat.

After you put the new tube in and the tire back on, pinch the tire all the way around to help make sure the tube is inside the tire.

As for how many flats...I'm not saying.  That's bad juju.

It seems I'll go for a year without a flat and then have 2 or 3 within a week.

Every time you flat check the tire out closely.  I mean very closely.  Try to determine the reason for the flat.  I've had the tiniest bits of glass embedded in my tires that caused more than one flat.  Also around here TXDot uses these sharp little rocks that can cause flats.

I have had two this year, back to back, to find out my rim was buggered up because the previous owner or someone took a screwdriver to get the tire off.... messed the rim up, so I put some proxy tape over it to prevent it from cutting it again.  Temporary fix though.  Always when you get a flat, be sure to check not only the tire, but the rim to see if something is messed up there as well.

This user's post has been ignored.

Years ago I got 4 flats in one ride, and there was a period after that which I got flats all the time(weekly). Turned out after many inspections that there was a tiny little metal burr on the inside of the rim that the manufacturer never caught. Every time I inflated I got a tiny slow leak. Drove me crazy.

This is a jinx question if ever I heard on. Everyone who said they have never had a flat will get one this weekend.

That would include me.

Edited by popsracer 2009-05-14 10:34 AM

Lately, too many!!! I've had two flats in the past three weeks. One was on my tri bike and one on my road bike. Both times it was the front tire, and both times it caused me to loose control and crash. The one on the tri back was the worst. The one on the road bike happened last night and I was able to almost stop. Just couldn't get unclipped, so now both elbows have road rash. With the road bike, it looks like the rim tape may have caused it, so time to get that changed. Not sure on the tri bike.

x2. Had one this weekend (2nd one last week) on the front tire and for some reason decided to try and turn around on it. I was on the ground before I knew what happened.

5 years = 1 flat for me - stewpid huge piece of glass all the way through my tire and tube. On a 2 day 204 mile ride w/ three friends last year they had 9 flats - I had to change all of them!  

When I started riding last May I have 4 flats in the 1st 4 weeks.  I changed to Gatorskin tires and I've had one flat due to riding over a bunch chunk of glass and other VERY SLOW leak after making a wrong turn and riding a half mile on a gravel road (not too smart).  The second flat was so slow I didn't notice it until the next day.  The first one with the glass I was unfortunately 8 miles from home and it was 18°F - it was a little chilly changing that one.

i get flats much worse in the summer months, in my area we have these little bastards called goat heads (like tiny nuggets of catcus) those things destroy road and even my slimed mnt bike tires...id say one flat every 5 rides...ive only had one flat so far this season, but last year i had three flats on one ride (not due to bad installation either), i was thrilled

Armadillos are your friend.  I don't even swerve for glass anymore, and I've hit pot-holes that have made my handlebars move (hey, it's NJ) without affecting the tires.