Where were you the last time you got a flat tire?

[consularrider]

Too much discussion of flats, we’ll all be jinxed this weekend.

I’m trying to remember my last flat, it may have been nine months ago on my hybrid, a broken off screw somewhere between Crystal City and the Humpback Bridge. I’m not sure where, because I wandered down Boundry Channel Dr, around the Lady Bird Johnson Memorial Park, over to 27, and back to the Columbia Island Marina. Since I was off the paved trail for a while, who knows where I picked up the metal or how long it took to punture. The bad part of if was that after patching the hole, I had a pump failure and ended up walking to EMS in Pentagon Row.

So far no flats on the current Nashbar tires on the road bike (4600 miles).

[dasgeh]

Knock on wood, I haven’t had a lot of flats. The only one I’ve had since moving to DC was on Fort Myer, but almost certainly not due to road debris on the Fort. It was quite a comedy of error as I used up my only CO2 cartridge, fumbled around to change the flat (I can do it, but it’s not pretty), then had to search around the base to find air… At least I have a funny story of how I got my hand pump.

[bobco85]

@cephas 47726 wrote:

Hmmm… maybe that’s my problem. What’s the best way to inspect? It’s so tight…

I wanted to make sure I had the expert advice, so I refer to Him (capitialization intended): http://sheldonbrown.com/flats.html

Scroll down to the section on seating a tire. Before referring to that site just now, I didn’t know of the term “seating a tire,” but that’s exactly what I’m describing. That, plus my experience in the past with the unintended results of improperly seating a tire.

[vvill]

One of the lovely shoulder grooves going SE on MacArthur Blvd trying to hang onto the “Downtown Breakaway” A group, in the rain. I *think* it was a pinch flat, either way it was my fault for not putting enough air in those 23 tires. I usually run 25s now just because I’m lazy about keeping my tire pressures up. I had a spare tube and fixed it in time to ride with the second group. /elite

[off2ride]

Annandale Rd. That shoulder is Chock Full “O” debris. I think the only thing that’s missing on there is Jimmy Hoffa.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@off2ride 47789 wrote:

Annandale Rd. That shoulder is Chock Full “O” debris. I think the only thing that’s missing on there is Jimmy Hoffa.

Nah, Jimmy’s there too. That’s also the site of my last flat before this morning (and likely the culprit behind that one too).

[oldbikechick]

I’m almost afraid to write this, but I haven’t had a flat since moving to DC almost 4 years ago. I do not even know what kind of tires I have on my hybrid but they are most likely under-inflated. Maybe there is something to the weight thing since my husband rides about 1% of the time I ride and he has had two flats (not including the one where the bike was also totaled).

[culimerc]

The office, with a slow leak.

[acorn]

Ugh, I keep discovering slow leaks at the office too. It looks like every time it’s a small sharp thing that has become embedded in the tire (which I remove). I wish I could figure out where it is happening so I could avoid it.

[Terpfan]

I remember exactly where and when. Last May, Friday before Memorial Day, and right past 15th and Maine. It was blazing hot, I was en route home (half day) and was leaving for 10 days on an international trip on like a 6pm flight. So Murphy’s Law dictated that I got a nasty blowout type flat when I did not have a pump or inner tube on me. Thankfully, the fiancee drove out to let me toss the bike in and we still made the flight on time.

[PotomacCyclist]

I was just reading through Sheldon Brown’s article about flat tires. He brought up an interesting point. (Well, he always brings up a lot of interesting points.) People who tend to ride in the gutter or on the edge of the road tend to get more flats. Car tires tend to clear roads of minor debris by pushing them off to the side. All of this junk accumulates on the side of the road. If a cyclist rides on the side because of discomfort or fear of riding closer to the center of the lane, that cyclist will often ride across more glass, pebbles and other debris than other cyclists. Same thing with bike lanes that are on the side of cambered roads.

Sometimes it’s not wise or easy to ride in the middle of traffic lanes. But on calmer roads, it might be a good idea to avoid the debris minefield on the edge of the road.

[Dirt]

West Street in Falls Church around lunch time today. I picked up a staple in the rear tire. A really nice lady came out of her house and asked if I needed anything while I fixed my flat in front of her house. She hung out and chatted for a while.

[jrenaut]

Yay! Flat tire this morning! First one on this set of tires at about 1100 miles on two bikes. And it wasn’t debris, it was hitting the stupid bridge on the Rock Creek Trail by Connecticut at the wrong angle. Heading south, where you go down the hill then turn left onto the bridge? I hit that seam at the beginning of the bridge and heard the rim of the tire make contact. 50 yards later my front tire was flat.

Thanks to the half dozen or so cyclists who made sure I didn’t need anything.

[ebubar]

Slow leak at the office for me today. Went to ride home tonight and it was flat. Couldn’t find any reason for it either! Gonna pump it up tomorrow when I get in and hopefully ride home without incident.

[TwoWheelsDC]

Pulling my bike out for Third Thursday HH, I found the front tire on my commuter bike totally flat. Didn’t have time to change it, so I had to take my road bike, meaning my wife was stuck hauling the U-locks. Just fixed it and it was a torn seam right near the valve that burst some time between putting the bike away Monday evening and tonight. Total BS, but at least it wasn’t an issue with the tire. Other than the cost of a new tube, changing a flat in the luxury of a shop/shed makes it almost no bother at all.

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