Quickie SLIME question (ready done tubes or DIY?)

[Tara]

Yes, I think Marathon Plus tyres are very good. I've done over 9000 miles and never had a puncture. That could be luck of course, but others have reported good puncture resistance too.

Thanks

I've just had a look on ebay, and after typing in Marathon Plus, I'm given the options of choosing the following brands:

Schwalbe (140)
Reflex (13)
Not Specified (25)

Does it matter which I choose?

Oh and there's Marathon Plus with 'SmartGuard' which makes them a bit dearer.....


Thanks again!

 

[tillson]

Schwalbe make the Marathon Plus and yes, its the Smart Guard which gives them their puncture resistance. Of course, you need to make sure that you order the correct size to match your bike wheels. If you know the tyre size for your new trike, it should be easy.

 

[bazwaldo]

Hi Tara,
I have now done 4800+ miles today on my Bearprint Ebike since last October and have not had 1 punture so far.
It's probably just dumb luck which may change now I am crowing about it!
What I did was buy some puncture fix cans from Lidl supermarket quite cheaply and keep them in my pannier bag.
The plan is that if I get a puncture I screw on the hose from the quite small pressurized can and it is then supposed to pump up and seal your tyre well enough to get you home or to work,etc.
I haven't had to use them yet so cannot confirm if they work as described - they certainly give me peace of mind - perhaps foolishly but time will tell!
You perhaps are too worried about getting punctures - how does the saying go?
You have nothing to fear but fear itself? Something like that!
Best wishes with your Trike.
Barry.

 

[Tara]

Schwalbe make the Marathon Plus and yes, its the Smart Guard which gives them their puncture resistance. Of course, you need to make sure that you order the correct size to match your bike wheels. If you know the tyre size for your new trike, it should be easy.

I need 20" tyres, but now see that it's just the front wheel on the trike that's a swine to remove, and the two rear wheels can be worked on with them in-situ, so I don't know what to do now.

 

[Tara]

Hi Barry

So you haven't been tempted to slime in advance?

 

[tillson]

Thinking about it, the tubes should be relatively easy to remove on the rear wheels of a trike and like you say, no need to take the wheels off. I still don't like the idea of roadside repairs, so if it were me, I'd go for as much puncture resistance as possible on all wheels. (avoid that puncture resisting tape that fits inside the tyre between it and the inner tube. I've heard that it can nip the inner tube and cause punctures)

 

[piotrmacheta]

If you do decide to do your own puncture repairs then don't use the 'instant' (called glue-less) patches as they never seem to seal properly for long. Go for the good old fashioned normal patches with glue you smear on the tube.
Another thing I remembered is that as well as the brilliant Marathon Plus tyres you could consider fitting the special plastic insert strips that go between inner tube and inside of tyre and just use you existing tyres. These plastic inserts act like a guard to protect the tube.

 

[tillson]

That plastic strip is the stuff I was referring to in my earlier post. I've never used it, but others on here have reported that it can cause punctures. Where the ends meet when you cut it to length, apparently it can nip the inner tube and put a hole in it.

 

[Mussels]

That plastic strip is the stuff I was referring to in my earlier post. I've never used it, but others on here have reported that it can cause punctures. Where the ends meet when you cut it to length, apparently it can nip the inner tube and put a hole in it.

I didn't cut them to length as they just overlapped, they quickly produced long cuts into the inner tubes and after several punctures in quick succession I discovered the problem and went back for a refund.

 

[Tara]

If you do decide to do your own puncture repairs then don't use the 'instant' (called glue-less) patches as they never seem to seal properly for long. Go for the good old fashioned normal patches with glue you smear on the tube.
Another thing I remembered is that as well as the brilliant Marathon Plus tyres you could consider fitting the special plastic insert strips that go between inner tube and inside of tyre and just use you existing tyres. These plastic inserts act like a guard to protect the tube.

Ah! Slime make the instant patches and I had considered buying some. I do have a puncture repair kit here from the pound shop anyway

 

[bazwaldo]

Hi Tara,
No not at all. I am still using the standard Kenda tyres that came with the bike.
The front tyre still looks pretty new despite the mileage, the rear tyre is losing the tread pattern in the centre.
When the time comes I will probably invest in some Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres so often recommended by members here.
At my recent Ebike service my local Bike shop proprietor said the back tyre still has plenty of life left in it.
Regards,
Barry.

 

[aseb]

I've used Slime and Doctor Sludge and both worked well. The valve does get bunged up with the goo after it's been in for a while but all you do is pick it off the valve, or if you're feeling rich put a new one in at around 50p each. I only had one puncture where the tyre went flat right at the end of its life- a big screw from somewhere- but after removing the screw, spinning the wheel and it blew up and stayed up for about 2 days- enough to get home, and sorted.
I've now got Michelin City Plus tyres that have the puncture resistant band in and haven't seen a puncture yet.
Why not get some use out of the original tyres and use sealant in the tube, then when it's time to replace get one of the puncture resistant tyres- there's a few different makes. And maybe fit one of the thicker inner tubes?

 

[Tara]

I've used Slime and Doctor Sludge and both worked well. The valve does get bunged up with the goo after it's been in for a while but all you do is pick it off the valve, or if you're feeling rich put a new one in at around 50p each. I only had one puncture where the tyre went flat right at the end of its life- a big screw from somewhere- but after removing the screw, spinning the wheel and it blew up and stayed up for about 2 days- enough to get home, and sorted.
I've now got Michelin City Plus tyres that have the puncture resistant band in and haven't seen a puncture yet.
Why not get some use out of the original tyres and use sealant in the tube, then when it's time to replace get one of the puncture resistant tyres- there's a few different makes. And maybe fit one of the thicker inner tubes?

Your post made me think

So, I've just bought two 8oz Slime bottles on ebay for £8.50 (cheaper than one x 16oz)

Thanks
Tara

 

[Orraman]

What a popular lass you are.
Your PM storage is full....

Dave

 

[Tara]

What a popular lass you are.
Your PM storage is full....

Dave

Ho ho, I'm just slovenly and don't delete old mails
I'll go and sort it out now......

 

[aseb]

Your post made me think

So, I've just bought two 8oz Slime bottles on ebay for £8.50 (cheaper than one x 16oz)

Thanks
Tara

The bigger bottles do 2 tyres and I know of a few people who used a full bottle per tyre rather than read the instructions. I don't think it caused much of a problem apart from stickying up the valve- but that can happen with the recommended amount too- just take the valve core out and pick the dried bits off the valve and it should be ok.

 

[Tara]

From what I could gather, one bottle does two tyres, but I have a trike

 

[bazwaldo]

Well as per my quote below:-

QUOTE=bazwaldo;117290]Hi Tara,
I have now done 4800+ miles today on my Bearprint Ebike since last October and have not had 1 punture so far.
It's probably just dumb luck which may change now I am crowing about it!
[/QUOTE]

Leaving work yesterday my front tyre was flat!?! :-(
This is the first puncture I have had in nearly 5000 miles (should be reached tomorrow! ).
Earlier that morning I went into work my usual route which takes me across the Somerset levels and up over a small but steep hill via a narrow country lane.
I noticed there was more room than usual due to the Farmer having trimmed both hedges.
Shortly after this observation there was a loud noise coming from the front wheel, I stopped to check why and found a 6" length of hawthorn twig caught up between the tyre and the mudguard. The twig had several long thorns sticking out of it and I thought wow that could easily have caused my first puncture!?
The tyre seemed firm and I carried on to work with no problems.
When I left work later that afternoon the front tyre was flat.
I was able to pump it up with my Lidl's miniature foot pump which did a great job as it was a slow puncture, I had to do this a couple of times again during my 12.6 mile journey home in the pouring rain but got back without any further problems.

Today I have taken the tyre out and fitted a patch, to the inner tube, there was just 1 small puncture.
I checked inside the tyre for the cause but could not feel anything sharp or see anything from the inside.
There was also nearly nothing to see on the outside of the tyre but eventually I located a small 3mm length of thorn flush to the surface of the tyre and managed to remove it.
Because it was a small slow puncture I did not use my pressurized Slime cans and still have both ready for the next emergency!
Today I also purchased a spare inner tube as it is much easier to replace a tube than repair a puncture by the roadside.

Isn't it typical though that so soon after stating I had had 0 punctures I should then get one!!

Best wishes to all.
Barry.

 

[Tara]

Bad luck Barry (gulp, and I started the thread)

A guaranteed 'sods law' for me, is if I have some spare cash, something always crops up to take it away (like a house or vehicle repair)


Tara

 

[bazwaldo]

Hi Tara,
I know exactly what you mean!
My 16 year old daughter ensures that any cash freshly taken out of the "hole in the wall machine" disappears instantly!?!
Regards,
Barry.