You can probably guess what this one is about. My buddies and I are plauged by punctures. There isn't a ride goes by where one of us doesn't get a flat - last night my mate sheered the valve off after fixing the flat..........

We've all got "Mr Tuffies" (two in my rear, so to speak) but they are cr*p. In the USA you can get a free tube back if you get a puncture whilst using a tuffy - I think we need 20 between us!

So what's the best tube/tyre combo and is there ant advantage in running the pressures a bit lower (currently 50psi).

I should state the main offender is thorns which is unfortunately the nature (ha ha ) of the area we ride in.

There MUST be a market for some seriously re-inforced puncture resistant tyres.........

Paul

You could try one of the tubeless conversions like Stan's or Eclipse...

I'm thinking of going back to Eclipse as I got my first puncture last night since going back tubes...

I run my tubes at a very low pressure. There seems to be a myth about getting more puntures but in my case this isn't true (I get less than anyone I know). Also (and this comes from my rigid days) softer tyres tend to absorb bumps a bit better.

Finally, and probably the best benefit, because the pressures are lower, your tyre has a greater footprint and so gives you more grip.

Don't know anything about tubeless, still trying to get used to front suspension...

Schwalbe's new SmartGuard seems pretty much impenetrable. I've happily run their Marathon Plus's on dry trails but they're not truly an off-road tyre (and weigh a ton)...

Thorn proofing? Now there's a prickly subject!
arf arf...

Have you tried putting slime in your inner tubes?

Tubeless are good at preventing pinch punctures, but they still get punctured by thorns.

Thx for the replies so far. So if I go for tubeless (I have tubless compatible rims) how do repair a flat? Is it as simple as whipping the tyre off and patching directly on the inside of the tyre? Do you need to put any "gloop" around the rim to make an airtight seal?

What is a typical pressure for a tubeless? Is a "pinch flat" when the tube becomes pinched between the tyre and the rim?

TIA

Paul

A pinch flat is when the tube is pinched between valve and rim.
I live in Arizona, lots and lots of cactus thorns. I run Stans sealant in my tubeless. I has sealed some pretty big holes, one cut about 1/4 inch in size, I also removed 17 thorns from one tire and lost no pressure. If you have Stans sealant (adds about 60g) in each tire then you dont have to worry about patching, Stans sealant will do it for you.
Try it.
Typical pressure is 30-60psi, I usually run about 30 using 2.4 tires.

the way to 'repair' a puncture in a tubeless tyre is to stick a tube in...if you do this or try and use one of the few tubless tyre patching kits out there we're not talking a quick two minute job.

It took me b*stard ages to get the panaracer trailblasters off my Crossmax XLs and put some tubes in last weekend.

And guess what? The (old) tubes I put in had punctures so I have to go through it all again this weekend:-)

If you run Stans then you dont have to "repair" your tubeless tires, as the Stans does that for you, or you can convert your regular tires to tubeless. I do that because I am a cheap barstard and dont want to pay the extra money for the UST tires.

I always put Slime in mine. Most of the trails I ride are littered with thorns. My rear flatted on Thursday and had 9 holes in the tube. I replaced the front tonight (which hadn't gone down) and that had 4 holes in it.

Getting punctures are part and parcel of riding. Getting them at 10pm when the temperature is dropping and you are an hour and a half peddaling time from home is a pain in the butt.

I found slime plastic armour strips (which go around the inside of the tyres) to be effective, if you use these with slime inside the tyres you should be able to ride over a bed of nails or so some say. I have never had a flat with this.