Training Tip - Check your Tires for Glass Before Every Ride.

Flats suck. Everybody knows that. But what everybody doesn't know is that you can prevent most of them.

Here's why:

• Most flats are caused by little bits of glass.


• These little bits usually take plenty of miles to work themselves through the tires and into the tube.


• Checking your tires before you ride often finds these shards before they flat your tire.

Here's how:

• Turn off the lights and very slowly turn your tire with a flashlight pointed at it.


• Glass will glint in the light, showing you were it is.


• Pick out the glass, go riding!

It is important to remember that the second leading cause of flats is too low tire pressure. Check your tires for proper inflation before every ride. Also, I use a headlamp to check for glass and keep my hands free.

If you suspect that you just rode through glass, you can use your bike glove to "wipe" the tires while still moving. This is easy on the front, difficult on the back. Sometimes it's simply worth it to get off the bike, spin the tires, and knock the glass off. Compare 30 seconds of doing that vs. 10 minutes and money spent on a new tube and CO2 instead.

Comments

[Lori]

Thanks for flashlight tip...I hate flats...