Is that a little flint in there?
Frank’s maddening post about doing things because, well, because that’s the way to do things made me question some of my own questionable cycling behavior.
My sensi taught me to clean off my tires immediately after riding over something that might cause a puncture. This was done while riding, finger tips floating over the tread to dislodge any potential trouble. The front wheel is easy, the rear requires some technique, indexing one’s hand against the seat-stay. Did sensi mention the indexing part? I don’t think so, sensi did not have to state the obvious all the time. The obvious being: if your hand gets too close to the seat tube your hand becomes firmly wedged between tire and seat-tube, hilarity ensues.
Drunk people are not interested in recycling or redeeming the $0.05 deposit on their beer bottles. It is much more fun to throw them out the window, resulting in me wiping off my tires, usually a few times a ride. I do this and have not had a flat tire in a long time so you must all start doing this, except my wife’s bike roll with the same Veloflex Arenberg tubulars and she never does this and she has not had a flat in a long time either. We train together and she blithely rolls over the same glass that I’m madly wiping off my tires.
The conclusion is, on dry roads glass rarely punctures tires. I have found tiny wire segments are what sometimes punctures my tires, possibly from destroyed car tire radial belts but one never rides through a glittering, highly visible, pile of those. All bets are off when the tires, road and debris are wet. My current theory is the water provides enough lubricity to let glass and other fun things go right through the tire tread. I have no data to prove this; it might be standing on the side of the road in the rain makes a more vivid memory of getting a flat.
Paul Sherwen is always saying the rain causes more “flints” to wash into roads, hence more punctures on rainy days. I’m thinking, if anything, the rain washes “flints” off the road but in any case the wet causes the troubles. Again, Paul was a Pro but I’m one year older (we share the same birthday, I did not know that) so that’s a wash.
Have we learned anything today? Not bloody likely as I will continue to wipe off my tires as I ride over bad things despite no evidence that it helps. Have I cursed myself and my wife by mentioning our lack of flat tires, quite possibly. Does this mean I should shift my bike into the small/small cogs when putting her away for the night, no.
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In other news, I am NOT going to start doing this. With my luck it will only end in disaster, pain, misery and/or severe cases of death. I'll take my chances.
I have always done this and was in fact surprised by the reactions of others who don't. You have to be careful, but then what is there in cycling that doesn't require some care and attention?
I use The Wipe in winter a bit, and think about it in summer before I remember I'm not wearing gloves.
I am going on record as saying i consider this practice looney tunes ! I like to keep my hands and fingers away from really fast spinning things that can remove my hands and fingers or parts of them. And I think that that is pretty sound thinking. Cheers all
@wilburrox
Nope! Did it again this morning. Found myself boxed in and forced through a glass shard field. Fingers on both wheels - front I could feel something pass under twice and popping off on the third. Rear, popped off on the second pass. Works, and I'll keep doing it. No blood yet althoug I tent not to use the very tips of my fingers since they contain the highest desity of nerve endings. I prefer to use below the "pad" of my fingers.
@Spider
Really? Tubes are $5, and canisters are $1 (AUD)... buy in bulk. Not that I do, I ride tubulars (yes, always, and I do 15'000km a year) which has the added benefit of a free tyre with every tube. $75.
@Uncle V
I think that's just a slight fisheye camera distortion - rest assured it's perfectly aligned parallel to the top-tube. Nice try though.
I always wipe, but all this talk of bleeding fingers, jammed hands, and resulting mishaps is proof that using hands and fingers is not the proper way. Pull out your bidon and hold it against the tire for a few revolutions to clear debris. Didn't anyone else learn this method?
Are you nuts trying this on a MOVING bicycle??? Did you not see a pro in the tour a few years ago nearly lose several digits trying to remove a newspaper from his front wheel? Need to wipe? STOP!!
@Puffy
gives me the willies just thinking of it... yea man, protect those nerve endings, they're not overrated! Cheers