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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@Oli
This look is not quite complete without a set of 26.0 bars and a quill stem.
I never wipe, and rarely flat (clinchers), like, years w/o a flat. Why risk getting a bad cut on the hand? That's not an enjoyable cycling experience, and won't help the application of V.
Of course we flat more in wet weather. The wetness is a slight adhesive that makes every loose little thing more likely to stick to the tire, then work it's way in. Isn't that obvious? And the wetness helps every little thing on the pavement loosen up so it CAN stick to the tire. Screw the lubrication theory. So should we then wipe in the wet? Don't bother. You'd have to have one hand on the front 100% of the time, one on the back 100%. Maybe Sagan, but not normal humans.
@girl
++1
And my sensei taught fingers not gloves, touch the rear sear stay first and follow down to the tire, never a problem in 35 years. Always do it as fast as I can and I know that it has saved me from flats. As to sliced fingers that has to be rare, as in bloody meat but it's never happened to me.
Funny how many here are advocating not wiping tyres upon fear of death or dismemberment. Like anything else in cycling, this is a skill that is required to be learned.
1. Wear gloves. Always. Don't get the whole too cool to wear gloves thing.
2. Front tyre, wipe with palm of right hand.
3. Rear tyre, wipe with palm of left hand, thumb hooked around the seat stay to make sure it doesn't wedge in the seat tube...
4. Grits/glass shards more likely to 'stick' to the tyre due to surface tension of the water layer on the tyre. Hence has more likelihood of being driven into the surface of the rubber with each revolution.
And, yes... I've jammed a hand into the seat tube/tyre nexus. Managed to do a rad skid but kept it upright. Funny in retrospect.
Just want to add that the only reason for gloves is crashing. Padding is unnecessary, thin and light will do the job. As a self employed craftsman gloves mean I can go to work if the road rash allows me to sit...
@mouse
1,2+3, why ruin a good pair of gloves? Except if you ride track and need to do an emergency stop by grabbing the front tire?
@Rob
I've never ruined a pair of gloves from wiping tyres. It's a fairly light brush of the tyres that does the job.
Really? Grabbing the front wheel on the track would be a prescription for instant death! How could you possibly;
1. Think of it in an emergency?
2. Take your hands from the bars to grab the wheel when you should be steering up the track.
3. Be even remotely stable while you attempt to hold a wheel that's rotating forward at speed, whilst trying to brace your other hand on the bars.
Back pedal, sunshine.
@emerson
It's just perfect as it is, thanks. I have several other bikes for achieving that "look"...
@piwakawaka
Tried the bidon wipe... it ruins bidons.
@luke
Yep, that's what I was taught too...