Categories: Tradition

The Wipe Down

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.

Gianni

Gianni has left the building.

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View Comments

PT says:

Jan 9 2016 at 2:40 am

@Oli

I take it Andre Greipel hasn't called asking for his gloves back yet? Or are they Tom Boonens?
Oli says:

Jan 9 2016 at 2:49 am

They were Didi Thurau's.
Teocalli says:

Jan 9 2016 at 5:21 am

"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."

I believe he was talking about roads round my neck of the woods where gravel, flints and everything else does wash into the roads. Loads of the lanes around here have fields above the road level. Sample locations below.
Uncle V says:

Jan 9 2016 at 5:35 am

@Oli

Looks like that lever by your hand could be turned in some .
KennyP says:

Jan 9 2016 at 8:10 am

Enough already, STOP doing this!

I used to use my shoe to clean potential detrius, but that was only when commuting and using (ugh!) mud guards. Typically employed the much discussed and, I thought, more elegant method of my glove on the front tire and a light finger or more on the rear. That all came crashing to an end while on a social ride on my much loved Colnago C40. I came to an abrupt, painful and damaging 'hard landing' resulting in a crushed vertebrae, nine weeks in a body brace and months more recovering. It seems the Colnago has a little less clearance between tire and seat tube than my other bikes and my hand got jammed as I was extracting it from the completed task.

In conversations with other riders afterwards, I discovered three friends had managed the same trick but with somewhat less serious consequences. One resulted in a dislocated shoulder, another survived more serious damage by falling onto the barrier railing. It seems cyclists never talk of the results of this kind of foolishness in a preventative fashion, only in terms of survivor.

To repeat: STOP doing this! The potential and unproven savings of flatting just aren't worth the risk.
ILCapo says:

Jan 9 2016 at 8:14 am

I've been cleaning my tyres for years with my fingers, especially in the winter to remove all the crap off the tyre. Gives you that nice feeling looking at a clean tyre, knowing it's ready for another days hard work.
the Engine says:

Jan 9 2016 at 9:18 am

@Oli

They were Didi Thurau’s.

This
the Engine says:

Jan 9 2016 at 9:23 am

@frank

Or just outside Iper ride over something sharp and agricultural and slice your tyre clean in two.

Although on the plus side we now know that you can run a Shimano cassette on a Capagnolo set up for at least 130kms without dying
the Engine says:

Jan 9 2016 at 9:38 am

Also this is part of Rule #40 - because your tyre label is always over the valve, when you find the hole in the inner tube you can match it to the point where the thorn went through the cover.

True misery is detonating your last tube in the pissing January rain because - even though you know that there has to be something sticking in the carcass your fingers are too numb to find it.

Although if you start squelching your way to shelter (looking like one of Napoleon's currasiers walking back from Moscow after having eaten his horse) Police Scotland will sometimes give you a lift home.

During the drive home they will take a keen interest in your mental health.
RobSandy says:

Jan 9 2016 at 9:39 am

@Gianni

@DeKerr

Veloflex FTW!

And, as @DCR put it, it’s surface tension allowing “pointy things” to work their way into the tire. A shard of glass does not (usually) instantly pierce the carcass (I just want to write “pierce the carcass”… and try to say it without giggling) but instead insidiously works its way into the weave.

I feel vindicated. And I had to work at juggling “lubrication” and “penetration” in this post without the usual adolescent male remarks, and it was work!

If something pertinent had cropped up you should have just worked it in.