Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Healing from punctures



Sometime mid last year, I experienced a spate of punctures one after another on the Bridgestone XO5. After visiting George's Bike Shop too many times, they recommended the Tioga Thorn Proof tubes which were thick and robust, with the promise to take the fight against punctures to another level. Unfortunately, after a good 8-9 months of hassle-free riding, the enemy attacked again successfully. The culprit managed to pierce through the thick armament and inflicted a flat front tire.

That got me really frustrated. Are there any other "weapons" to fight against this determined enemy? My nephew Nick, a racer, recommended Slime Lite self-healing tubes. They have a special sealant in the tube that is supposed to be able to repair any holes up to 3mm automatically. The downside is they are even more expensive than the Tioga tubes (which go for US$18). At nearly $24 a piece, its more expensive than some tires even.


But to fight a determined enemy requires a determine budget. Stay tune to see if future puncture holes can actually be "healed".

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