10 Things You Can Do To Avoid Flats
A flat tire may end an otherwise productive and goal-oriented day in seconds.
By becoming a massive obstacle between you and your destination, a flat tire not only ruins your entire mood but also brings you closer to the potential injury that can be caused by losing control of your bike!
You might think changing the tires every six months might solve your problem, but we're afraid it's not! Instead, it's another way to spend money on something that is not even worth it!
A fun fact is that no matter how much you keep your tires intact - being exempted from getting a flat tire is inevitable!
However, that doesn't mean that you can't minimize its frequency! Fortunately, specific preemptive steps can save you from tedious work and can help you keep your tire from getting flat again!
Are you wondering how? Well, you need to keep reading ahead to find out!
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4. Maximize your protection with Armour!
It is a human tendency to look out for something that can help us get an extra piece of mind! Considering that, we think we have just what you are looking for!
Covering it up with Armour can bring you a heap of benefits to improve the health of your tire! Don't know what Armour is? Don't worry; we have got you covered!
Armour is a tire insert that wraps fully around the tube and provides an extra 15 mm of puncture protection! With Armour wrapped around your tube, it becomes nearly impossible for sharp objects to penetrate the tube and hinder the tire!
Not only this but the Armour is also designed to keep your rims intact when your bike hits any hard surface and to help stabilize your tires on the entire circumference!
If you want to cushion your ride for maximum comfort while making it puncture-free, then wrapping it with Armour is precisely what you need!
5.Go with the tire liners!
On the odds that you are exhausted with dealing with flat tires again and again and need to put an end to this repetitive cycle once and for all, then tire liners happen to be simplistic yet among the most effective solution to the problem!
First, a tire liner is precisely the same as the Armour discussed above, but like Armour, it doesn't protect your tire's sidewalls. Then why exactly are we sharing it here? The answer is straight; some people are more into the solutions that don't shred the eye.
Armor popping out of the tire's rim might look unattractive to many; hence if you are one of those, you need to go with tire liners!
What counts to be the best part is that tire liner are more focused on protecting the threaded area of the tire from popping out! This way, not only your tire receives ample protection from sharp objects, but it also enhances the life of your tire!
6.Rotate your tires when necessary!
You must have heard the famous saying, "When life gives you a lemon, make lemonade" - Well, for a flat tire, it's about time to go old school!
Well, it's necessary for you to understand that your bike tires need to maintain balanced traction to offer you a smooth and comfortable ride. Rotating your tires is a common practice proven to help maintain the tire's equal and balanced traction.
Rotating tires means exchanging the tire back and forth! Usually, the back tire of the bike happens to handle a more significant pressure than the one in front as it holds the weight of the rider and pushes the front tire to move forward.
When you exchange the back tire with the front one, it will allow the previously backed tire to rest for a moment - and will eventually improve its all-over lifespan!
Now the part that leaves many riders confused? When to rotate the tires? Well, as per the words of the experts, it's preferred to rotate the tires every 6000 to 8000 miles - even if there's zero sign of wear and tear!
7.Ensuring the well-being of the brakes!
You never know when a reckless driver will welcome you and when an unexpected safety hazard may arise - for that, you need to make sure your brakes are functioning flawlessly!
However, apart from your safety, ensuring the well-being of the brakes also ensures the safety of your tires!
Whenever the brakes are applied to slow down the bike, the brakes squeeze the tire in order to stop it. This squeezing implies quite an amount of friction; however, the friction won't be of any issue if the brakes are placed in a neat and clean manner.
On the odds that the breaks are not justified, it may create a wear and tear situation on the tire that would not only affect its life but can also result in flattening it!
It's preferred that whenever you feel that your brakes need a minor adjustment or amendments, instead of doing it on your own, consult a bike mechanic to do the work for you!
If only you managed to maintain the brakes of your bike correctly, the fright of getting a flat tire would reduce in half!
8.Watch out for over-loading your bike with extra weight!
Just as over-airing a balloon might explode it into pieces, the same goes for the tire as well - but here, you aren't over-airing it, but over-weighing it!
Every tire comes in handy with its maximum capacity for handling weight. From where can you find your tire's maximum weight capacity? Look out for the bike owner manual, or contact your mechanic for a rough estimate.
The point is that your tire can bear only a specific load, and as soon as the limit exceeds, it bursts out.
Loading your bike with regular groceries and household items might be fascinating, but it can overload your bike. Moreover, bikes have a capacity for a maximum of two people to sit together, don't try to be a savior by adjusting three on it!
Avoid any act that overloads your vehicle, maintain the prescribed weight, and enjoy a life free from flat tires!
9.Go with a wide tire!
Many riders might have to transit through rough roads or may have to ride over uneven surfaces. Here, there is an excellent possibility that the regular tires won't be able to provide you with a top-notch experience and a prolonged tire life!
But the things that come as a savior here are wide tires! Why?
As the size suggests, the more wide a tire would be, the greater volume of air it would be able to store. Hence, this extra air resists and provides ultimate protection against impact punctures and pinch flats on rough terrains.
The only drawback of installing a wide tire is the increased weight. However, if you are a regular bike rider, who doesn't participate in bike races or climba mountain with your bike, then the wide tires won't make too much of a difference in your daily commute.
10.Choose a Tubeless Tire
While a tubeless tire may cost you a bit more than your standard tube tries, mainly depending on your bike and rims, it is a worthy upgrade that can help you avoid getting flat tires frequently.
Tubeless tires not only ensure that the number of your flats go down, but they also ensure that your bike can offer you a better traction on the road! When you go with tubeless tires, issues such as pinch flats almost become non-existent and the requirement of air pressure in these tires are also lesser for tire inflation.
Since there is lesser air pressure required for tire inflation, the tire becomes capable of offering a better shock absorption should you decide to drive your bike offroads!
Final Word
Well, it is super apparent that no one can anticipate a flat tire as it can happen anytime, anywhere! However, there are specific prevention and cautions that you can seek to help reduce the frequency of flat tire occurrence!
You need to take extra care of your bike and should ensure to follow all of these nine tips mentioned above! If done with consistency and precision, we promise you the results will be worth it!