D00M

(Correction in Title. Actually 3 bikes)

My kid rides to school daily. No issue for past 3 years; then 2 flat tires in past months. Today, I had 2 flat tires on trail.

First flat was on an old hand-me down bike with really worn tires. I don't know how old the tires and inner tubes are. Definitely more than 5 years old, and possibly older as the tires are almost torn thru. So not surprising that got a flat.

I just starting cycling 3 weeks ago. And I thought that a better bike will allow my kid to enjoy riding more. And old bike is way too old, not professionally serviced (done by amateur - me), and not worth servicing. So we bought a new bike. 2 days later, kid got a flat on the new bike. Tire was ripped right in the middle seam. I suspect it is manufacturing defect combined with road hazard, but who knows.

I am also riding used bike, on tires with unknown history and age. It is hybrid bike with 700 x 32c road tires. I ride from home to local park (bayland). And continuing ride along the bay on paved and unpaved trails. I estimate around 80% road and 20% dirt/gravel.

With experience with flat tires on kid's bike, I knew I should be prepared. I have ordered the following, but waiting for shipment:

• Portable hand pump from Amazon for $9. Not sure how reliable or will this even work. To be delivered tomorrow.
• Saddle bag from AliExpress.
• TPU inner tube from AliExpress. I don't have experience with TPU. Only $5 each. And suppose to be light and fold up small.
• Multiple replacement tires and inner tubes, for kid's old bike and new bike, from both AliExpress and Amazon.

Today, I had to order more:

• Gravel tires for my hybrid bike.
• I haven't ordered this, but need to get 15mm portable spanner. Just found out today when I try to remove my rear wheel.

Although I don't have these tools yet, I figured I can manage for couple weeks. Chances of something happening should be low. And worse case, I can walk home, or call my wife. Unfortunately, today, I got 2 thorns on my front tire and 1 thorn in the rear tire. Both tires had slow leak. I was 6+ miles and 1.5 hours walk from home. My wife was at work, so had to wait 2+ hours for pick up. I decided to wait for pick up, as I don't want to damage my rims by walking the bike on flat tires.

Lesson learned: Sh*t tend to happen in bunches. Make sure there is backup plan, such as necessary tools. And use the right components and parts for the job (not road tires on unpaved trail).

The only positive is that I got a lot of practice removing and installing tires and inner tubes.

indyfabz

Don’t understand the logic behind buying a pump you feel is questionable.

13ollocks

I personally wouldn’t have a cheap TPU tube as my on-the-road spare - they’re not sufficiently reliable. I’ve bought 4 and, while they ride nicely when they work, 1 one wouldn’t hold air right out of the box, and 2 more simply flatted - I patched them, but this fixed only 1. One flatted overnight, but seems to be holding air outside the tire, so I don’t know what’s going on with it. The valves seem particularly dodgy. Also, TPU can be pretty finicky to install, especially under less than ideal (ie roadside) conditions. While I like how TPU and latex roll, my spare tube is a bog-standard butyl - yes heavier, less compact and higher rolling resistance, but reliable as a hammer and easy to install - I can fix the fancier tube and reinstall it once the butyl gets me home.

indyfabz

I ride road tires (25c) on unpaved trails with frequency.

Barry2 

I’m in Bay Area same as OP.

I can ride paved without issue, but as soon as I leave the blacktop “they” are waiting.
Goat heads tend to be blown off the blacktop and then lie in wait at the edges!

My solution was to go tubeless, solved.
Opinions of tubeless do vary, but for my 700c x 25 and in my neck of the woods… golden!

Barry

letrebici

Hey again D00M,Sounds like you just had a spate of bad luck, compounded by old gear and lack of repair tools. It can only get better, right?!
I have ridden my road bike with 700c x 25 tires on Baylands a couple of times (but on Conti Gatorskin tires), have taken friends with road and hybrid 26in bikes and not issues. The Badlands trail in Palo Alto/Mt View is mostly paved with a few gravel over dirt sections, so you could have just found something sharp. Did you see two small, parallel slices on your tube? that would signify it was a pinch flat vs a sharp through the tire and tube.

I recommend for you and your kid's bikes, to get quality tires and tubes. no sense in gambling with your safety. Good luck and Happy trails.

boozergut

schwalbe marathon plus whenever possible...

icemilkcoffee 

Amen. When my 2 kids first started biking to school back in 2021, I was repairing flats at least once a month. Once I switched their bikes to tubeless, I have not had to fix any flats for them for the last 3+ years. Until two months ago when finally my younger one managed to get a cut that is too long to seal.

What bikes are these that we are talking about? Post some details about the bikes so the collective hive can figure out the best tubeless solutions.

Clyde1820

I'd start looking for tires better-suited for the conditions. The unknown element, with tires/tubes, isn't likely to yield good performance or guard against punctures.

In the 700c sizing, I've had Continental Ride Tour tires. They come with strong puncture protection and are available in a variety of sizes. Handles road and hardpack trail surfaces well. A little heavier than some competing tires, but the puncture protection is top-notch.

The Schwalbe Marathon 365 might also be suitable. It can handle the occasional off-pavement jaunt and has fairly solid puncture protection.

As well, if you don't already have a "rim tape" for your wheels, I'd suggest a good product. Something like Velox cloth rim tape, or similar. It can help guard against tube damage from spoke protrusions inside the rim.

And I'd recommend known/brand-name tubes. There are lots of thinner, cheaper tubes out there. Schwalbe makes pretty good ones.


https://www.continental-tires.com/pr...ID=01011800000

https://www.schwalbetires.com/Marathon-365-11159426

https://www.schwalbetires.com/SCHWAL...-700C-10429343

rsbob 

Some TPU manufacturers are better than others, so take with a grain of salt, broad sweeping statements about quality. I buy “Offbondage” brand and they have been dead reliable. Over 2500 miles with zero issues. They require some topping up if the bike sits, but I check the air before every ride anyway. I have the ones with the metal stems, since they seem to be more reliable than plastic.

Clyde1820

Certainly didn't mean a "broad sweeping" condemnation of no-name tires or tubes. Just meant that "unknown", "aged" and "frequent punctures" leaves a lot of risk on the table. Going with a known quantity can help reduce that risk. One less thing, and all.

Don't know that I'd put AliExpress items on such a list, but people "in the know" can find good products and have good results.

ScottCommutes

If your family bikes have various other hex nuts on them, you could also consider (in lieu of the 15mm) an adjustable spanner that could cover more of your bases. This might also loosen/tighten your pedals.

slow rollin

My vote is similar to the above posters. Adjustable spanners, durable touring/commuting tires(marathons, armadillos, gatorskins, insert thick mtb slick here) and decent tubes. Tubeless is great too if you lots of flats consistently. Some places are just flat city so riders end up only running durable tires, or tubeless.

veganbikes

I don't recommend buying from any of the places you are buying from. Get known quantity and quality parts from a local bike shop or if you somehow don't have one there are tons of actual brick and mortar shops that sell parts online or even online only bike shops that sell parts. No name junk from random places that you aren't confident in, doesn't sound like a good idea to me especially if I have had some flats recently.

It sounds like, though, that most of your flats are being caused by old worn out parts that should probably have been replaced a long time ago. Reusing tubes is a silly proposition, just get new tubes, new rim strips and brake pads and other rubber bits and you will be in better shape. I know that maybe a tube is holding air but if the tire is worn out you have to imagine the tube inside is not in much better condition and the rim strip is probably also in that same condition or could just use some freshening up.

In terms of the new kids bike, you shouldn't have ordered a new tire you should have gone to the bike shop you purchased it from and they should have warrantied it. If you didn't get it from a bike shop then I would suggest returning it from wherever and going down to your local shop and getting a proper bike so your kid can ride safely. A tire should not rip in the middle that is a really odd one that I have yet to see. I have seen some tire defects and worn spots due to skidding or just wearing a tire into the absolute ground but a brand new tire splitting down the middle, that is an odd one. If you are stuck on this bike for some reason then take it to your local shop and have them put it together properly and go through it with a fine tooth comb and fix any issues so they aren't issues while your kid is riding.

If you do need a 15mm for flats, this is my go to:
https://ridepdw.com/products/3wrench...qYtUNQjZDSHrnq
My fixed gear and my Single Speed/Fixed Gear RandoCross Fun Time Machine have one that I carry (or I swap between the two.
or I will carry this and a tire lever:
https://pedros.com/products/trixie?s...AFVdQOGxrGpLDM

If you do get an adjustable wrench, get one of good quality and know how to use it properly and use it carefully. Knipex makes the Pliers Wrench in various sizes and is well recommended by many professional mechanics:
https://www.knipex-tools.com/product...ms_per_page=40

For pumps get a portable floor pump:
https://www.topeak.com/global/en/pro...6-ROAD-MORPH-G (for my higher pressure tires)
https://www.topeak.com/global/en/pro...9-MINI-MORPH-G (smaller but with similar features to the above)
https://www.topeak.com/global/en/pro...MOUNTAIN-MORPH (for high volume tires)
Another option that I hear good things about (but have been using Topeak pumps so long I have no interest in switching)
https://ride.lezyne.com/collections/...mp-mfdr-v204hp (for high pressure tires)
https://ride.lezyne.com/collections/...mp-mfdr-v204hv (for high volume tires)
They also both make digital gauge versions.

Don't bother with mini pumps and the really small stuff, you won't care about weight or aesthetics or size at all when you have a flat on the side of the road especially in the heat or the cold or rain or snow you will only care about getting air into the tube faster and getting back on the road so you can get back home or to the office or wherever you are going.

I do also carry CO2 but I use the pump. My Red Zeppelin:
https://www.planetbike.com/red-zeppe...atYu4x-HlClbqy
is purely for a backup to the pump or if I am in an emergency and I need to go quickly but unfortunately CO2 is a smaller molecule so it will leave my tubes and tires faster so I will need to deflate and pump with air when I get home.

For tubes; Schwalbe, Contiental, Specialized, Teravail, Maxxis, Kenda...all make good quality tubes. A butyl tube is the way to go. They are easy to find, known to work well and while they might be a tiny bit heavier and bulkier than a TPU tube they are easy to work with and you generally can rely on them and if you have one for too long and it is out of date they are like $8-15 to replace vs a $20-40 TPU tube.

For tires get a good quality tire. The biggest keys to avoiding flats are have a good quality tire in good condition pumped up to the proper pressure and kept at proper pressure and don't do a lot of curb jumping and riding through glass and such if you can avoid it. If you are experiencing flats get a good puncture protectant tire from say Schwalbe, Continental, Specialized, Panaracer...However there are a bunch of other quality tire manufactures but they might have different usages for their tires. If you are really experiencing a ton of flats on new good quality tires, then you might consider Tannus Armour inserts or going tubeless. However if your flats have two small holes in the tube that is a sign of the tube just not having enough air in it and you causing your own flats which is bad. If it is due to worn out parts, that is just something that needs to be replaced a long time ago and if it is defective parts get those warrantied or buy more quality parts.

In terms of rolling a bike with flat tires, that is fine and won't harm anything unless you are riding on them or really putting serious weight on them or doing stupid things but just walking the tires will protect the rims plenty. I am usually a bit gentle if I have to go off a curb or something but I really don't baby them. Look up Danny McCaskill Reserve Wheels and you will see a video of a professional ridding a bike down stairs on CARBON RIMS and it takes him a while to finally destroy the rims and that was riding down stairs with no tire (because with the tire nothing happened except when he went super low got a flat and still didn't destroy them. Don't bang your rims hard and you will be fine.

Take care of your bikes and they will take care of you, let them languish and you will be in for trouble. A bike of unknown history means it should immediately go to my local shop and get fixed up for whatever it takes or a brand new bike bought and either way taken in yearly and regularly maintained at home by cleaning the bike a bit, cleaning and lubing the chain with some regularity and keeping the tires properly inflated. Anytime you have an issue bring it to the shop immediately don't wait thinking it will get better, it generally won't and the more you leave it the more likely you are to have issues that get worse and more expensive.

If you are a commuter practice taking your wheels on and off till you have some muscle memory and can change a flat more quickly. But also don't forget to figure out why you got that flat. If it is two small little holes next to each other like a snakebite then you have only yourself to blame and you should curse yourself for not pumping before you left that morning. If it is something else figure that out or you could be doing another flat soon after because that piece of whatever is still stuck in there. Also if you are a commuter have a second bike if you are relying on the bike for transportation, that way you have one that can go into the shop and one you can ride. Also have another way to get around independently is helpful even taking an über or Lift or bus or subway or whatever will be helpful.

Quality tools and parts purchased from known quantity and quality dealers will be initially more expensive for sure but when they work well and last a longer time and don't strip things out or puncture more easily or whatever you will be happy you paid for them. Cheap stuff is really only cheap in the tiny space where you insert your card (or type your card number or whatever) and that tiny spaces occupies seconds but when you are actually out in the field and your gear fails you will more than likely spend way more trying to deal with it or having to get a ride home or whatever and the headaches that stuff will cause is not worth any of those "savings" you didn't actually save. The only people who really can afford cheap parts are those who have loads of money. If I were a rich man I could buy all the cheap stuff I wanted and it wouldn't matter I could just throw more money at it and replace them over and over and over again no problem. I unfortunately am not a rich man so I buy high quality long lasting parts and tools so I only have to buy them once or once in a while (depending on what it is) so while my initial spend is way more my long term cost is way way way less and I am much happier as well.