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I run tubeless - and my third tyre of the year is a Schwalble Hand Dampf ( but 5 years old). So far this year I am getting punctures more of less 60% of the rides I go on. I am beginning to get good at anchovy application - but these days carry huge amounts around with litres of tyre slime...
I reckon I have had 10 punctures this years ( and very , very few in the five years before)
What am I doing wrong ? No one else I ride with ever has punctures - I am the only one. I turn tubules - and at sensible pressures - 26 psi or so. I am using mic-off slime.
No snake bite type punctures - all are sharp items going through the main tyre tread - normally just by the blocks, on the centre of the tyre.
It is a two ply Hand Dampf. Am I just unlucky - or doing something wrong?
Never used the muc off slime but perhaps try a different sealent? Boring but I have only ever used Stans and get no issues.
Ditch the Muc-off and get a decent sealant. Everything they make/re-badge is pish.
is it really that simple ?
I found Stans very hit and miss at times
https://www.bikeperfect.com/features/best-tubeless-tyre-sealant-for-mountain-bike-gravel-and-road
and they don't agree with you, either ...
I always through it was Peaty stuff that was endless rebadged tat...
Looking at the tyre there is evidence of other punctures - and few of the side blocks are ripping where they join the tyre.
I am guessing is this just use - but is it a sign of tyre degradation?
Get a tyre with a tougher casing.
Hans Dampf are pretty poor in my experience and I similarly had quite a few punctures, I found Michelin tyres to be very tough and reasonable weight and were a much better replacement
What are your mates running that aren’t getting punctures over the same terrain?
The answer is that mates are running nothing special - some specialised butchers, some Vitoria stuff - but no mega gnar triple casing stuff. Sealant seems to be different in each case - Orange something or other / Stans.
But I accept Muc-Off Sealant gets mixed reviews. And many agree with what I see - it sticks like buggery bit doesn't really want to seal holes!
Put a piece of steel next to the wheel to check that the rims aren’t magnetic… I used to have a transit which was always getting punctures… I swore it had magnetic wheels! 😜
My basic logic, have you always been a puncture magnet or is it only this year? If only this year then what has changed, if it's only the tyre then the tyre is the issue. If it's always been an issue (and not an issue for your mates riding the same trails) then could be, tyre pressure, line choices (or lack of), riding style etc. etc.
What kind of punctures? Pinch flats or thorn puncture type, pinch flats: increase tyre pressure or use a tyre insert. Thorn puncture type: Better tyre, different sealant.
and few of the side blocks are ripping where they join the tyre.
I had this on a hans dampf a few years back, maybe bad tyre construction back then.
A fancy DH quadruple thick casing isn't the only way a tyre can be tougher or more puncture resistant, there are still decent lighter weight tyres. Schwalbe have never been the best casings IMO regardless of which one.
I had this on a hans dampf a few years back, maybe bad tyre construction back then.
The other HD I bought at the same time totally delaminated and CRC gave me a refund - so crap quality could be an issue.
The punctures are never pinch time - flint cuts are the major reason. Thorn holes seem to seal (Looking at the evidence on the tyre)
From comments on here and also the Brighton MTB FB site, Muc-Off sealant is rated as "shit". Which goes against what Bike Radar said bit there you go. And that is really the only thing I have changed this year. So logic would suggest the sealant - and the tree not helping ( but its the third tyre ( others were Maxxix DHF, One One Smorgebourg ( it last two rides) and now The HD. So its not a specific tyre issue.
And those are the only things that I have changed.
I’ve sliced a hole / ripped a knob off 1 x EXO Rekon and 1 x EXO Dissector - both rear - in little over a month.
It’s becoming a flippin’ expensive hobby at that rate.
I’ve been searching for either of the above in an EXO+ / 3C / Max Terra in normal width (I.e. 2.3 to 2.5WT not 2.6+ and wider cos it won’t fit my frame) as I’d buy one immediately but not having any luck tracking one down.
Torridon on Saturday we had 6+ punctures between 2 bikes. Some places are just hard on tyres I guess.
Slime sealant should be looked into by trading standards. It is so bad…. It doesn’t do it’s most basic function & the only reason it exists. The should rebadge it as “tyre weight increasing shit”.
Since my early experiences with slim I changed to Stan’s and haven’t had a “normal” puncture for about 10 years. By normal I mean a sharp object like thorns or nails causing air to deflate. I’ve had rips & slashes, which no sealant would cope with, but that’s life.
Earliest & best lesson I learnt was that When you get thorns in the tyre - leave them in; they act as a plug & make the job of the sealant easier.
Not sure running 5 year old tyres will help your cause.
I've had a couple of punctures over the last few years in Specialized tyres, but sealant (Stans or Juice Lubes) has usually sealed them.
Stans just works for me.
I'm not a puncture magnet, but do appear to be a dog shit magnet at the moment...
Stan's and specalized tyres on one bike, stans and maxxis on another 2 fine.
Panaracer and Stan's wouldn't seal, and when they did have had several punctures in a couple of months.
I'd swap to what your mates are running.
I tempted fate and got away with murder yesterday, had my puncture repair kit in my pocket commuting in, but had forgot to put my mini pump in the other pocket, somehow no puncture happened! 😮
I'm normally just average on puncture frequency but this last 18 months I've had loads. Exo and Exo+ mostly. While mine have also mostly been in the tread and look like cuts so aren't obvious pinch flats, they're still hits on sharp rocks. And it can be flinty round here. Last 2 tyres I've moved to Schwalbe SuperGravity and have had no flats, but the first of those tyres (Rock razor) lost a load of side knobs instead. So I'm not overly impressed with that. An insert as well has made a difference I'm sure. But combined I'll be carrying a fair bit of extra weight.
The change for me 18 months ago was a new bike. I reckon I must ride it a bit differently.
Oh and all exo, for example, are not the same. I'd say a exo Rekon is a pretty xc tyre that's a lot easier to puncture than say a DHR of nominally the same carcass.
Depends what the terrain is, but if you ride a lot of rocky stuff increase your tyre pressure, that was the no. 1 factor I found that sorted the problem, maybe look at tougher tyres too HD aren't great on rocky stuff especially if they a little dated.
Just having a quick bike check over - new tyre on the back. Tubeless is holding nicely. Front is now down to 13 PSI - quick scan over the tread shows shows multiple punctures/ weeps of sealant ( I guess from flints - a common issue on the SDW). They have sealed but with quite a pressure loss. So I am beginning to see that the punctures are not the issue - but as has been pointed out, the sealant is!