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…it’ll be fun, they said.
…you’ll save money, they said.
…be more reliable than the trains, they said.
Bollocks to the lot of them.
1st day commuting, rear puncture half way home.
2nd day, rear mech exploded.
3rd day, slow front puncture, made it home and topped up sealant.
4th day, despite tyre holding air over the weekend, it only managed 80% of the way to work.
Currently averaging £20 a day in bike maintenance, and only once have I made it to and from my destination without having to walk some of the way.
Anyone else had a run of bad luck?
Does your commute involve a section of Fort William? Maybe avoid that bit 😉
But yes but very occasionally... Your got it out the way quickly.
The Tom Howard Value Paradox:
the unacceptable cost of cycle commuting, vs the acceptable cost of everything else.
😂
I think in 10+ years of commuting in London, I've had about 6 punctures. I do remember a run of bad luck involving a worn out rear tyre and a particular bridge with new broken glass in different spots every day. That was 3 of them!
Not commuting no - but I’ve just stuck to inner tubes on my road bike and had no real dramas with that. Not convinced on road tubeless from what I read / hear.
The rear mech exploding is a bit unlucky - what mech was it and how did it destroy itself??
Commuting by bike always gives me a bit of head space and gets the endorphins going I find. The only time I find myself hating it is mid winter, in the dark, in the pouring rain on the grind home from work when I just want to be at home. Other than that I enjoy it. Sadly I mostly work from home now so I’m missing out on it.
The 1st rule of commute club is....
Schwalbe Marathon Plus, with smart guard anti puncture protection
@stwhannah it’s proof that cheap(er) bikes are a false economy. Not had these issues with ‘less value focused’ bikes!
Don't think of it as having mechanicals, think of it as your bike telling you that there were things that you forgot to change out or improve before you started using it more.
You know, that.
Besides, you have not factored in the additional cost of the extra food you will want with all that exercise.
I commuted in London for years. Generated a lot of content for my blog, a few injuries and a a long list of 'temporary fixes' that lasted for months. I still remember this (probably my worst) accident
https://www.pickled-hedgehog.com/commuting-rants/crossing-the-rubicon/
2005! Blimey. I never used the tube tho. Regardless of the weather. Was very proud of that back in the day. Two years ago I tried a rental bike in London. Jeez - scared myself poo-less, so busy, so many bikes. No way I could do it now...
‘Less value focussed’ I’m flipping having that.
Anyone else had a run of bad luck?
Yep. Had 6 punctures in 6 bike rides. The roads and paths of North Tyneside are paved in broken glass.
Schwalbe Marathon Plus, with smart guard anti puncture protection
100% this ^ plus you get the added benefit of increasing fitness by forcing an extra 1.5kg to rotate 😰 😂
105 rear mech, I suspect the explosion may have been assisted by the spokes. Or the fearsome power in my legs.
I commuted for 30 years until I retired.
I had a dedicated commuter bike. Single speed, mudguards, rack, puncture resistant tyres with the foam layer. Once I gave up on shimano disks I had few problems.
I ran schwalbe marathon plus tyres when I commuted into Sheffield. They weigh a ton and make the ride dead, but I'll take that for the ability to not care about broken glass and the lack of punctures.
Cracking my London Road frame at the TT/ST weld was probably the biggest mechanical. That was caused by a pothole, which was ironic given the marketing blurb about the London Road bike being able to handle the potholes of Sheffield's London Road.
Don't commute on a bike that is less than 20 years old. Components should be at least 10 years old (demoted components from main bikes that refuse to die even though there's something new and shiny you really want to buy are the best bet).
Exceptions: Brake pads, chain, cassette, chainrings, tyres, grips, rims(if using rim brakes).
I had the same when I first started commuting, so many punctures and mechanicals.
Leeds is littered with broken glass, nails, screws, and other stuff. I even managed to puncture a marathon plus casing tyre!
I've sacked off road oriented tyres now and have been running fast rolling MTB tyres tubeless. WTB rangers were good, and now running Mezcals after they wore out.
Also sacked off the gravel bike and now ride a rigid MTB.
Flipping heck - never had a road mech do that. Maybe what you need is 12 speed AXS on there and some Berd spokes 🤔😝
3x8 on my commuter (mash up of 1998 Cannondale hybrid and many different parts), and v brakes... cheap as chips to replace consumables.
Saves me £10 every day I ride in.. 12 miles each way.
After a couple of years of no punctures on G-one All Roads, switched to Continental Plus City Touring tyres after 3 in a week end of last year. I can kid myself they are faster rolling than Marathon Plus.. seem to work.
That said about to head in on my new bike as the sun is shining 🙂
The 1st rule of commute club is….
Schwalbe Marathon Plus, with smart guard anti puncture protection
Or Continental Contact Plus. 😁
Tom - what crappy and unmaintained bike are you riding? 😜
Thinking back to the two years of Stockholm commuting, my biggest issue was a chain exploding coming off the lights one time. I was clipped in, but _JUST_ managed to get my feet out before I fell over in the middle of the four way junction.
No punctures, no other major mechanicals in two years, but I was doing a chain every six months and got through two cassettes because of the salt and the winter freeze/wet cycle. Oh, and a rear hub. But, I was running 26" wheels with the thinnest tyres I could fit on the rims.
Maybe what you need is 12 speed AXS on there
I know you’re joking, but had the window for getting c2w at work not shut the literal day before that happened, that’s what I’d be running now.
Doesn’t open for another year 😭
Alfine. putoline, dynamo lights, Conti travel contact tyres. hope discs
Years of trouble free commuting
I've done ~15,000 miles on marathon plus (2 pairs) without a single puncture. Everything lighter just isn't worth the faff
Maybe it's time for us to play "Let's spec a commuter for Tom" - I'm not sure I know enough obscure artisan component suppliers to spec a whole bike but suggest we start with something simple and reliable, maybe a frame from Moots.
I rate the puncture liner tapes, bit fiddly to install but have massively reduced my commuting deflation incidence. Seems to stop the tiny razor sharp bits of stone and glass that find their way through even tough tyres.
Two years ago I tried a rental bike in London. Jeez – scared myself poo-less, so busy, so many bikes. No way I could do it now…
London commuting now is brilliant.
Normal clothes. Hire bike. Zero wear and tear cost to you!
You do have to ride in a different manner though. You go from being a head down roadie to just sort of floating along without a care in the world. If you try and hurry a Santander Cycle along, it's like riding a recalcitrant barge. Just relax and go with the flow.
My first week of commuting ended up with me rolling over the bonnet of a c class.
Bright side: it can only get better, and you'll probably get fitter.
I would try the Schwalbe Marathon's but I refuse to use tyres with a stupid cosmetic tread pattern cut into it.
I recommend Continental Contact Speed instead: https://www.continental-tires.com/bicycle/tires/urban-tour/contact-speed
Schwalbe or Conti tyres fo'shure, but if your commute is a back route for every roadman, scallywag, pickpocket and ner-do-well then every Monday it'll be strewn with broken glass. know your area and swap routes appropriately.
Plus; punctures always come in threes.
I'm a massive fan of the Conti Contact tyres too. Some have been replaced on the original tube with no patches, all the others have only had one. I tried Marathons once. too slow!
I went for years on a Giant Gavia tyre - slow and heavy but no punctures. Then switched to a gp5000, which is *much* faster until you add in the time spent fixing punctures. Going to try tubeless now but mainly because the potholes are so insane.
Normal clothes.
I've never commuted in anything else TBF, pair of over-trousers and a decent waterproof are about my only concessions to weather.
Bike issues are like buses, several come along all at once. Plus we tend to only remember the bad days, and not the hundreds of days where we had no issues.
There's a reason that 'commuter' bikes exist. If you're going to have to rely on a bike for your work then go and fit some Schwalbe Marathons. They will ride like crap and weigh the same as a small planet but you'll never have punctures again (not guaranteed but they're tough, very tough). Or fit Halo Twin Rail Courier tyres, they're cheaper and pretty much as good.
I used to commute on a singlespeed cross bike until one day the freehub froze and I was ejected over the bars. After that it was fixie all the way (unless I was going for a ride on the way home then I'd take my road bike or mountain bike or even train in with a ride home). There's a reason couriers use them, they're cheap and very reliable. You'll also develop cool skills like fixie skids and track standing and fixe bunny hops.
@tomhoward that’s sad times if you only have 1 annual window to do C2W - ours is anytime.
My caad12 disc commuter was 105 to start with and I found I just don’t like Shimano mechanical road shifters. Prefer sram double tap - but when I looked at retro fitting that it was quite expensive aftermarket so I just went Shimano di2 instead. Can thoroughly recommend it - in particular it makes front shifting much nicer.
Just done C2W for a new commuter frame / cranks to fit it and moved all my build kit across.
I’ve done ~15,000 miles on marathon plus (2 pairs) without a single puncture. Everything lighter just isn’t worth the faff
I tried them for a while, and something lighter was definitely worth the faff.
Riding with Marathon Plus tyres added between 10-15 minutes to each direction of my commute. So up to 30 minutes extra per day.
Multiply that by around 2 return trips per week, every week. Well over 24hrs extra per year pushing around on horrible tyres. That is a lot of time I would need to spend fixing punctures to benefit from any time saving.
I've been on Conti GP4000, Schwalbe Durano, and now Conti GP5000 since the Marathon experiment, and my commutes have remained mostly puncture free
it’s proof that cheap(er) bikes are a false economy. Not had these issues with ‘less value focused’ bikes!
Bollocks to that.
Bought a second hand 2010 Kona Dew Deluxe for £150 a few years back and barring a chain plate popping off (just one side and it still ran!) it's never had any issues. Mile for mile it's probably the cheapest bike I've ever owned.
Alfine. putoline, dynamo lights, Conti travel contact tyres. hope discs
Years of trouble free commuting
Having replaced the Dew with a P7 running an Alfine I'd disagree. Utterly energy sapping, feels heavy and just not fun to ride any distance on. My Tektro's have been never been touched and work great and beyond convenience a Bikehut 1600 will do the job just as well. The only thing you have right out that lot are the Conti's.
I'm tempted to buy this myself....
And I don't even cycle to work anymore (too far, too dangerous route..... I'm sure I could find some other excuses 😜)
Would pay itself back in a week of commuting.
Fixie, 23mm Gatorskins with tubes, rim brake, full guards.
Next to nothing to go wrong and the tyres are skinny enough you can ride between the bits of glass and potholes 😉
Marathon Plus
Sluggish is the best description, but aye, no punctures are possible.
My commutes are gravel singletrack and rural roads. Had a few punctures over the last few years. Getting stuck with a mechanical and no lights in the forestry isn’t brilliant so I always carry a spare battery now, and finding another rider laid across a track in the dark paralysed with spinal damage after a crash was memorable (he’s recovered).
Thunder Burts were the worst tyres, whole knobs would come off when braking.
My own rubbish Haiku of commuting bike components
Schwalbe Marathon Plus
Fixed gear, Putoline and full mudguards with flaps,
Dynamo lights
My other bikes the same but with a nexus 3-speed and drum brakes. Yes it drags and sucks the fun out of riding, but it's functional and I'll replace the chain when it's so stretched it reaches the end of the track ends. It's a bike that get's me to work in 15 minutes regardless of weather, traffic, nuclear Armageddon or broken glass on the cycle path. It doesn't need any maintenance, nothing needs charging, it just lives outside the front of the house by the gate ready to go.
And I don’t even cycle to work anymore (too far, too dangerous route….. I’m sure I could find some other excuses 😜)
That's pretty much how mine began, a £100 Charge Plug 1 (aluminum SSCX versions) that was languishing on someone's turbo. It's now my do-it-all commuter, winter road bike, and summer SSCX. The roadie versions probably equally good on road, just less versatile.
I've had 2 punctures in 6 years using Schwalbe marathons so can heartily recommend them. Ok my commute is only 5 miles and if it's raining I'll take the car so it's probably not the mileage that some of you have seen but it all adds up.
My commuter is a bit different to any of yours in that it's a 1960 something Sun steel frame sit up and beg 3 speed gentleman's bike that cost me £60. I've fitted a few modern bits to it to reduce the weight slightly but it's still the thick end of 40lbs. Chrome plated steel rims and Sturmey archer don't often make a light build. It's not fast but it's a very good tool and is very unlikely to ever get nicked. I can't conceive of spending any actual bike money on something to commute on.
peekay
Riding with Marathon Plus tyres added between 10-15 minutes to each direction of my commute. So up to 30 minutes extra per day.
How ****ing long is your commute??
I commuted for about 5 years on a 1*8 Edinburgh Bicycle Courier. After I stopped commuting I gave it to my son who is still using it daily 14 years on in Cambridge.
It has gone though load of tyres and a few drivetrains but at 8 speed (upgraded to 9 now) who cares? And it is so scruffy that even getting kicked in the street in Cambridge it hasn't been stolen.
Apart from one cracked frame , a Ridgeback, who replaced the whole bike under warranty as they couldn't get a frame, no mechanicals apart from punctures over my commuting years.
Apart from the benefits of riding and hour or two a day it allowed us to be a 1 car family. Win win.
Fixing a puncture on a nice summers evening isn't a pain. Dark, cold and rain it is. Never noticed the extra weight of marathon pluses, not sure what this 'dead' feeling is. No punctures in the years since I swapped tyres.
if it’s raining I’ll take the car
And
Chrome plated steel rims
Your're right to avoid riding chrome plated rims in the wet, bloody lethal things! Are they rod brakes to, to complete the triumvirate of ineffective stoppers?
Moots
and also
less value focused
seems legit😂😂
Singlespeed, belt drive and 32C road tyres set up tubeless. Works for me.
Only certainty is that the first commute to a new location will end in disaster.
One puncture (pre tubless) and found my pump had died since last being used.
One major accident (not mine) meaning a huge detour.
One torrential downpour flooding roads in the area.
And the interview for the new job occurred on that Wednesday a few weeks back when we had snow.
Sorry about causing that folks of Surrey...
How ****ing long is your commute??
My commute used to be 15 minutes longer on the "commuter" (Fixie, puncture proof, mudguards) Vs the road bike. But that was 1h40 Vs 1h55 each way (25 miles). It was doable as my boss was quite relaxed about timekeeping, but not every day!
Puncture proof tires do feel dead, in the sense that you can't feel the road like you can on nice tyres. But after a few wet rides you just get used to it and chuck it into corners regardless.
Besides, even if there wasn't a trade-off between speed Vs time spent fixing punctures, that's not the reason. I want to set off at 8:00 and be at my desk at 9:00, not set off at 8:15 and occasionally not make it in until 9:15, so I'd need to set off at 8:00 anyway to be sure of making it on time. I just want to roll out of bed, jump on the bike and have consistently uneventful commutes.
Fixing a puncture on a nice summers evening isn’t a pain. Dark, cold and rain it is. Never noticed the extra weight of marathon pluses, not sure what this ‘dead’ feeling is. No punctures in the years since I swapped tyres.
I hated having Marathons on my bike. Kudos if you don't feel it / don't care but they definitely 'feel' slow to me - at least the ones I had a few years back. As with everything, it probably only adds up to a couple of seconds on an average commute, but I enjoy feeling fast.
Tubeless with the current 35mm G-Zeros and Stans has been bombproof for me, and less (perception of) drag.
tthew
Your’re right to avoid riding chrome plated rims in the wet, bloody lethal things! Are they rod brakes to, to complete the triumvirate of ineffective stoppers?
Err yes that's certainly a contributory factor. The brakes aren't rod fortunately, they're quite tidy Weinmann callipers but they're pretty ineffectual even in the dry, howl when damp and need some forward planning to clear if wet - so it's best not to use them.
How ****ing long is your commute??
25miles. So the Marathons change it from a 1hr25/1hr30 each way, to 1hr40/1hr45.
They are great tyres that I still use on my 'pootle to the shops with shopping basket and panniers' bike, and i also use some on the wheels of our kiddie bike trailer, but I would never want to use them again for commuting.
Marathon Supremes for anyone moaning about the weight of marathons - you get the puncture belt but you forego the sidewall protection so smashing it into kerbs is off the cards
Marathon plus on the other hand..... Those and an alfine - surprised you get to work.
I commuted almost continually through 10 years and 3 jobs.
~4 years of 10 miles each way, plus a regular extension to do some training/race (Route was Village=>city centre=>industrial area). Maybe half a dozen punctures in 4 years (usually running Michelin Pro2 or similar, Ultegra or D-A equipped race bike, except when weather was properly bad, then had a second bike with guards, still running ultegra and decent/racy tyres, but 28s). Couple of crashes from inattentive motorists, but nothing more painful/expensive than scrapes and bruises. Never actually broke stuff, just wore out over time.
~18 months of 20 miles each way, Village=>peak district=>industrial area on the edge of the next town, same bikes, essentially, same sort of issues, no punctures that i can remember. Most expensive non-wear and tear disaster was having a jersey shredded by a close passing lorry that hooked the fabric of the sleeve. Very lucky not to go under it. Nothing other of note, except endless close passes on the busier roads.
Then 5 years of about 12 miles each way, either offroad through the fields etc, only had to use about a mile of tarmac. Or on road using the same/similar bikes as above. Only a couple of punctures. One or two run ins with motorists, lots of close passes.
Think the moral of the tale is to change jobs so you have a decent cycle commute.
Only commuted to or from the current job about 20 times in the near 20 years i've been here. Because it's 40+ miles each way.
Think the moral of the tale is to change jobs so you have a decent cycle commute.
It’s 9/10 of the reason I don’t ever look at other job opportunities
@reeksy hope that Thunder Burts have improved since your experience, I've got a rear one ready to fit for my Badger Divide ride. 🤞
Although I did a 95km ride yesterday on a mix of roads, trails, paths etc with Nobby Nics and they were actually not too bad, maybe just leave these on 🤔
I tried single speeding my hardtail and commuting on that for a bit. It was horrible. Will take gears any day of the week. Only problem I ever had was when I decided to fish tail a crashed shopping trolley as I rode past writing off the rear mech in seconds. Hydro disk brakes always too. Never a problem.
@peekay that's more than I'd ever consider doing by bike so hats off for that. I am surprised that tyres can make that much difference to overall speed on the road but probably shouldn't be. I can see how the balance can swing from safe to fast in your usage case for sure.
Never noticed the extra weight of marathon pluses, not sure what this ‘dead’ feeling is
my pal is like this, he genuinely does not notice stuff with his bike, he just gets on with it. I pointed out to him on a ride that it sounded like his bottom bracket and wheel bearings were fubar'd. When I checked them, there was a fair bit of play with both the crank and wheels, he'd not noticed. He also rode with Marathons and noticed no difference from the road tyres he'd swapped them with.
Maybe some of us suffer from "princess and the pea itus" 😆
irc
Full Member
I commuted for about 5 years on a 1*8 Edinburgh Bicycle Courier.
I had one of those. Bonkers cheap. When I stopped commuting, I just left it at Marylebone unlocked. I hope someone is still using it. Before that I had Coyote Dual 16in jump/play bike singlespeeded with 5 inch forks. That was a lot of fun when any stairs formed part of a commute.
@crazy-legs fair enough. I might try again this summer then. I'm having to travel from Euston to Waterloo about once a month.
I should caveat this by saying this isn’t my first foray into bike commuting, I’ve done it on and off for 7 or 8 years, with very few mechanical maladies or punctures really. It’s just the first 4 trips I’ve done to my new job, which is the same route as my last one, have lead to the above issues and associated swearing. Tyres are Tufo Gravel Speedero 40mm, and these have been the first issues I’ve had with them, in I guess about 8 months.
As with everything, it probably only adds up to a couple of seconds on an average commute, but I enjoy feeling fast.
Up to 10 mins difference between my commuter and my gravel bike each way.. there is about 4.5kg between them unladen; cheap heavy 36 spoke wheels, heavy 40mm tyres, full wide SKS Edge mudguards, Brooks B17 and a rack on the commuter make for a slow exit from the (many) lights.
I've learned to just pedal slower, the commuter is a miserable experience if you try to push on, load it up with 15kg of camping gear and tootle everywhere at 10mph and it is transformed to a comfy and enjoyable touring bike :)..
That doesn't sounds like bad luck but preparedness / maintenance / kit choice. All of which can be addressed.
When I commuted by road / pavemenet in London I ran Gatorskins with slime innertubes that reduced punctures from every couple of weeks to about once a year.
Other than that, over several thousand miles of commuting including road, off-road etc I've had a small handful of punctures, all repaired and carried on.
I failed to get to work by bike and had to walk a few miles precisely twice. Once because I took the wrong size innertube and had a puncture. Once because I was riding tubeless and went out with no spare tubes and no pump, just CO2, and to add to this hadn't maintained the sealant so ended up stuck.
Over the same timeframe I failed to get to work via car exactly the same number of times (flat battery in both cases).
Good luck OP - it's do-able in a reliable manner once you get really well prepared and in a routine!
38 years cycle commuting until retirement 2 years ago.
continental top touring tyres (before shwalbe were available ).
full length mudguards all year.
schwalbe marathon plus tyres for the last 20 years IIRC.
pretty trouble free really.
Don't spend money on the commuter. Mine is a 12 year old + Cotic X that I hated the day after I bought it. The frame version of those Marathon + tyres. Run the chain and sprockets until they snap then a bit longer. The BB7 brakes are made from the left overs after taking the good bits from 3 sets and making 2 good pairs for other bikes. Generally fine except they need tools to adjust and eventually they touch above the rotor line and stop working, you get a week to think about it though. Tyres are tubeless with a nice, but dicarded Schwalbe G One Spped in 35mm on the front and currently some horrid 42mm Conti lump on the back. Inner two ring of a road triple gives a nice low gear on no longer wanted road cassettes and tons of pop rivets hold the mud gaurds together.
Good enough for 11 miles each way , 7 off road, and the Verderers final descent thrown in at times.
Don’t spend money on the commuter.
Disagree. Mine is the bike I do 95% of my mileage on. The bike I ride most should get at least some of the nice bits.
I'm certainly not gonna give you any advice Tom, pretty sure you know what's what! That is a rather unfortunate series of events!
But definitely had a bad stint a while ago. I'd been using Marathon pluses for ages, but fancied trying some gravel capable tyres. Switched to Panaracer gravel Kings. A very bad decision indeed. Four or five punctures in a week, although I was running tubes at the time. Decided that was the time to get the commuter set up tubeless, got some Schwalbe G-Ones, and the rest is history! Bloody great tyres for my needs, and not a single picture for about a year and a half. Luck may play a massive part in that though!
Not so stealthy ad. If anyone wants a new super commuter, my sturdy, well used but reliable Charge Plug is in the classifieds. I'll throw in mudguards, pannier rack and a set of gravel wheels & tyres.
Think the moral of the tale is to change jobs so you have a decent cycle commute.
This^^^
16 years of 30 miles each way by car, which got slower and slower, never mind more frustrating due to the awful driving standards.
Ditched that for a job 4 miles away and an easy bike commute, mostly along reasonable bike paths. Predictable time, pretty much free exercise, saving loads on fuel and - for a Brucie bonus - earning more money.
2 punctures (well, the same one, twice, dues to shoddy patch application, on my part) in 9 months
Thinking back to the two years of Stockholm commuting, my biggest issue was a chain exploding coming off the lights one time. I was clipped in, but _JUST_ managed to get my feet out before I fell over in the middle of the four way junction.
Did the same. Wasn't so lucky, and now have a fake front tooth. Come to think of it, all my mechanicals have either caused or been caused by a crash. Key is to zero in on the "zero" maintenance parts like singlespeed because it's super hard to make yourself fix the commuter if your fun bike/s are also in need of attention. Clearly I'll have a puncture tomorrow now, but I've never punctured in 6 years of different commutes, other than one worn out rear tyre telling me to get itself changed
Disagree. Mine is the bike I do 95% of my mileage on. The bike I ride most should get at least some of the nice bits.
I disagree. A commuter bike should be a 20+ year old frame with bits bolted on that don't work very well but still well enough that you'd feel bad throwing them in the bin. Those bits are indestructible.
Nice bits just breaks.
On the subject of what bike...
Eldest_oab bought a £125 Facebook marketplace special Edinburgh Cycle CoOp 26" wheel hybrid. Full guards, with extended flaps, steel heavy duty rack on, chromed steel bars. He's added a second saddle(!) on the rack and a pannier. He's now done a year of commuting to uni and 3 evenings a week of Deliveroo. The second saddle on the rack is to give backies to the pub...
His house of 6 started with 17 bikes between them - all the others are on posher road bikes or MTB. They've now got 20 bikes as the housemates area all slowly going down the 'cheap n simples with mudguards' route realising that he doesn't worry about theft and still has the house Strava KOM for the uni commute.
I’ll never get a mechanical when cycling to work - I’ve seen enough Jeremy Vine videos to know that cycle commuting makes you feel obliged to cycle into danger and pedal faster rather than brake when someone might start to drive near you. I think I’d rather drive.
Good luck with the biking!
I’ve seen enough Jeremy Vine videos
Sample of one.
More swearing this morning.
Front tyre stayed inflated overnight after pumping up yesterday morning (didn’t ride home as got the train, as need to be somewhere soon after work, not in a sweaty heap). Fine when I left the house, squirming all over that place after 5 of 6 miles. ‘No problem!’ thinks I, as I’d packed a pump for just such an occasion. Attach pump, top up air assuming that now all the sealant I’d put in had now got to where it needed to be. Unscrewed pump, which, it turns out, had got stuck on the valve core, pulling it out.
I’m sure you’ve all heard people have a sweary tirade before, this was worse. I have a front tyre that holds air, as long as you don’t ride it. New valve? What else could it be?
I'll take your unscrewed valve core and raise you a 'got puncture, took wheel off to fix and reinflated with wheel leaning against bush. Just as I was finishing pumping the wheel toppled out of the bush, snapping the valve body where it joined the pump head but above the bottom of the presta valve so the broken bit just span inside the pump as I tried to unscrew it meaning pump was permanently attached to the uninflateable wheel, 5 miles from work'.
Anyhow
1 - make sure valve cores are tight
1a - assuming it's a Lezyne pump, get the new hose with the bleed valve, or wait a minute before unscrewing it
2 - what sealant?
3 - is it possible you'd picked up another puncture that caused pressure loss?
On the Shwalbe tyre front, I can also recommend City Jets. I used them for years of commuting daily through Hulme and Moss side where the cycle paths are strewn with glass, syringes, knives, splintered baseball bats and human skulls, with no puncture issues.
Tom - I'm quite disappointed that you use a humble Shimano 105 rear mech. I'd assumed you'd use one that had been chiselled from a block of titanium by tiny magic elves, that shifted though the power of thought alone.
You're slacking! 🙂
1 as tight as they’ve always been, couldn’t tighten them anymore by hand this morning
1a a specialised road one, can’t remember the model.
2 muc off. No issues across 7 bikes over last few years
3 possible I guess, but odd that the tyre lasted pretty much exactly the same time as before
@binners, maybe if I had, I wouldn’t have had an issue? Makes you think…
can i add, i think using tubeless on a commute is not something i would do.
in a puncture situation i can change a tube in a couple of minutes and be on my way.
with tubeless the faff of trying to get a seal, or to plug a bigger hole, or then change to a tube anyway, whilst covered in spaff, is not something i would want to do at the side of a busy city center road.
ps, i have some bomb proof schwalbe big ben tyres going cheap if you want them.
Only work 3 days a week in the office now, but still ride nearly every time. Can count on the fingers of one hand the disastrous days I've had in the last ... er well, it's since the 90s I've been commuting. Use the most expensive bike I've ever bought for it these days and the only things that's died was the crappy Dura Ace crank arms. Oh, and 1 wheel.
Love it, and really hate driving, so will do it til me legs give up.
Oh and tubeless tyres are the best invention ever for commuting! 😀
I think I’d lose the tubeless aspect of the wheel that keeps going down, clean it all out and fit a tube. With gp4000’s in 25c I’ve had maybe 2 punctures ever with it. Both whopping big bits of glass.
If you’re going to continue with it then I’d consider re-taping the rim and new valve and set it up like new. Personally I’d use Stan’s instead of muc off.
I use a Lezyne pump and I think it’s unscrewed a valve just the once - I prefer the screw on abs head to the other type with a lever to pull to lock the valve on. I just make sure the cores are more than hand tight using a little red alloy valve tool (maybe Stans too?).
On the value / fancyness of a commuter - if I had a few miles to go to get to a train station where it had to be left out I’d ride something cheap and unfashionable with full mudguards / rack. It would never be a singlespeed though - sod that.
If commuting where I have a secure car park then I’m going to ride something I enjoy riding and feels nice and responsive. So in this case a road bike weighing probably in the region of 8kg, di2, Hunt wheels, gp5000s, Hope RX4 brakes etc. I have now switched out the racey frame for a gravel one with a more relaxed position and with mounts for proper mudguards and a rack. I plan to get some bolt on mudguards and hopefully some kind of quick release rack so I can ride without a backpack on but still whip said rack off for fitness riding.