skuke
captain
Reged: 12/22/03
Posts: 311
|
|
I'm getting pretty tired of all the rain. sigh. SF Bay area.
Bikes tend to get more flats in the rain. I believe this is because the sharps tend to stick to the front tire more easily due to the water, sorta like licking your finger before turning the page. It then gets thrown into the path of the rear tire where it punctures.
So, why don't you see more cars with flats on wet days? I'd guess it's because there are more small sharps on the roadway that can damage bike tires but those won't usually damage car tires. The ones big enough to harm car tires don't get picked up with the water sticking hypothesis and thus the volume of car flats remains about the same.
I thought about this today as I was driving along and saw some poor shmuck changing his tire in a deluge.
Thoughts?
--------------------
Skuke
95 Carbonframes Tetra Pro
92 Bridgestone MB-1
90 Moser 51.151
|
Dave_Thompson
prophet
Reged: 12/19/03
Posts: 714
Loc: Spokane, Washington
|
|
Yeah, the water lubricates the sharps, so they can enter the tire easier.
You guys have really had the rain, haven't you? Man. I'd go nuts if I couldn't see the sun for that long. I wonder if it's a sign of the apocalypse?
--------------------
Steel lover, but then I like Ti with carbon too.
Licensed bike geek.
|
skuke
captain
Reged: 12/22/03
Posts: 311
|
|
Quote:
Dave_Thompson wrote:
I'd go nuts if I couldn't see the sun for that long.
I had a riding buddy who moved to Kennewick WA for a job a few years back. He called me one day to chat and said he was really happy because they "...had 3 hours of sunshine today!!" I told him if they really count their sunshine by the hours, then he really needed to move back to the Bay Area (he did).
...thinking of moving to Kennewick 
--------------------
Skuke
95 Carbonframes Tetra Pro
92 Bridgestone MB-1
90 Moser 51.151
|
skuke
captain
Reged: 12/22/03
Posts: 311
|
|
Quote:
Dave_Thompson wrote:
Yeah, the water lubricates the sharps, so they can enter the tire easier.
Yeah, that too!
--------------------
Skuke
95 Carbonframes Tetra Pro
92 Bridgestone MB-1
90 Moser 51.151
|
Insightdriver
captain
Reged: 03/07/04
Posts: 472
|
|
When you look down a rode at a shallow angle, you see the lanes that the car tires run in are pretty clean and the road gets progressively more cluttered as you look toward the edges. Roads are usually crowned, also, so water won't lay in them. The wind of passing cars tends to blow debri toward the edges of the road. The rain will tend to wash off the crown of the road. End result is there is more little pieces of debri at the edges of the road, right where, if you are lucky, the bike lanes are.
I'm in Sacramento and the rain is here as well as at the bay. I took the fenders off my bike too soon.
|
superunleaded
captain
Reged: 12/22/03
Posts: 223
|
|
well, I guess you are not alone. The only place for me to ride now is in the garage. Luckily, I kept one of the trainers and sold the other 2. I planned to sell all 3 but my other half wants to keep 1, we use to spin together during the winter. So now, we are alternating on the trainer.
--------------------
***Regular Unleaded - 4.99
***Special Unleaded - 7.99
***Superunleaded - Arm & a Leg
Edited by superunleaded (04/12/06 07:45 PM)
|
garygromet
friend
Reged: 01/28/04
Posts: 36
Loc: Miami, FL, USA
|
|
We rode our tandem in Denmark last summer. When it rained, we got flats (six or seven of them), but we were not the only ones. One mechanic at CSC told me that the professional peloton in the Tour of Denmark had over 114 flats in the first two days when it rained.
The cause is that Denmark roads have loads of flint stones, which in the rain stick to the tires and work their way through the tire into the tube.
I'll use clinchers with at least one set of Mr. Tuffy liners on my next trip there.
|
Nev
captain
Reged: 05/03/04
Posts: 363
Loc: Never where I want to be
|
|
You boys need a rain bike. Single speed. Preferably Fixed but OK free. Fenders. Big fat tough continentals 700x28 or more. And a rain jacket.
|
Dave_Thompson
prophet
Reged: 12/19/03
Posts: 714
Loc: Spokane, Washington
|
|
If it rains anymore in Calfornia, the guys are going to need an Ark!
--------------------
Steel lover, but then I like Ti with carbon too.
Licensed bike geek.
|
skuke
captain
Reged: 12/22/03
Posts: 311
|
|
Quote:
Insightdriver wrote:
When you look down a rode at a shallow angle, you see the lanes that the car tires run in are pretty clean and the road gets progressively more cluttered as you look toward the edges. Roads are usually crowned, also, so water won't lay in them. The wind of passing cars tends to blow debri toward the edges of the road. The rain will tend to wash off the crown of the road. End result is there is more little pieces of debri at the edges of the road, right where, if you are lucky, the bike lanes are.
Yes, I agree there is more debris on the edges of the road. But, there is always more debris on the edges. So that doesn't really explain why you get more flats in the rain. ...unless you're saying there is even more debris when it's raining. However, I don't agree with that statement. ...I don't think there is an increase of junk during rain in proportion to the increased number of flats.
My prognosticating says to leave the fenders off!
--------------------
Skuke
95 Carbonframes Tetra Pro
92 Bridgestone MB-1
90 Moser 51.151
|
Insightdriver
captain
Reged: 03/07/04
Posts: 472
|
|
I agree with all points. Water makes debris stick more. Rain washes debri toward the ege of the road and helps float it so tires can pick it up more easily. Water hides the debris that we would unconsciously ride around on a sunny day.
|
bigman
new member
Reged: 04/13/06
Posts: 3
Loc: Largo, Florida
|
|
We are on the opposite side of the weather. I live in Florida and we have not had rain for 45 days! It must be heck dealing with all of the rain. On a better note , you-alls legs are probably 10 times as strong as us Floridians on account of all of the hills..?
|
Insightdriver
captain
Reged: 03/07/04
Posts: 472
|
|
Actually hills do not build stronger legs for us, necessarily. What they do is give us practise in hill-climbing skills. Of course, because I live in the valley the steepest hills are the ones over-passing freeways. 
|
skuke
captain
Reged: 12/22/03
Posts: 311
|
|
Quote:
Insightdriver wrote:
Of course, because I live in the valley the steepest hills are the ones over-passing freeways.
Hey! You and Bigman have the same hills!
--------------------
Skuke
95 Carbonframes Tetra Pro
92 Bridgestone MB-1
90 Moser 51.151
|
Previous
Thread Index
Next
Threaded
40 days and nights
Edit
Reply
Quote
Re: 40 days and nights
[Re: