Bikes come in many types, shapes, and sizes, but one common thread (pun intended) that unites them all is tires. This month, I wanted to share my thoughts on tire choice, the culture of bike tires, and some tire-related tips and anecdotes.

At some point, most cyclists find themselves on the side of the road or trail with their last few pounds of air pressure hissing out of their tires, knowing that they have no way to replace that valuable, fleeting compressed air. I’ve gone through two tubes and my last patch to get to that point; or forgotten my pump; or rolled the dice by riding without any flat-tire defense and come up empty-handed. The absolute last resort in these situations, especially without a cell phone, is to stuff the tire full of grass, leaves, bar wrappers, or anything else that’s available to protect the rims on the slow, embarrassing ride home or to the closest bike shop. But, flagging down a fellow cyclist usually works as well.

The Philadelphia cycling community is pretty close-knit in my experience and I see tubes and tire repair help like a penny-jar. Sometimes you’re a tube or a patch short and can mooch one, and sometimes you’re in the position to help another flatted cyclist on their way. Thanks to all the Philly cyclists who have helped me out of such a pinch, and I hope I’ve given away enough tubes to compensate the community for my mooching.

With being a part of the Jamis/Sutter Home team, my tire sponsor is Vittoria. I love their thick, puncture-resistant training tires. But even the heartiest and most expensive tires flat, and recently I’ve been using a tire sealant inside my Vittoria tubes to combat punctures with phenomenal results. Top them off every three months or so with fresh sealant, and one set of tires and tubes can last an entire season. This still leaves the tires vulnerable to a slashed sidewall, so spare tubes and a tire boot of some kind is still a good idea. For boots I’ve used bills (once a $20!), bar wrappers, duct tape, or pieces of an old tire.

In cyclocross and road racing events, tubular tires, in some ways arcane, are still the preferred rubber choice. Gluing a tubular is a fine art, one of the cycling mechanics’ labors of love, and if done improperly can lead to even worse situations than the clincher full of leaves. I’ve glued cyclocross tubulars the night before a CX event with what in my estimation was the strongest glue from the hardware store, all bike shops being closed, and rolled the tire on the first lap of the race the next day. One of my teammates (he will remain anonymous here) proclaimed that replacing a flat tubular is easier and less time-consuming than changing a clincher tube. He then went on to roll a tubular that he had (hastily) glued himself in the first corner of a criterium. Bikes are finicky and require much painstaking maintenance, and nowhere is this more true than with tubular tires. But when they are properly and patiently glued, tubulars are heavenly!

As a final note, generous cyclists are harder to come by during the winter months when the bike path is less crowded, so please plan accordingly, have fun & be safe.

Thanks for reading,
Tyler

Ed.Note: Tubular tires are glued onto the rim requiring you to carry an entire spare tire to fix a flat, relegating them to race situations for most. Tubular tires are still the preferred tires by most track and cyclocross racers. Tubulars allow a wide range of tire pressures. In the case of cyclocross a tubular allows you to run a much lower PSI than a clincher. A lower tire pressure will help with better control in sloppy conditions. On the track, you want a very high tire pressure that is more acheivable with a tubular. Also, if you flat a clincher on the the track it is very hard to keep the bike upright because the tire will fall into the rim and you are riding the banked concrete on the rim. If you flat a tubular on the track you are still riding on the tire and it will provide you more control.

There is so much more to tires, and the whole discussion of using tubeless technology, than can be covered in this column. Look for a feature on tubeless tires in a future issue.

Tyler Wren is a professional cyclist for the Jamis/Sutter Home Men’s Pro Cycling Team presented by Colavita. Tyler grew up in the suburbs of Philly and spent much of his life living and racing in Philadelphia. Tyler is offering cycling coaching services through Wrenegade Sports. Reach him at twrenegade@gmail.com or 610-574-1334.