Tyres and and things that go hiss.

Corsa of Course

Devout Dirtbag
I had Schwalbe Delta Cruisers on my Carlton Corsa 191/2 " frame these were the 26 X 1 3/8 these lasted for about 7 years and I was uncommonly lucky not a single puncture. I tried some sportier Schwalbe HS180 but I didn't really like them. Pretty to look at but seemed hard work. So I bought some Marathon Greenguards.

These seem nice but 500iles into their life I had a flat. Caused by a flint that sliced its way into the tyre. It literally cut through the tyre. Replaced the tube and carried on. Got home and blew up the tyre properly and the cut was quite open. So I tried a few things and then superglued it shut not to keep the air in but to keep foreign bodies out.

I had heard great things about Marathon's but it just goes to show no matter how good the protection if you have one of those days then you will still get the dreaded hiss bump bump bump.

I just hope now that I can do my 100 mile charity ride next Saturday without a puncture. This is the Ride and Stride event run across the country which raises money for the upkeep of Churches. You can read a bit more here if of interest. https://www.justgiving.com/page/james-lepper-1692110486594?utm_term=g2XeZ3Jw2
 
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Marathons are good, but not impervious to punctures. After a couple of inconvenient punctures with my Brompton, I practically filled the tyres with puncture repair sealant - and do the same for all my commuter bikes. Not foolproof, I once casually observed a high pressure jet of green gunk spraying from my front tyre after it was sliced by a shard of glass.

I would patch the hole in the tyre from the inside with either gorilla tape or a puncture kit patch. Superglue isn't really up to the job - it doesn't flex and it'll struggle with repeated contact with water.
 
Marathons are good, but not impervious to punctures. After a couple of inconvenient punctures with my Brompton, I practically filled the tyres with puncture repair sealant - and do the same for all my commuter bikes. Not foolproof, I once casually observed a high pressure jet of green gunk spraying from my front tyre after it was sliced by a shard of glass.

I would patch the hole in the tyre from the inside with either gorilla tape or a puncture kit patch. Superglue isn't really up to the job - it doesn't flex and it'll struggle with repeated contact with water.
All good points and at that point of the night when all is quiet except the sound of your own brain going click click click I came to the conclusion that for the sake of £25 I would be stupid not to put a new tyre on. A 100 mile ride is a time to minimise the risk of delays. I can then repair the cut one properly using a patch as you outline so it could not get the tube in the cut and then keep as a spare. The cut was so neat that glue really grabbed it well but the risk is not worth it except as a spare in case the new one is badly damaged. Funnily enough I recommended to a neighbour about the repair patch inside the tyre about a week ago. I did the sealant thing a while ago. It was not my favourite way of going about it mostly because it eventually continually oozed sealant which was just messy.

The most annoying thing I heard the stone going round on the road and thought it will fall off in a minute. Should have stopped and checked would have saved a good bit of time.
 
Last year I had done a 77 mile trip for the event so thought a 100 miles should be doable. Last year I had a tailwind and it was a moderate temperature. This year I had a slight head wind and it was 32 C. I had done some good training sessions so I should have been quicker than last year but the heat and headwind undid a lot of that extra speed. I really understand why a century is considered a landmark ride now.
 
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