do blow up buggy wheels get lots of punctures?

[angels1]

Morning all,

Have posted this in pg but thought you might all know a bit more.

Am hoping to buy an off road quinny this week end from a work colluegue second hand (comes with lots of fab attachments etc and all ready to go) but several people have said to me 'ohh, don't buy that, it's got blow up wheels and you'll spend your whole time getting punctures'. Is this true? Surely so long as you have a puncture repair kit at home to fix when needed and we keep a spare wheel in the car for a last minute change if needed it shouldn't be too bad? I like the idea of an odd road one so we can take it out and about for walks etc and if we get a good deal on a second hand quinny then if it doesn't work out and we realise we have other priorities once we know how and where we will use it most (which I can't see us actually quite figuring out until baby is here) we can always get another second hand one.

Any comments/experience?? Am I really mad?!

Btw the buggy has already been used for 2 years if that makes a difference to the life of the wheels - not sure how long they're expected to last.

[bumpybecky]

I've had an urban detour with blow up wheels (one puncture in over a year of use) and an ancient Quinny (3xl) which has had non stop problems over the last 2 years. I've had at least 5 punctures and still have a slow one which means I'm DH is pumping the tyre up every few weeks

Both of mine were second hand when I got them.

I think you can get gooey stuff that helps reduce punctures.

[Thandeka]

we got our quinny instant puncture! DH got slimefilled inners from Amazon and had no problems since. So basically so long as you have the slime stuff you will be fine.

[truffleshuffle]

Yes they get lots of punctures.
even my slime filled nipper wheels recently had a puncture

[angels1]

does anyone know how much this slime stuff costs approx?

[Thandeka]

wasnt too bad less than a tenner iirc

www.amazon.co.uk/Slime-Inner-Suitable-Prams-Pushchairs/dp/B000ENSROY/ref=pd_sim_sg_11?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[MonkeysPunk]

Generally pram tyres are only pumped to 15 or 20psi max (or the plastic wheels distort)...so the slime is supposed to be useless for them - as the inner air pressure is not high enough to make the slime "do it's business"!
Get yourself some thornproof innertubes from Nigel at //www.pushchairs.co.uk - or line the outer tyres with kevlar (bulletproof) tape - a bit fiddly - but worth it.

I found the only buggy I had "bad tyres" on - was the phil and teds - they were the most shite thin poor quality tyres you could get - that had been supplied on the buggy. Constantly got punctures - I upgraded to a new set of nobbly tyres and thornproof innertubes - with kevlar tape lining (at great expense!) - problem solved.

Since then I've had baby joggers and easylife sports - all came with a decent set of tyres in the first place - so no punctures.

I've got a theory that some pram suppliers are cutting their costs (increasing their profit margins) by supplying rubbish quality very cheap and thin tyres in the first place - (well innertubes anyway).

I have my misgivings about the slime and it's possible effectiveness in low pressure pram/buggy tyres.

[narmada]

monkeys that's interesting - didn't realise that. Might have to think twice about taking my two out in the P and T until I get some of those thornproof things.

[TVGardeningFan]

Ooh yes - Phil and Ted terrible for punctures. I had no problem when I lived in London but as soon as I moved to the country, we were getting a couple of punctures a week. This is irrelevant to you, I know, as you're getting a Quinny. I'm just in a Miami mood.

[TVGardeningFan]

Miami mood? I meant moany... A bad mix of auto correct and not reading what I write!

[Hevster]

never had a puncture and used phil & ted nearly every day for 3 years and accross all terrain!

[mel2005]

i have had air tyred buggies for over 6 years now and go out regularly off-road. i have only had two punctures. one was last week, we live on the road that a middle school is on and a child had dropped one of those metal pin badges with the long thick pin, my tyre didnt have a chance!! i dont bother mending holes i have a couple of new inner tubes, takes a couple of mins to replace. i have tried buggies with solid tyres but air tyres are a much better ride. i also like my tyres harder than recommended, could be why i dont get punctures. i have often gone over glass and thought i would get a pucture but havent.
having said that i will probably get four punctures tomorrow.
my SIL bought solid tyres for her P&T.

[suzie38]

My Frog has yet to have a puncture, though it's not used all the time...There's lots of broken glass around where i live.

[mloo]

In my experience, the problem isn't frequency of punctures, but inability to fix them. Most people don't know how to fix them, or don't feel confident in trying to fix it, so they procrastinate and can end up leaving it for weeks or even months.

In two years I've only had two punctures on my M&P 03 Sport (pants buggy, don't buy one!!). They were quite inconvenient when they happened, although I did manage to push it home, and easy enough for me to repair.

[maisiemackenzie]

How do you repair them at home? i just got my first puncture and was going to take it to a bike shop.. bit hard when i have to use the bloody pram to get there!

[mloo]

Same tools & patches & equipment that you use to repair a bike tyre puncture.
Which I guess is a pain to hear if you don't feel confident tackling a bike puncture (I'm afraid you've just confirmed my long-standing suspician that the vast majority of people and especially women are flummoxed at the prospect of repairing any type of puncture).

See what I mean? It's the hassle of any puncture ever rather frequency that is the problem with inflatable tyres.

I am not taking a high ground here, by the way, I'd be next-to useless at tackling a car tyre puncture.

[maisiemackenzie]

yeah i have no idea how to fix a bike puncture! what do you do?

[mloo]

There's quite a lot of info on Google, including links to YouTube videos.
It's not difficult, just fiddley at worst!

[mel2005]

its much less hassle just to pop a new inner tube in, takes a couple of minutes and all you need is a pump, tyres leavers and a new innertube. or you can take it to halfords and smile sweetly. i do know how to mend a puncture i lived in the city for years and cycled everywhere (about 100 miles a week) and had loads of punctures but in my experience a new innertube will last longer than a repaired one and inner tubes dont cost much, i would much rather pay a few pound extra than to repair the older one which might puncture sooner.