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Original poster

Having problems with repeated punctures in buggy wheels

16 replies

reastie · 12/03/2012 14:12

Can anyone give any advice? I bought a second hand quinny speedi from a friend a year ago. I love it and it's been great, I've used it pretty much daily and quite a bit on walks off road. In the past year (bar this last month), we've had the grand total of one puncture but in the past month or so we've had at least one a week, it's driving me mad!

This has coincided with me returning to work and other people using the buggy. My Mum uses it 2 mornings a week but only walks on roads/tarmac paths. My DH uses it a couple of times a week around some land behind our house but he claims to be careful not to push it obviously through prickles. So I'm not sure if it's coincidence or not as to other people using it. I'm wondering if the wheels have a finite length before they are not strong enough and maybe ours is reaching it's date, or if it's just I have a careless DH/DM. DH fixes the wheels and he seems to do a good job, and the punctures are on different wheels too so it's not just as it's useless at fixing the holes.

Anyway, if anyone has experienced this before and can offer advice or has anything to offer then please let me know. I'm now debating whether to buy a new buggy as the puncture thing is driving me so mad, and I've just had to take DD for a long walk (she will only nap if I take her for a walk) with a very hard to push buggy with a wheel down.

OP posts:
HypatiaTheProcrastinator · 12/03/2012 14:29

Have you tried sliming them to stop the punctures? Or maybe you could buy new tyres that are thicker than the current ones.

Original poster
reastie · 12/03/2012 14:37

I did wonder about sliming but I don't know where to start with which one to get Blush . DH claims there's nothing wrong with the tyres and they are thick enough (although they are quite worn). He thinks it's as DD is now heavier that she is pressing the buggy lower into the grass causing all the punctures Hmm . I'm not sure if this is genius thinking or rather over simplistic. So while he thinks this and I don't have any proof his thinking is wrong, he won't buy new tyres as he says there's no point Hmm

OP posts:
TunipTheVegemal · 12/03/2012 14:38

We got more punctures (in our Phil and Teds) when dcs were bigger, but the sliming still stopped them. You can't be expected to go around pushing a buggy with a deflated wheel, that's ridiculous.

TunipTheVegemal · 12/03/2012 14:38

ours were done in a bike repair shop.

Original poster
reastie · 12/03/2012 14:43

turnip maybe I will try taking it to a bike shop then. How much did it cost you?

OP posts:
Tiggywunkle · 12/03/2012 16:14

I have slimed and although it's a while since I did it, it wasn't hard. You get a tool with the slime that pulls the core out of the valve which releases some air (if I remember correctly), you squirt the quantity of Slime it says in from the bottle, put the core back in and pump up the tyre. Honestly I hate doing that sort of job but I managed it :)

HypatiaTheProcrastinator · 12/03/2012 16:26

If the tyres are quite worn then maybe they do need replacing. You wouldn't drive a car around with worn tyres so I wouldn't expect to use a pushchair with worn tyres. But if you do go into a bike shop with the wheels then they can advise you about whether or not they think they need to be replaced or slimed.

thisisyesterday · 12/03/2012 16:28

i would just buy a fresh set of inners tbh

rubber does degrade after time and they may just be weak now.

you can buy inners on ebay really cheap

BikeRunSki · 12/03/2012 16:50

Buy new inner tubes and slime them. Should see you right to the end of your buggy pushing days. Easy enough to do yourself, or our local bike shop charges about £5 for an inner tube, £10 for tube of slime, a few pounds for fitting. Don't get v cheap inners, the valves won't hold the air pressure.

Grumpla · 12/03/2012 16:56

Are they inflated to the correct pressure? You're more likely to get punctured if they are under-inflated (according to the nice man at my local bike shop!)

New inner tubes should solve the problem, personally I wouldn't slime them as apparently the slime causes the tubes to degrade eventually (but we are talking a timescale of years so you might decide the short-term benefits are worth it)

New tubes are about £4 each so well worth the investment to see if that solves the problem!

Original poster
reastie · 12/03/2012 18:18

grumpla see, I thought there was something negative to the sliming which is why I was Hmm about it Grin

I will try and talk DH into new inner tyres then. Thicko question - so bike shops have the right size tyres for my buggy then? [clueless]

OP posts:
birdsofshoreandsea · 12/03/2012 18:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Tiggywunkle · 12/03/2012 21:57

Our bike shop had the right inner tubes and it's only tiny :)

Original poster
reastie · 13/03/2012 08:29

Thanks, have pursuaded DH to try the slime stuff and if that doesn't work get new inners Grin

OP posts:
BikeRunSki · 13/03/2012 19:14

Bike shops that sell kids bikes will have the right size inner tubes for your Quinny, it is v probable that one of their kids bikes has the same size wheels. Don't go to the type that only sell feather light carbon fibre bikes and only let you in if you are wearing Lycra.

ragged · 13/03/2012 20:05

Replacement tyres are reasonable to buy on Ebay, ime.
Never heard of sliming before this thread... does it increase the rolling resistance & make it harder to push?

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