| Tyred and deflated
I've just come back from a cycle - powered trip to my local town centre with yet another puncture - I average 4 or 5 a year. Like 75% of my punctures it was caused by a thorn from a thorny shrub, probably Pyracantha or firethorn, after I rode over cuttings left on the roadway by a gardener. The evidence was visible on the inside of the tyre; a needle - like point of a few millimetres in length.
The sharp woody thorns could equally have injured dogs' paws, causing pain and distress to owners and pets. I was just inconvenienced, being five minutes late for an appointment, taking a little longer to cycle home with a flat tyre and then spending a few minutes fitting a new inner tube. (It used to be half an hour to fit one, but I've had a lot of practise.)
Pyracantha is a very popular shrub as it is an effective deterrent for burglars and the berries are a good winter food source for birds. The same applies to hawthorn, equally popular locally. I wouldn't want the shrubs to be dug up, but I wish gardeners would clean up after themselves and not leave thorns on footpaths, cycle paths and roadways!
I'm going to have another go at sourcing protective plastic strips to place inside tyres as mine were lost when my trike was serviced. However, whilst I might be able to protect my tyre's inner tubes, dogs can't protect their paws. Have any of you who are cyclists and/or dog owners come across the same problems? Also has anyone come across a cheap method of puncture proofing tyres? Suggestions would be very welcome!  |