Tire Wipers
Many cyclists are tempted by the performance and comfort of supple tires, but they are afraid that they might get too many flats without puncture-resistant belts and reinforced sidewalls. Tire Wipers improve the flat resistance of your tires without detracting from their comfort and performance.
Few foreign objects are so large and so sharp that they puncture the tire upon first impact. Most require several revolutions of the wheel to work their way through the tire. When you roll over debris, you often hear the “pock, pock, pock” as the debris gets pushed into the tire with each wheel revolution, followed by a “pshhhh” as the tube deflates.
If you could get rid of the debris after it is picked up, but before it gets hammered into the tire, you could prevent a good number of flats. Enter Tire Wipers – small wires that lightly rub your tires and remove debris before it gets lodged in the tire.
Do they work? Flat tires are so random that this is hard to quantify, but the general consensus is that they do prevent many, if not all, punctures.
Tire Wipers have been hard to find in recent years, but Scott Gabriel is making them again. Compass Bicycles carries them, in two models. One attaches to the brakes of bikes without fenders, the other is installed at the exit (front edge) of your fenders (above). Click here for more information.