Goat Heads Thorns and Bicycle Tire Puncture Flats - RhinoDillos to the Rescue

Goat Head Thorns - Designed to destroy feet and bicycle tires

Five Ways to Beat Goat Heads and Keep Riding in the Western United States

RhinoDillos Tire Liners Stop 95% of Goat Head Flats

Cyclists East of Kansas don't get it.  They don't understand why their cousins in California, Arizona, Texas, and all the other Western States complain so much about flats.  I think it would be reasonable that we send each of them a little package containing an adult goat head all dried out under the desert sun. 

Humans everywhere have been trying to figure out how to stop flats in tires with inner tubes since the inner tube was invented by Peter Strauss in 1911.  Sure, the ride was a lot more comfortable with an innertube instead of a solid tire, but a flat tire can truly ruin your day.

Many inventions followed, but the big breakthrough came from a New Jersey Schwinn Dealer who created the first plastic tire liner in the late 1970's.  After a disastrous start using vinyl (which became brittle and caused flats under heat), the company switched to polyurethane.  Since 1981, tire liners have been the preferred method of stopping bicycle flats caused by goat heads and other troublesome puncture flats in bicycles.

The RhinoDillos Tire Liner goes between tire and tube

Tire liners prevent flats by providing a hardened plastic belt between the tire and the inner tube.  This belt resists sharp objects in four ways.  First it is very hard to penetrate.  Second, it is elastic and gives way to the pressure. Third, it adds density.  Thus a short object will not reach the inner tube.  Finally, it moves around under the tire.  If the thorns point enters the RhinoDillos tire liner, it now must move through the liner to reach the tube.  But the liner is moving and often breaks the tip off before it can penetrate.

In 2011, Skye Bicycle Supply brought to market the current reigning champ among liners.  Their engineers found a way to make the top surface of the liner even more resistant to sharp objects.  The company was amazed to see just how tough the product was in their tests.  They decided to go to an outside lab and have the Rhinodillos tire liners tested against the other tire liners on the market.  The lab tests were conclusive.   RhinoDillos were more resistance to penetration.

Many bike shops in the Western States sell RhinoDillos Tire Liners.   If your shop doesn't, you may want to ask them to place a special order with their distributor.  Dealers all over the United States were sent special test kits that allowed them to see the clear difference between RhinoDillos and other leading brands.  You might want to ask your dealer why he hasn't gone with the best.

Obviously, your best choice for stopping goat head thorns from eating your tubes is RhinoDillos Tire Liners.  But we promised you five ways to stop flats on bicycle tires.

2.  If you are riding in an area known to have lots of flat producing road hazards, give your tires a quick check each time you stop.  In many cases the goat heads or other types of road hazards haven't even penetrated the tire yet.  Knock them off before they get a chance.

3.  When you do have a flat, always make sure to check the inside of the tire casing for any remaining pieces of the hazard.  If you don't have a RhinoDillos Tire Liner installed, even a very tiny piece of thorn or other hazard can easily puncture your tube.

4.  Keep your tires properly aired up.  Under inflation can cause pinch flats.

5.  RhinoDillos Tire Liners should prevent about 95% of puncture flats.  If you have been getting one flat a week, you should now go 20 weeks without a flat.  However, if you are getting one flat a day, and with the RhinoDillos installed, you are still getting a flat every month, you may want to double down on your flat prevention.  You can do this by using flat resistance tires in addition to the liners.  These may cost around $40 each, but combined with the RhinoDillos, you'll probably cut down the flats by another big percent.

For more information on RhinoDillos Tire Liners, go to http://RhinoDillos.com