Thorn Buster Bicycle Tire Liners Stop Flats

Goat Head Thorns - Designed to destroy feet and bicycle tires

Goat Head Thorns Aren't Going Away Any Time Soon - What Is the Best Way to Stop Flats

RhinoDillos Tire Liners Stop 95% of Goat Head Flats

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.

Today, there is a continental divide when it comes to bike flats. Off road enthusiasts East of Kansas don't get it. They don't understand why their cousins in California, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, 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.

Thorn Busters Tire Liners to the rescue

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 Thorn Buster 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.

Our engineers found a way to make the top surface of the liner even more resistant to sharp objects. We were amazed to see just how tough the product were in their tests.

Thorn Busters are only sold online: Amazon and eBay.

1. 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.

2. 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 Thorn Buster 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. Thorn Buster 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 Thorn Buster 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 Thorn Buster, you'll probably cut down the flats by another big percent.

To buy a Thorn Buster tire liner, check the size of your tire on the side wall, then go to Amazon.com and look for Thorn Buster and the size. For example: Thorn Buster 26 X 2.125.