The best and most important protection against punctures is a high-quality tire with a good puncture protection belt.

Maintain the correct inflation pressure. If the inflation pressure is too low, the risk of punctures is substantially higher. Check and correct the inflation pressure at least once a month with a pressure gauge.

Tire control: It also helps to check the tire for embedded foreign objects and to remove them. Replace worn tires.

The best protection belt will not serve any purpose if “internal safety” is notobserved. Only purchase quality tubes. The rim tape is also important. The rim tape protects the tube from mechanical damage from spoke ends, metal burrs and
holes in the rim. An appropriate rim tape must completely and securely cover all spoke holes.

Puncture protection tapes can be inserted between the tire and tube at fitting. They protect from punctures, but are not without problems because they lie between the tire and the tube and cause defects due to friction. Therefore, we
do not offer protection tapes separately. It is better that the protection belt is incorporated into the tire.

In certain cases the use of a puncture protection liquid is helpful.

Latex tubes are favored as a puncture protection means as well. The chapter “Tube” explains the advantages and disadvantages.

The safest bicycle tire for most purposes is our “flat-less” tire Marathon Plus. The SmartGuard belt, made out of highly elastic special rubber, is approx. 5 mm thick. The decisive advantage of SmartGuard is its effectiveness against objects that become lodged in the tread, that are rolled over at each turn of the wheel and will eventually penetrate virtually any protection belt. This is where the advantage of SmartGuard comes into effect. A thumbtack, for example, is embedded in the rubber without causing any damage.

This simple operating principle is superior even to high-tech protection belts made of aramid or Vectran. However, these belts have another advantage. They provide very light tires with a very good puncture protection. The fibers themselves are highly cut-resistant. These fibers are woven using patented weaving technology to produce a very tightly woven texture for our V-Guard.

Both technologies are patented.

Basically, there are two kinds of puncture protection liquids. The first kind works solely mechanically. The liquid contains small fibers or particles that will close the hole. Advantage: Such liquids can stay in the tube for an unlimited amount of time.Disadvantage: The hole is not really repaired but only plugged and it can open up again e.g. the next time the tire is inflated. The second kind of liquid is latex based. The latex milk hardens in the puncture and provides a lasting repair. Unfortunately, these kinds of liquids can only stay in the tube for a limited amount of time before they cure completely.

Our Doc Blue is also based on latex and is effective in the tube for approx. 2-7 months or approx. 2000 km as a preventative. Additional particles in the liquid ensure that larger holes are also quickly sealed. These particles in the liquid are also the reason that the valve core must be removed for filling. Liquids, which can be filled with the valve installed, are usually extremely thin and therefore only able to seal very small holes.

For all puncture protection liquids, the following applies: The liquid can only seal the hole when the wheel rotates. Handling can be problematic. A good, puncture protected tire is the best and simplest solution for most people.

We recommend Doc Blue mainly for tubeless systems and tubular tires. In these cases it is a useful aid as otherwise these tire types either cannot be repaired at all or only with great difficulty. Furthermore, Doc Blue is suitable for preventing
punctures in particularly light tires for a limited time, for example, a competition. It also makes sense as an additional protection for touring in extremely thorny areas.

In an emergency Doc Blue can repair small punctures without dismantling tube and tire. However, greater damage, like cuts or snakebites, cannot be repaired with a latex solution.