Puncture Protection

The best and most important protection against punctures is a high-quality bicycle tire with a good puncture protection belt. But there are other factors that reduce the risk of punctures:

• Make sure you have the right air pressure. If the pressure is too low, the risk of punctures is significantly higher. Check and correct the air pressure at least once a month with a pressure gauge.
•  Checking tires: It is helpful to regularly check the tires for foreign objects and remove them. Replace worn tires in time.
•  The best protective belt in the tire is useless if the "internal safety" is not guaranteed. Also attach importance to reliable quality in the bicycle tube.
•  The rim tape is also important. It protects the tube from mechanical damage caused by spoke heads, metal burrs and holes in the rim. All spoke holes must be completely and securely covered by a suitable rim tape.  
•  Puncture protection tapes are inserted between the tire and inner tube during assembly. They protect against punctures, but they are also not unproblematic because they are positioned between the tube and tire, and can cause abrasion defects in the tube as the protection layer can move around during use. Therefore, we do not offer separate protective tapes. It is better if the protective belt is incorporated into the tire.
•  In certain situations, the use of puncture protection fluid can be useful. See also item "What to consider with puncture protection fluid?"

The safest bicycle tires for most uses are our "unplattbar" (Flat-Less) tires. For example, the SmartGuard inserts are made of highly elastic special rubber that is about 5 mm thick and extremely resistant to penetration from sharp objects. The decisive advantage of this technology comes in the case of embedded objects that are repeatedly rolled over and thus steadily bore through any protective belt. This is where the SmartGuard plays out the advantage of its thickness. An embedded thumbtack, for example, simply remains stuck in the rubber without causing any further damage.

This simple operating principle is also superior to high-tech protective belts made of aramid or Vectran. However, these aramid and Vectran do have their own advantages. With them you can give even very lightweight tires a very good level of puncture protection. The fibers themselves are very cut resistant as they are very densely woven using a special technique. This type of protection is provided by our V-Guard protection layer.

The following applies to all puncture protection fluids: The fluid can only seal the hole when the wheel rotates. The handling and installation can require some practice and adds to any maintenance regime. A good, puncture protected tire is therefore the better and easier solution for most people who want low maintenance protection against punctures. 

We recommend Doc Blue Professional mainly for tubeless systems, where it can help to seal up punctures that might otherwise be difficult to repair. Furthermore, Doc Blue is suitable to make particularly light tires more puncture protected during use in competition. It is also useful as additional protection for tours in very thorny areas. As a puncture repair helper for the road, you can repair small punctures with Doc Blue without dismantling the tube and tire by adding the Doc Blue sealant directly into the tube (provided the tube has a removable valve core) and re-inflating. However, larger damage such as cuts or snake bites cannot be repaired with latex fluid.