My friend Bryan “Doc” Dotson gets around by bicycle – a lot. This is a guy that takes stray cats to the vet in an infant trailer. So, when he makes an esoteric observation on bicycles and cycling, I listen. From Doc:
Flat tires. You would think that they would universally be regarded in the same category as say, fire ants or presidential candidates, but that’s not true. My youngest daughter, when she was about 3 years old, got really excited every time I had a flat tire on the bike. It’s her thing now.
One type of flat intrigues me. I just had my fourth “nail” puncture:
I’ve had three on my 2” tire mountain bike; this is the first I’ve had with my 34 mm tires (which, by the way, I ride much more). All have been the rear tire.
This is now more than a fluke.
My best guess is the front tire picks up the nail, which then tumbles in the wheel track. The rear tire arrives when the nail is ideally positioned to drive straight in.
I’m interested in how many others have observed this phenomenon. Anyone ever had a nail in the front [tire]?
An old article by Jobst Brandt describes this phenomenon. So Doc, you are not alone in your observation. I’ve only ever picked up one large nail in a bike tire, and it too was in the rear tire.
Another thing I’ve noticed – at almost any intersection while I am stopped waiting for a light, I can find a nail or screw lying in the street. I usually pick these up, not so much for for fear of flatting my bike tire, but because as a cyclist and a motorist, the car tire that picks up that nail later in the day may be my own.
Yes I do too, get very rarely a front wheel flats. I mainly get rear wheel flats.
I also get more cuts and embedded stones and glass on the rear tire.
The rear tire carry ~ twice the load of the front tire. The contact surface at the same pressure is thus double thus increasing the track width and thus the odd that the rear will pickup more debris.
Thats the norm. Front tire kicks it up, goes in back tire. Same with cars, motorcycles, etc.