Road Worrier
March 1, 2024 6:38 AM Subscribe
The "Atlanta Magnet Man" bikes around Atlanta with a hitched trailer that uses magnets to attract metal debris that poses a risk to people’s car tires. The idea is completely his own, and he does it for free.
“I can’t really find anybody that says what I’m doing is a terrible thing unless, you know, they own a tire shop,” he said.
Now I’ll need to make them of something non-ferrous)
Some stainless steels aren't magnetic, so you've got that going for you.
posted by clawsoon at 6:45 AM on March 1 [2 favorites]
Some stainless steels aren't magnetic, so you've got that going for you.
posted by clawsoon at 6:45 AM on March 1 [2 favorites]
doing good deeds, thanks to this person.
posted by djseafood at 6:55 AM on March 1 [1 favorite]
posted by djseafood at 6:55 AM on March 1 [1 favorite]
Very cool!
On Instagram, his mission statement - I am on mobile right now but perhaps someone here could transcribe it from the image.
posted by brainwane at 7:02 AM on March 1 [1 favorite]
On Instagram, his mission statement - I am on mobile right now but perhaps someone here could transcribe it from the image.
posted by brainwane at 7:02 AM on March 1 [1 favorite]
Ffs, people, road debris is far more likely to cause trouble for bicycle tires than automobile tires. As a long time bicycle rider/commuter, I can't tell you how many flats I've had to fix over the years. Car tire punctures are pretty rare in comparison.
I'd thought of doing something like this. I just never had the time or resources. Maybe when I retire.
posted by 2N2222 at 7:06 AM on March 1 [5 favorites]
I'd thought of doing something like this. I just never had the time or resources. Maybe when I retire.
posted by 2N2222 at 7:06 AM on March 1 [5 favorites]
…he was able to cover the cost of a bike lane sweeper prototype.
That’s where this could really shine. Car tires en masse tend to kick debris to the sides of the road—where we stick bike lanes. And without minimizing the annoyance of flat tires in a car, inner tubes are at far greater risk of puncture than car tires.
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 7:09 AM on March 1 [9 favorites]
That’s where this could really shine. Car tires en masse tend to kick debris to the sides of the road—where we stick bike lanes. And without minimizing the annoyance of flat tires in a car, inner tubes are at far greater risk of puncture than car tires.
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 7:09 AM on March 1 [9 favorites]
I'd thought of doing something like this. I just never had the time or resources. Maybe when I retire.
In the meantime, you’ll re-tire…
posted by mochapickle at 7:11 AM on March 1 [40 favorites]
In the meantime, you’ll re-tire…
posted by mochapickle at 7:11 AM on March 1 [40 favorites]
Ffs, people, road debris is far more likely to cause trouble for bicycle tires than automobile tires. As a long time bicycle rider/commuter, I can't tell you how many flats I've had to fix over the years. Car tire punctures are pretty rare in comparison.
There are 239,000 shops in the US that repair tires:
So that's the equivalent of:
Every Starbucks + Subway + McDonalds + Dunkin Doughnuts + Burger King + Taco Bell + Pizza Hut + Dominoes + Wendys + (every other fast food chain) + WalMart + Macys + (every other mall store), and I still don't think we are at 239,000 locations yet.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:15 AM on March 1 [5 favorites]
There are 239,000 shops in the US that repair tires:
So that's the equivalent of:
Every Starbucks + Subway + McDonalds + Dunkin Doughnuts + Burger King + Taco Bell + Pizza Hut + Dominoes + Wendys + (every other fast food chain) + WalMart + Macys + (every other mall store), and I still don't think we are at 239,000 locations yet.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:15 AM on March 1 [5 favorites]
Car tire punctures are pretty rare in comparison.
But the volume of cars on roads is substantially higher.
And the cost of replacing a car tire is substantially higher.
And the risk of injury or death to others from a damaged car tire is higher.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 7:17 AM on March 1 [8 favorites]
But the volume of cars on roads is substantially higher.
And the cost of replacing a car tire is substantially higher.
And the risk of injury or death to others from a damaged car tire is higher.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 7:17 AM on March 1 [8 favorites]
In the meantime, you’ll re-tire…
somewhere, Greg_Ace groans in mortal agony: someone got to my pun before me
posted by elkevelvet at 7:26 AM on March 1 [16 favorites]
somewhere, Greg_Ace groans in mortal agony: someone got to my pun before me
posted by elkevelvet at 7:26 AM on March 1 [16 favorites]
Every Starbucks + Subway + McDonalds + Dunkin Doughnuts + Burger King + Taco Bell + Pizza Hut + Dominoes + Wendys + (every other fast food chain) + WalMart + Macys + (every other mall store), and I still don't think we are at 239,000 locations yet.
That's... wow. That's some amazing Availability Heuristic effect at play. It's like we passed the Shoe Event Horizon decades ago, but didn't notice because the shoes in question weren't for humans.
posted by notoriety public at 7:26 AM on March 1 [8 favorites]
That's... wow. That's some amazing Availability Heuristic effect at play. It's like we passed the Shoe Event Horizon decades ago, but didn't notice because the shoes in question weren't for humans.
posted by notoriety public at 7:26 AM on March 1 [8 favorites]
I'd thought of doing something like this. I just never had the time or resources. Maybe when I retire.
There are a whole set of basically "quirky local guy doing quirky things for non-economic reasons" that I see around town that would be so much fun to do in retirement. Riding a bike around town with a magnet trailer would be a perfect example of this. You are outside, getting exercise, getting to talk with people, doing a bit of good, and having fun.
I'm still years away from retiring, but it's the local quirky people that I kind of look to as examples of how you can have fun and be engaged without having a job and without having to do the exact same thing as your neighbor.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:30 AM on March 1 [9 favorites]
There are a whole set of basically "quirky local guy doing quirky things for non-economic reasons" that I see around town that would be so much fun to do in retirement. Riding a bike around town with a magnet trailer would be a perfect example of this. You are outside, getting exercise, getting to talk with people, doing a bit of good, and having fun.
I'm still years away from retiring, but it's the local quirky people that I kind of look to as examples of how you can have fun and be engaged without having a job and without having to do the exact same thing as your neighbor.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:30 AM on March 1 [9 favorites]
imagine being able to retire
posted by glonous keming at 7:38 AM on March 1 [25 favorites]
posted by glonous keming at 7:38 AM on March 1 [25 favorites]
There are 239,000 shops in the US that repair tires:
Not that I don't believe you but do you have a reference for this?
posted by mhoye at 7:38 AM on March 1 [3 favorites]
Not that I don't believe you but do you have a reference for this?
posted by mhoye at 7:38 AM on March 1 [3 favorites]
It's not burying the lede exactly, but...does his bike not have a seat? That seems to be a story in and of itself.
posted by nushustu at 7:39 AM on March 1 [1 favorite]
posted by nushustu at 7:39 AM on March 1 [1 favorite]
He talks about the lack of seat on this Instagram comment thread:
Basically he says it’s better for him after some back issues.
posted by smelendez at 7:53 AM on March 1
Basically he says it’s better for him after some back issues.
posted by smelendez at 7:53 AM on March 1
I stop and grab all nails I see in bike lanes. It's a shocking amount some days.
posted by blendor at 7:55 AM on March 1 [5 favorites]
posted by blendor at 7:55 AM on March 1 [5 favorites]
imagine being able to retire
I love the comment, but taking what you are saying more literally, the reality is that one way or another,most of us are going to end up old and unemployed, aside from those who pass away while still working and never get to the unemployment stage. The lucky people will be those with the savings or pension to have a traditional retirement. But lots of us are going either have health issues or face age discrimination and find ourselves outside of the workforce ahead of when we might have planned, and I find myself speculating about what I'd do in a situation where I'm not working, but I also want to stay active and engaged without needing to spend money that I'd no longer be earning.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:57 AM on March 1 [5 favorites]
I love the comment, but taking what you are saying more literally, the reality is that one way or another,most of us are going to end up old and unemployed, aside from those who pass away while still working and never get to the unemployment stage. The lucky people will be those with the savings or pension to have a traditional retirement. But lots of us are going either have health issues or face age discrimination and find ourselves outside of the workforce ahead of when we might have planned, and I find myself speculating about what I'd do in a situation where I'm not working, but I also want to stay active and engaged without needing to spend money that I'd no longer be earning.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:57 AM on March 1 [5 favorites]
Magnetic nail pickers for road maintenance are a thing -- they generally are industrial strength, like pull something right out of the dirt. It's usually an electromagnet, powered by a generator, so they can turn it on and off.
They definitely need the ability to turn it on and off, because if you drive a powered-up nail picker truck over the railroad tracks it would magnetize the tracks, so that some of the metal scrap will jump off, turning the railroad track into a ferromagnetic porcupine. (self link with more info)
posted by AzraelBrown at 7:59 AM on March 1 [4 favorites]
They definitely need the ability to turn it on and off, because if you drive a powered-up nail picker truck over the railroad tracks it would magnetize the tracks, so that some of the metal scrap will jump off, turning the railroad track into a ferromagnetic porcupine. (self link with more info)
posted by AzraelBrown at 7:59 AM on March 1 [4 favorites]
But the volume of cars on roads is substantially higher.
And the cost of replacing a car tire is substantially higher.
And the risk of injury or death to others from a damaged car tire is higher.
And? I'm not sure what the point is.
The stuff a bike mounted magnetic device can pick up is trivial for car tires. Any tire/auto shop can fix it easily, and in my experience, will sometimes do it for free. These kinds of punctures will often allow the driver the ability to get to a shop safely if caught in time.
Yet the same debris will very quickly put a bicycle out of commission, and repair will likely be a diy affair. When you need to be somewhere. Maybe in a sketchy neighborhood. Maybe when the sun isn't up, and lighting is poor. Been there. One of the very real factors that keeps people off bikes and favoring cars.
This guy might be doing it with cars intended. But what he's really doing is helping the non car community.
imagine being able to retire
Don't ever change, metafilter. Christ.
posted by 2N2222 at 8:48 AM on March 1 [4 favorites]
And the cost of replacing a car tire is substantially higher.
And the risk of injury or death to others from a damaged car tire is higher.
And? I'm not sure what the point is.
The stuff a bike mounted magnetic device can pick up is trivial for car tires. Any tire/auto shop can fix it easily, and in my experience, will sometimes do it for free. These kinds of punctures will often allow the driver the ability to get to a shop safely if caught in time.
Yet the same debris will very quickly put a bicycle out of commission, and repair will likely be a diy affair. When you need to be somewhere. Maybe in a sketchy neighborhood. Maybe when the sun isn't up, and lighting is poor. Been there. One of the very real factors that keeps people off bikes and favoring cars.
This guy might be doing it with cars intended. But what he's really doing is helping the non car community.
imagine being able to retire
Don't ever change, metafilter. Christ.
posted by 2N2222 at 8:48 AM on March 1 [4 favorites]
I don't get why you're upset, 2N2222.
The guy's own comments reflect concern about cars, not bikes.
Benigno, a native Atlantan, first identified the problem early in the COVID-19 pandemic when roads were empty.
During work commutes, his car and motorcycle tires were damaged by nails. After he realized how many more drivers would be affected when traffic conditions returned to normal, he worked to find a solution.
posted by tiny frying pan at 8:54 AM on March 1 [1 favorite]
The guy's own comments reflect concern about cars, not bikes.
Benigno, a native Atlantan, first identified the problem early in the COVID-19 pandemic when roads were empty.
During work commutes, his car and motorcycle tires were damaged by nails. After he realized how many more drivers would be affected when traffic conditions returned to normal, he worked to find a solution.
posted by tiny frying pan at 8:54 AM on March 1 [1 favorite]
And then he's got the bike lane sweeper prototype! This guy is covering all angles.
posted by tiny frying pan at 8:55 AM on March 1 [2 favorites]
posted by tiny frying pan at 8:55 AM on March 1 [2 favorites]
I invested several working years pre-inspecting used truck tires to determine their fitness for re-treading. During the inspection we would pull out whatever road debris was embedded in the tires. While inspecting some 500 tires every week, I would routinely end up with a couple of pounds of metal objects. The largest items ever found were a couple of railroad spikes. There was a very wide assortment of other items: spark plugs, keys, lots of drywall screws, screwdrivers, files, and bolts. My favorite find was a worn, used 4” tooth from a mechanical cotton picker. The used teeth are actually sold as surveyor’s markers.
Of all the items, the self-drilling screws (with the small drill bit tip) seemed to be the most effective at penetrating, making their way through the rubber and steel cords to the inside of the tire.
Every so often, when our supply of tires to inspect was running low, I’d take my five gallon bucket of sharp foreign objects and try to get one of our new employees to go distribute them along the roadways to generate more business for our shop. I guess I should have donated them to the Magnet Man.
posted by tronec at 8:58 AM on March 1 [7 favorites]
Of all the items, the self-drilling screws (with the small drill bit tip) seemed to be the most effective at penetrating, making their way through the rubber and steel cords to the inside of the tire.
Every so often, when our supply of tires to inspect was running low, I’d take my five gallon bucket of sharp foreign objects and try to get one of our new employees to go distribute them along the roadways to generate more business for our shop. I guess I should have donated them to the Magnet Man.
posted by tronec at 8:58 AM on March 1 [7 favorites]
That's... wow. That's some amazing Availability Heuristic effect at play. It's like we passed the Shoe Event Horizon decades ago, but didn't notice because the shoes in question weren't for humans.
America is a post-scarcity utopia if you're a car
posted by BungaDunga at 9:04 AM on March 1 [12 favorites]
America is a post-scarcity utopia if you're a car
posted by BungaDunga at 9:04 AM on March 1 [12 favorites]
"Every so often, when our supply of tires to inspect was running low, I’d take my five gallon bucket of sharp foreign objects and try to get one of our new employees to go distribute them along the roadways to generate more business for our shop"
I DEARLY hope this is sarcastic. Holy crap that is evil.
posted by FritoKAL at 9:26 AM on March 1 [5 favorites]
I DEARLY hope this is sarcastic. Holy crap that is evil.
posted by FritoKAL at 9:26 AM on March 1 [5 favorites]
I've had punctures in both car and bicycle tires, and in my experience car tires are actually easier to fix on the road because you simply replace the whole wheel with the spare.
Also, I'm trying to imagine how/when this guy does his thing because generally if you are biking in what car drivers consider "their" lane, even briefly, you get yelled at or worse.
posted by splitpeasoup at 9:29 AM on March 1 [2 favorites]
Also, I'm trying to imagine how/when this guy does his thing because generally if you are biking in what car drivers consider "their" lane, even briefly, you get yelled at or worse.
posted by splitpeasoup at 9:29 AM on March 1 [2 favorites]
If I were the editor, I would have gone with the caption "Ferrous Wheeler's Pay Off"
posted by milnak at 9:38 AM on March 1 [58 favorites]
posted by milnak at 9:38 AM on March 1 [58 favorites]
As an Atlanta resident, nails and screws in the road is a huge problem throughout the metro area, probably due to just the constant tearing down old buildings and construction of new buildings everywhere all the time. Like a lot of Atlantans, I'm a loyal customer of a single tire store than has branches all over the city so that wherever I am, they will fix a flat in one of their tires for free. And I use that guarantee several times a year, every single year.
In other words, this guy is a local hero.
posted by hydropsyche at 9:41 AM on March 1 [8 favorites]
In other words, this guy is a local hero.
posted by hydropsyche at 9:41 AM on March 1 [8 favorites]
On Instagram, his mission statement - I am on mobile right now but perhaps someone here could transcribe it from the image.
The source of nails and screws is not my enemy alone. The source of nails and screws is not my enemy alone. The source is a fight that all of us must fight with voting and legislation. My fight is on the streets of our city. I accept that the nails and screws exist, and when the bureaucracy fails us, and breaks our spirits, we mistakenly believe that nothing else can be done to fight it. This is wrong. We are better than us. We can lift these nails and screws from our streets and prevent them from taking that which we hold most dear, our time, our money, and our precious tires. Join me and we can fight this fight together. This should not be my fight alone, I believe that every city in America or the entire world can have magnet men and magnet women and or magnet persons help us fight this fight together, for all of humanity.posted by kirkaracha at 9:54 AM on March 1 [9 favorites]
YMMV WRT auto tire flats. I have a Honda Fit, which has relatively thin tires, and the biggest cause of flats for me are pinch flats from hitting potholes, which in my midwestern Rust Belt city are quite common. I get puncture resistant bicycle tires, and generally do well with those, although they're not foolproof--I hit a nail once, and must have hit it at just the right angle, because it went clear through the tire head-first. The thing that I'm really looking out for, though, is glass. Too many a-holes tossing bottles out their car windows, and don't care who cleans it up or when.
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:56 AM on March 1 [3 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:56 AM on March 1 [3 favorites]
Also, interesting to me that a city as large as Atlanta doesn't have a single bike lane sweeper.
posted by splitpeasoup at 10:02 AM on March 1
posted by splitpeasoup at 10:02 AM on March 1
sorry, 2N2222, i didn't mean to attack you.
i meant it as a bleak graveyard-whistling joke-not-a-joke opining on the state of our society that genuinely reflects the reality myself and many others face: having failed to prove our worth in the form of decent benefits and/or compensation for our lives' work, dying homeless & alone once our society no longer has any viable way to extract further value from us
posted by glonous keming at 10:16 AM on March 1 [5 favorites]
i meant it as a bleak graveyard-whistling joke-not-a-joke opining on the state of our society that genuinely reflects the reality myself and many others face: having failed to prove our worth in the form of decent benefits and/or compensation for our lives' work, dying homeless & alone once our society no longer has any viable way to extract further value from us
posted by glonous keming at 10:16 AM on March 1 [5 favorites]
And I use that guarantee several times a year, every single year.
This is crucial context for me, because I've had two flats in 25 years of driving, one from a pothole pinch, one from a curb pinch, so this whole idea seemed kinda nuts to me.
I bet some component of this is a cities-with-snow vs. cities-without thing, since plows and street sweepers are much more prevalent up here, and the average tire is probably in better shape because we really need the tread, and some people use winter tires, etc.
posted by McBearclaw at 10:26 AM on March 1 [3 favorites]
This is crucial context for me, because I've had two flats in 25 years of driving, one from a pothole pinch, one from a curb pinch, so this whole idea seemed kinda nuts to me.
I bet some component of this is a cities-with-snow vs. cities-without thing, since plows and street sweepers are much more prevalent up here, and the average tire is probably in better shape because we really need the tread, and some people use winter tires, etc.
posted by McBearclaw at 10:26 AM on March 1 [3 favorites]
I thought it was almost poetic irony a few years ago when I got a car tire flat from the metal post on a bike brake pad
posted by gottabefunky at 10:46 AM on March 1 [4 favorites]
posted by gottabefunky at 10:46 AM on March 1 [4 favorites]
Also, this reminds me of a guy I heard about once who went around just ahead of the parking police putting quarters in peoples' meters right before they ran out. (I think he left notes saying "If you want to slide me some $, great.") Of course whatever city it was shut him down.
posted by gottabefunky at 10:48 AM on March 1 [1 favorite]
posted by gottabefunky at 10:48 AM on March 1 [1 favorite]
ferromagnetic porcupine
Is that related to a sonic hedgehog?
posted by silentbicycle at 11:28 AM on March 1 [4 favorites]
Is that related to a sonic hedgehog?
posted by silentbicycle at 11:28 AM on March 1 [4 favorites]
If you want to avoid flats on a bicycle you either get a heavy duty tire like a Schwalbe Marathon or run a tubeless setup where there's sealant in the tire that'll patch small punctures automatically. There are a couple of sections of my daily ride where there's glass and other sharp debris in the bike lane and I don't really worry about it.
I had a screw or something embedded into one of my car tires. It wasn't causing a problem but I didn't like that it was there so I took it to a tire shop and they removed it and checked the tire and it was fine. They didn't even charge me anything. That's my one and only puncture that I know of in the 10+ years of having that car.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:01 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]
I had a screw or something embedded into one of my car tires. It wasn't causing a problem but I didn't like that it was there so I took it to a tire shop and they removed it and checked the tire and it was fine. They didn't even charge me anything. That's my one and only puncture that I know of in the 10+ years of having that car.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:01 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]
If you have use for the manual version of this, magnet sweepers are a thing. I first learned of them after a friend got one to sweep around her neighborhood with after tornadoes and hurricanes.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:21 PM on March 1 [2 favorites]
posted by Lyn Never at 12:21 PM on March 1 [2 favorites]
LOL I live in Atlanta, bike everywhere and have met him. He's glorious. For years, I biked on DeKalb Ave, because I have a death wish, and would lose an inner tube every month or so.
Also: I have a Honda Fit, and the boutique tire size is literally the only thing I don't love about my car.
posted by outgrown_hobnail at 1:24 PM on March 1 [6 favorites]
Also: I have a Honda Fit, and the boutique tire size is literally the only thing I don't love about my car.
posted by outgrown_hobnail at 1:24 PM on March 1 [6 favorites]
(stands on tow truck)
what we need is bike people, a draftsman, an engineer/metal worker to help invent this man a new bike
-front and rear wheel magnets retractable that can easily fit on the spoke hubs.
increased magnets in the rear and a small one in the front for road debris
-adjust tire size frame etc to meet needs and new equipment
-some sort of system that registers each metallic object that magnet picks up measured with a little pin that can be silenced translated it into how many articles are on said magnets.
-convenient storage space for used items found on the road as to not encumber the rider.
a modified horn with front and rear cameras.
a beverage holder.
posted by clavdivs at 2:04 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]
what we need is bike people, a draftsman, an engineer/metal worker to help invent this man a new bike
-front and rear wheel magnets retractable that can easily fit on the spoke hubs.
increased magnets in the rear and a small one in the front for road debris
-adjust tire size frame etc to meet needs and new equipment
-some sort of system that registers each metallic object that magnet picks up measured with a little pin that can be silenced translated it into how many articles are on said magnets.
-convenient storage space for used items found on the road as to not encumber the rider.
a modified horn with front and rear cameras.
a beverage holder.
posted by clavdivs at 2:04 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]
If you want to avoid flats on a bicycle you either get a heavy duty tire like a Schwalbe Marathon
Those will probably be my next road tires; I've heard good things about them.
posted by Halloween Jack at 2:17 PM on March 1
Those will probably be my next road tires; I've heard good things about them.
posted by Halloween Jack at 2:17 PM on March 1
When I was a grade school aged kid I found a really big ceramic magnet from a CB antennae base that must have fallen off someone's car, and I used to drag it around on a string through gutters the whole way on my approximately 2 mile walk to school and end up with a big rusty ball of metal and sharp things on almost every walk, not to mention all of the lead tire balance weights that had a bit of ferrous metal for the mounting tab.
Why was I doing this? In hindsight I have no idea why and I think I just thought it was fun. I didn't really do anything with the metal, I would just scrape it all off and put it in the trash, though I remember I might have had a drawer or bag full of the stuff at home for some reason.
I was a really weird kid. And I'm very glad that polio and tetanus vaccines existed.
posted by loquacious at 2:40 PM on March 1 [13 favorites]
Why was I doing this? In hindsight I have no idea why and I think I just thought it was fun. I didn't really do anything with the metal, I would just scrape it all off and put it in the trash, though I remember I might have had a drawer or bag full of the stuff at home for some reason.
I was a really weird kid. And I'm very glad that polio and tetanus vaccines existed.
posted by loquacious at 2:40 PM on March 1 [13 favorites]
What the hell, America?
Clean and safe streets are a public good. The rest of the world pays for public goods using taxes.
I pay my rates. My street gets cleaned. I can walk or ride or drive down the street without worry. That's how civilisation works.
Public goods should not rely on private charity.
posted by happyinmotion at 2:47 PM on March 1 [11 favorites]
Clean and safe streets are a public good. The rest of the world pays for public goods using taxes.
I pay my rates. My street gets cleaned. I can walk or ride or drive down the street without worry. That's how civilisation works.
Public goods should not rely on private charity.
posted by happyinmotion at 2:47 PM on March 1 [11 favorites]
Those will probably be my next road tires; I've heard good things about them.
The Marathon Plus tires in particular (the ones rated 7+ by Schwalbe's own rating system) are pretty much the most durable and puncture proof tires that exist on the planet. You can ride over fields of glass and sharp obsidian lava rock with them, and the last thousands of miles. They absolutely laugh at goatheads and thorns.
I have yet to get any real puncture at all with them that wasn't a pinch flat, and you have to do something silly like try riding them underinflated and then hit a pothole or curb edge at speed to get that. I'm not even sure why I carry a patch kit or spare tube around any more besides being a security blanket and force of habit. I've pretty much only used my patch kit or spare tube to help out other riders on group rides.
Punctures DO happen but usually it's some freak accident where you catch a long roofing nail or something at just the right angle, and if it gets through the tire like that there's a chance it might even go right through your rim at the same time.
A few years ago I once picked up a pair of worn out Marathon Plus from the junk pile at my local bike co-op just because I was broke and needed tires, and the tread and casing on those were so chewed up they looked like a moonscape.
At some point I had a thing going on where it sounded like a pebble or something was stuck in the tread and making that tic-tic-tic noise with each wheel rotation as I was riding, but for over *two months* I couldn't figure out what it was no matter how much I looked for the cause.
Then one bright and sunny day when the light was just right I noticed a glint of metal down in chewed up tread, so I fished it out with my Leatherman.
It was a TWO INCH long self tapping sheet metal screw that had somehow got in the tread and was deflected to lay flat by the kevlar tire body/case part, and I'd been riding around with it in there the whole time.
But there are known drawbacks to these tires. They're very heavy, and have a very wooden and stiff ride quality. Grip is ok, but can get slippery in cold and wet. You get used to it, but they're very stiff and chonky feeling.
And if you don't know the tricks to mounting them, well, they're infamously difficult to mount. Like if you try to just lever them on the rim without a bead jack using normal levers, you will either bend your tire bead, or your rim or break your tire levers or some mix of all three. Do NOT force them on with tire levers.
There is a secret to mounting them easily, though. Start them like any normal tire with a tube partially inflated inside of it. Work most of the tire bed on with your hnds until you can't any more. Now deflate the tube as much as possible and squeeze out any air you can get out of it.
Now go around the rim and push both tire beads as close to the center of the rim as you can, and try to get them stuffed down into the center channel of the rim opposite of the remaining bit of tire bead. Pull up on the tire and push in on the beads with your thumbs (no levers!!) and/or lift and pull with all of your fingers from the other side.
The last bit of bead should roll right on the rim with a lot less effort and swearing.
Then do a partial tube inflation, give it all a good massage and get it centered on the rim, then inflate fully.
I have a fully new pair that I got about two years ago that probably have close to 2000 miles on them with heavy off road and gravel ebike use and they still look practically new, and have had zero punctures. The only flat I've had in those two years was because I broke a presta valve core off while pumping up a very slow leak.
And all that being said there's maniacs out there that running Marathon+ with Tannus run-flat armor inserts for some strange reason. Don't do this unless you hate your hands or your local bike mechanic, because apparently trying to get the Tannus insert and M+ combo on a rim is an absolute nightmare.
posted by loquacious at 3:10 PM on March 1 [7 favorites]
The Marathon Plus tires in particular (the ones rated 7+ by Schwalbe's own rating system) are pretty much the most durable and puncture proof tires that exist on the planet. You can ride over fields of glass and sharp obsidian lava rock with them, and the last thousands of miles. They absolutely laugh at goatheads and thorns.
I have yet to get any real puncture at all with them that wasn't a pinch flat, and you have to do something silly like try riding them underinflated and then hit a pothole or curb edge at speed to get that. I'm not even sure why I carry a patch kit or spare tube around any more besides being a security blanket and force of habit. I've pretty much only used my patch kit or spare tube to help out other riders on group rides.
Punctures DO happen but usually it's some freak accident where you catch a long roofing nail or something at just the right angle, and if it gets through the tire like that there's a chance it might even go right through your rim at the same time.
A few years ago I once picked up a pair of worn out Marathon Plus from the junk pile at my local bike co-op just because I was broke and needed tires, and the tread and casing on those were so chewed up they looked like a moonscape.
At some point I had a thing going on where it sounded like a pebble or something was stuck in the tread and making that tic-tic-tic noise with each wheel rotation as I was riding, but for over *two months* I couldn't figure out what it was no matter how much I looked for the cause.
Then one bright and sunny day when the light was just right I noticed a glint of metal down in chewed up tread, so I fished it out with my Leatherman.
It was a TWO INCH long self tapping sheet metal screw that had somehow got in the tread and was deflected to lay flat by the kevlar tire body/case part, and I'd been riding around with it in there the whole time.
But there are known drawbacks to these tires. They're very heavy, and have a very wooden and stiff ride quality. Grip is ok, but can get slippery in cold and wet. You get used to it, but they're very stiff and chonky feeling.
And if you don't know the tricks to mounting them, well, they're infamously difficult to mount. Like if you try to just lever them on the rim without a bead jack using normal levers, you will either bend your tire bead, or your rim or break your tire levers or some mix of all three. Do NOT force them on with tire levers.
There is a secret to mounting them easily, though. Start them like any normal tire with a tube partially inflated inside of it. Work most of the tire bed on with your hnds until you can't any more. Now deflate the tube as much as possible and squeeze out any air you can get out of it.
Now go around the rim and push both tire beads as close to the center of the rim as you can, and try to get them stuffed down into the center channel of the rim opposite of the remaining bit of tire bead. Pull up on the tire and push in on the beads with your thumbs (no levers!!) and/or lift and pull with all of your fingers from the other side.
The last bit of bead should roll right on the rim with a lot less effort and swearing.
Then do a partial tube inflation, give it all a good massage and get it centered on the rim, then inflate fully.
I have a fully new pair that I got about two years ago that probably have close to 2000 miles on them with heavy off road and gravel ebike use and they still look practically new, and have had zero punctures. The only flat I've had in those two years was because I broke a presta valve core off while pumping up a very slow leak.
And all that being said there's maniacs out there that running Marathon+ with Tannus run-flat armor inserts for some strange reason. Don't do this unless you hate your hands or your local bike mechanic, because apparently trying to get the Tannus insert and M+ combo on a rim is an absolute nightmare.
posted by loquacious at 3:10 PM on March 1 [7 favorites]
Clean and safe streets are a public good. The rest of the world pays for public goods using taxes.
Man, this is Atlanta: chicken wings are the best you're going to get. We can't even do drainage: an inch of rain and the downtown highway floods.
posted by outgrown_hobnail at 4:10 PM on March 1 [4 favorites]
Man, this is Atlanta: chicken wings are the best you're going to get. We can't even do drainage: an inch of rain and the downtown highway floods.
posted by outgrown_hobnail at 4:10 PM on March 1 [4 favorites]
Is mounting the Marathons really that hard? I have one on the front wheel of my old bike and don't recall any problems with it. I had a hell of a time putting on my spiked tires on it though. Those were also Schwalbes. Never really used the spikes though because I'd much rather ride my new bike and if the roads were bad enough for the spikes I probably didn't want to be sharing them with cars anyway.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 4:51 PM on March 1
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 4:51 PM on March 1
Also: I have a Honda Fit, and the boutique tire size is literally the only thing I don't love about my car.
I have a Honda Insight, and same. I always try to call ahead to Mavis (formerly Kaufman) to let them know I'm coming in so they can order a tiny tire from the warehouse if needed.
posted by hydropsyche at 6:23 PM on March 1 [2 favorites]
I have a Honda Insight, and same. I always try to call ahead to Mavis (formerly Kaufman) to let them know I'm coming in so they can order a tiny tire from the warehouse if needed.
posted by hydropsyche at 6:23 PM on March 1 [2 favorites]
Clean and safe streets are a public good. The rest of the world pays for public goods using taxes.
Oh we pay taxes too, but they certainly dont go towards public goods. Unless you count military, police, and useless initiatives that only enrich lobbyists as "public goods". Not that it matters, a "public good" implies that Other People would benefit and we can't have that.
But hey, at least we have "freedom", whatever the fuck that is.
Public goods should not rely on private charity.
Also see: healthcare, public transit, public schools, etc.
posted by photo guy at 12:29 AM on March 2
Oh we pay taxes too, but they certainly dont go towards public goods. Unless you count military, police, and useless initiatives that only enrich lobbyists as "public goods". Not that it matters, a "public good" implies that Other People would benefit and we can't have that.
But hey, at least we have "freedom", whatever the fuck that is.
Public goods should not rely on private charity.
Also see: healthcare, public transit, public schools, etc.
posted by photo guy at 12:29 AM on March 2
As someone who lives in the ATL metro, I salute this gentleman.
I have replaced 3 tires in the past two years because of nails and screws that managed to puncture jussssst outside of the tread, in the sidewall.
I swear the construction just throws nails into the air.
posted by Fleebnork at 6:20 AM on March 2 [1 favorite]
I have replaced 3 tires in the past two years because of nails and screws that managed to puncture jussssst outside of the tread, in the sidewall.
I swear the construction just throws nails into the air.
posted by Fleebnork at 6:20 AM on March 2 [1 favorite]
Is mounting the Marathons really that hard?
They can be, but it depends on the size of the tire and your rim profile. Like any tire it's easier if they're wider/larger, and harder if they're skinnier/smaller.
posted by loquacious at 11:11 AM on March 2 [1 favorite]
They can be, but it depends on the size of the tire and your rim profile. Like any tire it's easier if they're wider/larger, and harder if they're skinnier/smaller.
posted by loquacious at 11:11 AM on March 2 [1 favorite]
Marathons are indestructible but holy shit are they slow. They make me feel 20 years older than I am. Still worth it on a commuting bike.
posted by klanawa at 1:18 PM on March 2 [2 favorites]
posted by klanawa at 1:18 PM on March 2 [2 favorites]
Also, interesting to me that a city as large as Atlanta doesn't have a single bike lane sweeper.
posted by splitpeasoup
I mean, Georgia is still waiting for the train to replace 316 that was funded in the Obama administration. That highway eats young white coeds. How many avoidable deaths is it, since 2008?
Not holding my breath for public finding for bike services
posted by eustatic at 1:49 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]
posted by splitpeasoup
I mean, Georgia is still waiting for the train to replace 316 that was funded in the Obama administration. That highway eats young white coeds. How many avoidable deaths is it, since 2008?
Not holding my breath for public finding for bike services
posted by eustatic at 1:49 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]
To FritoKAL and others who may have not understood my "go throw these on the highway" remarks above:
My remarks were indeed a joke on the new employees, to see if they would be naive enough to go along with it. This work was a very pressured environment and I used jokes like this to help myself and others maintain some sort of equilibrium. Management was always putting pressure on to produce more, but seldom giving us the needed tools (literally and figuratively).
The mass of mostly metal we collected was added to our scrap metal for recycling.
I am sorry I was not more clear in my observations.
I was trying to add some perspective on how much road debris is actually out there, how it is a major, major problem which has disproportionate affects on bicyclists, but is a significant issue for all.
posted by tronec at 8:47 AM on March 3 [2 favorites]
My remarks were indeed a joke on the new employees, to see if they would be naive enough to go along with it. This work was a very pressured environment and I used jokes like this to help myself and others maintain some sort of equilibrium. Management was always putting pressure on to produce more, but seldom giving us the needed tools (literally and figuratively).
The mass of mostly metal we collected was added to our scrap metal for recycling.
I am sorry I was not more clear in my observations.
I was trying to add some perspective on how much road debris is actually out there, how it is a major, major problem which has disproportionate affects on bicyclists, but is a significant issue for all.
posted by tronec at 8:47 AM on March 3 [2 favorites]
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(On the other hand, one of my evil plans is to open a tire repair shop and to sprinkle caltrops randomly across nearby roads. Now I’ll need to make them of something non-ferrous)
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 6:44 AM on March 1 [1 favorite]