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Avoiding nails
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To avoid nails and other tire hazards I ride in the car tire tracks,
reasoning that in those zones there's a much better chance of a sharp
object being picked up by someone else's tire before I come along
than in the center of the road.
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I, too, tend to ride in the car tire tracks as I generally find less debris
of all kinds there than in the middle of the road. I think that this is
because there are more mechanisms that motivate that debris from the tracks
to the middle (and sides) of the road than there are in the other direction.
I have found that most of the nails that have punctured my tires have been
found in rear tires. My theory is that the front tire raises the nails
as it rolls over them, setting them up to puncture the rear.
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Avoiding the middle avoids that slick spot where oil drops off other
vehicles when they hit a bump or sit at an intersection. OTOH, I know of
some roads where there are actually two ruts in each track due to the
truck traffic (yes, paved highways).
- Nate >>
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Good idea for the most part, however hopefully you also have a
stragegy for for positioning yourself for any situation: It may be a
benefit to position yourself in the middle if it makes you more
visible. I also choose my position within the lane to avoid road
surface hazards, such as potholes that are usually directly in the
wheel track. I also select a position that both maximizes my view of
the road for traffic ahead and for left-turners to see *me* better. If
that puts me in the middle, so be it...
The MSF Advanced Rider Course deals greatly with lane positioning
strategy. I've found that I can greatly increase my safety,
particularly heavy in traffic. If that happens puts me in the middle in
certain situations, well to heck with the tires.
In well over 200,000 miles I've only had a few nails. None of them
have caused a tire to fail instantly. They either didn't leak at all,
or the leaks were so slow that could top it off and limp home if I'd
found a nail while out and about.
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I was following traffic in my motorhome on the highway half a dozen years ago
when out from under the car in front of me popped the mattress from a folding
chase lounge. Another time I rode my Nighthawk over a hub cap that popped out
from under the car in front of me.
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That's why you need to keep a good distance from the vehicule in
front.
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I tend to ride in the rut, or along its edge, but not exclusively. I'll ride
wherever it seems best if there is no traffic obstructing my view of the road.
I've only had one nail in my bike, and got it the first season I'd gotten back
into riding.
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