When we first moved to Idaho, we enthusiastically broke out the bikes, took to the greenbelt along the Boise River and started out on what we figured would be a nice bike ride along the river. We ended at a Carl’s Jr., five miles from our truck, making a phone call asking Kate to pick us up in the truck. Another time, we had to call a friend to come and pick us up and bring us back. All in all, we suffered a total of 7 (seven) [siete] flat tires during our first summer in Boise. Needless to say, we got good at changing tires. Also needless to say, that’s not something you want to be good at, if you know what I mean.
So we asked some local yokels and learned that these bike tire liners are the items that we needed to make us immune from goatheads. It also gave me the opportunity to teach the boys how to add the liner to their own bikes, and put everything back together. 👍
We bought these from Amazon, and have not had a flat due to a goathead (and only one total due to just being a boy) since June of 2019. So before you ride your bike anywhere, order these and install them. We added slime tubes as an added measure, but these liners really do the job.
Goatheads, also known as Tribulus terrestris or puncture vine, are an invasive specie that can produce up to 5,000 horned nutlets on single plant. It is believed goatheads were originally brought to America on the wooly backs of sheep, and have wreaked havoc on our bicycle tires, puppy paws and natural environment ever since. By outcompeting native plants, goatheads create dense monocultures and reduce native plant diversity. The nutlets germinate quickly and can lie dormant in the soil for many years.
Gertrude the Goathead Monster is the mother of all goatheads and her nutlets are officially out of control!
