Why do I keep getting punctures?

Q. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, but I keep picking up punctures in my rear tyres. I’ve had four in the last 2000 miles and it’s getting expensive to pay for repair or replacement.

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Both tyres are at the correct pressure and neither one is close to the wear limit at the moment.
Olly Brindley, email
 
A. There are a few things you can do to combat the risk of punctures. First of all, try to avoid the areas of the road in which debris collects. That tends to be between opposing lanes, around traffic islands and close to the gutter where any tat gets flicked up by other traffic.

So, if you spend a lot of time on a busy commute, filtering and diving to the front of queues at traffic lights you’re increasing the risk of a puncture.

In which case, make sure you inspect your tyres at the end of every ride, especially after that busy commute, because that pesky nail might only be halfway in to begin with.

If the roads are wet the risk is increased too, as a sharp object that’s dry tends to ‘stick’ in the rubber, whereas if it’s wet it slides in easier.