If you ride in a dry area , there’s a good chance that you’ve had a few run-ins with nature’s tube stabbers. They come in many forms but the bottom line is that prevention is key unless you want to spend your day patching flats or walking home.

There’s a few things you can do to help “bullet-proof” your tubes. Keep in mind that if weight is an issue, then patches and spare tubes may be your only option; but is your main concern is tearing up the mountain without it tearing up you, then read on.

Goop. The green, slimy goop that you squirt into your tubes provides a fairly durable ’scab’ to seal small holes. This mysterious substance is further covered in the article, “Lessons Learned From Mountain Biking.”

Another way to armor your tubes is to use “tire skins.” You can find these at most bike shops. They’re simply a layer of material that is added to the inside of you tires to provide extra protection against flats. The skins are made for bike tires so you’ll have to cut them to size. This same “extra layer” concept was suggested my MBS, only instead of skins, they suggest using an old tube. To do this you cut the inner portion of the tube (like gutting a fish), and then you inflate your good tube inside the old one.

The final “bullet-proof tube” tip, and my personal favorite, is The Combo. Combining multiple forms of defense can really increase your tube’s strength, although I would suggest avoiding the use of both skins and the “gutted tube,” as this gives the tire a lot to hold.

So there it is, yet another hurdle that we as riders can leap over. Terrain can’t stop us. The very thought is worth laughing about. So reinforce your tubes and join the laughter.