Desert trails are some of the best riding anywhere: fast, dry, and rideable almost all year. They're also hard on tires. Between goatheads, cactus spines, and sharp volcanic and granite rock, a flat is never far away.
The good news: with the right setup and a small kit in your pack, most desert flats either never happen or take two minutes to fix. Here's how to get there.
What gives you flats out here
- Goatheads (puncturevine): A low, creeping weed with hard, spiked seed pods. They grow on disturbed ground: trail edges, parking lots, and dirt roads. One ride through a patch can leave a dozen thorns in each tire.
- Cactus spines: Cholla segments break off and roll onto the trail, and prickly pear and other cacti crowd tight singletrack. Spines are thin and stiff, and they go right through tire tread.
- Thorny shrubs: Mesquite, catclaw acacia, and similar plants drop thorns along the trail and hang over it.
- Sharp rock: Square-edged rock can slice a tire's sidewall or pinch a tube against the rim on a hard hit.
Thorns cause small punctures, which are easy to seal. Rock causes bigger cuts, which need a plug or a boot. Your setup should handle both.
Go tubeless
If you only do one thing from this guide, make it this. Tubeless tires have no inner tube. Instead, liquid sealant sloshes around inside the tire. When a thorn pokes a hole, air rushing out pushes sealant into the hole, and it hardens to plug it. Often you won't even notice it happened.
Tubeless also can't pinch flat (there's no tube to pinch), so you can run lower pressure for more grip without the risk of "snake bite" flats.
Most modern mountain bike rims and tires are tubeless-ready. Converting usually takes rim tape, tubeless valves, and sealant. A local bike shop can do it in one visit if you'd rather not.
Still on tubes?
Tubes can work, but expect more flats. Thorn-resistant (thicker) tubes, tubes pre-filled with sealant, and a tire liner between tube and tire all help. Carry two spare tubes, not one.
Sealant in the heat
Sealant only works while it's liquid, and desert heat dries it out faster than in cooler places. A tire that sealed every thorn in spring may have nothing left by midsummer.
- Check it often. Every month or two in hot weather, pull the valve core or pop one side of the bead and look. If you can't hear it sloshing when you shake the wheel, it's probably time.
- Top up generously. Use at least the amount your sealant brand recommends for your tire size. Many desert riders add a little extra.
- Don't cook your bike. A bike left in a hot car or truck bed on a summer day speeds up drying. Park in the shade when you can.
- Clean out old sealant. Dried sealant builds into rubbery clumps. Peel them out when you change tires.
Tougher tires and inserts
Tire casing
The casing is the tire's body under the tread. Lightweight casings roll fast but cut easily. On rocky desert trail, a reinforced casing (for example, Maxxis calls theirs "EXO+" and "DoubleDown") is worth the extra weight, especially on the rear tire, which takes the hardest hits.
Tire inserts
An insert is a foam ring that sits inside a tubeless tire. It protects the rim from dents, helps prevent sidewall cuts from hard hits, and lets you ride out to the trailhead if the tire goes flat. They add weight and can be a wrestle to install, but riders on very rocky trails swear by them.
Run the right pressure
Too little air lets the tire squash onto the rim over rocks, which leads to cuts, dents, and pinch flats. Too much air makes the tire harsh and skittish. Find a starting point with our tire pressure calculator (pick "Rocky and chunky" if your trails are full of sharp rock), and read our tire pressure guide for how to fine-tune it.
What to carry
A small kit handles nearly every desert flat. Our Gear Picks page has a plug kit, mini pump, and multi-tool we like.
- Tubeless plug kit: For holes too big for sealant. A plug is a sticky rubber strip you push into the hole.
- Spare tube: The backup if a plug won't hold. Make sure it fits your wheel size.
- Mini pump or CO2 inflator: CO2 is fast. A pump never runs out. Many riders carry both.
- Tire boot: A patch for the inside of a cut tire, so a tube doesn't bulge out. A folded dollar bill or energy bar wrapper works in a pinch.
- Tire levers: For getting a tight tire off the rim.
- Small pliers or tweezers: For pulling spines out of tires and out of you.
- Valve core tool: For clearing a valve clogged with sealant.
- Multi-tool: To get wheels off and fix whatever else goes wrong.
Fixing a flat on the trail
- Find the hole. Listen for hissing and look for sealant bubbling out. Spin the wheel slowly.
- Let the sealant work. Turn the wheel so the hole is at the bottom, where sealant collects, and give it 30 seconds. Small holes often seal on their own.
- Pull out thorns once you've stopped. Check the whole tire for more. Goatheads come in groups.
- Plug it if it's still leaking. Push a plug into the hole, trim it if needed, and spin the wheel to coat it with sealant.
- Re-inflate and check. Pump up to your normal pressure and listen again.
- Tube it as a last resort. Remove the tubeless valve, pull out any thorns still in the casing (or the new tube will flat too), boot any cuts, and install the tube.
Habits that prevent flats
- Stay on the trail. Goatheads and cactus thrive at the edges. Riding wide around obstacles, or cutting corners, rolls you right through them.
- Watch the parking lot. Many flats start before the ride does. Walk your bike across weedy dirt lots and road shoulders.
- Check tires after every ride. Look for thorns, cuts, and sealant spots. Pull embedded thorns at home, where it's easy to deal with a leak.
- Check pressure before every ride. A soft tire is more likely to get cut.
- Pick lines, not plants. Learn which trail sections have cholla and give them extra room.
Tubeless with fresh sealant, a tougher rear tire, the right pressure, and a plug kit in your pack will take care of most desert flats. Set it up once, top up your sealant through the hot months, and spend your rides riding instead of fixing.