Have you been struck by a flat tire lately? Maybe more than one? Around August or September? There is a culprit right here in Alameda that is the cause: puncture vine, better know as goathead (Tribulus terrestris L.). See the below story that does a good job explaining what the problem is.
In the meantime, help us out. We are trying to accumulate a list of places in Alameda that bicyclists (and bare feet) need to be wary of.
Places to watch for puncture vine:
- Buena Vista Avenue and Grand Street: The dirt area near where the old Belt Line Railroad used to cut across
- Main Street, across from the parking area of the ferry terminal
If you know of any more, please e-mail us at info@bikewalkalameda.org.
From the Alameda Journal, August 30, 2002
(used by permission of the author)
JOE KING: THOUGHTS ON THE RUN
Goatheads create thorny problem for cyclists
They aren’t very large. You have to look quite carefully if you’re scouting around for them. However, if you’re a bike rider like my friend, Norm Hannon, or, perhaps just another Alamedan taking little Mopsy for her daily leash-pull, they’ll find you rather easily, and they’re called goatheads.
“I had two flat tires in three days because of those pesky little things,” claims Hannon, who has recently opted to ride a bike for conditioning exercise since a foot problem has been hampering his normal running and walking routine.
What are goatheads?
“They’re industrial strength stickers that go through bike tires like butter and provide local bike shops with an inflated repair business,” Hannon said.
He added that they are spawned by vine-like shrubbery that grows close to the ground. The actual burrs are like little round marbles with quarter-inch spikes protruding from them. When they dry out and split, the two remaining spikes resemble a goat’s horns, hence the name.
Becoming more and more a local authority on this vegetation nuisance, Hannon uncovered that our tiny terrorists have acquired many names, depending on the neck of the woods where they lay in wait.
“They are also called puncture vine, bullhead, Mexican sandbur, caltrop and Texas sandbur.
“My unfortunate encounter with goatheads occurred while exploring Alameda on my bike,” Hannon said.
“The dirt area near Buena Vista and Grand, where the old Belt Line Railroad used to cut across, seems particularly loaded with them. That’s where I acquired my first flat; my tires were festooned with them.
“Only two days later, I was riding on Main Street across from the parking area of the ferry terminal and discovered a thriving, 50-foot long string of vines encroaching on the walkway.”
According to Hannon, most bike shop owners in town are well acquainted with the goathead problem.
“Jon Mantooth, manager of Cycle City bike shop on High Street, says he does a brisk business fixing goathead flats, almost all of them from Buena Vista and Grand where he picked up a goathead flat himself as a youngster. And Shaun Braren of Alameda Bicycle on Park Street says he repairs about 15 flats a day, with 95 percent from goatheads.”
My own curiosity nudged me into Stone’s Cyclery at 2320 Santa Clara Ave. Owner-manager Dennis Stone said we are in the goathead season, which lasts roughly from late summer through most of the fall. And, of course, he’s been repairing the flats, too.
There is a stronger inner lining a biker can have inserted in a tire offering some protection and our friend Norm Hannon has had them put in. Will they work? Time will tell. Meanwhile, Hannon hopes other bike riders will help produce a special map to aid folks in avoiding goathead stomping grounds (they’re also quite painful when lodged in the paws of dogs and other small animals).