First Pu****re - why?

[jamin100]

Woke up this morning and got ready to go, I took the bike off the rack only to find the back tyre totally flat - But i dont know why...

I havnt fixed it yet so it will have to wait until tonight but im wondering if anything I have done has lead to the puncture.

I have a boardman hybrid comp with schwalbe Marathon (not plus) types. The last time I used my bike was on my comute home Tuesday. Whilst at work I checked the tyre pressure to find that both tyres were about 75psi. So i used my track pump and pumped them both up to 100psi. The tyre states they can go up to 110.

I was messing around with the bike last night fitting a lock and changing bottle cages and im almost certain the tyres were rock hard.

Obviously until i take the wheel off (it had to be the back didn't it) i wont know for certain, but do you think I could have pumped the typres up too hard?

Im about 15.5 stone.

Also, I have no spare inner tubes so I intend to get one on my way home. My wheels are 700 x 28c are these a good inner tube and will it fit?

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/...uctId_249378_langId_-1_categoryId_242552#dtab

Thanks all

 

[NormanD]

Could be the valve if they're presta, you could have forgotten to tighten the grub screw up after using the pump (I've done that before) or you might have a hidden thorn or other object in the tyre and after pumping them up to pressure it could have penetrated the inner tube.

Could be a number of factors until you remove the tyre and tube and have a good route around to find out the real problem.

I'm not a fan of slime filled inner tubes, much preferring normal tubes, they're ok for temporary plugging a small leak (enough to get you home maybe), but make a real mess if you manage to slash a tyre and tube together

 

[jamin100]

Could be the valve if they're presta, you could have forgotten to tighten the grub screw up after using the pump (I've done that before) or you might have a hidden thorn or other object in the tyre and after pumping them up to pressure it could have penetrated the inner tube.

Could be a number of factors until you remove the tyre and tube and have a good route around to find out the real problem.

I'm not a fan of slime filled inner tubes, much preferring normal tubes, they're ok for temporary plugging a small leak (enough to get you home maybe), but make a real mess if you manage to slash a tyre and tube together

Thanks, I did tighten that screw up but i didnt do it very tight as I wasn't sure how tight it should be. So does it need to be tight?

I dont think that inner tube has slime does it?

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Woke up this morning and got ready to go, I took the bike off the rack only to find the back tyre totally flat - But i dont know why...

I havnt fixed it yet so it will have to wait until tonight but im wondering if anything I have done has lead to the puncture.

I have a boardman hybrid comp with schwalbe Marathon (not plus) types. The last time I used my bike was on my comute home Tuesday. Whilst at work I checked the tyre pressure to find that both tyres were about 75psi. So i used my track pump and pumped them both up to 100psi. The tyre states they can go up to 110.

I was messing around with the bike last night fitting a lock and changing bottle cages and im almost certain the tyres were rock hard.

Obviously until i take the wheel off (it had to be the back didn't it) i wont know for certain, but do you think I could have pumped the typres up too hard?

Im about 15.5 stone.

Also, I have no spare inner tubes so I intend to get one on my way home. My wheels are 700 x 28c are these a good inner tube and will it fit?

http://www.halfords....yId_242552#dtab

Thanks all

Those tubes will be fine. The 28/37c part of their specification tells you the tube is good from 28 up to 37.

Incidentally, in a moment of cack-handedness a week or so ago, I broke the Presta valve on my rear tyre while removing the pump.. So far, the air pressure inside the tube has kept the valve in place without any marked deflation. Of course, once it punctures, I'll be very, very lucky if I ever manage to reinflate it again.

 

[al-fresco]

Strange things punctures. This year I did about 2000 miles without a single one but since September I've had 6 - three of them on the same day. You usually discover that you've got a puncture pretty quickly - but it's not unusual for a very small puncture to deflate a tyre to deflate overnight. If the puncture isn't obvious put a little air in the tube and dip it into a bucket of water and see where the bubbles come up. Make sure you check the tyre thoroughly - what ever caused it is probably still there - a flake of stone 1 or 2mms wide can work right through a kevlar belt.

 

[BSRU]

Those tubes will be fine. The 28/37c part of their specification tells you the tube is good from 28 up to 37.

Not always true, when I changed from 37c to 28c tyres my Conti tubes, which should have been OK, were to big and I had to buy slightly smaller ones.

 

[NormanD]

I dont think that inner tube has slime does it?

You are correct I spotted the slim bit while quickly glancing through and mistook it for saying slime ... I tighten the screw as much as my fingers will allow.

 

[jamin100]

I tighten the screw as much as my fingers will allow.

DO they deflate with the screw loose then, this may be my problem.

 

[NormanD]

DO they deflate with the screw loose then, this may be my problem.

As assured as a whores knickers at her birthday party bash

Inflate the tyre, tighten the screw as much as your fingers will allow, test the valve by putting some washing up liquid mixed with water around the valve and check for bubbles and leave it a few hours and check the pressure, if it deflates without showing any bubbles then look at the inner tube being the problem

 

[stoofer]

I snapped the screw on a presta valve and ran it just fine for about 3 months. The air pressure held it in place, I just screwed the dust cap on top. Pumped it up just fine every few days and didn't lose any more pressure than normal. The ony reason the tube got replaced was because the whole valve ripped from the rubber after pumping, a separate issue really but after the grub screw problems I wrote it off as a dodgy tube in general.

 

[stoofer]

Oh, and I'd say it's a slow release of air, can take hours to deflate sometimes. Pump the tube and stick it in the sink, if there's no bubbles work your way around the tube stretching a few inches at a time. Makes the hole a bit bigger so more air is able to escape.

 

[fossyant]

Thorns/bits of wire can take some time to deflate a tyre if still stuck in the tube. Glass too. Bloody annoying, thinking you are off for a quick get away in the morning to find the tyre flat. Life !

I've only just found the cause of a VERY slow puncture on my MTB - haven't used it much, but couldn't be bothered looking for it. 10mm thorn was the cause.

 

[Globalti]

Only puncture I've had in 3500 miles of road riding was in Cape Town on the Cape Argus event when small Cape Coloured boys were scattering tacks on the road and collecting inner tubes. I saw one with a massive ring of about twenty tubes around his neck - can only assume they want them for catapaults.

 

[Rob500]

3 back tyre punctures on my last 4 times out. I checked each tube against the others and they are punctured in different places. Also gave the wheel & tyre a good going over each time; inside and out but can find nothing.

I tell myself that I've just had a spell of rotten luck.

 

[stoofer]

If you've taken the tyre right of each time to have a good look at the inside then when you put it back on you'll be sure to have it lined up differently and puncture each tube in a different place. You've got to have a good gouge out in every little nick in the rubber where it lines up with the tube before you take the tyre off the rim.