Puncture woes

[fraz101]

Not had a puncture on my commute bike for around 2 years.

When I do get one it is usually the rear….however, about a month ago I came out one morning to a flat front tyre. Repaired puncture,couldnt see a culprit,turned tyre inside out to check etc, refitted tube,and away I went, few days later, another puncture in close vicinity of first,swapped tube for a spare I had and was fine for a few weeks, came out of work tonight to yet another flat, not in same position as last 2.

Wondering what’s going on, has my rim tape failed? Looks like the punctures are from side/underside of tube…..what would cause rim tape to fail after all this time ? (Bike is around 15 years old)

 

[HarryTheDog]

If the wheels are 15 yrs old as well could be a spoke moving, ie a spoke nipple has failed and when the wheel flexes the spoke just pokes your inner tube. but I would have thought that would make the damage to the rim tape fairly obvious. Just flex your spokes to see if any are loose.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Sometimes the rim tape is pushed far enough sideways in one place to expose the sharp/rough edge of a spoke hole and it's often nugatory to try to push it to where the tape should sit.
Your LBS will wrap replacement rim tape (from their huge roll) round (probably) while you wait, if you just take down the bare wheel. Worth doing both (after 15 years).

 

[fraz101]

Can anyone recommend an effective rim tape to use?

26” wheel.

 

[slowmotion]

Can anyone recommend an effective rim tape to use?

26” wheel.

Personally. I don't use the thicker fabric ones. They make it harder to shuffle the bead of the tyre round the well of the rim when you are fitting a stiff tyre after a puncture.

 

[vickster]

Can anyone recommend an effective rim tape to use?

26” wheel.

Doesn’t matter how big the wheel is round, the inner width of the rim is the measurement of note, how wide the tape should be.
Velox tape popular.
Or as above just get your LBS to sort

 

[fraz101]

The rim tape I remove is 15mm in width.

 

[T4tomo]

literally any rim tape will do. its just a layer to stop the tube making direct contact with the back end of the spokes

 

[vickster]

The rim tape I remove is 15mm in width.

That’s the one to buy then

 

[si_c]

I like Velox tape, it works really well and doesn't shift in the bead like rim strips as @Ajax Bay correctly notes they have a habit of doing. The downside as @slowmotion says however it is a bit thicker than plastic based tapes so if you already have a tight fit between tyre and rim it might make getting the tyre off a little harder.

Generally anything in the right width should work perfectly well, but I personally avoid rim strips for the reason mentioned above.

 

[fossyant]

How old or worn are the tyres ? You usually get flats due to worn tyres, badly fitted (or moved) rim tape or someone cutting hawthorn on your commute route (me last October - flat virtually every ride - so heavier duty tyres went on).

Also check for any bits of wire sticking out of the tyre - possibly damaged beading ?

Had my first flat in 4 months last week, big piece of metal stuck out of the tyre. Ah well.

 

[Ajax Bay]

15mm tape width sounds narrow for 26" wheeled commuter bike (and a slight nudge over the years can easily result in the sideways aberration I described).
OP can measure the inner rim width (?19mm) and use that width. And for years I've gone for (sticky) tape every time I've replaced (see @si_c 's comment).

 

[gbb]

Not had a puncture on my commute bike for around 2 years.

When I do get one it is usually the rear….however, about a month ago I came out one morning to a flat front tyre. Repaired puncture,couldnt see a culprit,turned tyre inside out to check etc, refitted tube,and away I went, few days later, another puncture in close vicinity of first,swapped tube for a spare I had and was fine for a few weeks, came out of work tonight to yet another flat, not in same position as last 2.

Wondering what’s going on, has my rim tape failed? Looks like the punctures are from side/underside of tube…..what would cause rim tape to fail after all this time ? (Bike is around 15 years old)

The list is (pretty) endless.
Bad luck ? We've all been there, nothing for months / years then all of a sudden, consecutive punctures.
Rim tape ? (as suggested above) First thing i look for is were the punctures on the inner circumference of the tube. That might prove / disprove the rim tape. Yours sound so, spokes tight ? Rim tape off, check for any sharp or protruding edges (as suggested above)
Embedded debris? Despite having looked, there could be something in there.
Weather conditions ? Rain can often move grit and flint around, after wet weather, punctures can be more frequent.
Riding position ? Not too close to the gutters ?
Tyre getting worn ? (as suggested above)


Its easy to do a quick inspection when things go wrong, you can miss stuff. A real close, detailed examination can sometimes find something missed earlier.

 

[fraz101]

So I re inspected old tubes and it’s definitely from underside of tube.

I can see where the rim tape has failed.
I’ve wrapped it in pvc tape and a spare rim tape I had for the time being and ordered this.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VELOX-BI...2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

Thanks for all replies.

 

[si_c]

So I re inspected old tubes and it’s definitely from underside of tube.

I can see where the rim tape has failed.
I’ve wrapped it in pvc tape and a spare rim tape I had for the time being and ordered this.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VELOX-BI...2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

Thanks for all replies.

Velox is great stuff. I used it once and then never wanted to use anything else again.

I've even taken it off a wheel, rolled it up, and then used it again a year or so later with great results.