Spontaneously exploding tyre

[Twanger]

Last night my rear inner tube exploded. I have a three year old brompton, which does about 60 miles a week. I cycled home last night, folded the bike and left it, as always, in the hall. Three hours later there was a loud bang followed by a hiss and the tyre was flat.

I took the wheel off and had a shufti. The tube had an enormous rent by the base of the valve.

My question is this: why?

I keep the tyres pumped up hard, but never exceed the stated maximum. The tube was about a year old, which was the last time the p*nct*re fairy visited. I have been cycling for about twenty five years, and this has never happened before. Is it just rubber fatigue?

 

[Arjimlad]

Have a look at the hole in the wheel rim where the valve comes through - on the tyre side of the rim if you know what I mean, where the lining tape goes.

I had a wheel once where the hole was not as well finished as it might have been, and after a while, the rubber around the valve could get worn. I sanded it smooth with wet & dry and put insulation tape over the hole before cutting it to let the valve through.

 

[PK99]

Last night my rear inner tube exploded. I have a three year old brompton, which does about 60 miles a week. I cycled home last night, folded the bike and left it, as always, in the hall. Three hours later there was a loud bang followed by a hiss and the tyre was flat.

I took the wheel off and had a shufti. The tube had an enormous rent by the base of the valve.

My question is this: why?

?

was the valve straight in the rim hole or angled? If the latter the base is stressed against and edge and liable to fail

 

[Twanger]

Have a look at the hole in the wheel rim where the valve comes through - on the tyre side of the rim if you know what I mean, where the lining tape goes.

I had a wheel once where the hole was not as well finished as it might have been, and after a while, the rubber around the valve could get worn. I sanded it smooth with wet & dry and put insulation tape over the hole before cutting it to let the valve through.

I thought of that - the hole was smooth. But thanks.

 

[Twanger]

was the valve straight in the rim hole or angled? If the latter the base is stressed against and edge and liable to fail

I think you may have nailed it! Thanks. I'll be more careful in future.

 

[byegad]

It's caused by the valve not being far enough into the hole. The solution is more difficult if the rimis aero profile. I had that on a 26" wheel bike and the solution eventually was to buy new wheels.

 

[RHD]

It's caused by the valve not being far enough into the hole. The solution is more difficult if the rimis aero profile. I had that on a 26" wheel bike and the solution eventually was to buy new wheels.

Boy it was a job of work signing up here.

Yes this totally happened to me!

In my case a recently replaced tyre on a Brompton with a Marathon plus and tube but the valve was at an unhappy angle which I commented on at the time but was dismissed.

A few weeks later: BIG bang and hissing of deflating tyre. Quite scary and I hadn't even ridden the bike for several days.

The tyre replacer admitted nothing but kindly spent the time to change out the tube for free, which with the work involved on an old style Brompton rim and a Marathon Plus is not to be sniffed at.

 

[Tin Pot]

I suspect terrorism.

 

[Globalti]

My cat took a swing at a latex inner tube and her claw punctured it. Was that terrorism?

 

[byegad]

My cat took a swing at a latex inner tube and her claw punctured it. Was that terrorism?

No, merely catastrophic!

 

[Tin Pot]

Cats are natural sleeper cells with a single member.