Tyre Pressure / Inner tube quality ‘questions’…..

[sevenfourate]

I’m running a Hybrid with 27.5 x 1.95” tyres. Used 95% on road. And have suffered a few punctures recently.

I now have Schwalbe tyres on - with puncture protection built in…….AND a 1mm Kevlar type tyre liner too.

This morning i adjusted rear tyre pressure (Upwardly) after not riding for a week. Went to go for a ride a few hours later and it’s completely flat. WFT ?? 😳

I don’t fix flats currently. I just change tubes. Possibly because of that I’ve been buying cheap. I looked at this last (Nearly new !) tube and it had blown at the seam. I dug the last one before that out…..knowing that deflated quickly too……and again; turns out it was a seam failure.

So:

1/. It appears cheap tubes are most definitely not a ‘thing’ that’s needed or indeed help in any way 🤦‍♂️
I will be doing research. Making sure I’m buying better quality and seeing if any of the MTB tubes are rated for higher (Road type) pressures.

2/. I’m 15 stone, bike must be 13-14kg, 1.95” road tyres being used, it’s use is on tarmac: What pressures should I be running ? [.**I think I may have been excessively high]. Which my low quality tubes definitely haven’t enjoyed either…..🙄

Cheers 🙏

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I have had a few problem with punctures in seams
and, of course, they are nearly impossible to fix properly as the tube is not flat at that point - I have managed to fix one enough to get me home with a stop to pump it up once more

AT the moment I use tubes from the LBS which seem to work OK - previously got them from Halfords and they lasted only a short time

as far as pressure goes - my tyre says 60-80 psi so I put 75-80 in it and that works fine. I think the pressure is taken by the tyre and not the tube (unless there is a BIG problem!!) so the tube isn;t really bothered

but others might know better???

Oh - and I did have a tyre that punctured a lot - it was on the back and the tread was quite low - I switched it with the Marathon on the front and it was fine after that
but you do need to ensure that there are no spikey bits in the tyre to cause problems - I has one once that was a teeny tiny bit og green glass and was totally inside the tread - invisible
got several punctures but couldn;t fine a problem - eventually I went over the whole tyre bending it back over every inch and eventually found it. It must have been fine until that exact spot went over a stone and pushed it out and into the tube for a fraction of a second - then went back into the thread
That was when I started doing it properly and aligning the valve with a specific mark on the tyre!

 

[Cycleops]

Never had tubes going at the seams, even with the cheap Chinese ones I get here.
Never had any problems with Decathlon own brand tubes and if they did go I'm sure they'd entertain any quality issues with them.

 

[sevenfourate]

Interesting thoughts guys. Thanks.

Well; I say I’ve been using cheap tubes. Maybe I meant ‘non branded’ 🤷‍♂️

These are the ones Ive previously bought in ‘bulk’. And suffered what looks like quality issues with.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/23270445...C0nOHPhReS&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

***I’ve been running 80psi with them…. Tyre data below:

 

[Dogtrousers]

Regarding tyre pressures, check the writing on your tyre wall. 1.95 inches is over 40mm isn't it? It 48mm? (I didn't know they still sold tyres in inches). It's certainly fatter than any tyre I have experience of so I have no advice there I'm afraid other than to be guided by the manufacturer.

Re tubes, I've never had one split at the seam in the way you describe. I just buy from retailers like Halfords or Decathlon or on line from Wiggle when they existed. Sounds like you just got a bad batch. I'd chuck 'em all out. Buy some from a known brand.

I always patch tubes. I don't want to start another "to patch or to patch" argument but if you had been a "patcher" maybe you'd have picked this up sooner.

 

[sevenfourate]

Regarding tyre pressures, check the writing on your tyre wall. 1.95 inches is over 40mm isn't it? It 48mm? (I didn't know they still sold tyres in inches). It's certainly fatter than any tyre I have experience of so I have no advice there I'm afraid other than to be guided by the manufacturer.

Re tubes, I've never had one split at the seam in the way you describe. I just buy from retailers like Halfords or Decathlon or on line from Wiggle when they existed. Sounds like you just got a bad batch. I'd chuck 'em all out. Buy some from a known brand.

I always patch tubes. I don't want to start another "to patch or to patch" argument but if you had been a "patcher" maybe you'd have picked this up sooner.

Maybe my terminology wasn’t the greatest. But tube has certainly failed at the seam. Maybe not split as such (Depending on how long it has to be to be deemed a ‘split’). There was a hole 3mm (?) long on the seam line. And tyre would have deflated fast. This of course releases pressure - so wasn’t tube was never allowed to form a ‘split’ per-se….

I’ve just been out to look. As I Googled above: tyre says 35-70 psi *Btw: many MTB tyres are in inches. Guessing you’re a roadie / 700c guy ?

I’ve also purchased a new ride today on 700c wheels. So the 27.5” hybrid can go back to my son. But that doesn’t stop my experience / understanding / need to buy better quality tubes !

 

[Dogtrousers]

Maybe my terminology wasn’t the greatest. But tube has certainly failed at the seam. Maybe not split as such (Depending on how long it has to be to be deemed a ‘split’). There was a hole 3mm (?) long on the seam line. And tyre would have deflated fast. This of course releases pressure - so wasn’t tube was never allowed to form a ‘split’ per-se….

I’ve just been out to look. As I Googled above: tyre says 35-70 psi *Btw: many MTB tyres are in inches. Guessing you’re a roadie / 700c guy ?

I’ve also purchased a new ride today on 700c wheels. So the 27.5” hybrid can go back to my son. But that doesn’t stop my experience / understanding / need to buy better quality tubes !

Yes I'm more into road bikes, but have dabbled in hybrids. I didn't realise MTBs were denominated in inches. Makes sense as MTBs originated in the US.

Maybe it was a regular puncture that just happened to be in the seam? Perhaps a sneaky bit of flint or glass managed to hide inside the body of the tyre where you couldn't find it and managed to peek out enough to cause two punctures in the same place? Or maybe you just got bad luck and picked up two punctures in similar locations.

Either way I hope you sort things out and the evil fairy leaves you alone in future

 

[Big John]

I've had a few that have punctured along the seam in recent weeks. After wondering 'why?' I came up with my own theory. It was probably my fault....here's what I came up with.

After years of riding on 23mm tyres I've moved to wider tyres for a bit of comfort. I changed to 28s. Always believing you can go above the recommended tyre widths with an inner tube I just put the old tubes in with the new fatter tyres. Two punctures in as many days, with splits along the seam, swiftly followed. The tubes I think had 18-25 printed on them but I can't swear to that....they might have been 18-23s. Since I've switched to the correct inner tube width I've been fine, no more punctures as yet. I thought a few mm's wouldn't make a difference but I reckon it did.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Interesting thoughts guys. Thanks.

Well; I say I’ve been using cheap tubes. Maybe I meant ‘non branded’ 🤷‍♂️

These are the ones Ive previously bought in ‘bulk’. And suffered what looks like quality issues with.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/23270445...C0nOHPhReS&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

***I’ve been running 80psi with them…. Tyre data below:

I use Halfords own brand tubes and have never had a problem with them, they are also cheaper than your cheap ones.

£4 a tube at the minute: https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bi...inner-tube-27.5in-x-1.9in---2.5in-478198.html

 

[Ming the Merciless]

dn't realise MTBs were denominated in inches. Makes sense as MTBs originated in the US.

Yehbut you don’t need to go that far back and UK wheel and tube sizes were in inches.

 

[sevenfourate]

UPDATE: I did 30 miles last Sunday with no issue. After putting in a new tube; and religiously checking rim, tyre, rim tape (Band) etc for sharpies.

On inspection of the tube - It looked as if it had 'failed / split' at a joint / seam. And on inspection of the previous tube - that appeared the same. The air was leaking from the inside (Wheelrim) side of the tube. So this didn't appear to be anything anything coming from outside in (ie: A Thorn / nail etc that i'd run over).

Yesterday i had to move stuff in the shed. Inc 2 bikes. And at that point the now infamous rear tyre on this bike was definitely inflated. **80psi is what i inflate to if that info makes any difference.

I'm due for a ride-out early Saturday and / or Sunday. So coming in from dog-walk early this am i thought i'd just check

Low and behold its dead flat again. After not being ridden since last Sunday Morning. So again - after 5-odd days of being absolutely static......the puncture fairies have paid a visit.

I'm thinking now perhaps these have all been at the same spot on the wheel / tyre. And perhaps even the fact that it looks like its a tube seam failing - the fact the tubes are all the same Brand / make etc - might mean a sharp object in / on a tyre (I do line up the tyre logo with the valve - so the tyre is always orientated the exact same way) has made contact / penetrated in the very same place on the tube. Which might just happen to be on a seam........

At this point its getting f*%"cking monotonous. And the fact i swear very rarely tells you how much its jarring me.
**Also not helped by the fact the rear Schwalbe tyre i have to keep removing doesn't seat on the rim very well. And loves going on egg-shaped. The only way i can get it to sit properly / evenly is to smother both sidewalls in fairly liquid; and even then it usually takes a couple of high pressure inflations and deflations to end up 'round'. So a messy, dirty, elongated, sweaty affair.

Oh for the joy of 2 wheels and some fresh air

 

[avsd]

Hi - your tyre data states a PSI max of 70 yet your are putting 80psi on them. Have you tried reducing pressure to 70PSI?

 

[sevenfourate]

Hi - your tyre data states a PSI max of 70 yet your are putting 80psi on them. Have you tried reducing pressure to 70PSI?

View attachment 739561

Morning back at you.

No i've not if i'm honest. I think the PSI they state on the tyre will have some built in safety margin. And many people run road bike tubes at way higher than either of those pressures. I can see or anticpate no abnormal mis-shaping of the tyre due to running 10psi higher. And the issue's i'm having now all appearto show a pattern of occuring on the non-tyre side.

Do you have any other thoughts; on something that may be occuring due to the pressure im running ?

 

[Alex321]

Morning back at you.

No i've not if i'm honest. I think the PSI they state on the tyre will have some built in safety margin. And many people run road bike tubes at way higher than either of those pressures. I can see or anticpate no abnormal mis-shaping of the tyre due to running 10psi higher. And the issue's i'm having now all appearto show a pattern of occuring on the non-tyre side.

Do you have any other thoughts; on something that may be occuring due to the pressure im running ?

Are the tubes definitely designed for that size of tyre? If they are something like 28-35mm, then they will be stretched a little more than they are designed for in a 1.95" tyre.

And have you checked the rim while the tube is out, to make sure there is no sharp object?

People generally nowadays tend to ride at rather lower pressures than they used to, and though 80 isn't likely to be an issue, it would be unusually high for that wide a tyre. Even my 28mm tyres I only run at 80psi (Tubeless would be lower again). There was a time when the professionals would all be running at 110-115psi, they will all now be in the 80-90 range, and that will be on much narrower tyres than yours.

 

[fossyant]

Check the rim, check the tyre for anything sharp. Most people aren't running tyres at above maximum these days. I've some 38c gravel tyres on my CX bike - I run them at 40 PSI - way below maximim, but they roll well on tarmac and grip off road - much higher pressure and it's very uncomfortable. I run my 25C road tyres at about 90.

Also, tyre liners can cause issues after some while. I've tried a couple in the past, and more recently some from Decathlon. They worked a treat at stopping thorns, but over time, the edges of the strip wore tiny holes in the tubes through friction. The holes were difficult to detect, but each time they were discovered right on the edge of where the liner was. You'll get tiny movements of tube, and over many miles this will wear the tube.

TBH, you've probably got a sharp edge or something stuck in the tyre.

Never had an issue with cheap or expensive tubes. Generally buy Decathlon's own as they are local and cheap.