tyre punctures!!! f$&@!!

[Jazzle]

i had a puncture on thurs so replaced the tube that night with a no brand tube from peter bundy (literally no brand the tube came in a white plain box with no labels at all). didnt test ride it coz it was quite late and yesterday i woke up and walked downstair desperate to ride it, fuck the tyre was flat!???? so tonight i took the tube out and saw a puncture on the tube i was like fuck it, it must be just bad luck so i replace it with another tube (same one from the first), this time iwas being extremely careful, made sure theres no nails or watever that got stuck in the tyre and the new tube, put the tube in with excessive care and pump it like im mouth blowing it... everything looked good after so i went 2 check out the mtb as im using it 4 the gong tmr then suddenly heard a loud noise and the tube blew up again!!!

my question is, is it the tube?? or is it possible that the tyre could cause phantom puncture?? the tyre has done only around 800-1000 kms but it does go over potholes and kerbs often. vittoria zaffiro 700x23c

[evil]

sounds like there is something in the tyre OR (and this is happening more often) the spoke nipples are sticking out and piercing the tube.

Ensure the rim tape is installed and is covering all the nipples and no sharp edges are protruding!

[ukalipt]

yeah what evil said. or possibly the rim has a "bur" on it.

basically run your hand over every part of the rim.
tape area, rim walls
there is something sticking out.

also check the valve. could be there as well.
and the tube. triple/quadruple check.

i have only just caught a piece of wire from a truck tire that was seriously
5mm long sticking through my tyre.

[Jazzle]

Thanks guys for the quick replies,

the rim tape looks good and I did run my hand over every part of the rim on my 2nd go, the only thing that felt prickly was the part where the 'ends' of the rim join..(lol dont know what you call that, you know how the ends of the metal joins to form a wheel shape)..

looks like I will have to re-check everything tmr after the ride... ah feels like shit to see my baby being disable haha


rant: out of topic, to make my life worse, when i was checking up the mtb and pumping the tyre, i tore the valve of the tube when i was removing the pump head, used up my last mtb tube and got no spare tube for tmr.. =(... hope I be fine lol...

funny how before thurs, I only ever had 2 flats. /rant

[Tim]

Pump up the tubes that you've busted to see where the hole is in relation to the valve on the tube then there is only two possible spots the sharp spot could be (depending which way you put the tube in :p). If the holes are in completely different spots (ie one next to the valve and one opposite the valve) then I would say its just bad luck. I wouldn't think the weld would be sharp enough to bust a tube but then again anything is possible.
Are you sure it is a puncture and not a pinch flat?

[Tokyo Drifter]

Did you pinch the tube? with a bit of practice you should be able to get most tyres back on the rim without levers.

If it is a rubber rim strip (rather than cloth or plastic) replace it. They don't last long at all. Velox cloth or one of the plastic ones last forever and actually work.

[crank]

i have only just caught a piece of wire from a truck tire that was seriously 5mm long sticking through my tyre.

I'm finding this stuff much worse than glass. At least with glass if it doesn't puncture straight away the tyres are usually tough enough to hold it at bay until riding make the glass go round. Commuting along suburburn roadsmeans glass is the only real worry and i can deflate the tyres at the end of the week and pull the glass out with tweezers, but highway commuting means there's a lot more of the debris from truck tyres to watch out for. And how do you see a 5mm pice of wire when riding along the highway!

[crank]

with a bit of practice you should be able to get most tyres back on the rim without levers.

Lol. Who wants to have that much practice! ;)Good tyre levers make a difference though. I still have my Pedro's Milk Levers from about 10 years ago, but i also like the yellow Michelin levers.:)

[ukalipt]

doh.
what i meant is i only just caught it/found it when inspecting the tyre after it
was as flat as a tack.

the main thing is - IF YOU GET A FLAT, CHECK THE RIM, TYRE ETC.

and do what tim says. thats the best way to check for the position of a puncture point

another time i have had wire in the side all. may have been there for a while but as soon
as i left the M4 and went on the cycleway and around the bends at motorcycle learning centre
under the overpass at auburn/parra, i lent the bike over around the corner and almost instantly
i heard the air coming out. the cornering pushed the wire in further until it punctured.

there is nothing more frustrating than re-fitting tyre and tube only to get another flat about 1km
up the road.

[a.davis12]

and there is nothing more terrifying than getting to the bottom of olivers hill at ~75km/h and seeing that your front tyre is deflating.

[crank]

and there is nothing more terrifying than getting to the bottom of olivers hill at ~75km/h and seeing that your front tyre is deflating.

Is it a straight downhill?

[Jazzle]

thanks guy, it does sound like I'm not doing something right.. =) will check them again tmr when I get new tubes..

It's possible that I'm getting a pinch flat too.. will have to work on my tyre installing technique =(

[a.davis12]

nope.
http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=-38.154654,145.10763&z=17&t=h&hl=en

starts descending at whitecliff, your at speed hitting the bend. and the road is shit.

[Jazzle]

problem solved. theres a metal chip under the rim tape that was causing the flats and i learnt a better way to put on the tyres. :) ur advices were spot on.