P*uncture problems

il_principe

My last 2 Sunday rides have seen 3 p*nctures, more than I've had for a long long time. I'm using the new Conti GP4000 S (Black Chili) tyres and Vittoria lightweight tubes from a batch I picked up on the cheap. Here's the problem though. 1st puncture happened on the way to my friend's house prior to setting off for the L2B. I had plenty of time so spent a while inspecting the tyre at his place. Nothing had penetrated the inside of the tyre although there were some nicks in it (never a prob on my old Conti GP4000's). Then checked the tube and could find no apparent leak. Changed the tube and set off. P*nctured again en route to Brighton. Quick change and new tube, again nothing had penetrated the inner tyre wall and to cap my frustration, the new tube appeared to develop a slow puncture and kept needing to be topped up all the way to Brighton. Changed tubes and inspected the old tube at home that evening and again could find no cuts in it or hear any air escaping.

Yesterday I punctured on my way to box hill, changed tubes by the roadside in the rain, again nothing had penetrated the inner wall of the tyre. Stuck in a Specialized tube this time, reinflated and despite several encounters with gritty pot-holed lanes the tyre has remained fully inflated. So my question is: What the hell is going on? Are my Vittoria tubes all faulty, is my C02 inflator damaging the valves or am I just very very unlucky? I've never experienced this before and it's typical that it happens when I'm out on longish rides. One things for sure, I'm never using Vittoria tubes again. [:(!] I now feel the need to carry at least 2 tubes and 3 co2 cartridges with me on rides, which is annoying and should be unnecessary. I would just patch the tubes to get me home, but this is impossible if I cannot find any cuts!

Apologies for the essay, but I'm really confused and very pi**ed off!


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rjl6789

Sorry to hear about your puncture problem. Am afraid that I'm not going to be very helpfull - it just sounds like you've had a batch of bad luck and bad tubes. Mainly just wanted to comment on what looks like a great bike from your pics. Pure, utter, bike porn.

Axel_Knutt

They must be going down for a reason, but you don't mention whether you put the tubes in a bowl of water when you got home. I've had punctures from peices of grit that are too small to see or feel from either inside or outside the tyre. The only way they turn up is by poking a screwdriver or something into the hole. I prefer tyres with a pale inner, it makes it easier to find holes by the tell tale patch of dirt inside around the hole. It can take as much as a day for an undiscovered fragment of grit to put another hole through a patch or a new tube.

overthehill

Out of interest, how many miles have you covered with the tyre?

The reason I ask, I had a similar run of bad luck with the rear tyre on one of my bikes (Conti Force). About 4 punctures in 2 weeks, that having had none in the previous year. Like yours, the tyre had the odd minor gash but nothing really to write home about. Apart from that it looked sound. I couldn't find any obvious reason so I decided to fit a new tyre (and new rim tape while I was at it). All appears well now (as much as you can ever say that!), and I have since read someone else's post somewhere who suggested excessive puncturing when a tyre is on the way out.

il_principe

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by overthehill</i>

Out of interest, how many miles have you covered with the tyre?

The reason I ask, I had a similar run of bad luck with the rear tyre on one of my bikes (Conti Force). About 4 punctures in 2 weeks, that having had none in the previous year. Like yours, the tyre had the odd minor gash but nothing really to write home about. Apart from that it looked sound. I couldn't find any obvious reason so I decided to fit a new tyre (and new rim tape while I was at it). All appears well now (as much as you can ever say that!), and I have since read someone else's post somewhere who suggested excessive puncturing when a tyre is on the way out.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

The tyres are only 3 weeks old...

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Unknown

what state is the rim tape in? Might be worth changing it..

il_principe

Nah the wheels are Fulcrum Zero's so don't need rim tape at all.

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overthehill

3 weeks old. Well it won't be that then!

Personally I would go for a different inner tube (as you have already). I don't know though. Maybe it's just the awful weather we are having. The last two Sunday's I've been on my winter bike with Conti 4-Seasons on...though last Sunday I hobbled home with a soft rear. Ho hum.

hazeii

Following an experts advice, I always fit tyres/inner tubes with the same orientation (valve next to tyre label read from the right side of the bike). That way if I get a puncture, when you find the hole in the inner tube it's easy to find the corresponding spot on the tyre/wheel and inspect it closely.

jpembrokecp

I once used those Vittoria lightweight tubes. 2 of them punctured alarmingly quickly and 2 actually exploded whilst inflating the tyres. Never touched them again and never had the same problems since. Stick to Specialized or Vredestein tubes and IMO avoid the lightweight ones. Just not worth it.

---

well, yes <i>and</i> no......but mainly no.

il_principe

I'm binning the rest of those tubes when I get home. Total waste of money.

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on the road

I've never liked Vittoria, they are prone to punctures. I had some years ago and kept on getting punctres on a ride, I eventually put the old tubes back in and never got another puncture for a couple of months.