Repeated punctures - advice sought.

bluelucius

I'm currently running Kenda Nevegal tyres on WTB Speed Disc rims, but on my last few rides have gotten rear-wheel punctures within about five minutes of leaving home, and before hitting any rocks to speak of. Now this could just be coincidence, or something nasty hidin 'neath the december mud, but are there any things I should be looking out for? I've checked the tyres for thorns, and there clear. Apart from the join, which is a little lumpy, the rims are clear too. CAn anyone recommend some more hardy tubes? Are there any sealants I could be looking at - I saw the 6 rated in this months MTBUK, but they all seem to be for tubeless systems. Will they work on inner tubes? Ich weis nicht!

prophet_1000

Have you tried using a piece of Toilet tissue paper and running that around the inside of the tyre, if there is a thorn etc in the tyre thats really small but enough to puncture the tube the paper will snag on the offending item and show you where it is!

There are more hardy tubes on the market which do cost more, they are self healing tubes I think? seen them in Halfords and would say defo in your LBS ( I run tubesless so dont know much about tubes, sorry )

Also try changing the tyre around, swop front for rear just to see if its the front that punctures this time, if so its the tyre, if still the rear puncturing its the rim!

If they both puncture, throw a fit

hope this helps?

clanton

It can be helpful to find the puncture on the tube and then compare the positioning to the wheel to narrow your search for thorns or tyre damage - bear in mind there will be two possible orientations. Also if the puncture is on the valve side of your tube check the rim tape and inside the rim.
If it goes down slowly it is usually a thorn, quickly then a pinch flat -in this case more tyre pressure is called for!

rob cole

if there is anything in the tire (thorn, broken glass, etc.) then you won't have much luck running a thicker tube or slime tube - I have tried this and found the tube still went flat due to a hidden piece of broken glass

you need to clean your tire properly to get any mud off, put it under a bright light and armed with a toothpick / kraft knife investigate any holes in the tires or cuts in the casing that could be hiding something...sometimes turning the tire inside out can really help as its easier to check the smooth inside casing than the outer knobbly surface

also check your rim tape, and inside of your rim to make sure there are no sharp edges

dav1

have you considered using slime tubes? they add weight but they do the job well when faced with small punctures.

dhxcme

maxxis tripple ply tyre with a dh grade tube.

dunker

do you always start your ride in one direction/route? if so try going a different way and see if you still get a puncture, if so then it's probably something inside the wheel/tyre causing it?

dhxcme

also what pressure you running. i max out my tyres and anything that trys to puncture them gets broken before it does harm

Foxx

Is your tyre pressure high enough?
Is your rim damaged?
Could it posibly be a faulty batch of tubes?

tmg

Rim tape and a Panaracer Flataway for the rear tyre help

Chaka Ping

I presume you're using standard tubes at the moment rather than thin ones?

I had those come with one of my bikes and got loads of punctures until I swapped.

Do you have a different tyre you could swap over for a bit to see if it still happens?

bluelucius

Ta for all the advice folks .

I think I've been getting pinch flats, so I've stuck a bit more air in the tyres, and that seems to have done the trick for now.

Thanks again.