Comedy p*nct*res

Dudu

On the way home last night - gentle deflation at Amen Corner, S London.

The cause? A drawing pin.

I thought that only happened in cartoons.

Upside: It was easy to find the cause of the p•nct*re - no hunting around for tiny flints or glass shards with a penknife before putting in a fresh tube. Back on the road in less than 10 mins.

The downside: On the fresh tube, the little gizmo that holds the valve shut broke of when I tightened it. So yet another fresh tube when I got home.

flamite

on a similar note, i got a staple in my tyre last week

jedster

re the little thing that can break off presta valves, is it just me or are shraeder valves a fundamentally superior design to presta?

And is the fact that presta still dominates the roadie world evidence of people valuing form over function?

(disclosure: I use presta valves on all my bikes but I'm beginning to wonder...)

J

jonginge

jedster wrote:

re the little thing that can break off presta valves, is it just me or are shraeder valves a fundamentally superior design to presta?

And is the fact that presta still dominates the roadie world evidence of people valuing form over function?

(disclosure: I use presta valves on all my bikes but I'm beginning to wonder...)

J

Works for me. Only ever had one that was a bit dodgy.
May have to nip down to my local low-speed wind tunnel to check the impact changing to schraeder would have...

roger_merriman

jedster wrote:

re the little thing that can break off presta valves, is it just me or are shraeder valves a fundamentally superior design to presta?

And is the fact that presta still dominates the roadie world evidence of people valuing form over function?

(disclosure: I use presta valves on all my bikes but I'm beginning to wonder...)

J

never broken the valve on the tubes, i don't like schraeder, i find them a royal pain, which is why my fleet are all presta.

woodford2barbican

A wood screw. Easy to find - should be easy to fix.

I did fix the 'in hole' easily enough, did not consider there might be an 'out hole' as well.

I thought my pump was bust when the tyre would not inflate!

always_tyred

jedster wrote:

re the little thing that can break off presta valves, is it just me or are shraeder valves a fundamentally superior design to presta?

And is the fact that presta still dominates the roadie world evidence of people valuing form over function?

(disclosure: I use presta valves on all my bikes but I'm beginning to wonder...)

J

They need a bigger hole in the rim and I don't think they can hold as much pressure.

I know what you mean though - I'm often straightening the threaded bit after energetically inflating a tyre with a mini pump. Why don't they make pumps with a flwexible hose stored in the handle any more?

prawny

I ran over a rusty filling knife 8 miles from home a couple of weeks ago, hadn't been on the bike for a couple of weeks due to shifter breakage, went into the garage and noticed my bike was covered in green goo. turned out the knife had sliced through the tyre and tube and the anti puncture slime had kept the tyre up when it was spinning, cool! 8)

Flat now though and slime everywhere glad I had raceblades on would have made a reet mess.

So to report slime tubes work (a bit).

MrChuck

jedster wrote:

And is the fact that presta still dominates the roadie world evidence of people valuing form over function?[

If you used Schrader you'd need a bigger hole in a narrow rim, which is bad for strength. Also not sure they're as good for the higher pressure.

Can't say I've ever broken one either!

R25 Flyer

AT - Halfords do this thingy that clips to the frame

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165661

Not the sturdiest pump available but works none the less ...

jedster

and I don't think they can hold as much pressure

ah, guess that's the issue, I knew about the bigger hole but assumed if the rims could survive off-road...

whyamihere

Always Tyred wrote:

I know what you mean though - I'm often straightening the threaded bit after energetically inflating a tyre with a mini pump. Why don't they make pumps with a flwexible hose stored in the handle any more?

My Lezyne pump has one.

For Presta vs Schraeder, the hole size is the issue. It's not because of any lack of strength caused by a bigger hole, it's because of the width the rims need to be. Road rims are a lot narrower than MTB tyres, they have to be because of the narrower tyres. Schraeder valves just wouldn't fit.

Dudu

woodford2barbican wrote:

A wood screw. Easy to find - should be easy to fix.

I did fix the 'in hole' easily enough, did not consider there might be an 'out hole' as well.

I thought my pump was bust when the tyre would not inflate!

Oh, yes. There was the six-inch nail that went right the way through that I picked up on a farm track near Chepstow many years ago.

Jay dubbleU

Dug a half inch thorn out of Mrs JW's front tyre last week - didn't notice the damn thing was still in there until I felt around the inside of the tyre before putting the tube back in

iain_j

Had a 3-inch screw through my tyre years ago. In one side and out the other. Had to literally unscrew it out of the tyre. And I was on the way to a mate's house and duly arrived late with filthy hands.

Oh and a couple of years ago, on the lanes high up above Llangollen, below the limestone escarpments. There's roadsigns warning of rockfalls, but you see them everywhere - there's never any rock falls really. So, as I'm riding along, looking around enjoying the views on this sweltering hot summer's day, BAM - I hit a couple of small rocks which have fallen onto the road. Didn't fall off but got a flat front tyre. It was such an intensely hot day that I propped my bike at the side of the road, took the front wheel off, got my tools and walked a couple of hundred yards to the shade of some trees to fix it.

itboffin

iain_j wrote:

Had a 3-inch screw through my tyre years ago. In one side and out the other. Had to literally unscrew it out of the tyre. And I was on the way to a mate's house and duly arrived late with filthy hands.

Oh and a couple of years ago, on the lanes high up above Llangollen, below the limestone escarpments. There's roadsigns warning of rockfalls, but you see them everywhere - there's never any rock falls really. So, as I'm riding along, looking around enjoying the views on this sweltering hot summer's day, BAM - I hit a couple of small rocks which have fallen onto the road. Didn't fall off but got a flat front tyre. It was such an intensely hot day that I propped my bike at the side of the road, took the front wheel off, got my tools and walked a couple of hundred yards to the shade of some trees to fix it.

See now I would have believed that story had you not mentioned Wales, we all know it only rains in Wales :P

Busted

cougie

iain_j wrote:

Oh and a couple of years ago, on the lanes high up above Llangollen, below the limestone escarpments. There's roadsigns warning of rockfalls, but you see them everywhere - there's never any rock falls really. So, as I'm riding along, looking around enjoying the views on this sweltering hot summer's day, BAM - I hit a couple of small rocks which have fallen onto the road. Didn't fall off but got a flat front tyre. It was such an intensely hot day that I propped my bike at the side of the road, took the front wheel off, got my tools and walked a couple of hundred yards to the shade of some trees to fix it.

Panorama ? Truly beautiful up there - must get out that way soon.

iain_j

Yes, I was up there last Sunday as well. Along with World's End Valley round the corner it's an amazing place, I don't know anywhere else like it.

Gussio

I had the tiniest wire puncture through my Spesh Armadillos. The wire was too short to remove with finger nails so had to wait until I was home to utilise a pair of pliers. The hole in the inner tube was minute. Still had to reinflate the tire 3 times over 8 miles though :roll:

Feltup

Single track lanes in the Chilterns have lots of flints especially off the side. I found a particularly sharp one the other day as I was forced off the road by a pickup. PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH 100psi to 0psi in 2 seconds. Drat and double drat.

OK new inner tube in and lets try my gas cartridge for the first time. "Wow this works really well" thought I until I notice the tube has found a way through the tiny cut in the side wall and is forming a really nice bubble. Arrghhhh quick shut the air off! Too late, BANG! The spare tube blows and startles all wildlife in a 10 mile radius. Triple drat.

Luckily I had a second spare tube and a repair kit so I used the repair kit on the tyre and hand pumped the spare carefully before tiptoeing home whilst praying the sidewall wouldn't disintegrate.

Red_Nose

Had my first inner tube blowout today.........

Thing is the bike was just parked up in the corner of my bedroom, when at 6.30 ish this morning the front inner tube just gave up with a massive bang

Leapt from me bed to look out the window to see what was going on, only to hear the tyre making the noise it makes when releasing from the rim. Cause of the problem seemed to be the slime liners i had been using as the rupture was just on the edge of the area visibly covered by the liner..

Not the best way to start a Sunday morning

Two fresh tubes fitted and liners dumped

thistle_

Red_Nose wrote:

Thing is the bike was just parked up

Same thing happened to my bike while it was parked at work. We heard an explosion and thought the local kids were putting their school chemistry lessons to some use and thought nothing of it

desweller

Comedy puncture?

A few months ago some intellectually-challenged inebriate decided to knock the glass out of all the bus shelters along a three-mile stretch of the Bristol Road in Gloucester.

Riding into Glozzer the following day, I went through the first pile of glass before I knew it was there - psssssshhhht.

OK, no worries, 10 mins to change a tube, I can deal with that.

The little genius had also knocked out all the shelters on the other side of the road, so I got another one on the way back. Firkin great. Twenty extra minutes on top of an errand that should only have taken me 40 mins tops. Plus the fun and games of patching and testing the dead tubes afterwards.

Good thing I carry two tubes...

thistle_

jedster wrote:

I don't think they can hold as much pressure.

It's not a pressure thing - rear shocks on mountain bikes have schraeder valves and can hold 200+ psi.

bails87

1. Best pump ever is the Topeak Mountain Morph. Like a mini trackpump, I'm sure there's a road version too. Not sure what the difference is!

2. Comedy 'deflation': I was on (what I now know to be) a BSO years ago, dropped down the kerb off the pavement (I was only a kid) heard a BANG and the front tyre went very soft very quickly. Stopped and had a look. I'd dropped down onto a 3 or 4 inch nail that must have been on the edge of the road, pointy end up. It had gone through the tyre, through both sides of the tube and then punched a massive hole in the rim. Had to walk the bike home and hit it out with a hammer! :shock:

I'm just glad I rode over it rather than treading on it!