Puncture Bullseye

tobydickenson

I have had three punctures on the rear wheel this year. The first two were in exactly the same place on the tube - within millimeters - and the third today was within 5mm of the same spot. This is beginning to feel like more than just bad luck.

There is nothing obvious wrong with the tyre, but could there be a thin or weak spot which is attracting thorns? (Conti Speed King - on stock 09 Fury - 50psi)

Could there be something wrong with the puncture repair patches which is causing them to perforate? (Halfords finest)

Or do I just have the thorn equivalent of the Bermuda triangle on my tyre?

nicklouse

is it also the same place on the tyre?

images of the tyre area? inside and out?

cooldad

Tyre or rim side of the tube?

tobydickenson

Tyre side of the tube - the first hole was a thorn.

I will post type pictures tomorrow.

chedabob

If it's in the same place, I'd assume you haven't removed all of the thorn.

Anonymous

tobydickenson wrote:

could there be a thin or weak spot which is attracting thorns?

No, there is no such thing as a thorn magnet. If there was, presumably it would also work on pine needles, and would make the clearing up of dead crimbo tree remnants much easier.

chedabob wrote:

If it's in the same place, I'd assume you haven't removed all of the thorn.

^^That sounds about right.

pugaltitude

I had the same problem when I 1st got my Fury.
I put slime in the tubes and ran pressures at 35-40psi front and 40-45psi rear and it made it better.
Speed kings are prone.
Once I had worn the speed kings down I changed to Maxxis advantage.

tobydickenson

chedabob wrote:

If it's in the same place, I'd assume you haven't removed all of the thorn.

photos from the outside and inside as requested. There are two puncture holes visible on the photo of the outside of the tyre - the larger hole is a slit approximately 2mm across made by the thorn. There is no debris stuck inside the hole, but I guess it must be large enough to regularly allow other material to penetrate the tyre and puncture the tube.

Time for a new tyre.

chedabob

Put some of the vulcanised rubber for tyre patches on both sides of it? Or even a full patch on the inside. Not the clear self-adhesive ones though, they're shit.

Anonymous

Ah, speed kings, right? Those things are fekkin useless.
And, you have three patches on top of each other on the tyre, by the looks of it. You realise they go on the tube, not the tyre, right?

andrewjoseph

Patches look to be on the tube.

andrewjoseph

Toby, if you run your fingers on the inside of the tyre, can you feel anything? I always, carefully, check the inside of the tyre a few times after a puncture, running my fingers over the whole inner surface of the tyre.

I'd also recommend changing the inner tube now, 3-4 patches on the same spot is too much in my opinion.

Anonymous

andrewjoseph wrote:

Patches look to be on the tube.

Er, is that not the tyre folded back on itself in the top of the picture then? Hmm.

Anyway, speed kings are crap. They are super-lightweight race tyres, not use all day every day reliable, tough-as-old-boots things.

andrewjoseph

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Er, is that not the tyre folded back on itself in the top of the picture then? Hmm.
.

No. you can see the bead of the tyre on the right.

Anonymous

Ok. Fine. Still... Crap tyres.
That still stands whether or not I misinterpreted it. One other tip would be to put some chalk on the tube, so that it can move at least partially independently of the tyre. That looks like the two had fused together and become one!