Puntures and Flats

edlovatt

I am on my 8th inner tube this year and that seems to be funny for the chap in the bike shop!
Admittedly i could fix the punctures rather than buying new tubes, but it has been far easier to buy new tubes and fit them.
I don't think 8 punctures is normal. I am only riding on roads and am fairly cautious about broken glass etc.
Does anybody have any thoughts as to why?

cougie

You need to investigate the cause.

When you find the puncture in the inner tube - match it up to where it was on the tyre. Theres always a reason for a flat.

You may have glass or a thorn embedded in the tyre, or possibly a rough bit on your rim ?

Or maybe your tyres are either rubbish or worn ?

ollyridesfirst

when you take the tyre off, i presume you run your fingers around the inside of the tyre to check if there's any sharps in there?

danowat

What is the cause of the punctures?, ascertain that, and that will give you a clue of what to avoid in the future.

It could be pressure related, rim tape slippage meaning the spoke hole burrs puncture the tube, crap tyres, there is a big list.

8 punctures a year?, could be excessive, or not, depending on how much riding, I've had 3 this year in around 6000 miles.

edlovatt

Thanks for the quick responses. I have down both, I always run my fingers around the inside of the rim and then wipe with tissue just incase I missed anything!
I also double check when fitting the new tube incase it is pinching between the tyre and the rim.
I have just bought brand new tyres and it has still happend twice since August!
Maybe the tubes are crap!

cyberknight

What tyres do you use?

I used to have the factory fitted tyres and they were not very good, plenty of good tyres about depending on how reistant you want to be.
The best are marathon plus , this are very good but a little bit harder to pedal.

I use continental gator skins which offer a balance between speed and resistance.

outcastjack

It might be worth investing in some new tyres.

I very rearly get punctures but on a 50miler on my MTB on canal tow paths I got a scarcely believable 17! The cause in my case was very worn cheap tyres.
and liberally scattered hawthorn

I since changing tyres (to a substantially lighter set) i havn't had a single punture on that route

I have Michelin Spediums on my road bike and have had no punctures (excepting a pinch flat) in around 1000 miles around Northamptonshire/Warwickshire and Central London.
they do seem to roll ok, give decent grip, are comfy and best of all they cost £5 a piece on the CRC website at the moment.

smurfylicious

edlovatt wrote:

I am on my 8th inner tube this year and that seems to be funny for the chap in the bike shop!
Admittedly i could fix the punctures rather than buying new tubes, but it has been far easier to buy new tubes and fit them.
I don't think 8 punctures is normal. I am only riding on roads and am fairly cautious about broken glass etc.
Does anybody have any thoughts as to why?

As others have said
1. The tyres may not be up to the job or maybe too worn
2. Need to make sure you remove the source of the puncture before refitting the tyre

Also, as this is in the beginner section I'll add, never refit the tyre with tyre levers as you stand a good chance of damaging the tube.

PS. I find repairing punctures quite therapeutic and satisfying, I fit a spare tube on the roadside, then take the punctured one home to repair. If you don't like the smell of rubber cement there's something wrong!

desweller

Inner tubes are exceptionally basic devices, so it's unlikely that they're at fault.

Running your finger round the inside of the tyre may not be enough. Often small pieces of glass or swarf can become embedded in such a way that they only protrude under pressure. You have to be able to match the location of the puncture up to the right spot on the tyre and then check it carefully for embedded foreign objects.

Also, patching a tube takes less than 10 minutes. I'm not sure how that's easier than going to a bike shop and shelling out a fiver for a new tube! Especially now you're ~£40 down...

smurfylicious

DesWeller wrote:

Also, patching a tube takes less than 10 minutes. I'm not sure how that's easier than going to a bike shop and shelling out a fiver for a new tube! Especially now you're ~£40 down...

+1

I reckon 8 new tubes must be about 4 years worth at my rate of usage (and yes, I am riding regularly).

Silly Car

Have you checked the condition of your rim tape?

I have read that if the rim tape is of poor quality or damaged, the spoke ends can damage the tubes.

desweller

Silly Car wrote:

Have you checked the condition of your rim tape?

I have read that if the rim tape is of poor quality or damaged, the spoke ends can damage the tubes.

Not so much the spoke ends. Most modern rims are box-section; the rim tape is needed to support the tube against the access hole for the spoke nipple. I would have hoped that the LBS would have helped to identify this for the OP though.

ride_whenever

edlovatt wrote:

Thanks for the quick responses. I have down both, I always run my fingers around the inside of the rim and then wipe with tissue just incase I missed anything!
I also double check when fitting the new tube incase it is pinching between the tyre and the rim.
I have just bought brand new tyres and it has still happend twice since August!
Maybe the tubes are crap!

You've had two more punctures since fitting new tyres in august?

Replace your rim tape with a good quality fabric tape (velox or schwalbe) and check the valve hole is smooth and has no sharp edges.

What pressures are you running?

briantrumpet

DesWeller wrote:

Running your finger round the inside of the tyre may not be enough. Often small pieces of glass or swarf can become embedded in such a way that they only protrude under pressure.

This.

I've had a series of 3 punctures in short succession, having gone 1000's of miles without one on my Schwalbe ZX Ultremos. The first I put down to bad luck, the first spare inner went straight down, but it looked like it had got damaged in my saddle bag, the third stayed up .... for two days.

On checking the outer even more carefully (squeezing the sides in deflated state all the way round) I found a tiny flint that had gone into the rubber and wasn't visible when the tyre was inflated, and didn't protrude inside when I ran my finger round .... but was just enough to catch the inner tube when inflated fully.

Lesson learnt, I hope.

ride_whenever

I've seen little pieces of wire in the tyre, you can't feel them, and you can't see them from the inside or outside... I eventually found it by turning the tyre inside out!!!!

edlovatt

The tyres were brand new in August. I fitted them on about the 20th and have had 2 puncutres since then.
I suppose the reason for not repairing the punctures is laziness.
Why would you not refit the tyre with the tyre levers, how else would you get the tyre back on?

I am sending the tyre back as i would have expected it to last longer than 50 miles!

Does anyone know where to buy inner tubes in bulk?

edlovatt

ride_whenever wrote:

edlovatt wrote:

What pressures are you running?

I am running at about 6.5

cougie

But the tyres not failed ?

Have you found the REASON for the punctures. There's bugger all point in replacing the tube unless you've found what caused the flat.

Its not rocket science. Is the hole on the rim side ?

Is it on the tyre side ?

Locate the hole and then that helps narrow the search down on the tyre. It may be worth making a mark on the tyre at teh valve hole to help track it down.

desweller

It does seem as though you're just looking to replace parts until the problem goes away.

You'll have more success if you carefully check each part as posters above have suggested to trace the source of the problem.

To summarise:

a) Locate the position of the puncture.

b) If the puncture is on the inside of the inner tube, carefully check the condition and position of your rim tape. It's important that it covers up any spoke holes. If you are getting lots of punctures around the valve, check the valve hole for burrs and sharp edges. If you find any, file them off; it might also be worth putting some electrical insulation tape in the area to help protect the tube.

c) If the puncture is on the outside of the tube, identify the type of puncture. If it is characterised by two similar punctures close together, then you have a pinch flat (also known as a snake bite). This is usually caused by riding into an edge at speed or running low tyre pressures. You don't need to check the tyre for foreign objects in this case.

d) If it's just one hole, then it's been caused by a sharp foreign object. If you can, identify the approximate position in the tyre at which the puncture occurred and carefully check it on both sides of the tyre for any cuts or holes. If you find any, check inside them for any lodged glass or stone and remove. If you can't locate the approximate position of the puncture on the tyre, you'll have to check the whole thing.

At this point I would patch the old tube, but it's up to you if you want to replace instead. I get a lot of satisfaction out of making things last, but you may not be wired the same way...

To refit the tube:

1. Partially inflate the tube
2. Fit one side of the tyre to the wheel, ensuring that the manufacturer's logo is lined up with the valve hole. This makes it much easier (and therefore faster) to work out where any sharp objects might be in the tyre when you get your next puncture.
3. Push the valve into the valve hole, then work your way round the tube fitting it between the tyre and wheel
4. Starting opposite the valve, push the other tyre bead over the rim. As you get near the valve it will become more difficult; when it does, just push the bead that you've already fitted into the middle of the tyre, this will give you enough slack to push the remaining bead over the rim. You should not need to use levers.

Hope this helps.

DW

EDIT: Sorry if any of this is teaching grandmother to suck eggs, thought I'd better try to avoid missing any basics just in case.

edlovatt

DesWeller wrote:

a) Locate the position of the puncture.

d) If it's just one hole, then it's been caused by a sharp foreign object. If you can, identify the approximate position in the tyre at which the puncture occurred and carefully check it on both sides of the tyre for any cuts or holes. If you find any, check inside them for any lodged glass or stone and remove. If you can't locate the approximate position of the puncture on the tyre, you'll have to check the whole thing.

Thanks for this, it is quite obvious really and I have done it but being impatient i just checked quickly and the carried on fitting the next tube! I hvae just done a very thorough search on the new wheel and having found the location of the hole on the tube I found a piece of glass embedded in the tyre. It wasn't poking through but under pressure it may have just been enough to pierce the tube! The piece of Glass is only about 3mm long, i hope this solves the problem.

I would still be keen to know about buying inner tubes in bulk!

desweller

edlovatt wrote:

DesWeller wrote:

a) Locate the position of the puncture.

d) If it's just one hole, then it's been caused by a sharp foreign object. If you can, identify the approximate position in the tyre at which the puncture occurred and carefully check it on both sides of the tyre for any cuts or holes. If you find any, check inside them for any lodged glass or stone and remove. If you can't locate the approximate position of the puncture on the tyre, you'll have to check the whole thing.

Thanks for this, it is quite obvious really and I have done it but being impatient i just checked quickly and the carried on fitting the next tube! I hvae just done a very thorough search on the new wheel and having found the location of the hole on the tube I found a piece of glass embedded in the tyre. It wasn't poking through but under pressure it may have just been enough to pierce the tube! The piece of Glass is only about 3mm long, i hope this solves the problem.

I would still be keen to know about buying inner tubes in bulk!

Can't help you there, I buy them very infrequently indeed...

Simonhi

You can but them in boxes of 10 or 20 from Ribble, Chain Reaction Cycles, Wiggle et al.

Mr Will

Useful tip: Line the labels on your tyres up with the valve stem when you fit them. Then if you need to find the source of a puncture, it is much easier to figure out where to start looking.