Why am i getting punctures

gibbers82
gibbers82 Posts: 15
edited August 2014 in Road beginners
Hi Everyone,

I have had my bike coming up to 2 weeks now (Cannondale CAAD8 105) and i am loving it so far :D

In this time i have had 3 punctures, the first was on my first "long ride" of 25 miles. It didn't happen during the ride but when i got home i noticed the rear tire slowly deflating over a period of about 3/4 hours.

I was told by a friend that this was prob a pinch flat so i went out and bought a Track pump to make sure the tires were up to the correct PSI.

On my second long ride of 25 miles both tires were fine.

My third ride i was about 15 miles from home along a busy road (the only road like this in the whole ride) and i suddenly heard a noise like bus doors opening, my front tyre then rapidly deflated in the space of about 3 seconds leaving me going very fast while trying to brake on my rim.

I changed the front tube for a continental one at the side of the road and pumped it up with my mini pump to get home, once home i pumped it up to 110psi and left it in my front room as i live in a flat.

A day past and i heard a large bang in the morning, i went back to sleep but when i woke up i noticed the front tire completely flat. When i took it off to investigate there was a big hole in the side of the tire.

My question is have i just been unlucky or am i doing something wrong ?, when putting in the new tubes i pump it up a bit while getting the tire on then once on i will pump it up to around 110psi, im 5ft 8 and 12 stone i assume this pressure should be ok?

The blowout has especially worried me as if this was to happen on a fast descent i would have been in big trouble and probably come off the bike.

My tires are schwalbe Lugano 700 x 23c and the original inner tubes were Kenda

Comments

  • holiver
    holiver Posts: 729
    I'd check to see whether there is anything stuck in the tyre first. Then check the rim itself for any sharp bits. Also make sure the rim tape is secure.
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    The second puncture was probably caused by a sharp object penetrating the sidewall of the tyre - a slash usually - a bit of metal, glass or around where I am - flint ... thorns are usually a slower hiss and you should notice it's spongy a bit before you have to stop. Pinchflats are like sidewall slashes except you get the jolt of the pothole ...

    With your tyre up at 110psi (that's hard ... ) the repaired/new innertube will poke out of the sidewall - at some point that hernia ruptured and caused the bang.

    Sidewall splits are a pita because you should bin the tyre - me being a skinflint won't always bin it - but I do ensure I have a good tyre on the front and any repairs will be on the back only.

    Anyway - you should carefully inspect your tyres after a puncture to see how it occurred - you can then remove the foreign object or swap/repair/replace your tyre as needed.
  • Thanks for the advice guys, i will have a look at the front tire today when i get in for any holes.

    I didn't get a chance to properly look when it first happened as i was by the side of a busy road and was getting dark
  • Bobbinogs
    Bobbinogs Posts: 4,841
    A good tip is to take a little time when fitting a tyre at home so that the brand lines up with the valve. Then, when you get a puncture...take your time and do the job properly! It is better to trace the root cause than just quickly swap a tube and plough on hoping for the best as that will often result in a second or third puncture in very quick succession.

    So, when you puncture, remove the tube and check the tyre for anything obvious like a thorn. If you cannot find anything then check the tube to see what the cause was. A snakebit will indicate a pinchflat so I will often just swap the tube and get on with it. However, a single hole probably means something stuck in the tyre that I haven't found yet. Lining the tube up against the tyre (valve against the brand locates the place of puncture) means you can then check more carefully in the right area.

    I always refit a tyre/tube when I get home in order to do the job properly and ensure no pinches, etc.
  • Well I found the problem, my front tyre has a gash on the sidewall...

    Lesson learned, as a few people have said check the tyre out when you get home!

    Thanks for the advice guys
  • Philby
    Philby Posts: 328
    The front tyre may have a structural fault which caused the split. I had a similar experience on a brand new Continental GP4000S tyre which exploded at 40mph going down a hill. Looking at the tyre it was obviously a structural fault rather than some object penetrating the sidewall. I returned the tyre to the retailer and got a refund, so maybe you should consider doing that as well.
  • Also worth checking that your breaks aren't rubbing on the tyre (not that it sounds like this happened in your scenario) but has the same end result.
  • Initialised
    Initialised Posts: 3,047
    A hole in the tyre can be patched with pre-glued patches or a tyre boot. I had to do this with a gel wrapper once, it got me almost all the way home ~30 miles including a stop at a bike shop for a tyre just in case.

    One good way of reducing punctures is to ride in the leftmost tyre line on the road as it is continually swept free of puncture fairy teeth unlike the gutter which is where they all end up.
    I used to just ride my bike to work but now I find myself going out looking for bigger and bigger hills.