Punctures, tubes to blame or tyres?

mattyfez

Hey all,

Did my longest ever ride yesterday, about 75k and made it back in one piece, partly Pennine bridal way partly some improvised bits -however I woke up this morning to a flat back tyre.

Now I run quite flimsy tyres, Rocket Rons, so I expect the odd puncture but I'm just wondering if I should be blaming the tubes, reason being the standard tubes that came on the bike are Kenda of some sort.
The front one failed within days of owning the bike, the valve came away from the tube ( was running OE Kenda tyres, no model number I can see on the tyre, that Halfords put on at the time).

So I replaced the front tube with a standard continental 26" tube and at the same time replaced the OE tyres with the rocket rons - (replaced the tyres as the stock ones were pretty awful, couldn't go around corners without the back wheel catching up with the front!). That front has been solid as a rock ever since, a good 800-1000km.

However I've had two punctures on the rear since, the first I patched (was right in the centre of the tube, on the outside) and now this one more on the shoulder area.

In all cases there was no visible damage to the tyre, and I washed out the carcasses just in case of any sharp grit etc.

Are OE tubes substandard? I know there's a lot of variables and it's very much chance sometimes but to have 3 issues with one brand of tube and none with another in the same period makes me wonder.

The puncture is tiny like a pin prick, it's the small whitish looking indent in the top half of the red circle in the pic below.

Nairnster

Not sure if you're serious. If something has penetrated the tyre and punctured the tube, i dont really see how that can be the fault of either of them.

Hundreds of people ,probably thousands, dont swap out the inner tubes instantly when buying a bike.

mattyfez

Nairnster wrote:

Not sure if you're serious. If something has penetrated the tyre and punctured the tube, i dont really see how that can be the fault of either of them.

Hundreds of people ,probably thousands, dont swap out the inner tubes instantly when buying a bike.

Urm.. The valve separated from the tube, it's not like I had much choice but to replace it?
The rear tube is still on the original and it's the rear that keeps getting punctures, hence my line of thought that the OE tubes might simply be naff, as the branded tube in the front seems fine.

Nairnster

I didmt refer to the front, but a rear getting punctured by a foreign object isnt necessarily the tubes fault. It could happen to any tube.

Chunkers1980

It's a puncture. Deal with it move on

Man Of Lard

mattyfez wrote:

Urm.. The valve separated from the tube, it's not like I had much choice but to replace it?
The rear tube is still on the original and it's the rear that keeps getting punctures, hence my line of thought that the OE tubes might simply be naff, as the branded tube in the front seems fine.

More likely to be a faulty install by a hamfisted assembler in the case of tearing around the valve stem.

rockmonkeysc

Punctures are just something that happen. Its not caused by the tubes, the lightweight tyres dont help but thats the price to pay for a light, fast tyre. Tubeless setup will prevent a lot of punctures.
The real problem is the wheel reflectors :-)

robertpb

I once had 6 punctures on one ride all fixed in a few minutes, nobodies or products fault just bad luck.

mattyfez

Yeh, I've patched it and will run it as I only have one spare

RockmonkeySC wrote:

The real problem is the wheel reflectors :-)

I've noticed a lot of wheel reflector dissing around and about, what's all that about then? :shock:

rockmonkeysc

They fall off soon enough anyway but its extra weight where you notice it most and they really look geeky.

The Rookie

I had a puncture the other night, clearly something had pierced it but not stayed in the tyre (Rocket Ron), change tube, get on with it!

bigmitch41

or go tubeless...

me-109

Likely as not you will get more in the rear because of the more-rearward weight distribution, more of the time.

lostboysaint

Me-109 wrote:

Likely as not you will get more in the rear because of the more-rearward weight distribution, more of the time.

Is the correct answer.

larkim

BigMitch41 wrote:

or go tubeless...

Idiot question coming....
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If punctures are caused by tubes being pierced by something coming through the tyre and the tube, why do tubeless get fewer punctures?

cooldad

Because they have a sealant in them.

Normally.

mattyfez

Thanks all, I've thoroughly cleaned the tyre inside and out and can't see anything, so it's patched and back on now, until the next time!

Good point about more weight being on the back more of the time, that would make sense in terms of being more puncture prone than the front.

larkim

cooldad wrote:

Because they have a sealant in them.

Normally.

So the equivalent of Slime or similar which you can put into tubes?

Chunkers1980

Yes, sort of but not.

cooldad

larkim wrote:

cooldad wrote:

Because they have a sealant in them.

Normally.

So the equivalent of Slime or similar which you can put into tubes?

Similar, but by all accounts slime tubes are heavy and a bit rubbish.

I still use tubes - the odd puncture I get (one or two a year maybe) seem a lot less hassle than when tubeless goes wrong.

And before anyone says it, yes, pressure.

bigmitch41

larkim wrote:

BigMitch41 wrote:

or go tubeless...

Idiot question coming....
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If punctures are caused by tubes being pierced by something coming through the tyre and the tube, why do tubeless get fewer punctures?

Id recommend any of the Stans tubeless kit, but yes the sealant you pour inside the tyre seals up the punctures to a certain size, unless you rip the sidewall big time, i always carry a spare tube but this has not caught me out yet, been running tubeless since October and ride regularly.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/stan ... -prod38850

lostboysaint

I did three years of tubeless before a flint finally tore a hole big enough in one of my tyres for the sealant to NOT seal. Take a pair of pliers with you and be prepared for a LONG time sat on the side of the trail pulling all sorts of shit out of tyre when you go to pop the tube in to get you home - you'll be astounded at the volume of stuff you get out.