Recurring flats

Try looking at the rim tape. If the rim tape is not seated properly the tube will work it's way into the spoke holes and puncture. The hole in the tube will generally be on the same side as the valve stem if this is the case.

I like the cloth rim tape like Velox personally.

check all around the rim too. If you are a heavier rider, you may be getting pinch flats if your tires are underinflated. May need to upgrade to a tire that has a higher PSI rating. If you have lower PSI tires and you hit a small bump, that may do it, but check the tape like the other post stated. Good luck, sounds pretty frustrating.

If it's the rim tape or something in the tire the hole will always be in the same place on the tube. If this is the case then check the tire carefully, it's usually easier to find something by rubbing you finger over the inside of the tire. When you see blood you've found it. 🙂

This might depend on your level of experience -- if you're a seasoned rider, this likely doesn't apply -- but under-inflation gets newer cyclists again and again, every time. It's extremely difficult to get up into the "safe" range with mini hand-pumps popular among new road cyclists; even among those with beefy pumps, the PSI required to ensure safe rolling is higher than expected.

An under-inflated road tire is extremely susceptible to "pinch flats," where the low pressure causes the tube to compress against the rim during bumps, neatly slicing the tube, usually in two adjacent spots (like a snake-bite). Look for those; it's a sure sign.

The other posters have well-covered the other common causes of recurring flats. A foreign body trapped in the tire can get you over and over, and a defect in your rim -- a sharp burr at the valve stem hole, or a pokey/pinchy spoke inlet can cause problems for years if you don't spot it.

Olasnah said:

Brand new bike, brand new tires, but every other freakin day I get a flat. It's a slow leak of some sort. I replace the tube, go ride, the next day? Flat. My only assumption is that there is something on the tire itself that is puncturing the tube every time. What gives? Do I have to visually inspect the whole tire, wash it and have it microscanned and x-rayed?

Yes check all the above but sometimes the culprit can be a tiny wire that comes from automobile tires. I have had these before and are very difficult to find. They hide enough inside the tire not to be seen but when weight is applied stick through just enough to cause a slow leak. Check the location of the leak in the tube mark it and match it up with to tire lining it up by your stem. et the tire in good light and look and feel for it. These things tiny ,as small as a thread,and are hard to see especially if your eyes are what they used to be like mine are.

Olasnah said:

Brand new bike, brand new tires, but every other freakin day I get a flat. It's a slow leak of some sort. I replace the tube, go ride, the next day? Flat. My only assumption is that there is something on the tire itself that is puncturing the tube every time. What gives? Do I have to visually inspect the whole tire, wash it and have it microscanned and x-rayed?

Best way to handle this is do the following after you have a flat:

Mark the rim and tire with a felt tip pen or with some tape at the valve stem and about 1/4 the way around the wheel on one side to the right of the valve stem. The second mark is so you know which way the rim and tire were oriented together. Now remove the tire leaving the tube in it. Now mark the tube as well in the same 2 spots. Remove the tube and determine exactly where the leak is. You can do this by filling a bucket full of water or using your kitchen sink full of water. Submerge the tube and inflate it with a pump until you get bubbles to appear. Now you know where the leak is and you can take the rim, tire and tube and re-orient them together as they were when the flat occured to determine what is causing it.

My guess is the rim tape.

The rim tape seems to be the culprit. Had it replaced today and the LBS guy spotted a small problem which was possibly causing the tube to poke into the eyelets. We'll see how it is in the morning.