Fixing Flats

Hey Joe!

Sorry...not really a reply to your question, but just wanted to say good to see another fellow from Jersey.
A friend of mine (serious cyclist) also lives in Cranford and works in the High Gear in Maplewood.

I'm a newbie too and hope to be a more adept at riding some day.
Good luck with your riding and maintenance skills!

JakeNJ said:

I just started riding this past summer and I've had 5 or 6 flats over approx. 1500 miles. I have been carrying a couple of tubes in my seat bag and then I repair the bad tube later on, if I can. I just attempted to repair a tube and when I inflated it, a bubble began forming in one spot that kept getting larger while the rest of the tube had minimal pressure. In addition I couldn't identify the spot where the tube had been punctured as no air appeared to be leaking. Is this normal or is there something wrong with the tube? I stopped inflating as I thought the tube would explode.

Please excuse my ignorance.

Joe

That's alot of punctures. Perhaps you should consider using tirestrips and get a more puncture resistant set of tires. Continental Ultra GatorSkin are very good at this. Also Specialized Armadillo tires have an excellent reputation.

To answer your question, it sounds like the tube has a weak spot of some sort. Don't trust it too much. If I find a tube to be in a dodgy condition, I always ditch it. They're not more than five for 10-15 USD, if you buy a couple at a time.
Also, if you can't find the puncture, stick it in a bucket of water and search for bubbles! If everything fails, it's garbage.

JakeNJ said:

I just started riding this past summer and I've had 5 or 6 flats over approx. 1500 miles. I have been carrying a couple of tubes in my seat bag and then I repair the bad tube later on, if I can. I just attempted to repair a tube and when I inflated it, a bubble began forming in one spot that kept getting larger while the rest of the tube had minimal pressure. In addition I couldn't identify the spot where the tube had been punctured as no air appeared to be leaking. Is this normal or is there something wrong with the tube? I stopped inflating as I thought the tube would explode.

Please excuse my ignorance.

Joe

Joe -- Have you checked--thoroughly--the inside of your tire? I'd been having a series of unexplained flats recently, and finally inverted the tire (folding bead) and inspected it inch by inch. Found a small bit of broken glass just barely protruding from the inner surface. Invisible from the tread side, and impossible to see or feel when tire was not inverted. No problems since.

A good trick to finding flats in the future is when you mount your wheels, aways line up the manufacture's logo with the stem. Then when you find the puncture you can line it up with the tire to find the cause. If its on the rim side check to see if you need rim tape.

the logo/valve trick is a great way of tracking down punctures and also makes your bike look very professional.

when you check for punctures, the trick is not to put as much pressure as possible but rather to check to see if air is leaking. It takes maybe 5-10 psi to do this. This way you don't stretch out a tube that is actually good - stretched out they're a pain to get back on.

There is a way to check for punctures without getting the bucket or sink of water (I find it inconvenient and messy).
1. First, you have to shut off all fans, music, noise, etc.
2. "fold" off the tube on one side of the valve and put in a bit of air. Fold off the tube about a foot away on the other side of the valve ("second fold"😉. Put in some air. It probably won't leak. Unfold the second fold and move the fold another foot down the tube. Reinflate just enough so the tube holds its shape. Repeat. When you find the puncture, mark it (Sharpie works). Then line it up with the tire and rim to check for any residual glass, rock, nail, etc.
3. Wiggle the valve to see if the puncture is actually the valve stem ripping off the tube. Typically such a puncture will hold air when you're checking the tube until you tilt the valve.
4. When I find the puncture (and the cause), I toss the tube. It's not worth it to worry about a patch job etc unless it's the only way you can get home.
5. Finally, when you reinstall the tire/tube, DO NOT use tire levers. It is too easy to puncture a tube when doing this. If you do use a tire lever, you must use it in a way that you absolutely know you will not puncture the tube - you must understand exactly what the lever is doing etc. If you can't then you stand a good chance of puncturing the tube. The kicker is that you may not find out till after you've ridden it a bit.

You shouldn't puncture even once in 1500 miles unless you have really bad road conditions - and then you can adjust your equipment for this as well as your riding habits.

Hope this helps
cdr