When is a flat not a flat?

"Sepulchre" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi

Invested in a new commute road bike a couple of weeks ago - so glad to
be off the hybrid "Apollo" I had from Halfords.

Have a look:
Specialized - Sirrus
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?arc=2006&spid=21806

I'm pretty pleased with it, despite the myriad of problems I've had.

(Action Bikes forgetting to put anti slip grease on my saddle thus it
slipping down a couple times on my ride home (14 mile trip), bike
falling over when pumping up tyres thus snapping valve off, egg whisk
pedals seizing up, oh and finally a tyre burst due to a bloody drawing
pin!)

However, having had to replace the inner tubes on both wheels, one
with Specialized and other with Halford's own I've sort of noticed
that my tyres aren't as hard as they were when I first got the bike. I
pump them up to 140 psi and more nearly every day but it doesn't feel
right, and the tyres and not hard when on bike. It's a bit
disconcerting, as I think there's something wrong and my bike isn't
performing as well as it should.

Here's the spec on my tyres:

Specialized All Condition, 700x28C, 60TPI, Flak Jacket

Does anyone have this problem? Are the tubes too big? (I am buying up
to 28 C). Have I gotten over the joy of the initial rides and
imagining it?

Grateful for any thoughts or advice.

Sepulchre

140psi on a 28 is too hard for comfort.

Sepulchre said the following on 12/07/2007 15:43:

Quoted message said:

(Action Bikes forgetting to put anti slip grease on my saddle

Anti-slip grease. Is that like a long weight or striped paint that
apprentices used to get sent to stores for? :-)

Quoted message said:

Grateful for any thoughts or advice.

Not really, but coincidentally I fitted a Specialized tyre to my
commuter yesterday and at 95psi it didn't seem to 'feel' as hard as I
thought it perhaps ought to.

I could also ask: When is a 700x38 not a 700x38? When it's a
Specialized Numbus. It's frickin' huge compared to a 700x37 Top Touring
- I had to adjust my mudguard!

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Sepulchre said:

Have a look:
Specialized - Sirrus
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?arc=2006&spid=21806

Quoted message said:

I
pump them up to 140 psi and more nearly every day but it doesn't feel
right, and the tyres and not hard when on bike. It's a bit
disconcerting, as I think there's something wrong and my bike isn't
performing as well as it should.

Here's the spec on my tyres:

Specialized All Condition, 700x28C, 60TPI, Flak Jacket

Pressure far too high. Try something between 70psi and 100psi depending on
your weight.
I'm 10st7lbs, and run around 80psi most of the time on 28mm wide tyres.

As ever, Sheldon Brown has a page on the subject

--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/

Sepulchre said:

Hi

Invested in a new commute road bike a couple of weeks ago - so glad to
be off the hybrid "Apollo" I had from Halfords.

Have a look:
Specialized - Sirrus
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?arc=2006&spid=21806

[...]

Quoted message said:

However, having had to replace the inner tubes on both wheels, one
with Specialized and other with Halford's own I've sort of noticed
that my tyres aren't as hard as they were when I first got the bike. I
pump them up to 140 psi and more nearly every day but it doesn't feel
right, and the tyres and not hard when on bike. It's a bit
disconcerting, as I think there's something wrong and my bike isn't
performing as well as it should.

Sounds like a problem with your pressure gauge. 140psi should feel very
hard on a 28 tyre.

Sepulchre said:

I pump them up to 140 psi and more nearly every day but it doesn't feel
right, and the tyres and not hard when on bike.

140psi would feel "[censored]" hard (to borrow a phrase) on a bicycle tyre.
Maybe you are not connecting the pump properly; sometimes, my pump
doesn't quite sit right when I use it and it's easy to see very high
pressures on the gauge without the tyre inflating - the pump is merely
pressurising the air in the gauge circuit (I think). When this happens,
I refit the pump. It's easy to tell if this is happening because it's
really difficult to do the actual pumping, straight from the off rather
than getting steadily harder (ooh, matron!) as you fill it up (ditto...)

hth,

T

Tony B said:

Sepulchre said:

I pump them up to 140 psi and more nearly every day but it doesn't feel
right, and the tyres andnothard when on bike.

140psi would feel "[censored]" hard (to borrow a phrase) on a bicycle tyre.
Maybe you arenotconnecting the pump properly; sometimes, my pump
doesn't quite sit right when I use it and it's easy to see very high
pressures on the gauge without the tyre inflating - the pump is merely
pressurising the air in the gauge circuit (I think). When this happens,
I refit the pump. It's easy to tell if this is happening because it's
really difficult to do the actual pumping, straight from the off rather
than getting steadily harder (ooh, matron!) as you fill it up (ditto...)

hth,

T

Thanks for all your replies on this.

Tony seems to be on the ball (or on the Carry On film marathon
again...) and anti slipping saddle is on its way to you sir. 😉

Looks like the bloody gauge on the pump was blowing up to 140 psi but
not for the actual tyre, Tony speculates on the "gauge circuit".

I discovered today that his was caused by the tyre valve being
partially "closed" as opposed to being "open". A simple enough mistake
to make, as the pump gauge still registers the air being pumped - just
not into the bloody tyre.

Is that enough "bloody's" for yer?

Sep

BTW
(Action Bikes forgetting to put anti slip grease on my saddle thus it
slipping down a couple times on my ride home (14 mile trip))

This is some greasy stuff that lines the outside of the saddle i.e.
the seat post!

in message <[email hidden]>,

Sepulchre (') said:

(Action Bikes forgetting to put anti slip grease on my saddle thus it
slipping down a couple times on my ride home (14 mile trip))

This is some greasy stuff that lines the outside of the saddle i.e.
the seat post!

You need grease on a seatpost, otherwise it 'freezes' to the frame, making
it impossible to extract, and also, particularly on aluminium frames, it
makes hideous creaking noises. But grease is by definition slippy... I've
never hear of 'anti slip grease'. I just use ordinary grease and do the
clamp up good and tight.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

A message from our sponsor: This site is now in free fall

Sepulchre said:

Tony seems to be on the ball (or on the Carry On film marathon
again...) and anti slipping saddle is on its way to you sir. 😉

Looks like the bloody gauge on the pump was blowing up to 140 psi but
not for the actual tyre, Tony speculates on the "gauge circuit".

I discovered today that his was caused by the tyre valve being
partially "closed" as opposed to being "open". A simple enough mistake
to make, as the pump gauge still registers the air being pumped - just
not into the bloody tyre.

By the sound of it you have been lucky not to have blown the pressure
gauge on your pump. It sounds as though you have presta valves. With
these you need to unscrew the locknut fully, and it's then a good idea
to tap the top of the valve gently so you hear a brief hiss of
escaping air. Sometimes these valves can stick and this trick will
unstick them. Once you've got used to these valves you will be able to
feel when the air is going in properly.

I agree with other opinions here incicentally that 140 psi is way too
high for a 28mm tyre. Generally the wider the tyre the lower the
pressure needed.

--
Dave...

"Sepulchre" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On 12 Jul, 18:33, Tony B <[email hidden]> wrote:
Sep

BTW
(Action Bikes forgetting to put anti slip grease on my saddle thus it
slipping down a couple times on my ride home (14 mile trip))

This is some greasy stuff that lines the outside of the saddle i.e.
the seat post!

Anti-sieze grease?

Simon Brooke <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

in message <[email hidden]>,
Sepulchre ([email hidden]'😉 wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

(Action Bikes forgetting to put anti slip grease on my saddle thus it
slipping down a couple times on my ride home (14 mile trip))

This is some greasy stuff that lines the outside of the saddle i.e.
the seat post!

Quoted message said:

You need grease on a seatpost, otherwise it 'freezes' to the frame, making
it impossible to extract, and also, particularly on aluminium frames, it
makes hideous creaking noises. But grease is by definition slippy... I've
never hear of 'anti slip grease'. I just use ordinary grease and do the
clamp up good and tight.

I agree you need to grease the seatpost.
I thought an aluminium seatpost was more likely to seize in a steel
frame than an alu frame, due to electrolysis but may be wrong.
I wonder if the seatpost was too small; they are made in 0.2mm
increments and no amount of tightening will prevent slippage if the
wrong sized post is used.

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

Simon Brooke said:

in message <[email hidden]>,

Sepulchre (') said:

(Action Bikes forgetting to put anti slip grease on my saddle thus it
slipping down a couple times on my ride home (14 mile trip))

This is some greasy stuff that lines the outside of the saddle i.e.
the seat post!

You need grease on a seatpost, otherwise it 'freezes' to the frame, making
it impossible to extract, and also, particularly on aluminium frames, it
makes hideous creaking noises. But grease is by definition slippy... I've
never hear of 'anti slip grease'. I just use ordinary grease and do the
clamp up good and tight.

yes anoyingly the old bike i have the seat post is rather well stuck.
it's not much out, but it is a little.

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com

Roger Merriman said:

yes anoyingly the old bike i have the seat post is rather well stuck.
it's not much out, but it is a little.

AUSHTA
http://sheldonbrown.com/stuck-seatposts.html

Tony

In article <[email hidden]>, Roger
Merriman
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

yes anoyingly the old bike i have the seat post is rather well stuck.
it's not much out, but it is a little.

Steel or alloy frame/post?

Tony Raven said:

Roger Merriman said:

yes anoyingly the old bike i have the seat post is rather well stuck.
it's not much out, but it is a little.

AUSHTA
http://sheldonbrown.com/stuck-seatposts.html

Tony

i have tryed his advice to no use though.

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com

Rob Morley said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Roger
Merriman
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

yes anoyingly the old bike i have the seat post is rather well stuck.
it's not much out, but it is a little.

Steel or alloy frame/post?

old steel bike + alloy post, bike left for many years in the shed. old
mountain bike, previously used for mud plugging, so got very wet
sometimes close to bog snorkling!

i have tryed oil, and also chemically removing the corrosion none seem
to have made it shift at all.

i've rather given up on getting it out for the time being.

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com

(Roger Merriman) said:

Rob Morley said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Roger
Merriman
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

yes anoyingly the old bike i have the seat post is rather well stuck.
it's not much out, but it is a little.

Quoted message said:

Steel or alloy frame/post?

old steel bike + alloy post, bike left for many years in the shed. old
mountain bike, previously used for mud plugging, so got very wet
sometimes close to bog snorkling!

i have tryed oil, and also chemically removing the corrosion none seem
to have made it shift at all.

i've rather given up on getting it out for the time being.

roger
--www.rogermerriman.com

On an old steel framed / steel post (admittedly) 10 speed recently I
had success in freeing a seatpost that hadn't moved in 15 years by the
simple method of repeatedly applying WD40 followed by the application
of a blowtorch. The paint took it pretty well, surprisingly. I think
what did the trick was the expansion of the WD40 where it did manage
to penetrate.

In article <[email hidden]>, Roger
Merriman
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

old steel bike + alloy post, bike left for many years in the shed. old
mountain bike, previously used for mud plugging, so got very wet
sometimes close to bog snorkling!

i have tryed oil, and also chemically removing the corrosion none seem
to have made it shift at all.

Try heat - repeatedly heat the seatpost, each time squirting PlusGas
down the side to give it a bit of thermal shock and penetration, then
try twisting it out with a Stilson. If that doesn't work chop the top
off the seatpost, then cut through it lengthwise in a few places with a
hacksaw blade - jam a screwdriver down the side to get it to collapse
inwards. If all else fails you can melt it out: suspend the frame
upside down and heat the seat tube around the seatpost - we used to put
three or four oxy-acetylene guns on it at full blast, and the seatpost
ended up as a puddle on the floor. :-)

Roger Merriman said:

Tony Raven said:

Roger Merriman said:

yes anoyingly the old bike i have the seat post is rather well stuck.
it's not much out, but it is a little.

AUSHTA
http://sheldonbrown.com/stuck-seatposts.html

Tony

i have tryed his advice to no use though.

Even the "post in a vice and twist the frame" option? The other one not
listed here which I have used and works well is to drill a hole across
the post, put a steel bar through the hole and then use either a slip
hammer (preferred if there is room) or a lump hammer to knock the post
out. Its a bit all or nothing though as the seatpost with a hole
through it is not really usable any more.

Tony

Mark W said:

(Roger Merriman) said:

Rob Morley said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Roger
Merriman
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

> yes anoyingly the old bike i have the seat post is rather well stuck.
> it's not much out, but it is a little.

Quoted message said:

Steel or alloy frame/post?

old steel bike + alloy post, bike left for many years in the shed. old
mountain bike, previously used for mud plugging, so got very wet
sometimes close to bog snorkling!

i have tryed oil, and also chemically removing the corrosion none seem
to have made it shift at all.

i've rather given up on getting it out for the time being.

roger
--www.rogermerriman.com

On an old steel framed / steel post (admittedly) 10 speed recently I
had success in freeing a seatpost that hadn't moved in 15 years by the
simple method of repeatedly applying WD40 followed by the application
of a blowtorch. The paint took it pretty well, surprisingly. I think
what did the trick was the expansion of the WD40 where it did manage
to penetrate.

for the moment i'll probably leave it's probably close enought for the
time being. and i'm not sure i want to do any thing to serious yet.

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com