Pushbike HELP!

[HungusMaximist]

Easiest thing, get yourself a quality new tire.

You're wasting hours of your productivity time trying to figure out what's wrong.

Also, make sure you're not pinching the tube or any parts of the tube is sticking out and not sealing properly when you're pumping it.

I inflate the tube by a little bit before I start inserting it in the tire, most of the time I have to double check the tube by where the valve sits. I find it thats where most of my tube sticks out.

Good luck!

[Phurrball]

What they all said.

Unfortunately, frequent punctures are one of the joys of a pushie - at least you're on a mountain 'style' bike which should puncture less regularly than a road bike running 100psi!

What sort of pressure are you running? Back in the day I used to run about 50-60psi in road slicks on my MTB. Much less chance of snakebites then.

At least you're not resorting to tying knots in the tube 'cos yer out of spare tubes AND your glue is off (after 2 punctures on one ride! bumpita-bumpita-bumpita all the way home) OR filling the tyre with grass - no comment on either of these...

Good on ya Motu - you'll get to the bottom of it - and get mighty good a puncture repairs while yer at it...

[Motu]

I've stopped going around the lakes,which takes the big bumps out.Next time it punctures I will do the trick of sleeving with the old tube around that weld seam area,that will prove if that is the problem.

[Steam]

Those twisting tubes are fine, don't worry about that funny behaviour. Long, thin and made of rubber, they bend and bulge and twist in strange ways when you inflate them without the tyre around them.

It's gotta be a tiny sliver of sharp something embedded in the tyre that lies secret and hidden until you pump the tyre up and ride it.

[Motu]

Thanks - 19 posts to get a response to the tube question.I figured that once under a little inflation pressure they should be locked in place.....but there is still stress on them wanting to assume their proper distorted shape.But I've never seen pushbike tubes do this before.

I'm pretty sure nothing is in the tyre - I've even turned it inside out to really open up any concealed glass or metal.But the construction sucks,practically exposed cords and sharp edges around beads....I'd never run this sort of crap on a motorcycle,but pushies seem to think it's par for the course.I'll go to a bike shop on saturday and check my options.

[Motu]

Not going around the lake and running 90psi has made it last longer,but had another puncture tonight.A quick check of the rim showed it wasn't near the weld area,but soon as I looked at the tyre I could see the glass in there!

So....?,...hmmm.Either this is a new piece of glass or it was always there.I'm picking it was always there,for 6 punctures anyway.It stood out like dog balls tonight,there is no way I could of missed it before....so maybe like the gorse prickle in your hand,it was working it's way out.Lying flat and flipped over,something like that.

Good to be caught out on something simple - I'm always telling others to look for the obvious.I used to do punctures on the hand trucks for the Oasis drivers,so I know how to look for glass.....I'm going around the lake tomorrow for a test.

[Ocean1]

Good find.

I spent years in the glass industry, little bits keep surfacing somewhere in my hands, I try to dig 'em out but usually they just work their way somewhere else. Perfectly clean so there's no infection but they don't degrade either, just annoying.

[Motu]

Thought I better update this seeing as I've got it sorted.

I was still getting puntures,sometimes finding glass,sometimes not,finally the tube split at the valve.What I figured was the slick is just too thin to hold a glass fragment - a sliver goes in and punctures the tube,then slips out with no trace.Slicks are no tyre for this area.So I got a proper mountain bike tyre and tube - this is a bigger size than the slick.No more punctures.I still run a slick on the front....one day I'll get a knob for the front,but I'll save the money while this set up works.

[phantom]

I was always getting flats when I was commuting to work on my mountain bike with slicks and I ended up putting the original knobbly tyres back on. Now I have the road bike with real skinny slicks and I still get no flats. Go figure

[xwhatsit]

I was always getting flats when I was commuting to work on my mountain bike with slicks and I ended up putting the original knobbly tyres back on. Now I have the road bike with real skinny slicks and I still get no flats. Go figure

Narrower and higher profile?

[phantom]

Yeah I thought that myself. Also don't get as much water and shit sprayed all over me on wet days seeing as I have to look all professional at work snd not like a dirty biker

[T bone]

I have a roadie, Run about 110-120psi & some decent "training" tyres think they are conti's?? I have very few flats. Another guy I work with has a mtb that he rides to work aswell he say's he gets flats all the time??? I reckon its the crap tyre's he use's. I'd be looking there first. A decent skinny tyre with nice high pressure works for me anyway