First Puncture?

[ShaneWBA]

Morning all, after some advice and help please

So I got my bike about a month ago, done a nice 90 miles on it last week, however I went out last night and noticed my front wheel had lost a lot of air, whereas the rear was as solid as the day I purchased the bike

For some stupid reason, yesterday was the one day I didnt check my bike over before going out, so not sure whats caused it. However I decided as it had lost air (wasn't flat as still rideable) To head home and cancel my ride, I pumped the wheel back up and decided not to go back out in case it was a slow puncture

Well I’ve just checked the front wheel again now and it’s lost similar air to what it had yesterday with the wheel being, not quite flat, but has significantly less air in it, so I believe I’ve got a slow puncture

Now I’ve checked the wheel and I cant see anything in to indicate anything present, what advice and tips would people have in regards to dealing with a slow puncture? And does this sound like a slow puncture or could it be something else?

Thank you

 

[rivers]

Pull the tube out, pop a bit of air in it and place it in some water. Look for bubbles. If you find bubbles, patch the tube in that spot. Check tyre for any debris as well as rim to make sure there isn't a spoke poking through. If you can't see any bubbles, pop a new tube in

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Slow puncture is likely. Take the tube out, inflate it, and then pass it through a sink of water so you can see any bubbles escaping. Watch any YouTube video on repairing a puncture, it's a basic skill worth knowing.
Run a cotton wool ball around the inside of the tyre to find what's poking through. Also check your rim tape and spoke ends where they come through the rim, if they're exposed that will cause a puncture.

Buy a spare tube, a pump and some tyre levers for when you inevitably get a flat when you're out.

(Sorry, cross posted with rivers).

 

[vickster]

What sort of valve? If the Presta ones, are they done up correctly? And of course remove and check the tube carefully

 

[Cycleops]

Can’t beat plonking the tube in a tub of water as every schoolboy knows.
Don’t know what tyre you have there but those often supplied as OE have poor puncture resistance. If this gets to be a regular occurrence you might think about upgrading to a more puncture resistant type.

 

[ShaneWBA]

Just got round to doing this and found the very very minute hole after putting it in water, thanks for the advice

Another question I have though - the puncture is literally minuscule can’t even see it with my eyes, I’ve checked the tyre to see what causeD it but I can’t feel anything at all, is it normal to find the offending item in the tyre, or should I not be too concerned it I can’t find anything?

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Just got round to doing this and found the very very minute hole after putting it in water, thanks for the advice

Another question I have though - the puncture is literally minuscule can’t even see it with my eyes, I’ve checked the tyre to see what causeD it but I can’t feel anything at all, is it normal to find the offending item in the tyre, or should I not be too concerned it I can’t find anything?

Check, check and check again, inside and out. Run your fingers round the inside too. If you don't find the culprit it's 50:50 chance you'll immediately get another. A tiny piece of glass or thorn embedded can be very hard to find.

A good tip is when removing the tube, leave the tyre half on and the valve inserted. Then pump up the inner tube until you find the hole. You can then match the location on the tyre which helps massively if it's a very small object.

 

[Ajax Bay]

is it normal to find the offending item in the tyre, or should I not be too concerned it I can’t find anything?

You owe it to yourself to find it: that's not being concerned, it's investing effort now to mitigate the risk of a second puncture from the same cause. Unless you want to think that the cause 'fell out' before you looked.
Motor vehicle tyres shed short (4mm) sections of very fine but stiff and 'sharp' wire from their tyres. These are a b*****d to find (tip: use safety pin) and check inside and out. This is after all the finger and cotton wool checks. Flex the tyre right round the 'opposite' way.
Before installing a tube (at home) or carrying a tube as a spare I do two things:
1) I cut a little flat toroid from an unmendable inner tube about 10mm outer diameter (with the hole in the middle made with a snipped 4mm X) and slip that over the valve. I believe this mitigates the risk of damage at the base of the valve.
2) Using a permanent marker I draw an arrow from the valve along the tube. Then if I get a puncture when I remove the tube I note the direction (could be 'backwards' or 'forwards') so that, once the puncture site is identified, I mitigate the risk of not being able to identify the cause, because it helps me focus on a specific short section of the tyre, inside and outside.
Punctures are not caused by magic, they're caused by fairies, as any fule no.

 

[ShaneWBA]

This might seem like a thick question but how does the cotton wool help you locate the cause of the puncture?

My hands have been on the inside and round the tyre about 5 times and I still can’t find it, and it’s annoying because I dont wanna put the tyre straight in and get another puncture

 

[Ajax Bay]

Cotton wool will snag on the tiniest thing which even your soft as a baby's *** finger tips will miss.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

The cause of the puncture may have come back out. Align valve with hole in rim and check in the places on the tyre the puncture must have happened

 

[roubaixtuesday]

If you absolutely can't find it, then there's nothing more you can do. Repair tube and fit ( or a fresh one). Whatever caused it may well have ejected itself.

But be sure you have a spare with you.

 

[annedonnelly]

When you fit the new tube to the tyre align the valve with a label/writing on the tyre. So that next time you know how to match the tube with the tyre and know where to look for the source of the puncture.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Before you fit the new tube to the tyre align the label/writing on the tyre with the valve hole. So that next time you know how to match the tube with the tyre and know where to look for the source of the puncture.

FTFY

 

[ShaneWBA]

Thanks for the replies and help everyone

Got to be honest changing, repairing and refitting the tube was Nowhere near as bad or hard as I thought it might have been

Couldnt find the cause of the puncture, checked the tyre 4/5 times left it for a while repaired the puncture and then checked another 2/3 times again and still couldn’t find anything and then checked again as well once the tube was blown up and the valve in with rest of tube out and still couldnt find anything. Going on a ride tomorrow so guess I’ll soon find out if I’ve missed something obvious