mysterious puncture

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MrJamie

Oaf on a Bike
I'd start by trying to find the hole in the punctured innertube if you havent already, take it out of the tyre and inflate it with a bit of pressure and see if you can find a hissing spot, I find passing the inflated tube past your cheek/ear is quite good for finding the leak, or if that fails try a bucket of water or a sink, it might need a fair bit of pressure if its a small hole slow puncture. Then if you've found the puncture you can see if its on the valve/rim side of the tube or the tyre side etc.

It could also be one of those things where a piece of flint or glass isnt stuck in the tyre, but freely moving around the tyre which you wont find without checking the tyre at the bottom.

:smile:
 
Have you got adequate rim tape or substitute covering the inside of the rim and/or is there anywhere where a spoke hole cover has caved in leaving a sharpish edge or is there a sharpened edge of the valve hole exposed? This could be enough under high pressure to burst the inner tube.

If there is no rim tape then you need to cover the inside of the rim with something like duct tape to improvise. (Then, obviously cut a hole through the tape for the valve to travel through but the tape around it should be enough to cover any sharp edge).

Just a thought...
 

Robeh

Senior Member
Location
Wiltshire
Have you got adequate rim tape or substitute covering the inside of the rim and/or is there anywhere where a spoke hole cover has caved in leaving a sharpish edge or is there a sharpened edge of the valve hole exposed?
i had this problem on one spoke hole,so i used some emery paper to remove the sharp edge,problem solved.................
 

PpPete

Legendary Member
Location
Chandler's Ford
Velox cloth tape is supposed to be the gold standard, but personally I find the Schwalbe plastic stuff just as good. Both comes in different widths to suit various rims.

Or check these out.
 

Robeh

Senior Member
Location
Wiltshire
just had a look, the problem is the spoke holes, a I have deep rims it seems the holes are very rough in side, I have tape, came with wheel, tyre etc, just checked one of the other punctured tubes same problem but different place....

so do I just change the tape or just put more tape over old tape, does tape come in different thickness because if not, then the problem will persist...

I hope this is understandable, running out the door,:rolleyes: thanks for the help...
Change the tape try this..http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ritchey-rim..._campaign=uk&gclid=CION2Oi95LECFYUmtAod624AJw

Then rub down the rough edges with emery paper(or similar)check all the hole's then that should solve the problem....

Or try veloplugs....http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/WSVEVP/velocity_veloplugs
 

slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
One more thing. Mark the inner tube so you know where it was in relation to the tyre and the rim. That means marking the tube next to some kind of radial datum and also marking a side. When you find the hole in the tube, you will know where on the tyre or wheel the fairy enters. Some tiny shard fragments in a tyre are mighty difficult to feel or see.
 
One more thing. Mark the inner tube so you know where it was in relation to the tyre and the rim. That means marking the tube next to some kind of radial datum and also marking a side. When you find the hole in the tube, you will know where on the tyre or wheel the fairy enters. Some tiny shard fragments in a tyre are mighty difficult to feel or see.

This, Mark, is how I found out that it was a dodgy spoke cover that had caved in and on another a sharp valve hole.
 

youngoldbloke

The older I get, the faster I used to be ...
One more thing. Mark the inner tube so you know where it was in relation to the tyre and the rim. That means marking the tube next to some kind of radial datum and also marking a side. When you find the hole in the tube, you will know where on the tyre or wheel the fairy enters. Some tiny shard fragments in a tyre are mighty difficult to feel or see.
This is also why it is a good idea to line up the logo etc on the tyre with the valve hole. Once you have determined where the hole is in the tube you can line up the tube with the tyre and get a good indication of where the problem is/has been. Even if you haven't marked the tube and you are careless removing it you know that the cause can only be a certain distance from the valve hole, either to left or right. Flexing the tyre tread will help show up deeply embeded tiny flints/glass.
 
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