Seven punctures

[plainlazy]

Covering around 1500 miles a year at the minute and only had One puncture last year !
However went out on my FS bike ( GT XCR 2000 ) the other day ( have not use it for a year or so ) and managed to get Seven punctures.
Every 5 miles or so the front tyre went straight down and i found that the tube had split right at the bottom of the valve. After this happening Five times, it then happened twice to the rear wheel, at which point i ran out of inner tubes.
Checked the hole in the rims where the valve goes and there seemed to be no rough edges. i have only done about 300 miles on the bike, though i have had it 11 years.
At a lost as to why this is happening, could it be that the rim tape needs replacing ?

 

[Gerry Attrick]

Were the tubes of a reputable brand? The year in storage could have affected poor quality tubes.

 

[plainlazy]

Both tyres where flat when i got the bike out of my garage but seemed ok when inflated.
Carried Three new spare tubes ( Ritchy ) and brought another Two ( Coninental ) from a village store, which we came across just at the right time.

 

[potsy]

Sounds like rim tape or whatever caused the puncture wasn't removed.Have a good check of the tape/tyres in the comfort of your home.
Had 3 punctures once on a 20 mile commute,crappy stock tyres were to blame,soon binned.

 

[661-Pete]

Forgive my asking, but are you putting presta valve inners on a rim drilled for schraeder valves? Silly question, yes, but it has happened and it does mean trouble. If so you can get special grommets (bike shop) to adapt the oversized holes.

Another cause may be too much sideways stress on the valve stem whilst inflating, especially if using a rigid pump (pumps with a flexi hose are better).

I once was induced to buy a pair of very thick - and heavy - rubber inners - a 'new idea' I was told - which I was assured were puncture-proof (this was before the days of PR outer tyres). They weren't! And after a few months, the rubber simply perished around the valve stems which popped right out! This was some years ago: I believe (and hope) they don't exist any more...

 

[xroads]

Specialized tubes have a bad reputation for splitting. Continental tubes are the best in my experience, ribble do a pack of ten for just over £20.

 

[HLaB]

I take it you pumped the tyres up before using it plainlazy and got it nice and hard initially and after the puntures. From google the GT XCR 2000 looks like a mtb at a guess you'd want to get the tyre to around 85psi on road.

 

[RedBike]

I kept ripping the valves off my inner tubes on my 29er mtb. The tyres kept rotating around the rim under heavy braking. The tyres would only rotate a tiny amount each time I braked but eventually they'd creap around enough to rip the inner tube at the valve.

I never did solve the problem completely but having the tyres well pumped and keeping the rims clean helped.

Is possible that your tyres have 'dried out' and they're now slipping on the rims?
Put a mark on the tyre in line with the vavle (Or fit the tyre so that the logo is aligned with the valve). When you next get a ripped valve you'll be able to see if the tyre has rotated.

 

[plainlazy]

Thanks for all your replies guys, some excellent advise. To answer some of your questions-
Yes it is a MTB
I did pump the tyres up to full pressure, using a track pump.
I am using the rights valves for the rims.
So you can see why i am at a lost as to why this happened ?
I did notice that the rim tape where the hole for the valve goes had broken on one side of the hole, could this have contributed to it, i wonder ?
Another thing that i think it could be is that the tyre is moving round the wheel, as i believe one off you mentioned.
I think i am going to purchase some new tubes, some rim tape and then take some newish tyres off my hardtail.

 

[potsy]

Did you check the insides of the tyres for anything still lodged in there? Sometimes very difficult to spot,but could easily cause repeat flats.

 

[fossyant]

How old were the tubes eh.................... probably old............

 

[Banjo]

Make sure the valve is free to move in and out before doing the locking nut up. If the valve stem is jammed in the hole by a bit of rim tape it may hold the tube away from the rim causing a bubble to form next to the valve stem which soon splits.

I had this nonsence on my hybrid and cured it with new rim tape.