Slick Tyres

[Vidor06]

I have just replaced the nobbly tyres on my bike with Schwable slicks. My old tyres had a max psi of 45, while the new ones can go to 65. Silly question, but will my inner tubes, which I did not change be able to cope with the additional pressure?

 

[swee'pea99]

Yes.

 

[Vidor06]

Thats the kind of answer I like.

Cheers

 

[Vidor06]

Pumped my new tyres up to about 60 psi this morning before my commute and the reduced rolling resistance was brilliant. In work my bike has a desk of its own (a spare desk beside mine where I store all my bits and bobs) and I parked my bike up as normal today. About an hour ago there was the most almighty bang and half the people in the office almost had a coronary. My front tube had exploded with a rip of about 15 inches in it. Glad it happened in work and not on the road. Funny to see the reactions of the work folk though.

Too much presssure or faulty inner tube?

 

[Globalti]

Faulty OUTER tube! The inner is totally constrained by the outer so cannot burst unless the outer gives way. Take them back and tell the supplier what happened.

(You did pump them up to the maximum pressure shown on the sidewall and check the pressure with a gauge?)

 

[Vidor06]

The max psi on the tyre is 65 psi so I actually was slightly below. My tyre has no damage to it at all and has only been on the bike for a week. The inner tube is just shredded. The damage seems to have been around the valve.

 

[Globalti]

Explain please - where did the outer split? Can you post a picture?

 

[Janrhino]

I pumped my front MTB tyre up with a stirrup pump with no gauge and just went by feel, there was an almighty bang (I did jump like a girl) and the tyre left the rim and the inner tube was about 4 inch acroos but still inflated. The tyre was still in one piece, I just put it back together and pumped it up less and have been on a dozen or so rides since with no incidents.

 

[Vidor06]

Here is a photo of my tube. As I said there is no damage to the tyre at all.

 

[PpPete]

That's where you are going wrong.... always pump to the max.
That way you can give ALL the people in the office a coronary!

It will also show up if you have any of the inner tube "pinched" between tyre bead & rim, which I suspect is what may have happened in this case.

P.S. 120 psi max tyres are really really loud for larger open plan offices and industrial units.

 

[e-rider]

sounds to me like you didn't 'seat' the tube/valve correctly before pumping it up.

 

[threefingerjoe]

+1 on what PorkyPete said. When you mount the tyre, before inflating, press in on the bead, and look all the way around...both sides. Be certain that the tube is completely inside the tyre. If any part of the tube is pinched between tyre bead and rim, air will leak into that trapped portion, and it will blow up like a balloon, (outside of the tyre) and explode. There will be no damage to the tyre, but the tube will be ruined.

You may be able to see it happen, but it's doubtful. It happens very quickly, and odds are, you won't be looking at it at the exact moment that it happens.

 

[davidad]

+1 on what PorkyPete said. When you mount the tyre, before inflating, press in on the bead, and look all the way around...both sides. Be certain that the tube is completely inside the tyre.

A bit of air in the tube (just enough to keep it in shape) before mounting the tyre helps avoid pinching. Always finish fitting the tyre at the valve and push the valve up into the tyre for the last bit to keep the tube well out of the way.

Is the new tyre a different section to the old one? If is is considerably narrower your tube may have been too fat which won't have helped.

 

[Vidor06]

Went home last night and fitted a new tube and all is well again. Back on the road again this morning in the pouring rain and all seems good. Think your analysis seems about right. I think I must have pinched the tube and it wasnt until I added the extra pressure that it blew.