So much for..

[summerdays]

Well if you want company ... I went to get my bike out yesterday ... it was flat... assumed a visit from a certain fairy... took the other bike. Got home ... pumped it up ... left it.... rode it.... still fine ... couple of hours later decided I had probably left the valve open when I tried my new pump out the other day.

Told this to hubby when he went to get his bike out this morning, he reckoned you can't leave a valve open (still not used to the schrader ones yet), and came back to report that for the second morning its as flat as a pancake.

At least that explains when I probably got it as I rode to work along Passage Road, they were hedge cutting. Would it be possible to ride 14 miles or so on a slow puncture without noticing?

 

[Mr Pig]

Had a look and there's still a little pressure in it and I can't find any obvious cause. Rats :0( Take me ages to find out what's happened now...

 

[snapper_37]

5 mins to fix..what's the problem...

Can I hire you as a personal P.R.F.M please foss? I'm sure you'd fit lovely in a pink pannier?

 

[Mr Pig]

Well it turned out it wasn't the tyre after all.

No sign of damage or even a tiny pierce in the tyre, checked it very closely, inside too, and couldn't find anything obvious on the tube. Turned out to be a tiny hole on the 'inside' of the tube!

Checked the rims and rim tape but still came up blank. I guess it must've been a bit of grit or something. Anyway, that's not the end of it. You know how sometimes a thing just doesn't want to get fixed?

So I patched the hole, put the thing back together all nice, pumped it up and was about to fit it to the bike when I noticed I'd put the tyre on the wrong way round! Now I know that having a directional tyre the wrong way round's not the end of the world but I thought, stuff it. I've got all the kit out so I'm as well just sorting it and that'll be that.

So off it comes again, turn the tyre round, back together, tyre nice and straight, pump it up good and hard. All done, just screw on that little valve nut that serves no purpose but you always put on anyway and....psssssssss...! Hadn't even done it up tight, just moved the valve stem to one side slightly. Great! :0(

It wasn't the valve but sounded like the tube had split at the base of the valve stem. So...tyre off again, remove tube that I'd spent ages fixing, binned it and fitted a new tube. Funny thing was that before throwing the tube away I pumped it up to see where the damage was and I can't find any! Inner tube from hell if you ask me.

So it's finally fixed, it's past midnight and I need to be up at 6:30am for a ride... Night all :0)

 

[hackbike 6]

Those directional tyres are a sod,and with sods law it normally is the wrong way round when you forget about putting it the right way round.

 

[summerdays]

Well I fixed mine yesterday - I was really pleased with myself - still not done it completely without help but less than previously. This time I had to get help to get the wheel on and off the bike - somehow the mud-guard is really tight, even Mr Summerdays didn't find it easy. I actually took the tyre off (Marathon one), and found the puncture, fixed it, found the offending item - but again needed help as it was a very fine bit of metal going through the thicker bit of the tyre but not sticking out either side. And I even got the tyre back on without needing a tyre lever!!!! I remember someone had said talc on the rim and used that.

I didn't have the problem of which way round as I scribble on the tyre when I took it off to help locate where the bit of metal was - and I just used the same scribblings to line up when I put it on. But I have done that before.

Although I'm feeling proud of myself, it may be that this particular tyre/rim combination works better than my other bike, same tyres, which I haven't yet done on my own. Thats one of the benifit/problems of Marathon tyres you don't need to take them off very often so not many opertunities to practise and get better.

 

[Mr Pig]

..with sods law it normally is the wrong way round when you forget about putting it the right way round.

Thing is, I didn't forget. I thought I was putting it the right way round. Serves me right for putting it off until last thing at night.

And ended up not going out this morning. My mate texted at 6:30 to say he was coming down with the cold. Thought about going out on my own but when I looked out it was pitch black and very frosty so bed won ;0) Had visions of sliding off my bike in the middle of nowhere at seven on a Sunday morning.

It's now a beautiful sunny morning but there's too many other things to do for me go cycling.

Someone on here said that they lined the label on the tyre up with the valve so that they could find punctures more easily. It's a good idea, I do that now.