Tyre was half flat 10 hours after pumping up

[united4ever]

Which makes me think it is the valve that is losing air rather than the tube being punctured. I pumped it up 2 days ago and it was fine on my morning commute but then when I took the bike to come home it was going flat. I decided to pump it up and hope it would get me home. It was fine and still felt pretty firm after my 7 mile ride home. Might take the tram tomorrow and replace the tube at the weekend or do you think I could get away with pumping it up in the morning again and getting to work and then doing the same....maybe just get the tram to be on the safe side.

Anyway, does this sound like the valve?

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Most likely a slow puncture.

 

[vickster]

Change it in the morning?

I've got a tube with a leaky valve to sort too, luckily I have 3 other bikes to ride

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Why not just take the tube out and check in a bucket of water?

And check the tyre for thorns and other debris.

 

[united4ever]

Sure. I was just home late tonight and up very early tomorrow. Think I will just do it at the weekend. Still takes me 30 minutes plus to change a tube - I am fairly new to cycling. Cheers.

 

[vickster]

Sure. I was just home late tonight and up very early tomorrow. Think I will just do it at the weekend. Still takes me 30 minutes plus to change a tube - I am fairly new to cycling. Cheers.

Pump it up and take a pump with

 

[slowmotion]

The bucket of water wheeze is the way to go. I had a mysterious slow flat and it turned out to be an ever so slightly leaking valve. The bubble formed so slowly that I completely missed it the first time I put the tube under water.

 

[raleighnut]

^^^^^^^+1 slow punctures can be a sod to find.

 

[Markymark]

Sure. I was just home late tonight and up very early tomorrow. Think I will just do it at the weekend. Still takes me 30 minutes plus to change a tube - I am fairly new to cycling. Cheers.

Excellent opportunity for a bit of practice then.

 

[Globalti]

Don't forget to pat some talc onto the tube once you've fixed that puncture. It helps with fitting.

 

[jonny jeez]

. Still takes me 30 minutes plus to change a tube - I am fairly new to cycling. Cheers.

Don't be too hard on yourself. For me it depends on the tube. I had some schwable Duranos that I could get off, replace a tube and get back on in under 10 minutes.

My current road bike types take me an age to get off and need a lever to get back on, which 50% of the time results in a pinched tube.

I hate them... but they look awesome

 

[jonny jeez]

It really is best to avoid using a lever for putting tyres back on, if you can. Getting the bead of the tyre round the other side to sit in the well helps buy some slack.

Totally and You are right to point this out, especially to all those new to replacing tyres.

However, these particular tyres are like nothing I have ever encountered. I spent two winters evenings in the workshop trying to "rinse" them back on, had blisters on my thumbs and seemed to pull a muscle in the side of my hand (couldn't write properly for a few days). Tried numerous you tube lessons and asked on cyclechat for help. Nothing got close to getting that last 5 inches of bead over the rim

I ended up calling the bike shop who fitted them to ask how they did it and jimmy there told me to "just use a lever.".. with great care.

I'm crap at the "great care" bit .

Hence why I hate them

Funny story, rode the single speed into town last week to have a set of tannus fitted. (Fed up with the struggle of removing the rear wheel on my belt driven SS ) On the way I got two punctures. There's irony for you.

 

[Ajax Bay]

My current road bike types take me an age to get off and need a lever to get back on, which 50% of the time results in a pinched tube.

It really is best to avoid using a lever for putting tyres back on, if you can.

If you can get a tyre back on without levers, great (and of course much easier with wider rims because you can get the opposite beads down into the well). But otherwise levers will help you get the second bead on. I think the 'never use a lever to get the tyre back on' advice is overdone. How about: "Try to get the tyre back on without using a lever, but if you can't, just use one, and take care."

I have some extremely tight road rim/tyre combinations and invariably use a lever to get the tyre back on, and have done for decades. You could say I should give my thumbs a good speaking to. But I cannot recall a pinched tube resulting from (informed) lever use. When so using a lever (and of course these are plastic ones, not the old metal ones which were much more likely to pinch the tube) the repairer just needs to be aware of the risk and take additional care, and have a bit of air in the tube already. It's good practice anyway, to check the bead is properly in place and the tube is not trapped between bead and rim. Then give it a few pumps and go round checking again.

 

[Globalti]

If people would only understand that the whole job is made easier by dusting the inner tube and the bead with talc, the best dry lubricant known. Divers use loads of it for getting into the tight cuffs of their dry suits.

 

[Alan O]

Other than in my very early days when I was just learning, I've never had any pinched tubes when using tyre levers. I remember many years ago using spoons - we had some nice ones with rounded ends that were a lot smoother than the metal levers of the time, and they did a better job.

Even though I'm all grown up now, I have small and quite weak hands (more suited to keyboard use than anything more manly), and I use levers every time. And with today's better-shaped plastic ones, and with enough air in the tube before levering, pinches just don't happen.

Alan

(I know - fate, having now been tempted, will wreak its revenge on me the next time I change a tube)