brucec@iddic.UUCP (Bruce W. Cheney) (06/19/85)
A short whihile ago I had my wheels trued at a local shop. Good thing I did, too, because one of the rims was splitting and had to be replaced. My problem now is that EVERY time I ride my bike (Univega Competizione w/ Araya 20C rims, 20C clinchers) I get a flat tire !! Both wheels are susceptible, the puncture is on the inside, generally two inches from the valve. Must be a spoke problem, right ? Or maybe the protective rubber liner is bad, or misaligned ? When replacing the tubes, I usually seat the clincher around the valve first, and then work my way to the opposite side of the wheel. The only place where I sometimes use a tire iron is 180 degrees away from the valve. I have checked the rubber liner and the spokes. They seem OK. I religously pump my tires to the correct pressure. O wise sages of the net, what is the solution to this problem ?? iddic!brucec
craig@hp-pcd.UUCP (craig) (06/24/85)
Well, my opinion on rubber rim strips is that they suck. Velolux (sp but anyway that thick tape that is sold as a rim strip) ain't much better cause its so thick it makes it real hard to get the tire on. So, what do I use? For box section rims (two level rims) I use Johnson & Johnson adheasive tape (the stuff that comes in the little metal cans and costs too much). Use one layer to cover most of the holes and another layer to cover the rest of the holes. This has worked for many years now. If you have a nonbox rim and the spokes are above the nipples then get something thicker to protect that tube. Also get something sticky so that it won't move around as you put the tube/tire on. Depending on your weight, what you ride over, etc, a problem could be pinched tubes (you can tell a pinched tube because it looks like it was snake bit - two small holes close together). I think most pressure ratings printed on the sidewalls are to low (assuming a high qual rim/tire). When I first tried narrow clinchers, I got quite a few pinched tubes using ~95psi. I now run them at 120psi with no problems. Craig Durland
msw@drux3.UUCP (Mike Walpole) (06/24/85)
>A short while ago I had my wheels trued at a local shop. Good thing >I did, too, because one of the rims was splitting and had to be replaced. >My problem now is that EVERY time I ride my bike (Univega Competizione >w/ Araya 20C rims, 20C clinchers) I get a flat tire !! >Both wheels are susceptible, the puncture is on the inside, generally >two inches from the valve. Must be a spoke problem, right ? Or maybe >the protective rubber liner is bad, or misaligned ?....... Fisrt of all on 20C rims the rubber rim liner doesn't work. You should use velox tape. More than likely not a spoke hitting the tube but the tube expanding into the spoke hole. I had the same problem acouple years ago when I put on Specialized tires and ultralight tubes. (4 flats in 2 days.) When I used velox tape in the rim I went 1500 miles without a flat. Mike Walpole
craig@hp-pcd.UUCP (craig) (06/24/85)
Tresostar cloth handlebar tape makes a good rim strip - its tough, won't tear, thin and stays where you put it.
matt@absolut.UUCP (06/27/85)
Your problem may be seating the tire. It is possible to pinch the
tube between the rim and tire bead, resulting in a cut, or exposure to
debris.
This is especially likely if you use a latex or "ultrlight" inner tube.
Since they have less "body" than ordinary butyl tubes, they tend to stick
between the tire bead and rim, especially in the area near the valve. The
resultant puncture would be on the side or "inside" of the tube.
To remedy, coat your tube with talc or chalk dust. When you inflate your
tire, first blow it up to about 10 psi. Take your valve stem and push it in
(away from your hub). With practice, you can make the tube audibly slip out
from under the tire bead.
===>>absolut!matt
(I would have responded by mail, but I'm having problems routing to iddic)tw@hpisla.UUCP (Tw Cook) (07/08/85)
I have had excellent luck using strapping tape (the cellophane stuff
with fibers inside) for rim tape; it works well and has the
advantage of being mucho cheaper than most of the other viable
alternatives. Better yet, blow off those silly clinchers and ride
sew-ups.
--
Tw Cook {hplabs, hp-pcd, hpfcla}!hpisla!tw or twc@hplabs.CSNET
(303) 667-5000x3724 HP Instrument Systems Lab, Loveland, COlkl@houxm.UUCP (L.LUNAS) (07/19/85)
Concerning two suggestions that have appeared on flat tire problem: 1. using "strapping" tape for a rim strip on clincher tires. I tried that but had real problems since I had spokes that were a bit too long an stuck through nipple. The strapping tape stretched around spoke and was pierced by sharp spoke end and caused several flats. (I recommend the cloth rim tapes) 2. someone said "get rid of the clinchers and ride sew-ups" Which was good advice 10 years ago. With modern clinchers what is the point of the frustrations of sew-ups, (even though I always race on sew-ups I seldom train or commute on them) Les Lunas AT&T - Bell Laboratories Holmdel, NJ (Happy riding, no matter what you believe :-) O/O
jon@avsdT.BERKNET (Jonathan Hahn) (07/23/85)
Disclaimer: I missed the beginning of this discussion, so forgive me if what I have to say has already been said or doesn't apply. But when I hear about flat tires, I just have to mention "Mr. Tuffies." Mr. Tuffies (don't laugh) are plastic strips which sit between bicycle tubes and tires. I've been using them for over three years and have had (to the best of my recollection) only one puncture flat in all that time as a result. -jonathan hahn
bill@utastro.UUCP (William H. Jefferys) (07/25/85)
> But when I hear about flat tires, I just have to mention "Mr. Tuffies." > Mr. Tuffies (don't laugh) are plastic strips which sit between bicycle > tubes and tires. I've been using them for over three years and have had > (to the best of my recollection) only one puncture flat in all that > time as a result. I have had very bad luck with Mr. Tuffies, and so has my wife. The end tends to wear a hole in your inner tube, since it is sharp and digs into the tube. I complained to the bike shop and they said, yeah, well they had had other complaints like this also. I have had much better luck since removing them and using tires with a kevlar belt. -- "Men never do evil so cheerfully and so completely as when they do so from religious conviction." -- Blaise Pascal Bill Jefferys 8-% Astronomy Dept, University of Texas, Austin TX 78712 (USnail) {allegra,ihnp4}!{ut-sally,noao}!utastro!bill (uucp) bill%utastro.UTEXAS@ut-sally.ARPA (ARPANET)