Bicycle Mechanics - ok, so I exhausted my tyre

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View Full Version : ok, so I exhausted my tyre


bmw_maniac
04-20-05, 03:18 AM
Yes that's right ladies and gentleman, I blew the tyre on my bike with the exhaust of the car!

I feel pretty silly about it, as I knew about the potential problem, and I had thought I had avoided it. With the geometry of my new MTB, it sits in the rack with the front wheel hanging just above the exhaust pipe of the car. I drove for about half an hour, and stopped to check it, with no problems then. I checked about 90 minutes later, and still no problems, so I carried on.

About another 90 minutes or so later, I started a long climb over the Kaimai range. Now I am driving a diesel automatic, and I had the foot floored the whole way up, managing to keep at 70kmh. Of course this was a hard workout for the car, and about a third of the way up I heard the distinctive "pop" of a tyre blowing (not a bang, as my MTB has low pressure tyres).

I continued on after telling myself I will stop as soon as there is a place to pull over. By the halfway point of the climb, I can see smoke rising between the two bikes and the back of the car, and I'm starting to get a bit concerned.

Two thirds of the way up there is a scenic view point, where I pulled over. As soon as I got out I could smell the burnt rubber. I go to the back of the car to see the Tyre, and stickers on the rim smoking really bad at the bottom of the wheel. Also both bikes are completely covered on diesel soot on the wheels on that side of the car, and the MTB wheel is extremely hot, and the road bike wheel was warmish.

I sat there for a good 20 minutes letting things cool down, then drove the rest of the climb, and the rest of my journey very carefully, not letting the engine work too much.

Today I took the tyre off the wheel and gave it a bit of a wipe down with a rag. The rim appears to be fine, but the Tyre, tube and rim tape are all stuffed. Thank fully, 62vette and greywolf are both locals where I am staying, and have offered to lend me the parts I need to ride around down here. Thank you guys!

In the meantime, I have to work out how I am going to get both bikes home without a repeat performance. Possibly MTB in the car (station wagon) and the road on the rack, as it doesn't hang as low down.

I will keep you posted on how I get along.


DieselDan
04-20-05, 07:22 PM
Have you tried putting the bike on the rack the other way, with the front wheel on the oppisite side of the car from the tailpipe?

AndrewP
04-20-05, 08:32 PM
Try to use other parts of the bike to hang it on the rack, such as the downtube or rim instead of the top tube. Put an extension on the exhaust pipe. Take the front wheel off and put it in the trunk/boot.


luker
04-20-05, 10:10 PM
Its a darned good thing you didn't spring for pricey carbon rims!

bmw_maniac
04-25-05, 09:07 PM
Hello,

Yea as I said I was aware of the potential problem, and thought that the bike was fine where it was. On the way home I will either mount it differently or put it in the back of the wagon and just leave the roadie on the rack.

Thanks for the suggestions

matheprat
04-26-05, 09:37 AM
I'm sorry, but that's pretty funny! I like the way you carried on after you saw smoke.
Anyway, you could try just taking off the front wheel of your bike and put it inside the car instead? Seems like a logical solution.

'nother
04-26-05, 10:49 AM
Its a darned good thing you didn't spring for pricey carbon rims!
Yeah, now he has the cheaper "carbonized" ones :)

bmw_maniac
05-03-05, 04:22 AM
I'm sorry, but that's pretty funny! I like the way you carried on after you saw smoke.
Anyway, you could try just taking off the front wheel of your bike and put it inside the car instead? Seems like a logical solution.

Well if you read my original post a bit closer, I said I stopped as soon as I could. I wasn't going to stop in the middle of a hill with no shoulder with cars and some powerful trucks coming up behind me at 100kmh. I'm not kidding, there was no shoulder, the side of the lane was the start of a huge drop into the valley.

On the way home, I managed to get both bikes (fully assembled), my big travel bag, tool box, back pack, 2 helmets, 2 boxes of "stuff" and a bike rack into the boot of the car, and nothing rubbed against anything! Wow I think that level of inteligence nearly made up for the lack of it on the way there - ok so probably far from it, but anyway!

Brian
05-03-05, 04:39 AM
This never would have happened on the South Island. :D You get to ride in New Zealand. I'd cook two tires for a chance to ride the tracks around Rotorua.