Tandem Cycling - Tire go *BANG*!

Sunday morning, ready to roll out. The usual quick pre-check and pump up the tires. Uh-oh, pin looks bent on the presta valve. I try to carefully pump it up, pull the pump head off...pin has *disappeared*, all air comes whooshing out. Oh well, knew I'd have to change a tire *someday* (no flats since acquisition last September). Put in the new tube, roll it around, check the bead, etc. Put in about 20 lbs, inspect again, checking that the bead is good and no tube is exposed or caught. Pump it up to 100 lbs, set wheel aside to look at disk brake and I hear a sound like a velcro strip being opened...then *BAM*, tire explodes! Ears ringing and startled, I take a look. The Continental Gatorskin is ripped at the sidewall and pulled away from the wire bead. This tire is less than a year old and we probably have about 1,000-1,200 miles on it. No idea what might have caused it, I doubt a new tube would rip a sidewall? Should I replace with another (28c) Gatorskin? Should I leave the front as is, or replace both at same time?

I assume there was nothing that caught your eye during the seating check you did? Rears do wear faster than fronts. You can probably still run the front but now you have experience of one more thing to check :). There was a thread in the Mechanics forum about tire wear and replacement, http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=206796.

Many seem to like the Gatorskins. Up to you though on continuing. Search this forum, there have been a couple threads within the last few months with chimes on peoples favorites. Gatorskins are always mentioned.

I have never experienced that particular failure but that sounds cool. From a scientific standpoint you were able to see a slow motion failure of a sidewall. Maybe write to Continental. They might feel generous and give you a new one, a coupon or a great big "Thanks for the info!" :). After this you'll be thinking more about carrying a foldup tire if you are not already ;).

Those failures are quite loud aren't they? I have only had 1 or 2 burst unexpectedly like that. The good thing is that they don't seem to happen on the bike but shortly after inflation. I have not been on tandems too long or under heavy load conditions though. I would guess there to be an increased risk of an on the bike abrupt failure than on a single. Anyone have one and care to share?

I'm glad you're SO did not hear it and come out to find you laying on the floor thinking you had been shot!

Good Luck.

It's a bit scary isn't it when a tyre goes bang like that. We had a front one go last year while gong down hill at about 40 km/h. We hit the road fairly hard, and both sustained grazes, but luckily our two year old was unscathed beacuse his bike seat cocooned him well. After much investigation of brakes rubbing on the tyre, rims heating up too much (unlikely on such a hill we ride every day) etc, we were no wiser as to why it had happened, other then the sidewall of the tyre was compromised in some way.

Ian

We have had a our share of tire blow outs but always in the rear tire. Never in the front until last week when the front tire went out. It wasn't a blow out but the tire went from full pressure to completely flat in 2 seconds. We were doing about 20 MPH on the straight flats in the triple. I only had enough time to braze myself and shouted: "SLOWING". By the time we hit the pavement we were going less than 10 MPH, I guess. The tire came off the rim. The bike is fine a the stokers had only minor scratches.

We had a rear tire explode while riding but were able to stop safely. It was a foldable tire and I assumed it stretched since I was never able again to get it above 100 lbs without exploding off the rim.

Sidewalls on tandems do deteriorate from hits/bumps and prolonged exposure to UV rays. Sometimes there's a bad batch of tires too.
Rear tires on our tandems have lasted anywhere from several hundred miles to 3,000+! Average lifetime for us is around the 2,000 mile mark for rear, and 'bout 50% more for front. Did have a rear tire (a Schwinn LeTour) last for over 4,000 miles, but that was back in the early 80s.
Have had front tire blow at 30+ mph . . . just like riding a bronco! Used rear brake only to come to a stop.
A bit unnerving (especiall for Kay!), but do-able. Back tire blowouts (had several) are much easier to control than front ones.
Years back, we did some testing for a bike tire outfit (which will remain nameless) and blew 3 tires in about a week; including a back tire that blew off and had the tube wrap into the rear cog, creating an instant 'stop' + showering the guy that was drafting us with rubber innertube! Fortunately we did not crash, but needed a ride home!
The problem: the bead did not seat as well on some rims as on others.
Have used most major brands of tires on our tandems. Currently using the Maxxis Re-Fuse on rear of tandem and Detonator on the front, both 25mm. Just replaced the Re-Fuse rear as it had several small cust and one cut/slice about 1/4 inch long. Checking the inside of that tire, none of the cuts actually showed through the cords, which is unusual. Had 2,000+ on that tire and never had a flat (which is very unusual for us living most of the time in 'thorny' AZ).
Just our 2 cents worth .

Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

Pump it up to 100 lbs, set wheel aside to look at disk brake and I hear a sound like a velcro strip being opened...then *BAM*, tire explodes! Ears ringing and startled, I take a look. The Continental Gatorskin is ripped at the sidewall and pulled away from the wire bead. This tire is less than a year old and we probably have about 1,000-1,200 miles on it. No idea what might have caused it, I doubt a new tube would rip a sidewall? Should I replace with another (28c) Gatorskin? Should I leave the front as is, or replace both at same time?

There are several possibilities.... Despite your best efforts the bead may not have fully seated in the rim and "creeped" off enough to allow the tube to escape and blow. Or, given our very hot weather over the past week in Hotlanta, the adhesives that bind the cloth bead strip, wire bead, and tire together may have pulled apart unbeknownst to you and let go after the tire was re-inflated, again letting the tube escape and blow. Heck, I've even seen someone seriously over-inflate a tire because their pump's built in pressure gauge wasn't reading correctly.

Regardless, and absent any sidewall or tire casing cuts or abrasions from road debris, impacts, or a subtle brake rub, it's not always easy to establish the root case of a static blow-out that rips up the tire since the "evidince" may have been obscured by the explosive force of the tube. So, notwithstanding any evidence to indicate that there is a faulty batch of tires floating around, if you're happy with the wire-beaded Gatorskins I'd just move the front tire to the rear and put a new one on the front. Give the front tire a good looking over after you remove it and before reinstalling, with particular attention to the cloth bead's bond to the tire. If it looks like it's creaping or loose, get two new tires and see if your LBS will do a warranty replacement to cover the cost (hey, it never hurts to ask).

Bottom Line: Just be glad that it decided to blow in the garage instead of out on the ride. Let this also serve as a reminder that it's not a bad idea to keep a spare foldable tire on your tandem. Tandems are tough on tires and it's bad enough to get stranded when you're riding alone...

I was pumping this tiny 24" tire with a tiny pump, my face was so close to the tire... pump, pump, pump, io hear that tear noice too, and BING!!!! i cant see and i hear this pinging!!!

some power exploded out in to my face (i have glasses)... and my ears KILLED!.

next day was fine... the tire and tube had 3 ince holes in them right were my face was...

lol its like some one ripped you heart out...

From the description of the sidewall, I really doubt that the bead was improperly seated. The best way to assure proper bead seating is to put seven to ten strokes of the frame pump into the new tube before installing, only deflating the tube when all of the bead has been seated except for the section on either side of the valve.

It has been my experience that Continental clinchers are notoriously weak in the sidewalls. They tend to dry out and deteriorate much more quickly than other brands. I stopped using Conti Grand Prixs for this reason.

On most other tires, when the cord goes (probably from overinflation), the tire will deform slightly, but the tire won't blow right away. The tire will develop a bump that you feel as you're riding, and when you look at the tire, it will be a little crooked at the point of the fabric cord failure. If you leave it, it will eventually blow.

On Contis, you have to keep an eye on the sidewalls. They fail without warning, but you can sometimes see a slight bulge where a cut is starting. Because of the sidewall problem, I find Contis to be highly overrated quality-wise.

- L.