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03-14-03, 12:24 AM
Well on the commute tonight I had another flat on the Hemisphere Armadillo. Last time I checked thoroughly for a thorn or piece of glass that could have caused the first leak. I even turned the tire inside out and used a tissue to snag anything that might be there. I seriously took ove a half an hour to check the tire out before replacing the tube. I found nothing.
I'm beginning to wonder if it was the tube. I bought it from the worst LBS in Texas. I needed Presta valves so went there and he dug around in the back for awhile and came out with some sketchy looking boxes of tubes. They were so old that they were actually had to unroll... stuck together. The latest failue was two fold. I stopped to put some air in it as I knew it was failing but just wanted to make it anothe mile and a half. I noticed that the area aound the valve was leaking. I got in enough air (I remembered the pump this time :D ) to go about another 100 yards when it completely failed. So I carefully marked the position of the tire with regards to the tube and pulled it apart alongside the road. I was able to slightly inflate the tube enough to discover another pin hole leak. I examined the spot in the tire where the pinhole was on the tube and found absolutely nothing. Even scouring my finger against the inside of the tire. So, is it possible that the tube was just funky to begin with? I can imagine the valve area failing due to old age but pinhole leaks???
I am seriously loosing faith in this tire. One more unexplained failure this month and I'm gonna get something else. My Tioga city slickers never flatted once.. in 400 miles along the same commute. And they had over 1000 miles on them.
Thoughts???
Doug
I'm beginning to wonder if it was the tube. I bought it from the worst LBS in Texas. I needed Presta valves so went there and he dug around in the back for awhile and came out with some sketchy looking boxes of tubes. They were so old that they were actually had to unroll... stuck together. The latest failue was two fold. I stopped to put some air in it as I knew it was failing but just wanted to make it anothe mile and a half. I noticed that the area aound the valve was leaking. I got in enough air (I remembered the pump this time :D ) to go about another 100 yards when it completely failed. So I carefully marked the position of the tire with regards to the tube and pulled it apart alongside the road. I was able to slightly inflate the tube enough to discover another pin hole leak. I examined the spot in the tire where the pinhole was on the tube and found absolutely nothing. Even scouring my finger against the inside of the tire. So, is it possible that the tube was just funky to begin with? I can imagine the valve area failing due to old age but pinhole leaks???
I am seriously loosing faith in this tire. One more unexplained failure this month and I'm gonna get something else. My Tioga city slickers never flatted once.. in 400 miles along the same commute. And they had over 1000 miles on them.
Thoughts???
Doug