Bicycle Mechanics - Flat while pumping

Hey all I'm not a big bike guy but am striving to become one.
So please excuse my lack of use of proper termonology.

I purchased a tire pressure gage today and found that I have been riding around on 80psi road bike. So I decided to fill them to near max(125psi) so I filled them to 120psi when I returned from supper I found on tire flat. Cool enough my first flat repair I can handle this I'm at home. So I bust the tire and patch it. I then put it back on to the rim and pump up, I was getting pretty close to max and it burst, in an entirely diffrent place. So I bust the tire again patch and start to reinflate psssssst it popped again, diffrent place. So again I patch and start to reinflate boom it goes again. And I begin to wonder what the hell is wrong w/ me. I checked the tube/rim/tire for any obstructions and found none. After reviewing the web on how to fix flats the only thing I can figure is that I did'nt prefill the tube at all before install this may have caused the new flat while pumping some how, it seems like the flats may have something to do w/ the places where the spokes stick through eventhough there is a good solid rubber piece there. Am I creating some kind of pinch flat between the spoke portusion and rim or what ever. I really have no idea here please help.

thanks,
Joseph

Joseph,

bad luck on the punctures. There are a couple of things I would check in this situation.

1) is the tube and tyre in good condition (apart from the repairs already made, which chould be fine)?.

2) Is the rim tape OK - are there any signs of spokes poking through or, if the rim is of the double walled type, does it cover all the holes that give access to the spokes below?

3) When installing the tube and tire, make sure that once you have both beads of the tire on the wheel rim, the tube is not trapped before you start pumping. Inflate just a couple of pumps and check by working around the tire pulling it away from the rim so that you can see inside the wheel.

I hope this helps. If I missed anything, Im sure another BF member will jump in with advice - Folks here are great. Of course you can resort to taking the whole lot to the bike shop - it is a great idea to have a couple of spare tubes anyway - I would never ride without a spare and a patch kit.

Good luck,

Ed

Patch and inflate one more time. This time, when it pops, note how the tube is oriented with the wheel, so when you find the hole in the tube, you can match it exactly to the location on the rim or tire. Anything there that would cause the problem?

hcivic91,

* Make sure that whenever you fix flats, you check the entire tire (both inside and outside) for remaining pieces of glass, etc. I do this checkup both with the eyes and the index finger.

* Yes, pumping up the tube a little bit before reinstalling the tire is a good idea.

* Your plan of running 120psi tires is likely to receive some criticism in this Forum. Be warned. :D More and more cyclists believe in lower pressure (more convenient and--as they say--less punctures). Personally I do still like the 110-120 psi setup for good roads.

I think Ed has probably covered most possibilities.

Thanks for your help guys,
here is some more info that may help.
On the two flats which happened while pumping
I can see exactaly where it happened right where
the spoke stickes through both flats at diffrent spoke
places. I did feel around and the spokes were/are well protected.
When I look at the tube it looks like it was stetched right at the spoke nipples then tore... if that makes any sense. could this be my problem.

thanks again,
Joseph

Hard to say, but it sure seems to add up. Depends, too, on the kind of rim. It sounds like the spoke ends protrude, rather then being recessed? I used to have a rim like that. Does the rim tape completely cover the spoke end? Doesn't matter if it bulges or is recessed... the rim tape should completely fill the area from sidewall to sidewall. I'm also suspicious that maybe the tube is old and the rubber a little rotten. Is that a possibility?

I went to the LBS last nite and had them show me how to fix it, and guess what almost home in rush hour traffic I hear it blow in the trunk. So back to the LBS this time they replaced the rim tape and it seems after 15m last night and 19.5m commute in this AM to be fine. So well hope its solved.
At least I know how to change a flat now!

thanks for your help again,
Joseph