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11-11-03, 10:37 AM
Okay, I'm sure this will qualify as a stupid question, so please be kind in your responses. I have changed a total of two tubes, ever in my life.
I just recently changed a flat rear tire and tube on an ancient Schwinn that I use just for kicks and getting around when the cars are all gone. I had no problem at all getting the bead on the rim, which made me suspicious immediately. I rode around the block, and felt a "kick" from the back tire once every revolution. When I got off the bike, there was a barely perceptible difference in the tire at the valve stem. (A little bigger.) Figuring I pinched the sucker, I deflated the tire, worked the bead with my hands till it looked seated again, reinflated it, and tried again, very very slowly.
This time, after about 20 minutes of riding around the block to see if the "kicking" I felt was from something other than the tire itself, I got off to notice the area near the stem bulging. After I braked and got off, there was a terrific bang and green goo went flying all over the place. (The only kind of tubes I can find to fit this bike are the self-sealing ones, which have green goo in them. I had trouble inflating the front tire when I changed it also...would only go to about 40 psi without balking until I rode it for a couple of hours.)
Am I trying to overinflate these "goo" tubes? The tire says max 90 psi, but I can't manage more than 60 without getting into trouble. Did I just pinch the tube when I put it on? I had no trouble with the first one I did, with the exception of inflation weirdness at first. My experience is that I can ride for months on the same tube if I'm careful. Before I moved down here, I had the bike shop change the flats because I heard it was hard to do, but there's no shop here anymore. Any advice? I'd like to be able to ride more than an hour on a tube. Thanks.
I just recently changed a flat rear tire and tube on an ancient Schwinn that I use just for kicks and getting around when the cars are all gone. I had no problem at all getting the bead on the rim, which made me suspicious immediately. I rode around the block, and felt a "kick" from the back tire once every revolution. When I got off the bike, there was a barely perceptible difference in the tire at the valve stem. (A little bigger.) Figuring I pinched the sucker, I deflated the tire, worked the bead with my hands till it looked seated again, reinflated it, and tried again, very very slowly.
This time, after about 20 minutes of riding around the block to see if the "kicking" I felt was from something other than the tire itself, I got off to notice the area near the stem bulging. After I braked and got off, there was a terrific bang and green goo went flying all over the place. (The only kind of tubes I can find to fit this bike are the self-sealing ones, which have green goo in them. I had trouble inflating the front tire when I changed it also...would only go to about 40 psi without balking until I rode it for a couple of hours.)
Am I trying to overinflate these "goo" tubes? The tire says max 90 psi, but I can't manage more than 60 without getting into trouble. Did I just pinch the tube when I put it on? I had no trouble with the first one I did, with the exception of inflation weirdness at first. My experience is that I can ride for months on the same tube if I'm careful. Before I moved down here, I had the bike shop change the flats because I heard it was hard to do, but there's no shop here anymore. Any advice? I'd like to be able to ride more than an hour on a tube. Thanks.