Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - New member with a problem... (long post)

Hi all.
I've been lurking her for awhile. I just took up biking after an almost 15 year hiatius, and after peaking at just over 345 pounds last fall I decided it was time to get rid of the excess. I was doing quite well, I had cut out unnecessay carbs, cut back on portions, and had started "exercising" by mowing our lawn with our riding mower.

All was going well, by the end of May I had lost 15-pounds. Then in the first week of June a co-worker died suddenly from a massive heart attack and stroke, he was only 4-years older than me. I knew then I needed to really get off my *****. I made an appointment for a physical 2-days later. To make a long story short it turns out I have high blood pressure, it's under control with medication and passed my cardiologists stress-test with flying colors. While I awaited my doctors assesments my wife suggested we start bicycling, and we did so, taking it easy until my follow-up this past thursday.

Here is where I started having troubles...

I have a Raliegh Dash Plus "mountain bike" I purchased in 1991. I replaced the tires and tubes the first week in June with Bontrager's, 700cx38mm.

Wednesday night I aired-up my tires to the maximum on the sidewall and went for a ride with my daughter, about 7-miles on the country road we live on and through a few developments. When I left for work the next morning I noticed my rear tire was completely flat. So I stopped by my LBS and picked-up a flat repair kit, and proceded to repair my tire after I got home. I quickly found the hole, it was on the wheel-side of the tube. I checked the wheel carefully but found nothing amiss. After reassembling the wheel and tire I couldn't get it to pressurize - there was another leak. I took the tube out again and found another hole, again on the wheel-side. Patched the new hole and reassembled the wheel and tire. This time I pressurized the tube to check for leaks before reinstalling it - all seemed good - untill I added air... had another leak! I pulled the tube out again and repaired it for the third time, and reinstalled it. It held air and I took it up to pressure after insuring nothing was pinched and the bead was seated. (Note - the only "tools" used are my fingers) I took it out and "rode the driveway" for 10-15 laps and went to bed.

I got up for work on Friday and lo-and behold - ANOTHER flat tire!

I stopped by my LBS on the way home from work and picked up 2-new tubes and proceded to replace the swiss-cheesed one. In the process I cleaned and polished the inside of the rim with a heavy-duty scotch-brite pad and looked for any reasons for the failures. All went well and I went for a fantastic 8-mile ride, blasted up a hill at 18 mph without missing a beat that I could barely climb 3-weeks ago. I looked forward to a nice long ride Saturday morning... Except, you guessed it - tire was flat as a pancake Saturday morning...

Went back to my LBS and bought a new cloth rim tape and got another flat kit, told them about the trouble, hoping they would replace the tube - no luck. Before replacing the rim tape I had my daughters boy friend look at the wheel, he was a competitive mountin bike racer in California and was sponsered by the bike shop he worked at. His appraisal was the same as mine - nothing looked amiss, no loose or broken spokes, the wheel was true, no obivous sharp edges - nothing. I removed the old tape cleaned everything once more and installed my last new tube. Had it all back together and was adjusting the rear derailer when the bike almost fell over - I had another flat!!

Out of desperation, I repaired my swiss-cheese tube (it seemed more substantial than the other tubes) and replaced the tube once again. Again all seemed well. I reinstalled everything, aired it up to 80 #'s (5-less than on the sidewall) and began cleaning up. As I sat there I heard a muffled pift and the hiss of air being released... I think I'm cursed...

So, my wife decides she will take my wheel & tire to another bike store in a town about 40-miles away. Since it's obvious I haven't a clue how to repair or replace inner tubes, and the LBS sells sub-standard products and won't stand behind them... I get a call at work today, my wife and daughter are on there way home. "Yes, the guy said it looked like you had pinched the tube when you installed it. And I got you 2-spares too," she says. Suddenly she excalims, "Well pull over then and check it!" I'm thinking they've had an accident... My wife comes back on line, "Your daughter thought she heard a hissing noise - yes, the tires flat again. We're taking it back..."

Got home tonight and got the rest of the story. The mechanic looked for burrs (didn't find any), replaced the rim-tape, this time with a rubber one, and put in a new tube. No charge for this last bit. I replaced the rim on the bike and went for a 7-mile ride, got back and was doing some cool-off laps in the driveway when I heard a strange sound. Yep - it happened again!!!

Sorry for the long rant, it's been a rough couple of days...

Thanks for listening.

Wilade

Are the leaks all occuring in the same place?

I'm sure the bike shop knows this, but rim tape comes in several widths. With a mountain bike, you need to use wider tape than what is used on road bikes. If for some silly reason they just used what they had laying around, maybe????

Be careful when taking the tube out, so you can line it back up with the rim and tire. Put a mark on the rim where the leak occurs, so you can look at that specific area of the wheel. There has to be something there.

Of course you have a perfectly good excuse to convince the wife you need a new bike.;)

Do you have a double walled rim?

I had issues with that earlier this year. I would have one to two flats per day. What I found on my tube after a flat was a tiny tear on the spoke side of the tube. And on further inspection I could see the start of more little tears. Once that happened my tires would go flat at the drop of a hat if I hit a small bump or they just got warm.

At this time I had an old piece of rubber rim tape on and after talking to my LBS what said was probably going on was the tube was being forced into the double wall causing the little tears. He put on some good rim tape, this stuff had an adhesive back, and the old rubber rim tape over it and I've been flat free since.

Are the leaks all occuring in the same place?

Nope, all different. But all on the inside of the tube.

Do you have a double walled rim?

No, it's rolled and formed into a hoop. I did see the same type of failures in the tube though.

*** UPDATE ***
While removing the wheel this morning I found I had picked up a staple in the tread. After work tonight I'll check it out further.

I may just use this as an excuse to get a new bike - my LBS has an '06 Specialized Allez triple for $649 I've had my eye on...

What tires are you using? I've found that some tires are easier to get on the rims than others. With the ones that are tough to install, I've found it very easy to create a "pinch flat" just installing the tire! I would expect it might be even easier to damage the tube if it were a large 700x38. I'm using 700x28 tires and tubes. Before buying a new bike, you might consider a new set of tires (and tubes, of course) just to see if that changes anything.

The staple in the tread wouldn't cause a hole in the rim side of the tube, though you did well to remove the staple before getting a flat on the tread side. This is quite the issue you are having...are the holes dead center or off to the side of the tube? As suggested above I would think this is a result of improperly sized rim tape. Maybe you could try putting the old rubber one back on then reapplying the cloth tape.

If you don't want to drop that kind of money on a new bike altogether you could just pick up a new rim. Very tempting deal on the Allez though...

Hi all.

So, my wife decides she will take my wheel & tire to another bike store in a town about 40-miles away. Since it's obvious I haven't a clue how to repair or replace inner tubes, and the LBS sells sub-standard products and won't stand behind them... I get a call at work today, my wife and daughter are on there way home. "Yes, the guy said it looked like you had pinched the tube when you installed it. And I got you 2-spares too," she says. Suddenly she excalims, "Well pull over then and check it!" I'm thinking they've had an accident... My wife comes back on line, "Your daughter thought she heard a hissing noise - yes, the tires flat again. We're taking it back..."

Got home tonight and got the rest of the story. The mechanic looked for burrs (didn't find any), replaced the rim-tape, this time with a rubber one, and put in a new tube. No charge for this last bit. I replaced the rim on the bike and went for a 7-mile ride, got back and was doing some cool-off laps in the driveway when I heard a strange sound. Yep - it happened again!!!

Sorry for the long rant, it's been a rough couple of days...

Thanks for listening.

Wilade

I think you need to replace the rim, get a piece of cloth, one that catches on stuff really easily, now, with the tire, and tube off, but rim tape in place, run the cloth around the inside of the rim, when it catches you have found the problem, it doesn't take much to puncture a tube. I think you need a new rim, of course to make installation of the new rim easiest, it should come with a new bicycle already installed:D

Thanks for the reply. I just picked up the staple last night - it just added insult to my "injury" though.

As for the rim tape - I replaced the orginal cloth one with another cloth one, and then the other bike shop changed that one to rubber.

I do like Wogsterca's suggestion though...
I think you need a new rim, of course to make installation of the new rim easiest, it should come with a new bicycle already installed

I agree with the rim tape theory. You need high quality tape and the correct width. I had the same problem on my wife's bike a few years back and since putting on the proper tape, it hasn't flatted since.

You should look at a nylon PVC rim tape.

With what you have invested, take it to your LBS and have them repair it. I know there are LBS in my area that offers "flat proof" tires. They cost around $40 from the LBS. I thing they load the tire up with green goo. I'm sure you aren't trying to cut grams from the weight of your bike. Around here the LBS will stand behind the product with a guarantee if they do the work.

I think I's try the rim tape + the rubber strip over it.

HI,
Sometimes if we use a high pressure air bottle it can push the tube and it may be hammered on a spoke.
I ve heard of this occuring if you use a car type hose to add air to a tire to much to fast causes it to press the tube onto a spoke at the bottom of the tires.
I use a slow to fill electric pump that take a min to reach desired amount.
Doug