Recumbent - Time for another new tube - Catrike Trail

The other day I went out and bought a new tube at my LBS after one of my Catrike Trail's tubes blew out. I replaced the tube, and went for a nice long ride with no problems. The next day, I went out into the garage to ride again, and the brand new tube was flat! :( I was very careful while installing the tube to check for any debris sticking through the tire. I assume I bought a bad quality tube, or I coincidentally hit some glass while riding.

Anyhow, I need a new 20'' (presta) tube. I'm using Schwalbe Marathon tires. Previously, the LBS helped me out and I ended up buying a Cheng Shin tube, which I was weary of because I had never heard of the brand before. The tube reads 20x 1.25/1.50. Should I be looking for something in particular? I suppose I could deflate one of the other (still stock) tubes and see what they are, but I thought I'd post first as it's rather difficult to remove the tube while the wheel is on the trike (I had some problems removing the wheel, discs got in the way.)

So if anyone has any recommendations, let me know. Maybe tomorrow I'll check out the other tubes and post back here in case anyone else is wondering.

Edit; My tire reads "20x1.50". I'm mainly interested in hearing brand/model recommendations, I know what 'format' I need.

Cheng Shin makes lots of tubes and tires too. But tubes shouldn't just blow out. Take the tube out of the tire and see where the hole is. It may help in trouble-shooting if you note which way the tube is mounted, so you can check the wheel/tire for the cause of the hole. Is it a small poke, or is it a blowout? Is it on the tread side or the spoke side? Or is it at the base of the valve? The location and type of hole will give you a clue as to what happened. And how to prevent the next one.

I exaggerated- I said 'blow out', I really just noticed it was flat in my garage.

Current tube: spoke side, small hole. I ran my finger across the rim in the relative location of the puncture and saw/felt absolutely nothing. I'm thinking a small fragment of 'something' may have got in there while I was replacing it.

I don't think this could be the problem, but a few weeks ago I was speeding down a hill, and had to do a quick turn to dodge a small paint can. The right wheel lifted up, and slammed down (the tube in question is the right tube). This little incident happened about 1.5 weeks before the first flat tire. I estimate that I rode about 30 miles between the accident and the flat. The impact wasn't extremely hard (about six inches of elevation), but it was enough to knock my mirror out of my left bar-end. I assume the wheels can handle this sort of thing, or could an accident like this cause a problem, even though there is no visible damage(i.e. a protruding spoke)? Maybe I'll try a new rim if the next tube goes flat shortly after installation.

Is your rim tape in good shape?

Is your rim tape in good shape?

Yes, it seems to be.

Inspect the rim for any burrs. If you don't find any, then replace the rim tape. Sometimes the tape can get a small cut and will expose the spoke hole only under pressure from the tube. Sometimes it is because the edge of the tape is too close to the edge of the hole and gets pushed in; again, only under pressure. Bottom line is, you can have a rim tape problem and it might not be obvious.

Remember, wide rim tape goes on narrow rims, narrow rim tape goes on wide rims. There's a reason for that, but don't ask me to explain it.

If your rim tape is fine, I would question if I had pinched it with a tire lever when putting it on. I had one the other day with a new bike. I kept track of the way the tube was in the tire luckily because without that, I would never have found the little thorn that had come through. I could only feel it when I flexed the tire just right. I also switched to an Inline extra thick tube and a Big Apple tire. It is on my folder with an internal gear hub so I don't want to deal with it on the road with a flat if I don't have to.

or you could have pinched the tube while installing tire onto the rim. I did that once as a new rider and didn't know what I had done until later, good lesson.......My 2c worth

50% of fixing a flat is determining what caused it. It is a good rule to also ways have the name logo of the tire in position over the valve stem when you mount your tires. That way you have an easy referance point on both the tire and rim when you are locating the cause of the puncture.

The Park Tool Web site is a good quick referance for repairs including tires and tubes.
http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=100

I bought a new tube from my LBS last night. I centered the rim tape, inspected the tire, and installed the new tube. Went for a pretty long ride too. I'm guessing a little piece of debris got in the tire last time, or I twisted it while installing. So far so good, thanks for all the help.