Strange issues with front tire / tube
02-04-15, 10:28 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: mars
Posts: 759
Bikes: 2015 synapse
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Strange issues with front tire / tube
So I pumped both my tires up to 110 PSI before I headed out for a date today.
Ride there went fine. Hung out with the girl for a few hours then got ready to roll out.
Realized my front tire was 100% flat.
Took a quick look at it and couldn't find a single thing wrong with its external appearance. No holes, no shards of glass or anything poking through it.
Pumped it back up to 110 and rode to work just fine.
Throughout my shift I kept checking the tire. Felt it losing PSI over the hours.
Got home and checked the PSI again without pumping it up anymore. It had gone from 110 to 45 over the course of 8 hours.
I just pumped it up again and I'm going to see where its at in the morning and probably take the wheel off and inspect the tube too. Just seemed a little unusual.
Ride there went fine. Hung out with the girl for a few hours then got ready to roll out.
Realized my front tire was 100% flat.
Took a quick look at it and couldn't find a single thing wrong with its external appearance. No holes, no shards of glass or anything poking through it.
Pumped it back up to 110 and rode to work just fine.
Throughout my shift I kept checking the tire. Felt it losing PSI over the hours.
Got home and checked the PSI again without pumping it up anymore. It had gone from 110 to 45 over the course of 8 hours.
I just pumped it up again and I'm going to see where its at in the morning and probably take the wheel off and inspect the tube too. Just seemed a little unusual.
02-04-15, 10:43 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 18,053
Bikes: Stewart S&S coupled sport tourer, Stewart Sunday light, Stewart Commuting, Stewart Touring, Co Motion Tandem, Stewart 3-Spd, Stewart Track, Fuji Finest, Mongoose Tomac ATB, GT Bravado ATB, JCP Folder, Stewart 650B ATB
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4194 Post(s)
Liked 3,837 Times
in
2,295 Posts
Slow leaks are fairly common. Tiny prick, scuffed spot or poor valve seal. Look again. Maybe try water immersion to track the bubbles. before taking the tube out of the tire mark on the tire where the valve is to help track around the tire once the hole is found on the tube. Andy.
02-04-15, 10:46 PM
#3
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: mars
Posts: 759
Bikes: 2015 synapse
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Yeah I'm probably going to end up doing the water trick unless I see something obvious on the tube.
02-05-15, 11:26 AM
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 9,438
Bikes: Trek 5500, Colnago C-50
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 7 Times
in
6 Posts
Not unusual in the areas I ride. Slow leaks are most commonly caused by goatheads, grass burrs, and wire coming from car and truck tires (steel belts).
Unrelated to your flat- if 110 psi is the best pressure for your rear tire, your front tire needs something more like 100 psi. The rear carries a much higher portion of the total weight.
https://www.dorkypantsr.us/bike-tire-...alculator.html
Unrelated to your flat- if 110 psi is the best pressure for your rear tire, your front tire needs something more like 100 psi. The rear carries a much higher portion of the total weight.
https://www.dorkypantsr.us/bike-tire-...alculator.html
Last edited by Al1943; 02-05-15 at 11:31 AM.
02-05-15, 12:06 PM
#6
Banned
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: lower mitten
Posts: 1,555
Bikes: With round 700c & 26" wheels
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
- get rid of the old tube
- run cotton swab over the inside of the tire. Anything sharp will catch cotton, and you will be able to see the little bastard. Run cotton swab several times, different ways...Sometimes you may find not just one piece of rusted wire or glass in...there may be few in at the same time. If you can't find anything from the inside, check outside in the same way.
- remove all the crap from the tire
- put the new tube in
- enjoy the ride until another flat
02-05-15, 12:37 PM
#7
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: mars
Posts: 759
Bikes: 2015 synapse
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Luckily it's still holding air well enough that I can ride it to the bike shop. Gonna grab a new tube and replace the handlebar tape with black I'm thinkin...
Thanks for the cotton swab tip, I'll keep that in mind next time I do my own repair. I think I'm letting the LBS do this one because I bought a service plan with my bike that includes free flat repairs. Might as well take advantage of that and be lazy / keep my hands clean
Thanks for the cotton swab tip, I'll keep that in mind next time I do my own repair. I think I'm letting the LBS do this one because I bought a service plan with my bike that includes free flat repairs. Might as well take advantage of that and be lazy / keep my hands clean
02-05-15, 01:11 PM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Bastrop Texas
Posts: 4,464
Bikes: Univega, Peu P6, Peu PR-10, Ted Williams, Peu UO-8, Peu UO-18 Mixte, Peu Dolomites
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 955 Post(s)
Liked 1,619 Times
in
1,039 Posts
WOW... Letting someone else work on your bike... interesting concept... Especially from NC home of NASCAR... But then again... They don't change their flats either...
Just messing dude, really, did you rule out a possible flat from girlfriend wanting you to stay over???
02-05-15, 01:32 PM
#10
aka Tom Reingold
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Posts: 40,495
Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem
Mentioned: 511 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7342 Post(s)
Liked 2,441 Times
in
1,425 Posts
This is a very common type of puncture. Very common.
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
02-06-15, 05:44 PM
#11
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 2,468
Bikes: Co-Motion Cappuccino Tandem,'88 Bob Jackson Touring, Co-Motion Cascadia Touring, Open U.P., Ritchie Titanium Breakaway, Frances Cycles SmallHaul cargo bike. Those are the permanent ones; others wander in and out of the stable occasionally as well.
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 427 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 339 Times
in
229 Posts
Does she have a jealous ex?
02-06-15, 05:54 PM
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Above ground, Walnut Creek, Ca
Posts: 6,681
Bikes: 8 ss bikes, 1 5-speed touring bike
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 86 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times
in
4 Posts
i would want to make sure that the LBS is informed of the overnight 80% deflation.
02-07-15, 02:35 PM
#15
Señor Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 5,066
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 649 Post(s)
Liked 292 Times
in
215 Posts
Don't replace the tube if you can find the hole and it isn't at the valve. Patching a tube with a proper 'vulcanizing' patch kit is a complete and perfect repair when done properly and costs 1/10 of a new tube. Also, when you are able to do it consistently and relatively quickly you never need to carry more than one spare. The ideal situation would be to replace your tube once and patch the punctured one and patch it and keep it as your spare.
Often small holes are a result of tiny tiny shards of glass, steel wires, or thorns that are partially embedded in the tire. Note the location of the valve stem before you remove the tire then when you find the hole in the tube you can trace it back to the correct location on the tire. When I mount tires I try to remember to put the label of the tire so it is centred over the valve hole so I always know where the hole is.
Often small holes are a result of tiny tiny shards of glass, steel wires, or thorns that are partially embedded in the tire. Note the location of the valve stem before you remove the tire then when you find the hole in the tube you can trace it back to the correct location on the tire. When I mount tires I try to remember to put the label of the tire so it is centred over the valve hole so I always know where the hole is.
