Chief5286

Hi everyone. All help is appreciated.

My wife and I were out riding recently when suddenly there was a very loud bang. Sounded somewhat like a more powerful .22 rifle. Anyways, it was one of our front tubes popping. When we looked at the tube, there was a large rip, maybe 7-9" long running along the blue stripe that runs the circum. of the tube. The bikes had been on the back of the car for a couple of hours in the hot sun prior to riding. The tires were inflated to close to spec. at 50 psi, +/- 3lbs or so. We noticed on the tire side-wall that the max load was something like 195 lbs (we're both larger than that), though I'm not sure how that would affect the tube.

My question is, is there anything I can do in the future to prevent this from happening, and has anyone experienced the same?
Would running at a lower psi, say 45 psi, help at all?
Would being in the sun contribute to this (i would think the pressure might have increased a bit, and the rubber may have gotten softer?)

Do you bigger clydes (300+) use special tires/tubes or are normal ones adequate?
Thanks.

adrien

how old were the tubes? Rubber deteriorates...

Also -- were they the right size? An amazing number of LBSs use one size for 700c, and end up over inflating a tube designed for a 23 when they put it in a 38.

Sounds like it falied along a seam.

I use "regular" tubes with a kevlar band in the tires. But I also use the right size for the tire, and when i change the casette (about every 1500-2000 miles) i change to new tubes.

Chief5286

The tubes were only a few weeks old. As for the size, I'm not sure as they were the ones that came on the bike.

bdinger

I use cheapo Nashbar road tubes on my hybrid/flat bar roadie, and I used Specialized anti-thorn tubes o my MTB. The road tubes have made it almost 500 miles (I had to replace both stock tubes around 100 miles thanks to thorns..) with no problems, and the Specialized tubes have nearly 900 on them.. both under my 370-ish pound butt!

Make sure they are the right size for the bike, and run your tires at the maximum PSI. WIthout problems, you will be

(51)

I'm 300+ and I have not had a tube (Bontrager) issue in over 5,500 miles. I run my tires (700x35) at 80PSI. I change the tubes when I get my tires changed and my spokes trued every 2,000 miles.

bdinger

51, and sorry OP for sidetracking this thread, how many miles do you get out of your Bontragers? I'm running the "Race Lite Hardcase" 700x32's and after almost 600 they're starting to actually look pretty worn. Well, the rear more than the front.. but yaknow..

adrien

did you check the inside of the tires? there may be an imperfectioon on the surface that caused this.

beyond that, i think it's a fluke. Tubes aren't exactly a high-cost, high-tech item. sometimes you just get a bad one (I had one with a bad valve that never really stopped leaking).

Chief5286

I did check the rim, though I think I'll do so again just to be sure.

My concern about the tube is safety. Luckily we were going pretty slow on a trail when this happened and nobody crashed. It might have been a bigger problem if we were riding faster around town.

From your posts, it seems like a fluke. I hope it is.

Thanks for the replies.

adrien

also look at the inside casing of the tire itself, and see if there are any foreign objects in there.

90%, it's a fluke.

brodie

this has happened to me twice.both times on - BELL - tubes i purchased at wal mart.
riding along - boom - somebodys shooting at me ?
ive got a kenda tube im gonna try out later today just holding it, it does feel a little thicker.
maybe some tubes are better than other.
you and, i were lucky we didnt get injured.

brodie

i did my usual and,googled about this.read a lot of stuff about it and, tried a few things.
the tire that the tube blew up on, i switched to the front wheel.
then i switched my front tire onto my back rim. but it still didnt feel right.
so i went and got a different tire. a gumwall made by -national tire company- and voila,problem solved.

ALSO,MY AIRPUMP IS CRAP. I am learning not to be to cheap. just on a lark when i switched this stuff around,i took the tires to my -LBS- and used their blackburn pump.
my pump had said 70 psi, but it didnt even register on the blackburn pump.
so i pumped them up to 70 and,i couldnt believe the difference. i bought a -real-pump at my LBS, And i think i will shoot them up to 80 psi and, leave good enough alone.

BUT THE POINT I WANTED TO MAKE WAS-some rim and tire combos dont play well together as i found out.some do.
so maybe if your having the same failures,try switching things around.

Chief5286

Hope it works out for you.

We took the bikes out last night for a spin after replacing the busted tube. I think the one we bought was of better quality (we bought a cheap one to keep in the saddle bag and a more expensive one to use).

Like I said before, a tube explosion could cause a serious accident if one was riding with any kind of speed. Luckily we weren't. I'm just hopin' that replacing the factory crap will be enough.