Originally Posted by
superj
i went to the store and found two tube sizes that seem like they are the same, 700xsomething and the one is on the side of the tire. so i grab the one thats on the tire but am wondering can i use that other size tube if this odd size ever become hard to find. my googling says no, they are not interchangeable so i am worried that i might be stuck some day.
Tubes are just air bladders, and will expand until stopped by the tire. They're usually labeled to cover more than one wheel/tire size. A slightly smaller-than-specified tube is easier to install than one that's slightly bigger. Plenty of room for rideable improvisations here, if circumstances calls for it. 700C(622 mm ETRTO) vs 27" (630 mm ETRTO) is perfectly fine, just watch out for the width a little.
Tires are another matter. A 27" tire won't stay seated on a 700C rim, and a 700C tire won't mount properly(if you get it on at all) on a 27" rim.
(although you can use a 700C solid AKA airless AKA airfree tire on a 27" rim, if the width is right. Mounting it is a beast though.)
Originally Posted by
superj
... i put some of that green slime stuff in because i wanted to see where i have a leak and see how i had such an odd sounding leak because i had never heard such a weird leak.
Well, that's a novel way of searching for a flat, I'll give you that.
Originally Posted by
superj
can i use a non slick tire also?
Sure. Slicks are ideal for hard, smooth surfaces, but treads do better on pretty much everything else.
Originally Posted by
superj
like is it ok to put a tire that has a little grip on it on the rim?
Grip in this case referring to traction against the road? See above.
Originally Posted by
superj
these tires are like racing slicks and i feel like if i run over a small sharp rock i am going to blow out my tire. .. i feel like a smooth treaded tire will have a bit more protection then that smooth high speed tire.
Yes/No/Maybe.The things that'll decide how puncture resistant a tire is are basically the thickness of the material where tire meets road, rubber quality and to some degree thread count/thread strength.(you know there's a textile structure encased in the rubber, right?)
So a lightweight tire like the Hutchinson Top Slick has a very thin casing and will suffer penetrating flats rather easily.
A mid-range, commuter friendly tire like Continental Sport Contact will have almost three times the thickness(when new) and be a lot more flat resistant despite being pretty much equally slick.
A knobbly/ridged, light-weight tire will have a really thin casing between the knobs/ridges, so flat resistance will be hit & miss.
Again, puncture resistance is mainly dependent on the distance the tire can provide between something sharp and the tube, so smooth & thick can/will do just as well as a threaded of the same thickness.
Originally Posted by
superj
i had a "blow out" ... yesterday... the weird thing is that it didn't "blow out" but more "wooosh" out. it made a very loud wooossshhhhhh and took about 40 seconds to airdown. it was extremely odd.
I dunno 'bout that. If your tube was penetrated or split a little, that's about what I'd expect for a certain hole size. As long as the tire remains intact, it'll act as a flow limiter preventing the instantaneous venting of the tube.
Originally Posted by
superj
... i filled the inner tube and ... the tire was staying solid and not leaking. .
That, however, is a bit odd. Flats usually don't repair themselves. But I have had leaks by the valve stem that wouldn't make themselves known outside certain conditions.
Originally Posted by
superj
...suddenly the rear tire exploded .
Did the tire burst or just come off? I've shredded a tire due to overinflation, and I've had a bead fail on me while JRA. But that's pretty much it.
I've heard that having the tube pinched underneath the bead may cause the tube to burst, but that'll usually heave the tire intact.
Make sure to check if the rims are hooked or not, as unhooked rims can hold a lot less pressure.