Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 9,834
Likes: 1,810
From: Northern California
Bikes: Cheltenham-Pedersen racer, Boulder F/S Paris-Roubaix, Varsity racer, '52 Christophe, '62 Continental, '92 Merckx, '75 Limongi, '76 Presto, '72 Gitane SC, '71 Schwinn SS, etc.
Yeah, what kind of "pop" are we talking about?
One situation that often arises is tubes failing (rupturing) on the rim side, to either side of the valve-stem "pad", due to the thicker rubber not easily falling fully into a narrow rim's inside cavity, so the thinner rubber to each side of the pad ruptures as the tube's thinner rubber is pushed deep into the rim cavity by air pressure. The cure for this can be a combination of a larger-section inner tube and/or giving the valve a tug as the tire is just starting to be inflated, before air pressure pins the tube against the inside of the tire casing. Wider tires on narrower rims create an outward-jutting sidewall that creates a step or "inside corner" in the inner shape of the tire/rim space, which the tube must get dragged past in order for narrower tube to fully expand into the rim cavity without too much localized stretching.
So first thing is to note whether the tube failures are happening in the same location relative to the rim and valve.