scarpi41

I know, I know, a real newbe question, but I just got a flat and am gonna change it myself. But my(road bike tires)tires werent filled to the max, but they werent exactly flat. And after about 2 hours of riding, they were looking alittle low. But I kinda dismissed it, and ended up on this bumpy back road, when i hit some debrie and some uneven pavement and i feel the rims hitting the ground and look back-sure enough-I had a flat. So how do i check for a blow out, and do I check the tire or the tube? I have been riding for years, and this is my first flat im wanna change myself. Please help

ppc

It sounds like you had a pinch-flat. What you should do:

- Mark on the tire where the valve is with a piece of chalk
- Remove the tire and tube
- Inflate the tube (not too much, it's outside the tire) until you either see where the puncture(s) is directly, or feel the jet of air on your tongue, or drop the tube in a bucket of water and see where bubbles come out. If you have 2 holes close to each other, or even a slit, it's probably a pinch-flat.
- Patch the puncture (follow the instructions in your patch kit box, especially the bit that says to wait for the glue to cure before applying the patch).
- Check the tube again to ensure there are no other leaks
- Check the inside of the tire carefully, with a clean hand, around where the leak was on the tube (that's why you marked the position of the valve on the tire before taking it off. If there's something sharp sticking out, you'll feel it. Take your time, sometimes it's embedded in the rubber and only pricks out when the tire's rubber is compressed. Check on the other side of the tire as well. To be complete, run your hand along the rest of the inside of the tire as well.
- Check that the rim liner is clean and nothing sharp is on it. If you have a plastic rim liner, ensure the edges aren't sharp/sticking out. If you're not sure, change to a soft liner.
- Remount the tube and the tire. Inflate. Enjoy your ride

ctp

Well a "blow out" will generally have a tattered edge on a larger hole on the tube, whereas a puncture will be a small, tidy, and sometimes hard to locate hole. A blowout can only happen if the tube can get to the outside world thru a hole in the tire's casing, or if a tire isn't seated properly and the bead slips of the rim. Barring those two I bet you have a puncture.

The other option is a "snake bite" or pinch flat, which happens when your tube gets pinched in a fold of tire on severe bumps, curb edges, rocks, etc. It looks like two parallel holes close together on the side of your tube.

scarpi41

ok real newb question, i have my tire lever but cant get the tire off the rim..anysuggestions?

Al1943

Pump up your road bike tires before each ride, close to the recommended maximum pressure.

Al

roccobike

To remove tires I always need at least 2 levers, and for some tight tires, I find it best to use three, taking small increments of tire over the rim at a time. If you try to take too much of the tire over the rim with each lever, you may damage the rim or break the lever. If you still have a problem, try three levers, two holding their place, and adding a small increment of the tire with the third. Hope this helps.

roccobike

Oh, one more observation, and I'm sure you know this, only take one side of the tire over the rim. Then you can remove the tube while the other tire rim remains in place. I only remove a tire when I'm changing tires.

Brian

2 things here.

One, index your tires. The "Hot patch", or label, should be at the valve. Makes it much easier to check your tire for damage or foreign matter by comparing the damage to the tube.

Two, always start opposite the valve when changing a flat. With the valve on the bottom, pull the tire up/push the rim down. Gives you plenty of slack for getting the tire off. MTB tires rarely require tools, road tires almost always.

roccobike

Gee Expatriate, Your good! I still use tools to remove my MTB tires. Guess I need to practice.
By the way scarpi41, be sure to check your rim strip after you remove the tube. You want to be sure no spoke nipples are exposed to the tube. I know it's a long shot, but it happened to my freind, the rim strip moved off of one nipple. That's where his tube had a hole.

Brian

It makes no sense that a nipple would cause a flat. If your spoke is too long, it still shouldn't protrude into the rim, unless it's a very sad, flat, single wall hoop. Most hoops are double wall and/or aero, and the nipple is well below the surface. But the holes may have a rough surface that will slice a tube. That's why I prefer cloth rim tape.

ctp

I'd probably drive some of you crazy how I change tubes. I rarely use levers unless I have to - depends on the wheel and tire combo. Then I ALWAYS remove the entire tire. It's so much easier to use both sets of fingertips to feel the inside of the casing for any pokey bits. That's also the time to inpect the rim strip. Then I put the tube back in the tire with just enough air for it to keep its shape, I insert the valve stem into the hole on the rim, install one side of the tire starting at the valve, make sure the tube slips over the rim all the way around, then install the other side of the tire starting at the valve, making sure to not pinch the tube anywhere, also usually without levers unless I have to, and then air up...a little bit first to make sure the bead is seated all the way around on both sides, then the rest of the air goes in.

Most tires removal, inspection for pokey bits, and re-install...2 minutes...up to 3 minutes if I need levers. And a little more if I'm patching instead of replacing.

When people ask me to teach them they always ask me to slow down every time.

That's what racing, wrenching for a race team, and fixing hundreds of flats every year at Burning Man does to you.

lrzipris

On another recent thread that you might look out, "Constantly Flatting" (https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-mechanics/162247-constantly-flatting.html), Joe Dog wrote this: "Find the leak by putting the pumped up tube underwater. If it leaks on the inside, check the rim. If it leaks on the outer side, check for debris in your tire." To orient you to "inside" and "outside" when you are examining the tube, think of it as a circle, with the valve pointing into the center.