Dang! Bike blew a tire just sitting there - can I use 700c tubes on a 27 in rim?
 

I just picked my bike up from the shop - they replaced a spoke on the rear wheel and remounted the tire. I noticed the pressure a little low so brought the pressure up to 100 lbs. No more than 5 mintues later, I'm 20 feet away looking for tools when the dang thing blew a 2 in slit in the tube and the tire off the rim.

These are very lightly used Panaracer Paselas, 27 1/8 on 27 1/4 alloy rims. I've always had 27 1/8 tires since 1975 and never blew a tube until I put these tires on last year. Probably user error - I've read the threads. :innocent:

So what tubes can I get that are less likely to blow, and can I use 700c tubes? What width tube? Recommendations? My confidence in the tire / tube combo is waning. Weight is not a consideration.

i think id go to the lbs and make them replace the tube. if they did a spoke and did the remount WRONG which is what it sounds like... they owe you a tube.

they are interchangeable

Yes you can provided you have the correct valve. make sure the tire bead is not pinching the tube when you inflate it.

yes you can. i think i've seen some that are actually labeled as dual purpose. i know that 26" MTB tubes and 650c tubes (a difference of 12mm in rim diameter) are interchangeable as regards diameter (there is even less difference between a 700c and 27" rim, 622mm vs. 630mm, i believe). and are labeled as such too.

700c & 27" tubes are interchangeable. Just need to have the right one for tire width and valve type. I agree the shop blew this one by pinching the tube between the rim and tire when putting things back together. Rookie mistake that wouldn't give me a high level of confidence in their work.

This failure was caused by improper mounting. THere is no tube made that will survive that. It happens. It happens quite frequently. While it is a 'rookie' mistake, it is a simple mistake that everyone makes now and again (except for CACycling, who's poop doesn't stink ;) ).

As others have said - not the tube's fault - has to have path out past the tire to blow out. Speaking as a former bike shop service manager, the shop should provide a replacement tube and labor, including inflation to full pressure and checking for proper seating. The manager or head mechanic should make sure it is done properly this time. If it were me I'd give you a spare tube for your trouble as well.

my thoughts exactly

Just called but bike shop and just explained what happened. The guy I talked to blamed it on my pump being inaccurate and over inflating about 50 lbs, (yikes!) that blowing tubes is a regular occurance (he goes thru 3 or 4 a season) and the mech that did the work has been at it 15 years... I'm not going to push it. They are all the way downtown (I live in the mpls far western suburbs so it's actually quite out of my way)

I do have a nice pencil-type bike pressure guage so I'm fairly confident in the pressure. Also previous to this set of tires, I've worn them out w/o ever blowing a tube. Might have had a flat, but don't remember.

Oh well, tubes are not expensive, and I understand anyone can make a mistake. I'll just pick up a couple and move on.

yea i just about blew a gasket at a lbs a while back when the same thing happened to my special order tube (26x1.25 with 48mm shrader valve) took a week to get another tube and they tryed to say it was my fault but i didnt even make it out of there lot when it poped. they had to pay for it.

but if its an easy to get tube just move on.

Yes, that sounds like a pinched tube, most likely, especially that you found a slit on the tube where it blew..
Best way to avoid that is to sprinkle a little bit of talcum powder all around in the tire interior and on the innertube so the innertube can more easily slip in place/in position and not hang up between the bead and rim after it is mounted.
Maybe you should avoid having them mount your tires the next time. I always mount mine myself so I can be sure such things do not happen.

Chombi

Put one side of the tire onto the rim. Lightly inflate the tube and put baby powder on it. Push the stem through the rim and put the tube in the tire. Here's the important part. Using the tire, guide the tube into the rim. Go all the way around. After that, put the other side of the tire onto the rim. This should eliminate any pinch flats.

yea, I'll mount my own. Need the practice anyway. My 20 year old boys put the new tires on last time, so I haven't even changed a tube. Funny that, had my bike all those years, and the last set of tires wore out more from age just sitting around than use. But that's a changing. Those boys now drag me out of the house and give me a run for the money.

Move on, yes, but you were given a load of you-know-what.

First, you should not have had to pump up the tire at all - should have been given to you at full pressure, for customer service and for liability. What if you had an accident due to your inability to maneuver on soft tires?

Second, inflating 50 lbs over takes a good bit of oomph, and some tires can actually take that.

Third, any mechanic that blows 3 or 4 tubes a season on non-defective tires (even when doing hundreds) is a lousy mechanic.

Lastly, tires don't care about the mechanic's resume. If you do it wrong they blow.

I'm confident that you are right that it was the shop. The only thing I would say is to carefully watch the bead line (raised ridge of rubber close to the rim) any time you inflate and do it by degrees if using a compressor.

speaking of tube interchangeability, i've found that in a pinch (no pun intended) that i can use a 700c tube in a 26" or 650c tire.

i had no choice when i found myself with a flat on my mtb and a faulty valve stem. a few minutes later a good Samaritan (god bless him) offered me a 700c tube, at first i was reluctant to accept the offer, but i thought, "what the heck. i'll give it a try". installing it required me to fold over the tube and inch or two and i thought for sure i'd notice a terrible thumping during the remainder of my ride.

when it wasn't forthcoming I was more than surprised. now i just carry a spare 700c tube on all my rides.

UnsafeAlpine - can you explain what you mean here - I'm not getting it: "Using the tire, guide the tube into the rim..." :-)

I need to come up with better language. I searched for a video and there really isn't a good example but my shop has been using this trick for 30 years and it works pretty well.

Instead of immediately trying to seat the bead into the rim, push the bead up along with the tube. This should push the slightly inflated tube into the "well" of the rim. Once the tube is in the rim, you can seat the bead onto the rim.

Ah...I think I have it. The tube is in, then work my way around the tire, pushing the bead into / up into the tube to help the tube settle into the center of the rim - the "well."

Sorry about your LBS. Guess they don't want to stay in business, I certainly wouldn't go back. Another thing. I have over inflated a bike tire/tube to failure. And while it will blow spectacularly, it does so at the point of over inflation. Not 5 minutes later.

My 2 cents on tire mounting. If you're real paranoid. Once you get the tube inside the tire and the tire on the rim, pump it up just until the tire takes on a firm shape. Let all the air out. Now while holding the wheel by the rim, break the bead between the tire and rim by pushing on the sidewall with your thumbs. Look inthe gap for any sign of a tube. Do both sides. If there's none inflate the tire to the correct pressure. If there is, pop off the tire at that spot and push the tube under the tire and try again. A pinched tube will give you plenty of warning with a bulge, if you take it slow.

:twitchy: I'm not paranoid- I know their out to get me. :rolleyes:

Thanks for the suggestions that'll help me put in the tube and mount the tire with less chance of problems - there's always something to be gained by catastrophic failure so it ain't all bad. If you're going to get a blowout, mine was as safe as it gets, and the lesson and practice could prove invaluable someday.

How does that go - New tube, five dollars. The look on dads face? :eek: Priceless.

Agree. Seems like a dumb/cheap thing to take such a stand on. If it were an expensive service that had your bike in their shop to begin with, then I would be especially mad at them for balking at swapping out the tube for you.

If it were my shop, I'd say come on by and I'll hand you another tube and apologize for the trouble.