Chronic flat tires from hanging storage?
10-10-14, 08:58 PM
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Chronic flat tires from hanging storage?
Hi all,
I've been storing my bike in our nice new shed for a while, hung by the front wheel. I haven't risen much over the summer, due to procrastinating on a broken pedal, but every time I've taken it down to ride, the front tire has been downright flat! I figured it was just from time, but then I replaced the rube a few days ago, hung it back up. I come back to replace that tube (got the wrong size first time around) and what do you know, the brand new tube I just put in and pumped up fine is flat! I've checked and double checked the inside of the tire itself for punctures, glass, nails, thorns, etc without finding anything. So my tire is fine, the tube is new. Could the case of the chronic flat be caused by the way I'm storing it?
-BeeBiker
I've been storing my bike in our nice new shed for a while, hung by the front wheel. I haven't risen much over the summer, due to procrastinating on a broken pedal, but every time I've taken it down to ride, the front tire has been downright flat! I figured it was just from time, but then I replaced the rube a few days ago, hung it back up. I come back to replace that tube (got the wrong size first time around) and what do you know, the brand new tube I just put in and pumped up fine is flat! I've checked and double checked the inside of the tire itself for punctures, glass, nails, thorns, etc without finding anything. So my tire is fine, the tube is new. Could the case of the chronic flat be caused by the way I'm storing it?
-BeeBiker
10-10-14, 09:35 PM
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No, hanging a bike by a wheel cannot cause flats.
The tube itself is the best clue to the cause. If it was newly installed and not ridden more than an hour or two (or not at all) odds are a bad valve (Shrader valve cores often aren't tightened all the way home) or a pinch flat from how you installed it.
Pull the new tube, identify the problem, and deal with accordingly.
BTW- before removing the tire, make a mark on the side at the valve. This way, if you find a leak, you can like it up with the tire to find an offending object (if it wasn't a pinch flat).
The tube itself is the best clue to the cause. If it was newly installed and not ridden more than an hour or two (or not at all) odds are a bad valve (Shrader valve cores often aren't tightened all the way home) or a pinch flat from how you installed it.
Pull the new tube, identify the problem, and deal with accordingly.
BTW- before removing the tire, make a mark on the side at the valve. This way, if you find a leak, you can like it up with the tire to find an offending object (if it wasn't a pinch flat).
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An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
“Never argue with an idiot. He will only bring you down to his level and beat you with experience.”, George Carlin
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
10-10-14, 09:42 PM
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tubes and stuff
Our tires will go flat just sitting there. The presser will leek right past the rubber in your inner tube if it just sits there for a few months. The thing I did was to set up my road bike with torn proof tubes and plastic tire protectors. that way they don't go flat even if I run over a staple. and they stay inflated for a very long time. the bad part is they are about three times as heavy as "normal" tubes and take more effort to "spin up". If I want the bike to "dance" I can always switch over to sew-ups. witch require me to pump them up every day
mike the bike guy
mike the bike guy
Last edited by retromike3; 10-10-14 at 09:51 PM.
10-10-14, 10:55 PM
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It should not go flat when hanging just a few days. Take the tube out, put some air in it and hold it under water until you find the leak. If the hole is very small you may need to add a good deal of air to make it leak. Note whether the leak is on the tread side, rim side, or from the valve. Always analyze until you know what caused the leak.
Always index the tire label to the valve to help analyze future flats.
Always index the tire label to the valve to help analyze future flats.
10-11-14, 05:07 AM
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Hanging should be a problem unless you are hanging it by the valve and putting pressure on it.
10-11-14, 05:16 AM
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Check the valve first
This happened to me just last week......found the loose valve insert on the new tube AFTER I spent about an hour taking off the tire, checking for bad spots on the wheel or intrusions in the tire, carefully examining the tube......Finally discovered the culprit when I put the tube in water. It was a very slow leak and value just needed tightening a bit....finally remounted the tube/tire on the bike happy to have found the leak but upset that I had overlooked something so obvious!
10-11-14, 07:14 AM
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Can you determine where the tube is leaking? Take one of your leaking tubes, pump it up to about twice it's normal size, and dunk it in water.
A leaky valve will be obvious. A leak on the outside circumference is an indication that you have a thorn or more likely a tiny little wire still stuck in your tire. A leak on the inside circumference is an indication of a bad or misplaced rim strip.
A leaky valve will be obvious. A leak on the outside circumference is an indication that you have a thorn or more likely a tiny little wire still stuck in your tire. A leak on the inside circumference is an indication of a bad or misplaced rim strip.
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