Someone school me please. I go through dry spells before I get flats but when I do it always comes in 4's or so and literally one after another.

like today I had one on the road, replaced it with a patched tube got to work and it goes flat but this one was easy valve stem was engraved into the wheel.

Replaced it with a bell flat resistant tube, couple hours later flat due to a tear near one of the seams where the tube would touch the rim tape, nothing protruding nor any objects/fragments found. Replaced that one with another fresh one after checking the tire/rim and giving it a scrub, flat again within hours. Maybe Im mounting them wrong somehow or they are getting pinch someway?

- once Im ready to put the tube back in I inflate until its a little round. Stem goes in first following the rest of the tube clockwise with my hands.
- I then rock the tire back and fourth with my hands to sit the tube, I even deflate completely, and inflate to about 7 psi and do the same thing.
- Once all in I inflate all the way.

When I get flats, I never seem to have a puncture, its always tears. Help me please.

Perhaps switching to another brand of tubes??? Just an idea.

Yeah, I orderd some of amazon, Im literally limited to bell products here, unless I feel like paying 15-20$ for regular tubes that would normally cost 5$.

- I still dont get why tubes would rip like that inside the tire though, most of the time the bike is just sitting there.

Was the rip on a seam? The seams are the weakest part of the tube.

Sometimes companies have bad runs when making these.

no, the tear is usually next to the seam a few mm apart. its always long ways if that matters

Sounds like you might be under-sizing your tubes. The more they have to stretch, the more likely they are to tear, especially on/around the seams. So if you are having problems in that regard, you should always get the largest size that will fit your tire; e.g. a 1.5" tire should take a 1.5-1.75 tube. Avoid the thinnest tubes that are meant for racing, they are kinda delicate for commuting. Also, you might want to make sure your rim tape is seated perfectly, no sharp spots along the edge. It often helps too to apply some talc around the inside of the tire so that the tube can slide around as it inflates and not snag.

The best wheel I ever bought came with both Velox and a rubber strip wrapped around the well of the rim. The only flats I ever got on it were due to defective seams on Specialized tubes, they'd split in no time.

Dont think Im under-sizing the tubes, I have a 26 x 2.1 and the tubes go from 2.0 and up. The rim tape is still "glued" on, farily new though so I dont see/feel any part moving. I cant get my hands on talc but would baby powder work?

Perhaps it might work, yes. Folks on tours do that all the time.

I have had the same thing on Specialized tubes.

I hope so, I cant even patch these tears, they just keep on tearing when I try.

Patching them is a waste of time when splitting.

Tell me, are they tearing at the same place each time?

thanks OP, I don't feel that bad anymore. I got 4 flats in 4 weeks. Replaced the tube everytime, even replaced the rim tape. Always the rear wheel.

I think you might squeeze/pinch the tube between the rim and the tire when you put the tire back on the wheel. It happened to me last year and it took me a few tubes before I understood what was wrong

I am wondering if your damaging the tubes during installation? It is relatively easy to weaken a tube if your rough in the install. Also do you check the inside of your tire by running your bare hand/fingers along the inside to make sure you remove any debris?

Okay, that explains why your valve was cockeyed and tore. Better technique is to press the bead back in bit by bit from both sides of the stem, until you reach the opposite point of the rim. That way your valve will remain straight, rather than being drawn clockwise with the tire.

Hope this helps, brother.

thx guys, I dont really rush my install, I am careful about it especially since I keep getting these kind of tears. I do run my fingers on both the rim and tire as well as a good ol wipe wth a cloth or something just to see if I "shake" something lose. Im hoping the babypowder or I just bought a faulty tube. So far it seems like I have to replace 2-3 tubes (same brand, same method) until I get lucky and it does not tear.

-andychrist the valve tear was my first. The other tears are never in the same place, at least so far wth 6 different tubes.
-NS1 yes its always the rear lol.

FYI the tubes im using are bell brand. My kenda tube (original) also tore after a few hundred miles, same thing it didnt tear while on the road but rather when its just sitting in my living room.

I've had it happen occasionally with tubes I purchased at Walmart. A Walmart tube also had a defective Presta valve, the first time it's happened to me. Since then, I've refrained from purchasing tubes at Walmart despite the fact that they are about $1.00 less then what I can get from Amazon and $2.00 less than my LBS.

The one extra step I take, is after seating the tire/tube, I'll inflate to say 20PSI, and work around the entire rim of the tire on both sides, pinching it in slightly at each point, to make sure the tube is actually properly seated. Every so often I'll find out that it didn't seat right, and I have to push the tube fully under the tire. If I forget that step, I'll get a pinch flat every so often.

Are you underinflating your tires?

You have to be careful to make sure the bead of the tire is seated properly in the rim. Most tires have a witness line that should be even around the tire, the same distance above the rim.

If it is higher somewhere, that is likely to bulge more. The tube can slip out between the rim and the tire, and pop.

That happened to me a few times, before I caught on. Most often it was after I pumped up the tires but wasn't going for a ride.

This is what im thinking I may be messing up. Well Im going to have to wait until the next series of flats to practice lol.

I also noticed today that one of the tubes I used was from an old tire which is 1.9. my current tire is 2.1. the 1.9 tire had a 50psi max while the 2.1 I go up to 60psi. Maybe thats the reason it pop on me? I also remember reading quite a few posts saying any tube made for 26 wheel or 700 wheel will fit, as long as it wasnt a fraction tube type.

Chances are though if your tire is not seated correctly it will be ever so slightly eccentric, causing you to feel a little bump with each rotation. This will be more noticeable the faster you roll.

Have no idea about fractional versus decimal tubes but Bell is just about the worst you can get. I'd stay away from any tubes that say made in China at this point, AFAIK the most reliable tubes are from Taiwan. Also if you took the tube out of an older tire, it could have been already damaged. The difference in psi is negligible, neither 50 nor 60 is very high pressure these days.

Hope you have better luck in the future, bro.

People never want to "get it" until they hit rock bottom.
Tubes are tubes. a 3.00 bell tube is going to be 90% as functional as a 12.00, thorn proof AcME or whoever-the-chinese-stamp-on-it tube.
Bicycle tube and tire technology is still rooted squarely in the 60's. The only way to alter the percentages of flats vs no-flats
is to suck it up and spring for the Gators; or Schwalbes. Really. Just do it

LOL. Yeah well like I said I just orderd some from amazon.