proteam111

Hello Im new to this forum. I bought a Proteam folding bike 6 Months ago and apart from punctures the bike is good. I have at about 12 punctures, all rear end. the bike is nearly off the road mostly.

The back tyre has been changed twice, four new inner tubes and numerous tyre repairs. When I bought the bike, I recall seeing max weight on tyre to be 65kilo. Im 78 kilo which is about average for a man. This bike is sold for commuters which are adults. I have double checked the wheel frame which is smooth.

Anyone else expereince this because I never had this problem with a larger wheel / bike. Im thinking about getting a solid tyre.

many thanks

tony in Hampshire

rex615

What kind of rear tire are you using.?

You say the rear tire has been changed twice, do that mean you are on your third new tire?

How much air pressure are you using in the back tire?

Can you determine what is causing the punctures? ie, glass, nails, thorns, pinch flats?

You can generally double the tire weight capacity since it is shared by the two tires (give or take for weight distribution). So your weight ishould not be an issue.

proteam111

Hi Rex. thanks for your reply. Yes Im on third tyre now and forth inner tube. The first inner tube exploded like a bomb. The other punctures seem to be glass but im not sure unless it was sharp stones. One inner tube had a 6mm tear in it. I am riding the same route to work as previous bike so I presume that glass is not greater than before. I cannot see glass on the road.
The front tyre is the original - Rotation Nylon , 16x1.75 max psi = 43.5
The rear now changed to Cheng shen Nylon. 16x1.75 max psi = 35.0
I have kept the tyre inflation to about 30 psi in each tyre incase it explodes
thanks again
tony

badmother

I would look closely on your rim and spoke ends if the problem could be here. I would remowe the rimtape and closely inspect the rim with my fingers. I would put new high quality rimtape on and try again. Unless you are riding trough areas with plenty broken glass or similar.

proteam111

Thanks badmother. i never thought about rim tape, i will take a closer look. Do you think the tyres are designed to carry average weight. The wheels are small and surely the pressure must be greater than say a 26 wheel. Im wondering if they were designed for children. Then again i saw a large person the other day whilst in my car. I almost stopped to ask her but it was a busy road

thanks

tony

snafu21

16" wheels are fine, but fall into larger potholes instead of rolling over them. Generally it's better to keep tyre pressures at the max indicated on the sidewall for the most puncture resistance. Cheaper bikes can come with cheaper inner tubes and tyres, but it's hard to generalise.

Eventually many folder-drivers fit something like Schwalbe Marathons, Schwalbe Kojaks or Brompton tyres,all of which are cheaper on Ebay. These have various 'puncture-proof' features like Kevlar layers.

Glass can work its way into a tyre and be invisible - you fix the flat and get one in the same place a week later. Cotton wool run around the inside can find it by snagging.

Other remedies include 'Slime' a green goo you put in the tube, and checking that the rim tape is laid centrally.

Finally, pressure is pressure, and constant in a sealed vessel at a given temperature and volume - 30psi is the same in a 16" tyre as 30 psi in a 26" although sidewall height is much lower. So a pothole will bottom the 16" rim much earlier - another reason for keeping pressures up to max.

35 psi on the new rear seems low, sure it's not 3.5 bar?

prathmann

I agree that those max. pressure numbers look pretty low for that width tire. I'd want to inflate to at least 45 psi on a 16x1.75" tire (esp. in the back).

proteam111

Thanks for more information. looks like some detective work is required in my case. Im going to take the wheel off again and check everything. Does slime really live up to the headlines. I considered solid tyres but the ride is hard, as you would expect. I will look at other resistant type tyres too.

tony

snafu21

People disagree about Slime. I use it on my Mountain bike, and never get punctures, others say it just clogs the valves up. It adds weight, but not much. A 16" wheel won't take a lot - do leave room for the air.

16" wheels are fitted to Bromptons and other bikes, and punctures are less frequent than we might think. They're a nuisance when they do happen though. Max pressures are your friend, in my pneumatic opinion.

badmother

Sounds real low if this is the right numberst. Some small tyres are for childrens bikes, some are high quality for folders. I can not buy the high quality ones locally, I have to buy them online. Unless you have a bikeshop nearby that deal with foldingbikes maybe you should just buy some online. Search for older threads about tyres and read, there are as many opinions as there are posters .

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tyres-16-(305)-dept339_pg1/