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First flat: is this normal?

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Old 09-18-16 | 02:05 PM
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2200 miles. Impressive it it was mounting error.
Originally Posted by BlazingPedals
Improper tire mounting. I'm guessing the tire was recently mounted on the rim, asy within the last week or so. Tube was stuck under bead, and eventually blew out. This would not happen if the tire/tube were mounted properly; it is the tire's job to withstand the internal pressure, the tube only has to seal the inside of the tire.

edit: As I think about it, some tire/rim combinations fit so loosely that this can happen despite the best efforts to the contrary. If the tire is so loose on the rim that you can't get it to seat properly all the way around, get a different brand tire.
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Old 09-18-16 | 02:28 PM
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Originally Posted by BlazingPedals
Improper tire mounting. I'm guessing the tire was recently mounted on the rim, asy within the last week or so.
Tire was mounted on the rim in April. There's about 500 miles on it. It was deflated to about 10PSI in May to go on an airplane, pumped up and ridden 260 or so miles, deflated to come back, and has seen another 200 or so miles since.

The 2200 miles was between all my bikes.
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Old 09-18-16 | 04:16 PM
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Originally Posted by jefnvk
I sure can. Standard 700x28-32 Forte from Performance, in a 27x1-1/4 Pasela. Nothing notable about the tire, nothing visibally wrong and I ran my finger around on the inside when the tube came out to make sure nothing was in there. Tire did not come off the rim. Replacement tube functioned just fine for the remaining 25 miles.

I'll check out if is just a mold mark when I get home, I just assumed it was a seam because it followed that line perfectly.

What is the proper procedure to ensure the tire does not pinch the tube? I put one side of the tire on, tube in, pump it just enough so it is round and not folded over on itself, put the other side of the tire on, feel it to make sure it is firm and consistent, then pump it up.

Thanks for this.

It clearly failed along what is either a seam or mold mark. My guess is that it is a seam. I would not use these brand tubes any longer but would switch to something known to be seamless. Continental tubes are seamless. I'm sure there are others.

I get the tire onto the rim, inflate the tube just enough to get it up into the tire and then let enough air out to be able to push the tire bead away from the rim and look down at the rim bed. Go around the whole circumference of the wheel, both sides, looking to see if the tube is between the rim and tire bead.

A flourescent or brightly colored rim tape helps, especially in low light on the side of the road. It takes a little extra time but I've never had a flat because of improperly installed tube since starting to do this many years ago.
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Old 09-18-16 | 06:12 PM
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Originally Posted by TimothyH
It clearly failed along what is either a seam or mold mark. My guess is that it is a seam. I would not use these brand tubes any longer but would switch to something known to be seamless. Continental tubes are seamless. I'm sure there are others.
Dunno if this helps, but I turned it inside out. There are definitely marks visible inside, not sure if they are seams or not. The failure obviously followed one, though.
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Old 09-18-16 | 09:11 PM
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Originally Posted by jefnvk
Anyhow, pulling out the old tube, I saw this. The tube seemingly ruptured down a manufacturing seam. Is this one of the oft talked about pinch flats
Pinch flats look like a snake bite.

Type "pinch flat images" into Google and you'll see some photos.
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Old 09-19-16 | 12:10 AM
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It got caught under the bead. Just below and to the left of the stem in the 1st picture, is a little v-shaped gouge in the rubber, looks like a fingernail mark. That's where a little bit of the tube got under the bead, and popped when it pulled loose. You've said you deflated, shipped, and re-inflated these wheels a few times, right? If you take it all the way flat, 10 psi was mentioned, then when you re-inflate, you almost have to treat it like a fresh installation, WRT making sure the bead is clear and seated properly.

I had the same thing happen, same tube, same size, about 15 minutes after a ride. I'd decided that 65 psi on my SS was too low, and tried out 80. The ride wasn't as smooth, but the bike was faster. Did about 12 miles, and put it away, 10 minutes later, i heard a bang from the garage, that was so loud, I thought the whole bike rack had fallen over.

On my tube, i could actually make out the threads from the tire casing embossed in to the rubber.
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Old 09-19-16 | 05:58 AM
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Originally Posted by Ilbiker
Inner Tubes | How It's Made | Discovery Science

Interesting video on how tubes are made. They are extruded with the only seams being where the two ends are joined and the valve is is added.
Neat video. Thanks for the link! It brought back memories- I worked in a shoe factory in the 80's that made rubber fireman's boots. Seeing how the rubber is mixed and rolled out was neat to see again.
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Old 09-19-16 | 07:25 AM
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Originally Posted by Ironfish653
It got caught under the bead. Just below and to the left of the stem in the 1st picture, is a little v-shaped gouge in the rubber, looks like a fingernail mark. That's where a little bit of the tube got under the bead, and popped when it pulled loose. You've said you deflated, shipped, and re-inflated these wheels a few times, right? If you take it all the way flat, 10 psi was mentioned, then when you re-inflate, you almost have to treat it like a fresh installation, WRT making sure the bead is clear and seated properly.
Sounds like the most logical answer. Guess I'm just having a hard time reconciling that it went around 200 miles before failing since the last time it was pumped up for good, when the majority of the other responses say you see those types fairly quick.
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Old 09-19-16 | 07:47 PM
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Originally Posted by FBinNY
First of all, understand that tubes don't have seams. What looks like a seam isn't one at all, it's a raised line resulting form the seam in the mold. The tube's rubber is perfectly continuous below that line.

This kind of split usually happens when an improperly seated tire blows off the rim.
Agreed. Another possibility is a casing failure in the tire. Bottom line: if the tube is properly contained within the tire's casing, a blowout like that cannot happen. The tube either was protruding under the bead, as FBinNY suggests, or the casing failed, allowing the tube to escape the tire and burst.
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Old 09-19-16 | 07:56 PM
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Holy crap - was that toward the end of the ride? If so, that bang was crazy loud! My wife actually saw it pop. She said she could see a cloud of mist fly off the tire. I knew what it was about a second after I heard it, but wow was it shocking!!
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Old 09-19-16 | 08:15 PM
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
I suspect an installation error problem. tube pushed the tire off the rim. a Blow Off.
This. The tire came off the rim bead and the tube came out through the crack. I had one of those a week ago on a bike that I'd just pumped up from being pretty soft; I suspect the tire shifted while I was pumping.
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Old 09-19-16 | 08:36 PM
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Very interesting thread. I just went through 3 tubes in a row on my road bike (700x23 tires). First was a staple in the tire. Fresh tube on the side of the road, CO2 cartridge, made it home 12 more miles. Made it to work and back the next day ~30 miles. That night I decided to fully deflate the tire and reinflate since I've heard that CO2 leaks out faster. Inflated to 100psi and a few minutes later I noticed it was flat flat. Tube blew out on the rim side about an inch long blowout. Then the replacement I put in did the same thing, then the replacement the bike shop put in did the same thing (with new rim tape installed). Verdict was tires are too loose on the rims (no need for tire spoons at all they just slip on and off). So most recent tube was installed very carefully and inflated slowly to make sure the tire was seated properly and tube was in the right place. Did a metric century on it yesterday with no issues. I've never experienced something like this in all my years of bicycling but I'm learning something new every day
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Old 09-19-16 | 08:46 PM
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Originally Posted by bgraham111
Holy crap - was that toward the end of the ride? If so, that bang was crazy loud! My wife actually saw it pop. She said she could see a cloud of mist fly off the tire. I knew what it was about a second after I heard it, but wow was it shocking!!
Nope, that must have been someone else. Mine was on the road after turning off Rosa Parks, a bit before 5 miles in.

It was crazy loud, though! Haven't done that ride without hearing at least one a year, guess third time was a charm for me to get mine

Last edited by jefnvk; 09-19-16 at 08:50 PM.
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