thedon

I was using plastic levers to install a brand new Conti tube and 4 Seasons tire on my Fulcrum wheels. The tube burst at about 40 PSI ruining the tire too.

Is this user error or a flaw in the materials? Is there any way to know?

cmc0108

the gravitational force or the rim probably pulled too hard on the tube material.

not your fault at all

jimc101

Pictures would be useful here, as suprised that you have damaged the tire. From the sound of it, from the info given, the innertube was piched when installing (user error on install), given the tire, and rims, riding it at 40psi, you would be riding the rim, as there is far too little pressure in it, for a Conti 4 season and Fulcrum wheel, 23/25mm tires would be looking at 90-110psi, slightly less for 28mm, at 80-90psi

datlas 

Agree it's hard to know without seeing what happened. I am wondering if maybe the tube was pinched under the bead and that's why it popped.

Why/how is the tire "ruined??"

ahsposo 

Of course it was your fault. You were the last person involved.

cyclezen

be glad you didn't get to ride that tahr... poppin at 40 psi ??? doesn't sound healthy
always good to put just a skooch of air in the tube before puttin into the tahr - that'll make sure you haven't pinced the tube between the rim and tahr bead. I'm tawkin not the outside rim wall, but the tube channel. If it get pinced there, the tahr bead may not seat and when you put in even a little more air the tahr bead starts liftin without catching the rim, and then pops as soon as the psi gets high enough...
easy enough to pop a tube, but a tahr goin south at 40 psi - not unless something damaged the tahr bead first...
or a crap tahr


and yes, your fault...

thedon

To clarify, I wasn't riding at 40 PSI - the tire popped as I was installing.

Also to clarify, it popped as I was doing a check around the rim to make sure the tire was inflating evenly. My ears were ringing pretty good after the pop.

Just uploaded this pic to the OP:

cyclezen

I, for one, did not assume you rode it...

that tahr looks nasty!
would take a lot more than what we all normally pump our tahrs to, for this to just happen
unless the tahr had a real defect
or it was damaged in installation
or was damaged already, prior to you receiving it. how/where did you purchase it?

usually, usually, when you catch or pincha tube, the tube blows and the tahr is fine... and Conti tires are usually good qual stuff.
I suspect damage during or prior to install...

did you check the tahr before installing? I always do a quick visual on a new tahr, run fingers on the inside and bead to check for sharp stuff.

MikeWMass

I would think you would have had to push pretty hard to tear the sidewall of the tire, and that you would have known it at the time. I would say bad tire.

thedon

Purchased on Amazon. I did not inspect tire prior to install, but surely will from now on.

I imagine they will replace it.

Dunbar

I see the tire is damaged by the valve stem. Did you get much resistance with your tire lever by the valve stem? I would imagine you'd have to really go crazy to do that kind of damage to the tire (the tube is a different story.) I use levers to mount tires but not by the valve stem due to the risk of tearing/pinching the tube.

FLvector

Looks to me like installation error. You have to be cautious to make sure that the tire is properly seated around the valve stem. If not you can usually catch it when pumping in small bit of air. If sounds like the tube may have also been pinched, which might have caused the tire to not seat properly. Too late to really tell, but lesson learned. Good luck getting the tire replaced.

pdedes

VAR levers. If you can find them.

thedon

Just ordered 3 from sjscycles, $14 each inc. shipping.

martinus

You can inspect it all you want, that type of bead failure, can't be found from looking at a tire ...

Velo Dog

Tires are pretty much expendable. It's impossible to tell what happened. HTFU.

Kai Winters

suspect a pinched tube that burst under pressure...even light pressure.
recommend you review how you install tubes...proper tube/tire seating prior to inflating is important and easy.
cheap or expensive levers will damage tubes if not installed properly...don't overspend on levers, rather learn to use them properly...

TromboneAl

Tube burst -- maybe your fault.
Tire burst -- not your fault.

RollCNY

Both tube and tire your fault, and probably no defect. By blowing out right at the valve stem, you never had the bead seated in the hook. You should not ever be using tire levers by the stem, as it is where you start a tire mount, so it shouldn't have been a pinched tube.

I have seen this many times, and you have to push up on the valve stem to raise it up and give the bead access to the hook. Always start at the valve stem, and finish 180° opposite. I have had blowouts from an unseated bead take out the tire.

Homebrew01

It would take a huge amount of effort to tear the tire like that. Either a defective tire (my vote), or you really went nuts with a screwdriver instead of tire levers. If the tire is not seated properly, then the tube can sneak out and pop (user error), but the tire itself should still be ok.