chaadster

I think we’re missing some critical info from the OP, because none of this makes sense.

11 tubes from one of the largest brands operating company stores in the USA failing from the same defect but no one has experienced it or heard about it except this guy? Possible, but unlikely.

pinching at installation doesn’t make sense because they say they ride fine one day then flat over a couple days sitting.

Two wraps of rim tape, or a wrap of tape over a rim strip…either way, that’s a lot of protection and would have to be grossly improperly installed to be at fault.

Abrasive wear on the tube, say from a butyl rim strip installed atop rim tape that is able to shift around and abrade the tube with the edge— long, long, shot there, I know!— doesn’t make sense either, not for all 11 tubes to fail while sitting unridden. There’s a chance they got lucky to avoid on-road failure, but I’m not putting money on odds like that.

And finally, we have to reconcile that pro techs at the LBS— presumably a Trek store— have been unable to resolve the flatting problem. Not that all are crack, but common and obvious culprits should be off the table because of their involvement

So something in the story is out of whack, if it’s even true. Call me cynical, or a grizzled old vet, but noobs popping up with incredible tales are usually fishy, and the noob just stops responding before there’s any resolution, so I’m skeptical for that reason, too. There are a lot of red flags to this tale.

BATTLESTAR75

OP might be on the level. I had the same problem with my big box store Schwinn several years ago. A series of random flats, all on the INSIDE of the tube, usually near or on a mold mark, both front and rear tires. I tried a series of off the shelf name brands with careful technique that did not solve the problem. My conclusion was crappy QC by the manufacturer. I got a thicker tube and the problem disappeared. There were no rim problems and the factory rim strip was undamaged. I don't recall the brand that solved the problem, but it was from either Amazon or Walmart. No fancy "pro" tubes, just mass market. It was frustrating, however, until I lucked into the thicker tubes. In all this ordeal, I only had one real puncture though the tread. And one tube I killed with a tool. My money is on QC issues with the tubes, but I'm OK with being wrong.

chaadster

11 bad tubes??? 11 bad Bontrager branded tubes?? It is about the only viable explanation from the story as presented, but speaking as a cyclist approaching 40 years experience, that’s a failure rate without precedent, so Trek would have a problem of historic proportion if that’s the case. Seems like a weird thing to happen to such a longstanding, low-tech item…

Maelochs

If the OP were, say .... me .... s/he would stop using that brand of tube and see if the problem recurred.

Obviously not everyone (anyone?) thinks like I do.

"It hurts when I do this."

"Stop doing that."

TiHabanero

"You have got to be kidding me! It is not just the oil in the grease, but he additive package as well. You may have gotten away with this, but I wouldn't touch this idea with a 100 foot pole.

Also, what is the tire made of? And when the grease migrates onto the tire what will it do?"

I suspect this is severe over-reaction. Show me physical evidence of a tube being negatively affected from grease and I might, maybe might stop this practice, but until I have seen a tube failure from exposure to grease I will continue with it. FWIW I have also done this on my own motorcycle without any issues. The rear tube is now 20 years old and has yet to fail.