Ed.

and figure what are new wheels without new tires... So I relegate my 4K mile, down to the cord rear tire as my spare, and put on a new rear tire. Today, after all of maybe 50 miles, I get a FLAT!!!


The good news is that I was back underway very quickly as I didn't have to get out a toolkit, pry off the tire, pull out the tube and either replace or patch it, and struggle to get the tire back on.


I'll be adding a photo to this, not of me doing the tire, but of a blown over tree (one of many I saw this morning) after 70+MPH gusts that blew through yesterday.

Velocivixen

I'm sitting here scratching my head trying to figure out how you got up under way so soon after a flat. First I figured you're running tubeless and the goop inside filled the puncture, but this is a C & V forum. Then I saw your signature regarding sew ups, which I know little about....then I just figured you got a ride! Lol

Inquiring minds wanna know.

fietsbob

Wider tires come off easier, by hand, than Narrow ones .

Ed.

25mm GatorSkins (which they clearly weren't - tiny little hole or maybe two. GRRRRR Probably stuff blown out onto the street, we've had crazy windy weather the last two days. An entire row of, I think, 8 telephone poles blew over two towns away.


The other good news was the 40 year-old Silca pump did a fine job pumping the spare back up to good pressure.

Narhay

Could it be the rim tape or a pinch flat? I'm guilty of this on some wheels I've built.

up on two

I was jealous at "so I build new wheels", an ability I hope to learn someday soon.

repechage

I think aging tires is not just for tubulars.
Fresh rubber just latches on to more stuff, then, pssssst.

Ed.

Interesting thought. These are several months old, perhaps not enough time? And I use tire-savers, which should help in that case. Whatever got the tire didn't waste any time getting thru. It was about the only time this morning that I was riding in traffic and couldn't quite get around whatever it was. PSSSSSST, it was instant.

Ed.

.


Sewups, so not likely for either, and they were running about 110psig.

rickrob 

I heard about that -- guess there were lots of trees and phone poles down in Southboro.
It just missed us, although I did see a tree down and across the bike trail today.

Ed.

It's not 'rocket science', but there is a learning curve. Easiest, I think, is if you can build a duplicate of a wheel you already have. Besides the rim, hub, and spokes, you'll need a proper size spoke wrench, a dishing gizmo (helps in centering the rim between the lock nuts), and a truing stand. If you get the accoutrements I'll attempt to talk you thru the process, and I know there are others here with more experience who'd be willing to help you, too.

Ed.

This is utterly remarkable...


I've had trouble getting my pictures from phone to computer, so be patient.

randyjawa 

Ed. - are you using good quality tubulars? If not, that might be the issue. I will never buy cheap tubies again.

As for the big winds, the Mugo pine which I planted in 1984, when I bought my cottage by Loon Lake, blew over, thanks to the power of Mother Nature's breath. Pooey-stinko!

pastorbobnlnh 

@Ed. too bad that wind couldn't have been used to refill your tubulars!

We were hit by the wind in NH as well. It was amazing and scary to watch. A tree came down across our driveway and took down the utility wires leading to the house. However, the power, the cable and the telephone all remained operational.

top506

When I built up the Mirella the first ride on the new tubulars resulted in a flat. Seems to be a common theme....

Top

Ed.

Continental Gatorskins. Have about 4K miles on a pair.

Bummer to lose the tree. We're going to lose a big maple to a new septic system. :-(. (talk about thread drift)

qcpmsame 

And, its not a new thing, going back to '81 for me, I built a set of tubs for my Motobecane JS, first ride out with the club, and the all too familiar sound comes to haunt me. Maybe I need to make a blood sacrifice to the goddess of sew-ups.

Bill

up on two

Thank you for that, you have no idea the warmth that gave a new member and maybe one day, you will get the PM seeking advice.

jimmuller 

uot - you too can build wheels! All it takes is patience, a few key instructions when you start, patience, dextrous fingers, a spoke wrench, and did I mention patience?

Ed., bummer about your new flat. Now after all those flat-free miles it is about time you started patching sew-ups, iznnit? Obviously new tires don't like tire-savers the same way old ones do.

I took the Masi out on Saturday, noticed on Sunday afternoon that the rear tire had gone flat. Spent part of the evening patching it while watching the Red Sox, rode it to work this morning. Some tiny thingy had punctured tread and tube then apparently withdrawn. I can never get them quite as smooth as they were pre-flat. I suspect the abundance of thread beneath the rim tape, but it could be the presence of the patch on the tube. It's nice enough though, has a tread area worn enough that it will end up getting replaced soon enough.

tarwheel 

I've gotten flats several times on brand new tires. Just bad luck, but at least once the tire was ruined due to a sidewall cut. This is one of the reason why I've shied away from expensive tires like Compass. With my luck, I would probably get a sidwall gash soon after installing. Meanwhile, I can't wear out the crappy riding Gatorskins.

crank_addict

Ed, you stated NEW wheels built. No details are mentioned and are they built using older tubular rims?

From a similar mishap and redoing an older tubular wheelset with shallow rims and lower spoke tension, they could fool you when under vertical pressure spokes push into a thin base tape. Also, this only if the threaded spoke end is just a tick beyond the nipple. Surprising and one wouldn't think they move that drastic.

Anyways, the vertical rim movement (especially on a front) is most severe when out of the saddle mashing a climb. I found out the hard way and flatted. The right way is to take them back out and further trim the ends, reassemble and pull the tension up even more. Tricky considering some of the older softer ally's and riders weight but have no further issues.

Ed.

Sorry, been 'away' or doing other stuff... Rims are NOS, Arc en Ciel. Not punctured from 'behind', it was something in the road. Still riding my 4K mile, down-to-the-cord Gatorskin, and it's doing fine. (And I'm dong better!)

Ed.

Back from the dead... Still riding that down-to-the-cord Gatorskin. No trouble with that, no. Broke a spoke, instead. I've only broken one spoke before, and that was last year, different wheel, but the same damn spoke. Rear wheel, left side, leading spoke. Why me?

Ed.

No Love...


And I can't even get 1.8/1.5/1.8 spokes...


What is the world coming too********************???

Ed.

Sorry. In the future I'll limit my emotion-charged whining to the privacy of my bedroom.