TromboneAl

I had a slow-leak flat today, and examined the tire before removing it. There was a small nick, and I put some saliva on it, and sure enough, it was bubbling.

To make a long story short, it turned out that the puncture was at a totally different location (about 180 degrees from the bubbling), and my incorrect assumption caused me some grief.

So, is it reasonable that the true puncture was leaking air into the tire, and that air was traveling all the way around and bubbling out the small hole? The bubbling was clear-cut, no maybe about it.

Here's the long boring story version:

After discovering the bubbling, I pull out the tube near the hole, but can't find any leaking. I give up and replace the tube, but because I thought I knew where the hole was I didn't check for sharps anywhere else on the tire. Sure enough after a mile, I'm getting flat again. I patch the tube, but even knowing where the puncture occurred, I don't discover any sharps. Four miles later, flat again. This time I know exactly where it is, find a small piece of protruding glass, and patch the tube without removing the tire.

Moral: Check more carefully for sharps as if you know that there is one to be found.

Louis

I've heard of this happening in sew-up tires but never in clinchers.

MinnMan

[QUOTE=
patch the tube without removing the tire.
[/QUOTE]

OK, I'll admit to being clueless here. How do you do that?

TromboneAl

It's a great trick when it works. If you know where the hole is, you just leave the wheel on the bike, and use your tire irons to release the bead around the location of the hole. Then you pull out just a section of tube, patch the hole, and stuff the tube back in.

Rick@OCRR

And even if you know where the sharp bit is, don't under-estimate its depth! On a commute home from work I ran over a Philips head screw, poked right into my back tire and screwwed itself in further on every revolution until I could get the bike stopped. I actually had to un-screw it with the Phillips in my mini-tool!

That done, booted tire where the screw went in, installed new tube, pumped up tire with mini pump and got home okay, The next morning, getting ready for the commute, I used my floor pump to bring the repaired tire/tube back up to full pressure (85 psi in this case).

When it got to 85 psi, ka-bloom, massive blow out. Why? Because that Phillips screw had gone all the way through the tire and poked another (albeit smaller) hole right by the bead. No time to fix it then so I grabbed the spare bike, but still . . . same kind of thing, i.e. thinking you've identified the problem and fixed it . . . when really, it was worse than at first thought!

Rick / OCRR

downtube42

Another Moral: Considering the number of times a bicycle wheel goes round and round (x2) over the course of a cyclists lifetime, most everything that can happen will happen.

Esteban58

I've had a similar experience recently... flatted, checked tire for sharps (found nothing), fix flat, next time out slow leak - new hole about 1/4 inch away from patch, checked for sharps, found a small rock, pulled that out, fixed flat, got home but there was clearly a slow leak - took tire off, found new hole in the original patch - armed with this knowledge, went back and carefully checked tire - there was a wire sticking through the tread - if you ran your finger in one direction you'd feel nothing, the other way, Ouch!. It was quite challenging to pull it out - eventually resorted to tweezers.

Mobile 155

Should we be talking about this? Isn't there a rule or something?

stapfam

There is but I am taking this as a warning from Al to not take shortcuts on finding the miscreant that is causing the problem in the first place.

But we have all been there- or will be for the newer riders.

GeorgeBMac

Just thinkin'

The manager at my LBS strongly recommends tire liners. (I have spin skins that I got from his shop).

Would they not have prevented these problems? (Well, OK, probably not the Phillips head screw -- but the smaller stuff)
Or, would they have created other problems?

leob1

MY wifes' tire had a flat, so I took the tube out, found the hole, patched it. Gave the tire a visual inspection, nothing there, so I put it all back together. Next day, tire is flat again. OK must be something in the tire, patch tube again, look over tire, feel around, nothing. Next day, flat again. New tube. New flat. WTF? Took it all aprt again(wife is not happy, and is questioning my skill!) Gave the tire very close look, inside and out. I found a staple sized piece of wire just under the surface of the tread. When I looked at the inside of the tire, I finally saw the wire, it had bent flat against the tire, and was inbetwen the threads. When I ran my fingers on the inside the first time, I went right over it because it didn't stick up, and was the same color as the rest of the tire. Pulled it out and problem solved. It's the ones you don't see that get you.

BlazingPedals

The place to patch is where the air is coming out of the tube, not where it's escaping the tire. And I ALWAYS check the inside of the tire for something sharp. By running a glove around in it, not with my finger! After all, it's hard to make the patch stick when there's blood all over the tube.

Esteban58

Once you've had 3 flats from the same cause, you're cleared to talk about that case, 'cause the flat tire gods are already laughing
at you.

BlazingPedals

Never, EVER claim that you don't get flats. (I get flats.) Because that would goad the Flat Fairie into action. (I get flats.) Since we all get flats (I get flats,) it's probably relatively safe to discuss the ways in which we deal with them. (I get flats.)

As I mentioned in my previous post, it's not a valid assumption that air from a punctured tube will only come out the hole that made the puncture. That only works for tubeless tires. Don't ask me how I know.

chinkroadrunner

This has happened to me several times, wire and thorns. Many times the remaining culprit is hard to find/feel.

Cyril 

And cotton ball will often catch what our fingers can't.
Run one inside the tire to find that elusive bit of wire or whatever.

stapfam

Two incidents

Organised ride and about 20 of us doing it and we arranged a coach for the riders and trailer for the bikes. Unloaded and one bike had a flat. No problem- the rider had plenty of tubes. Fitted a new one and it would not inflate. Off with the tyre and fit another. Held air till we went to move and flat again. Refit new tube which went flat quickly. On rider decided to ask where the tubes came from--"Bloke down the Market and they were only 50c each so he had bought 10. At that someone loaned him a tube and he finished the 50 mile ride.

Out on the MTB's and some hedge cutting had taken place. One person got a flat so off with the tyre and feel for thorn. Found it and removed and the tube in the mean time was repaired and fitted. Immediately went down so repair not good. New tube fitted and old tube repaired again. 30 seconds later and flat tyre again. Tyre checked again nothing found and another rider loaned a tube (Remembering the "Market" from a few years previous.) Went down again. This time the tyre was removed from the rim- turned inside out and felt for thorns. Plenty of blood as there were 7 thorns just poking through the inside out carcase. Each was carefully removed so it did not break and come through again. The tube with most patches was checked again and fitted. It cost that rider coffee and Pie for 6 riders that morning .

Learnt two lessons-Don't buy cheap No Name tubes and carry a cloth to check the inside of the tyre.

Daspydyr 

A latex glove is good for keeping your hands clean if all is well and will snag if there is anything is in the tube.

BlazingPedals

Yeah, if there's something sharp sticking into the inside of the tire, don't find it by raking your finger across it! Those patches don't stick to blood.
!

Mobile 155

OK, with you and two others I guess we have a ruling. And I can answer the question about the tire liners. They don't work against staples and Michelin thorns, Small ultra sharp pieces of wire tossed off of a worn Steel belted radial. Plus they are a bear to get back in the tire when you are out on the road.

Mr. Beanz

I've had nothing but bad experiences with Mr Tuffy type liners. The edges actually cut into the tubes causing the flats. I tried trimming the edges, round them out, placing tape over them and still they cut their way into the tube. Never tired the gauze looking stuff, but very expensive. For that price, I could replace 12 tubes. I don't flat that much in 3 years

$45

https://www.jensonusa.com/!cgmB!Rbkbs...FYl7QgodRTMAyA

As far as latex gloves, they crack me up. I was riding with a guy that flatted then whipped out a pair then went into scrub down mode. By the time he was ready for surgery, I had already removed the thorn and punctured tube, and installed a new one.

Louis

andrewclaus

Same here, but it usually takes several months for that to happen for me. When it does, I replace the tube. In goat head country, the liners might be worthwhile. Like if you're getting multiple flats a day from them. As with everything else, there's a trade-off. I've also noticed that they're worthless against wire bits from radials.

merlinextraligh

Very likely that was a piece of wire from a steel belted radial car tire. They can be a *****. Had one once that was just as long as the thickness of the tire. So that with the tire off it didn't even protrude. So you couldn't feel or see it, but when the tire was under load, it compressed the tire just enough for the wire to pop out into the tube causing a small slow leak. Had 3-4 repeated flats over 30 miles before I finally found it.

And when I did find it, like you, it was hard to get out.

So if you get repeated slow leaks in the same area, and can't find the cause, think steel belted radial wire, and really work the tire casing in the area until you see a bit of wire poking up.

andrewclaus

When I get a flat, I don't try to fix it fast. I always completely dismount the tire, check it visually first, inside and out, even flexing the tread to look for small shards of glass, then feel carefully inside. That adds about three minutes to the repair, and keeps me from fixing it twice. I often use the tire iron to push out sharps, especially glass, sometimes grinding it to dust. (The cotton ball trick is a good tip--thanks.) And since I often cycle in goat heads, I never assume there's only one puncture.