Squatpuke

Hello all...
I've had a heck of a month keeping my bike on the road.
Several weeks ago, had my first flat on my tubed, yet tubeless Ready 27.5x3" rims...
Took to LBS and told them to go tubeless...they did. 50 bucks.
Apparently, I way-over-inflated (I commute mostly road) and while biking home, heard a HUGE explosion.
Scared the crap outta me. Sounded like a gunshot.
Completely blow off my back tire off the wheel...carried my bike home in shame.
Back to LBS for new Tire...60 bucks...when they installed the tire, they warned that spokes had been damaged and could not be effectively tighened w/o further damage...
Took it home, but soon became bike felt unridable. - RIm was out of tune and very wobbily....apparently I damaged the wheel during this explosion also.
Back to LBS for new back wheel....$420 bucks...for a 27.5"x2.75"....it's adding up.

I have my bike back now...seems to be riding ok...the smaller diameter wheel in the back is a bit odd, but doable.

Have now rode for a week and could really feel the tires drag on asphalt...knew I needed to inflate.

Inflated this morning to 31psi front (still tubed) and 29psi back(tubelss)...(tire sidewall reads 17-35psi)

MUCH MUCH BETTER...but I still am waiting for my back, tubeless tire to explode again...think I have PTSD about it.

Anyway, my questions are...can you inflate and run tubeless tires at the upper extreme of their rating???
How often should one be checking and re-inflating tires?
Could I really have damaged the wheel with over-inflation??

gsa103

Yes, it's entirely possible to damage the wheel with over-inflation. How much did you inflate it to, and how much do you weigh? 20psi would be fairly high pressure for a 2.75" tire. What are you using as guideline to set the pressure?
Here's some charts a from ENVE as a decent guideline: https://www.enve.com/en/tirepressure/

Rolla

Yes, but one of the main advantages of tubeless is that you can run low pressure, and IMO that's when they function best. Given your experience, I'd avoid the upper limits.

Depends on well-sealed your tire is. Check it daily until you know how quickly it loses pressure, and by how much. Use a digital gauge, if you can.

Evidently so. I would have inquired about rebuilding it, but I assume the LBS evaluated that.

cxwrench

Not diameter, your new wheel is narrower so it's width. I highly doubt you're able to feel a .25" difference between the new wheel and the old one.

Yes, you can definitely damage a wheel by blowing the tire off. That's a huge volume of air. I'm guessing this is a knobby/dirt tire. Do NOT overinflate it in an effort to make it roll better on pavement. I wouldn't go higher than 30psi.

Pop N Wood

I would be surprised if the overpressure caused the rim damage, especially at the pressures you are talking about, but suddenly landing on a rim with a completely flat tire could definitely damage the rim

Are you sure you didn't hit something in the road when it blew?

Kapusta

27.5 x 3” rim? You mean the rim was 3” wide? Is this a fat bike?

ThermionicScott 

OP's bike, from his profile: https://www.marinbikes.com/bike-arch...ine-mountain-2

Kapusta

OK, his TIRES are 27.5x3. Not his rims.

cxwrench

So the OP was calling his tire...the rubber part that hits the road and everyone in the world knows is called 'tire'...he was saying that was his 'rim'?

ClydeClydeson

So cxwrench was calling attention to... a poster who, like everyone in the world, sometimes makes a 'mistake'... he thinks this is worth ridiculing?

tyrion

I don't know what a tubeless blowout sounds like, but this might have been the rim tape failing and the pressure blowing a hole in the tape at a spoke hole. In which case the tire didn't fail, the rim tape did.

I'd check the old rim and see if there's a hole in the rim tape has a hole in it at the spoke hole.

I realize we're talking fat tires and low pressure, but it's an easy check to try to understand what happened.

If there is a hole in the rim tape (blown out by air, not poked in by a spoke), then the solution is stronger rim tape or 2 layers of rim tape.

BTW the max pressure spec printed on the tire is half the tested blow off pressure.

squirtdad

OP, this may not be what you want to hear, but knobby tires in that size are not optimum for commuting in terms of rolling resistance (assuming you are riding on the road). If you use the bike on and off road, that is what you have to live with, if you are 95 percent road you may want to at some point look at smoother tires...... Knobby resistance can not be fixed by higher pressure

LesterOfPuppets

That is a Really high pressure for 2.8 to 3.0 tires.

My 2.8s list max pressure of 25 psi and my Stans rims list 26 max pressure for 2.8.

I weigh 160, bike weighs 28, and I run 11 psi front/12 rear off-road. 14 front/15 rear for road.
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cxwrench

That's a pretty obvious mistake and my post was partially trying to clarify...partially.

Squatpuke

...sorry about the miscommunication on tire vs. wheel...

And thank you for your comments...

I am guilty of high PSI to ensure a smoother pavement roll...can DEFINITELY feel the heavy drag when they are underinflated...and way better when they inflated near the max.

Would love to get a commuter, and could afford a decent one (but wanna say under $1500US)
The issue i have is that I'm a bit tall and heavy...6'2" and 260#

My commute is 99% pavement, with a 100yard section of easy dirt...
I am considering a Canyon Pathlite or Roadlite, but am concerned about my weight being too much for cheaper rims...
(sorry can't post links yet)

cxwrench

I'm betting you can find some smooth(ish) tires for your bike that aren't as big, maybe closer to 2.0-2.5". They'll be lighter and they'll roll loads better on pavement.

dabac

Keep in mind that the forces add up. A wider tire will exert more force on the bead and rim than a thinner tire at the same pressure.

squirtdad

that is not a problem at all..... with enough spokes a bit above budget but consider these https://surlybikes.com/bikes/straggler https://surlybikes.com/bikes/bridge_club

don't dismiss drop bars for commuttin....just put them up high enough...... I am commuting on a an 85 Miyata team frame with modern 105 5800 gear....30mm tubies (not tubelss) 32 spoke wheels

Amt0571

If he's 95% road I think it's better to look at a new bike rather than smoother tires. Using a trail bike on the road is inefficient regardless of the tires. A second hand or even an ultra-cheap road bike is way way way faster on pavement.

Squatpuke

Thank you...I think ya'll are correct...time for a new bike.
Spent quite a bit of time at SURELYs site...

I really like the looks of the Ogre...but it as 29" wheels and 2.5" width tires...so not sure how that will preform on the road...

Also do like the straggler, bridge club and disc trucker...think they all have 700c/thinner tires...

I don't know anything about wheels...how can tell a stronger wheel from a cheaper one? The amount of spokes? the brand?

surlybikes.com/bikes/ogre
surlybikes.com/bikes/straggler
surlybikes.com/bikes/disc_trucker

(still can't post links sorry)

alcjphil

Did you know that 29" wheels and 700c wheels are the same diameter? Wider 700c tires fit perfectly on 29" rims