prime winner

Can you guys help me determine what caused this hole? The tube is the original from a Giant Talon mountain bike. Five days ago I changed from the original tires to Continental Contact Cruiser tires. After I changed the tire I went on a mile ride, then the next morning I went on a 10 mile ride. I noticed the flat today, 3 days later. This was my second flat in about a month and this one was on the front, last was rear. The tube had over 450 miles on it and all my riding has been on paved, neighborhood roads. I checked the tire and the rim and didn't see or feel anything that may have caused the hole.

DeadGrandpa

Run your fingers around the inside of the rim, like where the spokes come through the rim and a bit to either side, all the way around. I'm not an expert, but that's what I would do.. Make sure there are no pointy things to puncture a tube.

prime winner

Thank you. I should have been more descriptive. I did look and feel along the tire and rim, and didn't see our feel anything. I edited my original post to reflect that.

cudak888 

What pressure are you running the tube at, and what type of rim strip are you using?

-Kurt

DeadGrandpa

You have me scratching my head. Please let me know if you find the cause. I guess it could be a defect in the tube, but it seems unlikely.

delbiker1 

Looks like something with the rim from the location of the hole.

prime winner

I was thinking something rim related caused it as well but couldn't find anything. The rim strip was whatever came with the bike, sorry I don't have more details. I had the tire at the max psi it was rated for, 65.

Bill Kapaun

I'd call it a fluke until you get a 2nd similar hole.

dscheidt

Use a fluffed up cotton ball. It will snag on very fine wires and junk that are impossible to see and hard to find except by getting poked by it. ON the road, you can use a cigarette filter, they're pretty common on the ground....

thumpism 

Even of the rubber rim strip looks good, I'd run a couple of turns of electrician's tape around to make sure everything is covered.

Iride01 

Looks like a puncture, but cam angle being what it is, hard to say. And it is on the rim side, so if no spokes or bad rim tape/strip. The maybe a one-off thing you might never know.

Since you've had several soon after fixing flats are you sure you aren't just getting careless and letting the tube get pinched under the tire bead as you slip the last of it over the rim?

I get that way sometimes too when I think I am too good at changing tires for anything to go wrong. Murphy steps in and humbles me.

Retro Grouch 

What kind of rims? What kind of rim strip?

Some types of rim strips can shift from side-to-side during the tire changing process. If that leaves the tiniest little arc of unprotected spoke hole exposed your tire pressure will force your inner tube against that metal edge and, over a period of time - usually not immediately, make a hole in your inner tube. It looks to me like that's what may have happened to you.

Unless I have tires that are real hard to fit, Velox is my preferred rim strip, preferably wide enough to fill the rim space all the way from flange-to-flange.

CliffordK

First, use the tube and valve stem to measure the distance along rim (each way), to determine probably fault area along the rim for closer inspection. Any signs of stretching or something on the tube?

Did you reuse the tube from the previous tire? What kind of tools did you use to remove and reinstall the tire? Screwdrivers? It is possible you pinched the rim during the installation. That usually creates a big hole, but possibly a small one too.

frogman

What ever you discover, please share it with us. Inquiring minds want to know..............