Exploding tire?!?

I went for a ride after work on Monday. On my way back home, about 5 miles out, I felt a “bump” in my rear wheel. I got off the bike and noticed a bulge in my rear tire. It pushed the tire off to the side a bit. There was no cut in the tire and nothing imbedded in it. I got back on and headed home…a little nervous. I took the downhills a little slower. When I racked my bike I rotated my tire so the bulge was at the top. I figured the tire would go flat in a few hours and that way I knew where to look for whatever caused the problem. I went inside and cleaned up. About 45 minutes after racking my bike I heard a loud bang come from the garage. My dog went wild! I went to check it out and sure enough, my tire had exploded!

So what do you think caused the tire to bulge like that in the first place? And why/how did the tire explode if there wasn’t a cut in it? Anyone have any insight into what might have happened? It kind of scares me to think it might have exploded like that while I was riding in traffic.

First of all, an exploding tire in traffic isn't really any more dangerous than a puncture flat. It goes flat, you realize that you are riding on the rim, and you stop. Guess the danger is being startled by the noise. But, you probably can't ride another yard until you replace the tire and tube, so a major bummer on the road unless you carry a spare folding tire. Was your tire bulge on the road-contact part of the tire or the sidewall or was the bead slipping off the rim? How old was the tire? Sometimes sidewalls start to get thread separation and develop a bulge. If on the road-contact surface, I would suspect either a defective tire or some major road damage that wasn't visible. In any case, you need a new tire and a new tube. Tubes always have gaping holes after a blowout and are unpatchable. I've been around hundreds of exploding tires, but the majority occur while inflating with the bead not properly seated.

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Originally Posted by DebW

Was your tire bulge on the road-contact part of the tire or the sidewall or was the bead slipping off the rim? How old was the tire? Sometimes sidewalls start to get thread separation and develop a bulge. If on the road-contact surface, I would suspect either a defective tire or some major road damage that wasn't visible. In any case, you need a new tire and a new tube. Tubes always have gaping holes after a blowout and are unpatchable. I've been around hundreds of exploding tires, but the majority occur while inflating with the bead not properly seated.

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The bulge was off toward the side a bit but not really on the sidewall. The blowout hole was on the road contact part of the tire. I had a spare tire at home so I've replace both tube and tire.
So I take it the problem was with the tire not the tube, right? I thought about replacing the tube when I saw it but didn't know if that would help. At that point I just wanted to get home...safely. So an exploding tire wouldn't cause the bike to veer off course suddenly? Since all my previous flats occurred slowly when on the bike, having the tire just lose all air suddenly like that seems like it would be different than a slow flat.

Yes, the problem was with the tire. Replacing the tube before the blowout would not have helped. You were correct to take the corners slowly, as suddenly being on the rim in a corner might possibly cause loss of traction. How old was the tire? If it was less than a year old and there is no evidence of damage by hitting something, I'd call it defective and return it to your LBS if possible.

Tires do that sometimes. I had one go bang on a front wheel once. I thought the kids we had just passed had thrown a firecracker at me - until I couldn't steer very well. Good thing I can't (couldn't, couldn't - now I bet I could) get up much speed on that bike, or I would have had problems.

The rule I put in force after that was to change a tire ASAP when it gets a funny bump like that.

BTW, your tire seems to have failed rather quickly, mine gave me days of warning. I should have listened. You did the most you could do.

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Originally Posted by DebW

Yes, the problem was with the tire. Replacing the tube before the blowout would not have helped. You were correct to take the corners slowly, as suddenly being on the rim in a corner might possibly cause loss of traction. How old was the tire? If it was less than a year old and there is no evidence of damage by hitting something, I'd call it defective and return it to your LBS if possible.

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The tire was less than a year old and only had about 1000 miles on it. I did have a nick in the tire (not the tube) that I had patched about 6 months ago but it was in a totally different spot, not even near where this one occured. It used to cause me to get slow leaks overnight. But after I patched the tire I didn't get any more flats. So I don't guess the LBS would replace it.

Could riding on a very rough road cause this? I HATE CHIP AND SEAL ROADS!!:mad:

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Originally Posted by li10up

Could riding on a very rough road cause this? I HATE CHIP AND SEAL ROADS!!:mad:

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Probably not chip seal. I rode thousands of miles on this type of road and I think only got one flat in that area...and that was from a valve stem. And I typically ride pretty lightweight tires.

1000 miles can be a lot of miles depending upon the tire. Some of the lighter "racing" tires aren't all that durable. Still, most "standard" (for lack of a better term) tires out there should give you much more. But who knows...as MOB said, sometimes things like this just happen.

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Originally Posted by li10up

The tire was less than a year old and only had about 1000 miles on it. I did have a nick in the tire (not the tube) that I had patched about 6 months ago but it was in a totally different spot, not even near where this one occured. It used to cause me to get slow leaks overnight. But after I patched the tire I didn't get any more flats. So I don't guess the LBS would replace it.

Could riding on a very rough road cause this? I HATE CHIP AND SEAL ROADS!!:mad:

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Bad roads shouldn't generally cause this. A tire should have enough tread and enough resilience to handle rough roads. Unless a substantial fraction of the tread is already worn off. Or the tire has aged and lost resilience. Impacts on rough roads are more likely to damage your rims than your tires, unless the tires are underpressured. Possibly a specific impact on a bad pothole or rock damaged some of the threads in that area and they eventually weakened to the breaking point.

Thanks for the replies. I guess it was just a weak spot in the tire. At least I feel better about what would happen if I was riding at the time of a blow-out.

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Originally Posted by DebW

A tire should have enough tread and enough resilience to handle rough roads. Unless a substantial fraction of the tread is already worn off. Or the tire has aged and lost resilience.

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I find it interesting to read this, Deb, having just posted to your question about your own tyre...

:confused:

When a tire explodes like that (BOOM!), it's a good idea to check your rim for true and round...... if it blows hard enough, it can actually cause some damage. Not common, but possible.

annie

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Originally Posted by annie

When a tire explodes like that (BOOM!), it's a good idea to check your rim for true and round...... if it blows hard enough, it can actually cause some damage. Not common, but possible.

annie

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After replacing the tire I spun it and it looks true and doesn't rub on the brake pads so I think the rim is okay. Thanks for letting me know that though...I wouldn't have thought of it.

I hit a pretty big nail, and it took quite a bit to get it out. I checkd the tire for any more debris and then I placed a dollar bill where the hole was, but my first tube exploded. Honestly, I was in such a hurry to get back on time I thought I did the CO2 too fast. Then a SAG vehicle came up- laughed at my dollar- took it out and promptly blew up my second tube. Needless to say I was dnf- did not finish. :( The Sag group thought the shop may have sold me an incorrect tube for my tire. Any suggestions and also how can I tell what tube goes to my tire?

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Originally Posted by li10up

After replacing the tire I spun it and it looks true and doesn't rub on the brake pads so I think the rim is okay. Thanks for letting me know that though...I wouldn't have thought of it.

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One reason the tire ripped/tore/exploded could be that you overinflate the tire. Keep in mind that while riding, use of brakes on tires will cause the tire to heat up, and the tube to expand. If the tire are already inflated to the maximum, say anything over 120 psi, then it is possible to cause the tube to expand and cause a tear in the tire, especially along the sidewall. Were you doing hills ( and downhills) the day the tire exploded? Try inflating your tire to 100 or 110 max. That should solve the problem.

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Originally Posted by bcipam

One reason the tire ripped/tore/exploded could be that you overinflate the tire. Keep in mind that while riding, use of brakes on tires will cause the tire to heat up, and the tube to expand. If the tire are already inflated to the maximum, say anything over 120 psi, then it is possible to cause the tube to expand and cause a tear in the tire, especially along the sidewall. Were you doing hills ( and downhills) the day the tire exploded? Try inflating your tire to 100 or 110 max. That should solve the problem.

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The tire was only inflated to 100 psi and I was riding mostly flat terrain - hadn't used the brakes much at all. The external part of the tire looked fine. It's still a mystery to me. Only thing I can think of is that the tire was defective on the inside. Thanks for your input though.