I got to hear...

[Tuckervill]

...a bike tube explode yesterday!

I wish I had been looking that direction so I could have seen it, too. Was standing in the bike shop, buying a nice jacket on clearance (half off!). Another customer was getting ready to test ride a Giant road bike. The LBS guy leaned the bike on the counter next to me, and pumped up the tires with a hand pump. While he fiddled with the saddle, the rear tube exploded with the loudest bang I've ever heard!

I saw the bike jump a little out of the corner of my eye. There was nothing wrong with the wheel or the tire--it just looked flat.

Who knew it could explode 2 minutes AFTER it had been filled up and walked away from? Wow.

Karen

[sandra]

As a little girl, my daddy and I rode to get air in our bike tires. On the way home mine blew. It scared me to death. It is so loud!!! I will never forget it. I burst into tears!!! Plus, I knew my fun of riding that day with my daddy was over.

[KSH]

Yea, it's pretty loud!

Back in January, I was riding my trainer and BAM! It scared me to death! I thought I was going to go flying off the trainer on my bike.

I just blew the back tire out. Ripped right down the middle! Had to go buy a new tire to replace it.

[xeney]

My husband bought a batch of crappy tires a couple of summers ago to use in a pair of not-quite-true steel wheels, and they were constantly exploding. Our poor dogs, who all grew up with bikes and used to be unfazed, now run to hide by me and shiver whenever J. brings out a bike pump.

Who knew there was something in the house that could be even scarier than a vacuum cleaner?

[Grog]

My sweet husband changed a flat for me (against my will, as we were "in a hurry" and I'm "so slow and too careful" when I change them). He managed to get me a pinch flat which exploded right by my ear as I was putting the rear wheel back on my bike... as we were both standing in our mini-kitchen. It sounded like a gunshot. Once my head stopped buzzing, I calmly said: I think I will change it now, do you mind?

[DebW]

...a bike tube explode yesterday!

I wish I had been looking that direction so I could have seen it, too.

There's really nothing to see, it happens so fast. I estimated that I've probably been around several hundred exploding tires from my 4 years in a bike shop. We used to blow two or three a week, sometimes two or three a day. So far I haven't lost my hearing, but who knows...

[bmccasland]

Nothing quite like riding in "certain areas" and hear a bike tube explode. The First thing your brain thinks is gun shot! Then you have to calm your heart down when you realize that it's *only* a bike tube. Meanwhile you're still mentally doing the body check for new holes.

Last year on the MS ride, day two, after about 2 miles several people had blow outs - blam! blam! blam! Made us think we were in a shooting range.

[chicago]

unfortunately I heard my back tire explode two weekends ago... after only 5 miles on a new tire and tube

it is LOUD!!!!

but Performance is going to give me a new tire for free, which is good, because they are not cheap. I still don't now why it exploded... if another one does, we've got a problem

[makbike]

I had one blow in my car. I was stopped at a red light when "boom!" I remember ducking thinking someone was shooting at me. When I realized that was not the case I looked toward the back of my car and noticed the rear tire was flat. I chuckled all the way to the ride.

[RoadBunner]

Wow! Does this happen that often? I'm one of those people who jumps when someone honks their horn when I'm walking down the street so I'd probably jump out of my skin (and fall of the bike) if I heard that!

[PinkBike]

couple years ago at the start of the tour de scottsdale, the gun went off and you heard the "clickclickclick" all over the place as people clipped in then several "bam - pssssssssssssssssshhhhhh." it was almost symphonic.

[HillSlugger]

Unfortunately I've had this happen to me several times after changing a tube. Apparently I pinched the tube between the tire and the rim. It can be loud enough to make your ears rings for a while!

[mimitabby]

When my frozen shoulder was still on the mend, I went for an easy ride with our friends. A friend had a flat so we stopped, and i stood about 15 feet away from him. He blew the tube with a loud bang (probably a pinch flat) and I jumped like you would expect, except for the froz shoulder which was so painful i fell down. I suppose it looked like I got shot. My friends acted like i was nuts.. I'm Glad that healed up!

[uforgot]

I had my bike on a stand, had just put the tire on it and was adjusting something with my ear next to the tire, naturally, and bam! My ears rang for a long long time. It was kind of dead for a couple of days and I was really getting worried, but it eventually went away. Now I make sure to keep my head away from the tire if possible.