Flats!

[Grog]

All what other people said, and yes, do check the rim and rim tape, and the end of the spokes (that could be poking through the tape). Punctures often come from the wheel itself.

Plus, there can be some grit or glass IN the tire that you don't see or even feel with your finger. Running an inflated balloon on both the inside and the outside of your tire, you'll probably find something (if all else fails).

Plus: to find the problem with a tube, inflate it and put it in water. See where the bubbles come from...

[Kalidurga]

I'd like to add a question to this thread, if no one minds: I've got a tiny tear in the tube at the base of the valve stem. I've never patched a tube before, and I'm wondering if it's worth bothering in that spot. It seems like it's so close to the stem that the patch wouldn't adhere properly. Has anyone tried a repair of this sort?

[DebW]

I'd like to add a question to this thread, if no one minds: I've got a tiny tear in the tube at the base of the valve stem. I've never patched a tube before, and I'm wondering if it's worth bothering in that spot. It seems like it's so close to the stem that the patch wouldn't adhere properly. Has anyone tried a repair of this sort?

A patch won't hold there. Time for a new tube.

[Dogmama]

Worn out rim tape. Is 12 years too long to have the same rim tape? There were no sharp edges, but my little LBS guy said that the indentations were deep enough to make a tube blow under 120 lbs of pressure.

This is a tiny little shop - think of Andy Griffith's barber shop - that's it. Older guy & his younger wife run it. Gave me a few bits of info:

He said that putting corn starch on tubes to make them slip in is NOT a good idea because you don't want the tube moving inside of the tire & bending the valve around.

He said Continentals are the last pure rubber tire. Soft, good for gripping the road, most perfectly round tire, but they don't last very long. (I don't care, I have an aversion to road rash.)

He said small shops like his can't compete with Performance, the internet, etc., and soon we'll all be shopping at big box stores. I hate that. The worst repairs I've ever had were at those stores.

[DebW]

Glad the mystery is solved. Was the rim strip rubber or cloth? Did you ever find the leaks in those 3 tubes?

[Dogmama]

The strip was cloth - really really old. He put a rubber strip in.

Never found the leaks in the other three - but I was looking at the outside of the tube when I should have been looking at the inside!

Oh well, live & cuss! Er...live & learn???

[Kano]

Dogmama --

You wrote the first post wondering if it was safe to go on your 27 mile ride. Did you? How'd you do?

Karen in Boise -- who's glad to know about rim strips!

[Jen Jen]

He said that putting corn starch on tubes to make them slip in is NOT a good idea because you don't want the tube moving inside of the tire & bending the valve around.

That is interesting. I've had 2 different bike mechanics recommend using baby powder when you're replacing a flat. I'm guessing that's equivalent to corn starch.

That is why this stuff can get frustrating, you can get conflicting instructions and each sound logical!

[Geonz]

welp, maybe put it around on *some* (most?) of the tire. SOmetimes my tube will simply weld itslef to the tire. (Note: I have not actually gotten the baby powder and done that, so I'm still sometimes peeling off my tube like ductape from a wall... only tougher.)