Help! Exploding tubes

[DebW]

Tubes only go boom when the tire slips off the rim or sustains a sudden large cut. The twing noise you heard was probably the tire lifting off the rim. There is probably a gaping hole in the tube near a sidewall. So somehow either the tires were mounted without the bead being totally seated on the rim, or there is a mismatch between the rim and the tire bead. When you mount a tire, pump it to ~30 lb first and inspect the bead all around on both sides. If an area is higher than the rest, deflate, reset the bead, and inflate again. If an area is low, deflate and try again. Liquid soap can be used in that area to help the bead rise. Only inflate to full pressure when the bead in set evenly all around. If you always do this and the tires still blow, check with your LBS or the rim manufacture for possible tire incompatibility. Checking the inside of the rim is good advice, but usually rim problems cause a hissing noise as the tube leaks, not a boom.

[cusepack]

I've had dreadful luck with bonty tubes . . . when I first purchased my bike, I had roughly six flats within the first month. It wasn't until I changed tube brands, that I stopped experiencing flats. I've been using Conti's for the past 8 months and have only had one flat. My LBS told me that bontrager, for whatever reason, when a "line" of tubes is produced, and there's a defect in one, chances are, that entire shipment will have that same defect. Therefore, on some occasions, they have had to return their bonty tubes (w/ same production line #) when say 5 or 6 riders come in complaining of the same problem. Since my LBS doesn't carry Conti's, I just order them online - they're much cheaper too

[AuntieK]

Ok--I took apart my wheels and did a complete inspection, but didn't find anything. Now the only thing that makes sense to me is what DebW is saying about a mismatch between the rim and the tire bead. I took it to LBS today and had it checked out. He said everything looked fine to him too, but if I have further problems, to come back and he'll contact the manufacturer. He also suggested inflating partially, moving tire around a bit, and then filling it up. He's also not all that impressed with super light tubes, so I guess I'll switch to something else (possibly Conti's--thanks cusepack).
Thanks again to everyone for your help on this!

[Deanna]

Maybe the tire guage is inaccurate and it's being pumped up further than you think?

[Pedal Wench]

Did they forget to put in rim strips?

[AuntieK]

Man, you gals are thinking up everything!
Pedal Wench, yes, the rim strips are in place.
Deanna, I'll look into verifying the accuracy of the guage, although it was never a problem with the old wheels.
Thanks again, and keep the suggestions coming. I'm still a little uneasy about it, but it has been two days with no explosions, so things are looking up.