Thanks for the info! The tubes that I have had experience with were NOT short tubes. If you took a tube and put some air into it, held it in your hand, you would see that the tube without a doubt had a weak spot.... one area would be larger or sometimes smaller than the rest of the tube... obviously a definite problem. The tubes that we had problems with were made by Specialized, although I'm sure the same thing could happen with many manufacturers.
So more than likely, the problems with all of the exploding tubes may have something to do with the above and perhaps some are short tubes as you explained....
Have a good riding weekend eceryone!
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Thread: Help! Exploding tubes
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07-21-2006, 08:20 AM #1
Chase Cyclery
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- Apr 2006
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Exploding tubes
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07-21-2006, 10:35 AM #2
Team Sandbagger
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Deb and Ridebikeme,
Thanks for the additional info. As bike mechanics, you both have more expertise and a wider sample size than the typical bike owner, so your input is extremely interesting.
I don't think the Bonty tubes are short. It's been a couple of years since I've handled one of the Bonty Superlights, so I can't say that conclusively.
Another factor in my case might be the tires that were originally mounted. I don't remember the model of the tire, but it was a Bontrager, very lightweight with no tread. When I had my blow out, one of the guys who was around while I was changing the tire commented on how flimsy the bead was. Maybe Deb's right about the cause in this case -- maybe the tire did separate from the rim due to the flimsy bead.
At any rate, after than incident I switched to the Bontrager butyl tubes and some Continental Grand Prix tires. I just didn't want to take any chances with severe flats, especially with 650C wheels, where borrowing an extra tube could be a problem.
The bummer of the whole thing was that when I first got my bike, I felt like it was the PF Flyers of bikes -- the equivalent of jump higher, run faster. Jobob used to tease me about having helium in the tires. After switching to the heavier tubes/tires, that PF Flyer/helium feeling went away, and hasn't come back since. Ah, the price you pay to avoid flats!
-- Melissa
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