He is 11 and uses his bike for school We have instilled upon him not to ride up kerbs or in potholes as the constant repairing of tyres (and buying inner tubes is getting stupid) He phoned me yet again this morning to say his rear tyre has just burst again, thats after a new self sealing inner tube being fitted last Monday.
Is it only us or does everyone else have this problem? MANYANA He walks miles already to school and back as his bike is always off the road, he walks the dog twice a day too. Its not his fault....this time! It's possible that the rim or or the tire could be causing this. Sometime the rim strip isn't covering the inner rim well. Make sure the strip is in place. Or buy new strips $1 each usually. Next carefully check the rim for shape edges and file, sand or tape them over.
Next the tire may have an object embedded in it from a previous puncture. Carefully inspect the tire from the inside for this. Use you hands to do this as you can feel things you may not see.
Many times constant flats are caused by these things. Finally make sure the tire are inflated properly, low tires cause pinch flats on the sides of the tubes. Make a note on where the tube is punctured: rim side, tire side or sides of the tube. This could help in locating the problem. Either:
- he has poor-quality tyres or tubes fitted, It is worth investing in good ones. I have Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres fitted on my bicycle and I get very few punctures. They cost 拢40 each but have a Kevlar ribbon in the tread - the material used in bullet-proof vests. Continental make similar tyres as well.
- he keeps riding over sharp objects. If this is the trouble he needs to be more careful. (Riding over kerbs causes damage to the wheel rim rather than punctures).
- a school bully keeps jabbing a pin or something like into his tyre in the school cycle store. Is the store secure against this sort of thing? I have this problem when i ride on the footpaths, there's so much broken class and other crap on them.
If you don't like him to ride in the road or he doesn't like to ride in the road, you can try not letting the tread of the tires get to worn down also try keeping less air in the tires so they're not as solid. Well check where the hold in the inner tube is (By filling the tire with air and putting it in water to see where it bubbles). If the hole is on the inside(towards the rim) check his rim strip as his spoke nipples may be puncturing the tire. If the rim strip is ripped get a new one, or electrical tape might work. Give him a mountain bike with mountain tires. I have rode mine over sharp rocks, potholes, jumps, drop-offs, roots, gravel, stairs, curbs, and generally unforgiving objects every week, and I have only had one flat in the past year. when i was his age it happened to me all the time,no matter what yous tell him,he will do it,he will be skidding about,wheelying etc,i wouldn't care its a shame if there wasn't as much broken glass,get him some solid inner tubes,lol. My dad gets them all the timebecause when they cut the hedge near our house they leave sharp bits all over the pavement!
If inner tubes were made well and didn't puncture easily, the bike companies would never make any money!! make him walk for a while!!! then he might appreciate how much it cost's. or make him pay for his own tyres out of his pocket money. i saw him cycling through a building site last week Come on now, it's 'cos he is a boy!!!!!!!!! buy better inner tubes.
mine cost like 50usd or somethin Firstly, make sure that his tyre pressure is good. For road skinny tyres - at least 90 psi. For chunkier mountain bike tyres, 45psi. This will stop something called a pinch flat. This is when you hit a rock, curb etc and the tyre pinches the innertube, causing a puncture. (This may be the reason
for the burst tyre you just described.
Buy a bottle of slime (Assuming that you have a car type valve) and stick this into the innertube to top up the slime that you just lost. This should take care of most of those niggling little faults.
Ideally, I would say that he should go tubeless, with self sealing compound, but I am not sure that they would do this for 11 year olds cycles.
You might also consider changing the tyres. Something with thicker sidewalls or deaper tread, might help prevent punctures. There's a few things to recommend :
His tires are actually underflated, causing a 'pinch' puncture when he hits the curbs. Ensure they're pumped up correctly.
He is cycling over sharp objects. Make him aware that he needs to keep an eye on where he's cycling to. The next thing he may hit might hurt - like a car!
He may be being bullied and his tyres may be being burst on purpose. I'm afraid that no amount of replacement inner tubes will stop this and that this possibility you should raise with you son and judge for yourself if this is really the case.
He may not care at all about his bike and sees you as a bit of a mug. Constantly replacing and fixing his tyres gives him 'permission' to carry on not caring. (Sorry)
Lastly, try getting tyres that have no inner tubes. Kevlar reinforced ones, that are strong enough to with stand a bit of miss adventure. For extra reassurance you could inject a 'No More Flats' liquid compound through the air valve to plug any small puncture holes that occur. Your local bike store is the best place to go for further advice on this.
Everyone has punctures, but it does sound like you lad has been very 'unlucky' lately. I hope everything will be OK for you both and that your son keeps enjoying his biking and you enjoy not coughing up as much cash.
Hope this is of help to you both. Unfortunately, flats often come in clusters. The good news is if you can find the cause of the perpetual flats, you can put an end to them. (For a while, at least.) To this end, it is important to carefully examine the tube after each flat.
First off, don't just rip the tire off and yank the tube out. Before changing the tube, use a pencil or chalk to make a mark on the tire at the location of the valve stem. Then carefully remove the tube so that you know which direction it was installed in. (You might want to make a mark on the tube to help you remember.) Doing this will allow you to examine the tire around the location of the puncture to see if there is a piece of glass, wire, etc. that is creating the leak.
Secondly, carefully examine the tire to find the puncture. Put some air in the tire and look and listen for a leak or hiss. You may need to put air under water and look for bubbles.
Once you find the leak, figure out if the puncture is to the inside of the tube or the outside of the tube.
If the puncture is to the inside of the tube, you've probably got a problem with the rim or rim strip. Carefully examine the rim and the rim strip. All spoke holes and spoke heads must be entirely covered by the rim strip. If not, go buy a new one. Run your finger across all surfaces of the rim. There must be no rough spots within the rim. If there are rough spots, carefully sand them off. All spokes should be tight, as well. If there is a loose spoke, the wheel needs to go to the shop for repair.
If the puncture is to the outside of the tube you have a variety of other problems to sort out.
Is it a pinch flat? A pinch flat is characterized by a pair of holes often resembling a snake bite. A pinch flat occurs when the tube in pinched between an object like a curb or pothole and the rim of the wheel. It is caused by underinflation of the tire. If you detect a pinch flat, his tires need more air. I've always found a good quality pump with a reliable gauge is the best insurance against a pinch flat. Be sure the rim was not damaged by the impact.
A puncture can also be caused by a piece of glass, rock, wire, etc. embedded in the tire. Once you have found the location of the puncture, carefully examine the tire in the viscinity of the puncture to see if there is something embedded in it. (Remember, this is why we marked the tire and tube in the first place.) The best way to do this is to feel for any type of irregularity on the inside of the tire with your fingers. Just be careful, I have impaled myself on pieces of wire and glass that were utterly invisible to the eye. (A small price to pay to get rid of a source of flat tires...) If you find something embedded in the tire, you need to remove it.
Be sure the tire isn't cut. A cut can allow the tube to protrude a bit and be subject to flatting. If the tire has a cut, you need a "boot". You can use some type of cloth based take like duct tape to repair it. Or you can use a dollar bill, or you can actually buy a Park Tool Tire Boot. Any of these will solve the problem.
Also be sure the tire has no severely worn spots. (Like from a skid.) The less tread, the more easily the tire is punctured.
Finally, there is the possibility there is no systemic problem. Clusters of flats usually have a reason, though. Good luck chasing it down.
Hope this helps. |
