# Bubble on sidewall.....tire or tube



## Jeepson33s (Jun 15, 2006)

ok before i go and take this tire off and buy somthing that i dont need, what is this and how is it caused. i have a bubble on my sidewall of my tire and just wanted to know if its my sidewall giving away or my tube. i am new to roadbiking so this is greek to me on what to do. i like my tires but if i need them replaced, not a big deal, but if i can repair them then that would be even better since a patch kit would not be that expensive.


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## elvisVerde (Jul 17, 2005)

*If it is similar to what I have seen...*

then it is sorta both. The tire is thin there, I suspect, and the tube is bulging into it. I would definitely investigate. I have seen tires do this that had really thin sidewalls. There is a limit to non-racing-use weight savings in tires, and many cross it, IMHO. Try riding a tough tire and see if you mind, or notice, that you haven't saved 32 grams.



Jeepson33s said:


> ok before i go and take this tire off and buy somthing that i dont need, what is this and how is it caused. i have a bubble on my sidewall of my tire and just wanted to know if its my sidewall giving away or my tube. i am new to roadbiking so this is greek to me on what to do. i like my tires but if i need them replaced, not a big deal, but if i can repair them then that would be even better since a patch kit would not be that expensive.


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## curlybike (Jan 23, 2002)

*Think about this.*



Jeepson33s said:


> ok before i go and take this tire off and buy somthing that i dont need, what is this and how is it caused. i have a bubble on my sidewall of my tire and just wanted to know if its my sidewall giving away or my tube. i am new to roadbiking so this is greek to me on what to do. i like my tires but if i need them replaced, not a big deal, but if i can repair them then that would be even better since a patch kit would not be that expensive.


If there is plenty of tread left, you can make a boot out of an old tire andplace it between the tube and bulging tire. That said, unless it is a very small bulge, 1/8" or so, You would do best by replacing the tire. I say tire, because it is the job of the tube to expand and fill the tire. If there is a weak spot on the tire, the tube will push out there because there is no support.
So you are going around a corner in traffic, and your tire blows out and you slide under the wheels of a concrete truck. You are not killed instantly but it takes the medivac 30 minutes to get there and you suffer the whole time until they get the truck off of you and you die.
Will you remember the cost of the tire that you saved by booting the tire. Think about that.


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## Oldteen (Sep 7, 2005)

I agree with curlybike.
A tube will not cause a specific sidewall bulge in a good tire. While learning to boot a tire is a useful skill to have in an emergency, it is not a long-term stable repair.
Replace the tire.


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