# First flat... After only 100 miles



## uwhuskies (Aug 19, 2011)

Well was riding this morning on my commute and after about 3 miles noticed something didn't feel right in the back of the bike. I had just put some planet bike fenders on last night and thought maybe they were just rubbing on something. Pulled over to find the rear tire was completely flat. 

I had all the stuff on my bike to replace the tube but seeing as it was still dark out and raining and aincebive never replaced a tube I decided to just walk it home and replace it tonight in the garage. 

I don't remember running over anything... I do have to cross a set of railroad tracks but i got over the flattest spot and stand up when I go over them and try and absorb as much of it as I can with my knees so im not sure what would cause it. 

After only 100 miles on the bike I hope this isn't a common thing. I am a bigger guy... 6' 2" and about 225lbs... Are their any stronger or tougher tubes I should look at?


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## gp3d (Jul 6, 2011)

Most likely just a random event, you never know when you are going to have one. This past weekend I had my first flat on my road bike in several years. On the other hand, a year ago I had 3 flats within 2 weeks on my mountain bike just riding around the clean streets of my neighborhood. Just be prepared.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

Before you think about changing anything, find out what caused the flat. When you replace the tube tonight, inspect it, find the hole or holes, and figure out how to correct the problem. If it's a puncture from something penetrating the tire tread, find the object and remove it so you don't puncture the new tube. If it's a pinch flat, look at whether you're running the right equipment for you situation. At your size, you would benefit from 25mm or even larger tires if they'll fit.

Raining and dark, it's no surprise you don't rememeber running over anything. Many things that could puncture a tire are invisible in those conditions.

If you do decide you need more puncture protection, different tires and/or tire liners make more difference than tubes.

So give us a report after your inspection.


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## Allez Rouge (Jan 1, 1970)

Well, it could be a case of St*ff Happens. I once bought a new bicycle, loaded it into the car for the 120 mile drive home, and found the rear tire flat upon arrival.

But there's a good possibility you suffered a pinch flat from crossing those tracks. New bike, you say ... had you checked the air pressure during those 100 miles? A tire can feel firm under your thumb but still be down enough to pressure to bring pinch flats into play.


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## uwhuskies (Aug 19, 2011)

JCavilia said:


> At your size, you would benefit from 25mm or even larger tires if they'll fit.


The current tires on there are 700x25




Allez Rouge said:


> But there's a good possibility you suffered a pinch flat from crossing those tracks. New bike, you say ... had you checked the air pressure during those 100 miles? A tire can feel firm under your thumb but still be down enough to pressure to bring pinch flats into play.


I haven't been checking the pressure, I was just doing the thumb test like you said thats not the most accurate thing ever.

I ride over the tracks for my commute but if that is going to cause problems like this I think there is another route I can take that goes under them, it's just not as good of a ride.

When I get the wheel off and tube out I'll inspect the tire for anything poking through and take pics of the tube and see what you guys think...

Thanks!


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

> I haven't been checking the pressure


Pinch flat, I would bet $ on it. You have to check the pressure, often. I'd pump every day. I assume you have a good floor pump with a gauge. It only takes a minute.

And given your size and your plans to commute in the dark, in a place where it rains a lot, I'd seriously consider bigger tires if they'll fit. IME (commuting in New England (nearly as rainy as Seattle -- fewer wet days, but more hard rains)), all kinds of flats happen more often in the wet. Punctures because some stuff sticks to the tire when wet and has more time to work its way through, and pinch flats because potholes and other stuff can hide in puddles, and you'll slam into them without warning.

If you've got the frame clearance, look for bigger tires. That's my advice.


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## vladvm (May 4, 2010)

1st check where the hole is... if it's inner side of the tube then you need to replace the rim strips, if it's outside then it's a random normal flat unless it has two holes which means it was under inlfated.


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## uwhuskies (Aug 19, 2011)

JCavilia said:


> Pinch flat, I would bet $ on it. You have to check the pressure, often. I'd pump every day. I assume you have a good floor pump with a gauge. It only takes a minute.


Yeah I didn't know it needed to be checked so often. I will just make a habit of it to check the pressure whenever i get back from a ride and anytime it sits for a while.

I have a compressor in the garage so I'll just use that.


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## rgg01 (Jun 21, 2011)

That's nothing, I got my bike built in time for our closed circuit club ride and made it one lap, 2.5kms before feeling the flat. I had no spare tube myself but luckily the mechanic had one and I changed it out and it was fine. Just picked up something along the way, probably whilst riding off to the side of the track to adjust the seat.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

uwhuskies said:


> Yeah I didn't know it needed to be checked so often. I will just make a habit of it to check the pressure whenever i get back from a ride and anytime it sits for a while.
> 
> I have a compressor in the garage so I'll just use that.


Don't check it when you get back -- check before you go out, unless you rode within the last day.

And "checking" pressure on high-pressure low-volume road bike tires is tricky to do without losing some air. Most riders use a floor pump with a gauge, and just top it off if there's any possibility it's low. It takes me less than a minute to do both tires, so when it doubt, I pump. You can use the thumb test as a very rough guide, but without a lot of frequent practice it's easy to squeeze a tire and think it's alright, when it's really 20 pounds low.

What pressure do you run?


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## tate (Sep 19, 2011)

just got my bike two trips and two flats tires the next morning.. checked the psi before i left all good.. i ordered some new tires for the bike. ill patch them up until they show up


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## uwhuskies (Aug 19, 2011)

JCavilia said:


> Don't check it when you get back -- check before you go out, unless you rode within the last day.
> 
> And "checking" pressure on high-pressure low-volume road bike tires is tricky to do without losing some air. Most riders use a floor pump with a gauge, and just top it off if there's any possibility it's low. It takes me less than a minute to do both tires, so when it doubt, I pump. You can use the thumb test as a very rough guide, but without a lot of frequent practice it's easy to squeeze a tire and think it's alright, when it's really 20 pounds low.
> 
> What pressure do you run?


I'm hopefully going to be riding every day. I will probably have to get a floor pump if I'm going to be inflating before each ride as it'll take to long for me to do with a compressor in the morning...plus my wife my kill me firing that thing up at 5am lol.

Not sure what pressure it was, I never asked the guy at the LBS when he was setting me up with the bike and going through everything with me. For some reason 125lbs comes to mind, but that might just be what i saw on the side of the tire.


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## Kodi Crescent (Aug 3, 2011)

DO NOT RULE OUT THE RIM STRIPS!

These are easy to overlook. You can run your fingers over them and not see any obvious defects, but you can still flat from them.

My first road bike was flatting quite often. I tried the thorn resistant tubes, better tires, slime, and all that. Continuous flats. One almost every ride. The rim strips seemed fine.

I read somewhere that I should swap them out for Velox rim strips. I swapped out my old rim strips for these, and problem solved!


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

Kodi Crescent said:


> DO NOT RULE OUT THE RIM STRIPS!
> 
> These are easy to overlook. You can run your fingers over them and not see any obvious defects, but you can still flat from them.
> 
> ...


I had the same problem a few years ago. My rim strips looked fine, but I think after some years of use they stretch when the tire/tube is inflated. There's a lot of pressure in there & I think the rim strips get pushed down into the spoke ends. I've used 2 Velox Tape rim strips since then & it's been fine.


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## uwhuskies (Aug 19, 2011)

Ok so based on this picture and the fact that there was no damage to the tire from what I could tell, this looks like a pinch flat right?


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## fuzzy (Jul 19, 2011)

looks like something bit it.


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

to be honest that also could have been damaged on install, I have seen it happen! But is is most likely a pinch imo


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

Classic. Underinflated/undersize tire, hit track (or rock, or pothole, or pavement lip), tire squeezed against rim. Circumstantial evidence: tire size marginal for rider weight (I still recommend you get bigger ones), and rider hadn't been checking pressure, which could mean tire was easily down to 70-80 pounds. With a 225-pound rider on 25mm tires it doesn't take much of a hit.

If the frame will handle bigger tires, you'll have a much happier commuting experience if you go that way.

ToG, damage like that _could_ happen on installation, but the fact that it went flat during the ride suggests pinch flat.

BTW, I'm one of those guys who patches tubes whenever possible, but those are some big rips. I might toss that one.


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## heybrady (Jul 3, 2011)

That's a pinch. Just slow down next time you go over the tracks and you will be fine.


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

JCavilia said:


> Classic. Underinflated/undersize tire, hit track (or rock, or pothole, or pavement lip), tire squeezed against rim. Circumstantial evidence: tire size marginal for rider weight (I still recommend you get bigger ones), and rider hadn't been checking pressure, which could mean tire was easily down to 70-80 pounds. With a 225-pound rider on 25mm tires it doesn't take much of a hit.
> 
> If the frame will handle bigger tires, you'll have a much happier commuting experience if you go that way.
> 
> ...


reason I mentioned COULD HAVE....is because I did it once....trying to get brand new Pro3 Race on Campy wheels! Two broken levers, one RUINED tube and 2 patches! and I was sitting in my LIVING ROOM...... I have NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER had that much trouble before! And indeed...the tire would not even fill it leaked so badly!, those are big holes.

The tube injury looked EXACTLY like that....I have 7 or 800 miles on them now and i am HOPING they are stretched just in case I ever get a flat on the road!


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## uwhuskies (Aug 19, 2011)

Thanks JC. I'm convinced as well that the tires were underinflated. After replacing the tube last night and pumping both tires up to 100+ psi I could tell just by the thumb test that they were firmer than before. I will just be sure to inflate before everyride and go slow over the tracks. If I continue to have problems I will look into bigger tires. I'm hoping to not be 225lbs for much longer. 

Is there a specific pressure I should be aiming for? The tires say 125psi.


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

As a quick, aproximate pressure test if you don't feel like attaching to pump before a quick ride, AFTER you pump up to desired pressure, tap on the top of the tire and note the sound........often you will see truckers walking around their trucks tapping their tires with a wooden stick, that is what they are doing...Certainly not gauge or pump accurate but as a quick test it may get you by.


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## ewitz (Sep 11, 2002)

snake bite


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## Allez Rouge (Jan 1, 1970)

uwhuskies said:


> Is there a specific pressure I should be aiming for? The tires say 125psi.


A couple resources you might find useful:

Michelin tire pressure recommendations

Bicycle Quarterly tire-drop method

If the larger tires JCavilia recommends won't fit, you still won't necessarily have to change your route. I now weigh 175ish but used to be 240+ and never rode tires larger than 25s (tried a set of 28s once, but they wouldn't clear the fork crown and seat tube). I was always careful to keep my 25s fully inflated and never had any trouble with pinch flats. That said, I was also careful to ride as gently as I could, and as JC also says, you'd need to do that, too.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

uwhuskies said:


> Is there a specific pressure I should be aiming for? The tires say 125psi.


I guess with your size and the tire size, and some obvious road hazards, I'd say try something in the range of 105 front, 115 rear. The 125 is a maximum the tire is designed to handle, but it would likely give a pretty harsh ride. 

I suspect you know how to ride gently and generally do so, and this incident was mostly due to significant underinflation.


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## bike981 (Sep 14, 2010)

Sorry to hijack the thread a bit, but it seems relevant: has anyone tested to see how accurate their floor pump pressure gauge is? I'd imagine you could do this by inflating the tire to, say, 100psi and then using a good-quality automotive tire pressure gauge (maybe with a presta/schrader adapter)? I've always assumed my floor pump gauge is "accurate enough" but I've never actually checked.


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## uwhuskies (Aug 19, 2011)

The floor pump I bought last night is not accurate at all, so much that I will be returning it and getting another brand.

After pumping up the tires with a compressor slowly to 100 psi, i wanted to top it off with the floor pump and it read somethign like 80-85 psi when i started pumping (without losing air when i attached the pump). 

My automotive tire pressure gauge only goes to 60psi so i'm going to have to get another oen with a higher reading. The gauge on my airtool I find to be quite accurate though.




JCavilia said:


> I guess with your size and the tire size, and some obvious road hazards, I'd say try something in the range of 105 front, 115 rear. The 125 is a maximum the tire is designed to handle, but it would likely give a pretty harsh ride.


Thanks, I'll give those a shot.


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## Peanya (Jun 12, 2008)

Usually, those round dial gauges are more accurate than other types. There's a chance that the 85psi is right. I do agree with the pressures recommended above (115 & 105 respectively), but you only need to check them every 2 days. Most likely, you'll be fine down to 100 in the back without pinch flats, assuming you do try to take weight off of the bumps.


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## nobars (Sep 28, 2011)

Just ride on the rims, it's fun to watch the sparks fly. :thumbsup:


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## martinrjensen (Sep 23, 2007)

That's pretty normal. Remember it doesn't take much air to drop pressure bacause there really isn't much air in the tires anyway, and also when you connect your valve to your pump you have to presurize the air in the pump hose too so you always are going to show less air. Try this, pump up your tires with your pump, remove the pump. them immediately put your pump back on. It will read lower that it did. Try this with any pump at a shop to, you will probably see much the same thing.


uwhuskies said:


> The floor pump I bought last night is not accurate at all, so much that I will be returning it and getting another brand.
> 
> After pumping up the tires with a compressor slowly to 100 psi, i wanted to top it off with the floor pump *and it read somethign like 80-85 psi when i started pumping* (without losing air when i attached the pump).
> 
> ...


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## ant209 (Sep 25, 2011)

i had about 6 punctures this past week alone, been riding 2 months without having one till recently. Hope I make it today without one


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## Peanya (Jun 12, 2008)

ant209 said:


> i had about 6 punctures this past week alone, been riding 2 months without having one till recently. Hope I make it today without one


That means you have one or more reasons: too low pressure, too high pressure, too cheap of tires, or something causing a flat that you haven't fixed when changing out the first flat.


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## ant209 (Sep 25, 2011)

i just installed the gatorskins yesterday with new inner tubes(120psi)and this morning i got another flat, i havnt check it yet but i think it was cause by a pinch. I was desending from a bridge and hit a couple step ups at the bottom

and most of my flats have been cause by those goat head thorns


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## Peanya (Jun 12, 2008)

120psi and you're getting a pinch flat? Do you weigh 300#? I'd check for an install issue, or something else causing flats. 
I had a tiny thorn causing a very slow leak. I took off the tire and ran my hand 3 times around on the inside and didn't feel a thing. Found it on the 4th pass though. Sometimes they're hiding!


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## uwhuskies (Aug 19, 2011)

Ok I must be fatter than i think. 

Letbme preface this by saying this morning on my way in while I was coasting down a hill on very smooth asphalt I noticed the back wheel "thumping" on every revolution. Got to the train station and didn't really notice anything on the tire so i proceeded to work, and didn't notice it again on the rest of my ride. 

Left work, and 2 miles tops from the office I hear a pop and a whooosh. Back tube is flat again. Look and there is a huge hole in the tire and it almost looks deformed like the tire was bulged (probably what i heard/felt this morning) 

What would cause this? The riding over the train tracks like in my first post? I'm assuming this is rider error and the shop won't cover a replacement tire from where I just bought the bike? 

Should I just get a fat ass man's cruiser? This is frustrating... I want to ride every day but if this keeps happening I can't rely on it to commute.


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## silkroad (Jul 8, 2011)

slow down.


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## bike981 (Sep 14, 2010)

uwhuskies said:


> Left work, and 2 miles tops from the office I hear a pop and a whooosh. Back tube is flat again. Look and there is a huge hole in the tire and it almost looks deformed like the tire was bulged (probably what i heard/felt this morning)
> 
> What would cause this? The riding over the train tracks like in my first post? I'm assuming this is rider error and the shop won't cover a replacement tire from where I just bought the bike?


You mean the tire had a hole in it such that you could see the tube and/or the tube was bulging out of the tire? If so, that's a symptom of a cut in the sidewall of the tire, and in my experience often occurs when you go over curbs or sometimes over pieces of metal in the road that end up cutting the sidewall rather than piercing the tread. I don't know if going over RR tracks would be likely to cut the sidewall. Once the sidewall has a cut in in it such that the tube bulges out, you usually have to replace the tire.

It sounds like you're getting many more flats than one would expect. Since you seem to be running reasonable pressure, my guess is that maybe you're heavy enough to need wider tires (700x28, maybe), and/or you're riding on streets that have more than their usual share of debris, and/or you're riding over curbs or other obstacles that maybe you should walk over with a road bike even if they would not be an issue for a mtn bike.

You also could try posting in the commuting forum here and see if anyone has some ideas since you seem to be using the bike for getting to/from your work.


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## Mello Velo (Sep 21, 2011)

Got my first flat this week too, ran over a nail. Thanks to another thread, I had everything I needed to fix it on the road. Thanks RBR :thumbsup:


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## threemonkeys (Sep 2, 2011)

I'm a newb and have only been riding for a month or so. Last week I went on a 47 mile ride and when I was almost back home (.25 miles to go) I got a flat. I just called the wife and she picked me up.

A couple of things - had I actually known how a Presta valve worked I could have blown up the tire and made it back home (I've since learned how they work). It was good, though, as it forced me to get comfortable taking off the tire and fixing a flat. But since it was rainy and getting dark, I don't think I could have done well fixing the flat at that time. So if any newbs haven't done so, I suggest that you practice replacing a tube/patching at home so you'll be up for it when you're out on a ride.

*And Youtube has some great videos on basic bike repair.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

uwhuskies said:


> Ok I must be fatter than i think.
> 
> Letbme preface this by saying this morning on my way in while I was coasting down a hill on very smooth asphalt I noticed the back wheel "thumping" on every revolution. Got to the train station and didn't really notice anything on the tire so i proceeded to work, and didn't notice it again on the rest of my ride.
> 
> ...


Installation error, I think. Sounds like you didn't get the tire bead fully and uniformly seated when re-inflating, and one section of tire bead was creeping up away from the rim. The thumping was from the high section of the tire where the bead was bulging. Eventually it moved enough to let a section of tube escape, and then you get the pop. 

It takes some practice to install tires, especially with some that fit somewhat loosely on some rims.


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## ant209 (Sep 25, 2011)

Peanya said:


> 120psi and you're getting a pinch flat? Do you weigh 300#? I'd check for an install issue, or something else causing flats.
> I had a tiny thorn causing a very slow leak. I took off the tire and ran my hand 3 times around on the inside and didn't feel a thing. Found it on the 4th pass though. Sometimes they're hiding!


I only look from the outside tread to see if anything is poke through. Never felt the inside tire, so i'll do that tonight


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

threemonkeys said:


> . So if any newbs haven't done so, I suggest that you practice replacing a tube/patching at home so you'll be up for it when you're out on a ride.


And that is some of the best advice I have ever seen here!

I had a couple yesterday that had me going, I took 2.25 inch mt bike tires off my mtn bike to replace with 1.25 inch road slicks for it (so my daughter could ride it this weekend on the road) I gave up with the original tubes (old, stretched, 1.75-2.25 inch) after an hour and went out and bought new tubes (1.25- 1.3/8) because there was absolutely NO WAY I was ever going to stuff those tubes in the 1.25 tires and NOT have them hanging out from under the bead all over! New tubes....the 2 tires took me MAYBE 10 minutes from start to back on the bike!


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## ukfan90 (Oct 2, 2011)

Over inflated my tires and got popped a tube pulling out of the parking lot! So I guess I got my first one after..... 30 feet?


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## ant209 (Sep 25, 2011)

found out that the rim tape that came with the wheels really suck and was the reason why i was gettng flats. It was a narrow rubber strip before and id replace them today with Forte cloth tape, just did a 30mile without issues


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