Blew a tire

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dishdude

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Apparently I overinflated my tire and blew it riding down a surface street. I was going about 12-15 MPH and it sounded like a gun shot going off - it was so loud someone came out of their house thinking it was a car accident. Luckily I managed to maintain control but my poor Specialized had to go into the shop.



After dropping it off at the shop, I still made it to my destination - the brewery that caters to bicycle riders and dogs!



 
Well at least you are all right.. Thank goodness. Now.... Check some air pressures next time Captain
smile.gif
 
If it says max 65 PSI, don't put a little more in thinking you'll have less rolling resistance.

And yes I felt very fortunate after I got off of it, the inner tube had come out of the tire and I am really lucky the front wheel didn't lock up.
 
Originally Posted By: bubbatime

Shop?? For a flat bicycle tire?


$16 - I can't even buy the inner tube for that! I think they warrantied it and just charged me for the difference in price for the HD tube. I wasn't asking questions...

 
I remember I had a cheap on/off road mountain bike when I was younger. The tires had two different pressure ratings on the side for on and off road. I think I put 50+ PSI in them or something ridiculous, rode to a store, and when I came back out (summer heat) the tire had exploded... I mean belts/cords/whatever's inside a bicycle tire-bead area flayed out everywhere.
 
ifixyawata: Same thing. Soft tires wet my nemesis. Cranked them up, parked in the direct Sun. BANG.

Shredded everything everywhere.

Super heartbreak: Read about large "O" rings which essentially replace the air in tires...a specialty item from Denmark...finally found them...soft foam rubber...totally useless...that's why I'm an axe murderer today.

Actually I'm not but it would be my excuse.
 
I worked in a bike shop extensively when younger and one thing you learned quickly is that bicycle tires vary--a lot--in how tight they are on the rim, even when sized correctly, even within the same brand. Once in awhile you would get one that was just so loose we'd trash it rather than sell it to a customer and risk someone getting hurt, and once in awhile we'd get one that was so tight it would take two people to get it on the rim. Not surprisingly, we found that cheap tires often found on cheap bikes were the most variable and you would occasionally see just what you show above. In general, tires should be able to handle 10psi extra or so, but it is safest to view the max psi as just that, maximum. Keep in mind that if you pump them to say 65 psi then ride the bike in the blazing sun on blacktop chances are very good they will run over pressure anyway.
 
How do you hear an inner tube blowing, but not the tire?
Did it pull the tire off the rim somehow?
I guess I never run my mtb tires above 40 psi, but a tube really shouldn't care what pressure you have in it, its the tire that holds the tube together.
I have had my rim tape slip installing a tube on a road bike and blew the tube as it stretched into the spoke holes, but there was no bang either.
 
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Originally Posted By: dishdude

but my poor Specialized had to go into the shop.


Shop?? For a flat bicycle tire?

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My wife rides a road bike and gets the occasional flat. She can and has changed tubes out on the road. Tubes are like $5 at a Performance Bicycle store which they have in Arizona. Hopefully you wont overinflated tires from now on.
 
Gatorskins (non-foldable) seem to be in this category for some. I have strong hands, so I can mount them. But I do recall reading reviews that some had problems mounting them.

But like I've said elsewhere, I'm 5'11", 225# with a 50" chest and 37" waist. No problems mounting tires AND I'm the guy everyone wants to "wheel suck" in the windy parts as I punch a big hole in the wind.

To all those chastising the OP for going to his LBS to have the tire mounted, we don't know if it was closer than home, or he just wanted things checked out due to the violence of the explosion.

Unless you were on the ride with him, how can you judge the choice he made?

Originally Posted By: AuthorEditor
I worked in a bike shop extensively when younger and one thing you learned quickly is that bicycle tires vary--a lot--in how tight they are on the rim, even when sized correctly, even within the same brand. Once in awhile you would get one that was just so loose we'd trash it rather than sell it to a customer and risk someone getting hurt, and once in awhile we'd get one that was so tight it would take two people to get it on the rim. Not surprisingly, we found that cheap tires often found on cheap bikes were the most variable and you would occasionally see just what you show above. In general, tires should be able to handle 10psi extra or so, but it is safest to view the max psi as just that, maximum. Keep in mind that if you pump them to say 65 psi then ride the bike in the blazing sun on blacktop chances are very good they will run over pressure anyway.
 
Originally Posted By: dishdude


$16 - I can't even buy the inner tube for that!


Actually Slime tubes are around $8 at Walmart. Glad you're OK and were able to get a beer or 3 to calm your nerves.
 
Likely the tube was pinched between the rim and the tire a bit when installed. 50 psi is a bit high for those tires but not that much.

A tire blowing off the rim sure will get your attention!
 
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