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Question for bicycle experts (1 Viewer)

Brian Perry

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May 6, 1999
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I seem to be getting flat tires very frequently on my Trek 720, and I don't think it's from running over sharp objects but rather some pinching or cutting of the inner tube inside the tire. When I examine the inside of the rim, I see small holes (1/2"?) equally spaced every couple of inches around the inner side of the rim, and I don't know what purpose they serve (spoke holes?). Covering these holes is a thin rubber sleeve or strip that is hard to keep centered over the holes. I think that when I put a new inner tube in the tire and inflate, if the rubber sleeve is not covering some of the holes completely the tube is getting cut by the edge of a hole.

Should I just put duct tape or electrical tape over the rim strip to keep it in place? Or is there a way to ensure that the strip stays over the holes?

Thanks
 

Jay H

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yeah, you can use duct tape or even electrical tape over the holes, but bicycle cloth rim tape isn't that expensive? Go out to a bike shop and buy some Velox rim tape and cover those spoke holes. Check to see if you have any broken nipples on your spokes which could be poking into your inner tube. Also check very carefully to see if there is anything still stuck in your tire, just in case it wasn't the spoke hole giving you flats. Velox rim tape should have a very strong adhesive and should be strong enough not to move around. Electrical tape tends to be fairly thin and not always very sticky.

Jay
 

Jim_F

Screenwriter
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May 15, 2000
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Filament strapping tape makes a good rim strip as well.

I once had frequent flats due to a worn sidewall that was apparently exposing a miniscule bit of tube to wear. That was an exasperating problem (esp. on club rides-how embarassing!) until I replaced that tire.
 

Michael Were

Stunt Coordinator
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Feb 7, 2001
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Could it be a pinch flat? When you put your new tube in, do you partially inflate and check the bead of the tire and make sure that the tube isn't pinched?
 

Jay H

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You can sometimes tell a pinch flat if you see two tiny holes on the tube, on the side which faces the rim. Not always but usually if you do see two small linear tears, it can be a pinch flat. Running a low PSI in the tire can cause pinch flats.

Jay
 

Brian Perry

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Bought and installed some Velox tape, inspected the inner wall of the tire, inserted a new tube, and everything looks good so far (knock on wood).

Thanks!
 

Bill Cowmeadow

Second Unit
Joined
May 5, 1999
Messages
404
In Kansas, I would have a terrible time in the summer from weeds that had tiny thorns. The weeds bore small yellow flowers and were very low to the ground. I don't know what they were, but if you rode on dirt paths in June and July, you were screwed. I finally got teflon strips for the inside of the tires, that solved the problem.

Bill
 

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