Bike tyre: Will any tube do

jayoo

Hiya guys.

http://www.specialized.com/gb/en/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=38435&eid=107

i have this bike, and the back tyre went flat. Brought the tyre back to the shop i got baike from as i didn have the repair parts on me.

the guy fixed tyre in round a minute, just whipped out other tube and stuck in a new one.

the tyre held its air for few days, as i didnt stick it back on bike, as soon as i did and cycled it, it went down again :mad:

The guy in the shop didnt check the tyre on the inside, so i think the thing wot ever it was, prob a bit off glass, was still in the outer tyre.


the thing is that the shop is pretty much the far side of town and its a pain in the ass to go out to it. so i might just bring it to diff shop.

just wondering can i put any tube into it? or so i have to get a special mountain bike type tube.

sorry for the stupid question.

and should tyres be pumped to the max, or should there be a bit of give??

thank you for any feed back:)

Captain Havoc

Normally there will be a tube size for your tyre. Normally this information is on the side of the tyre. Also on the side of the tyre is the recommended max pressure, on your mountain bike it will be around 40psi. On my road bike I will go 100+ psi and on my mountain bike around 40psi. Here's a link explaining in detail about tyres and anything else you want to know: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

rubadub

jayoo wrote: »

The guy in the shop didnt check the tyre on the inside,

Name & shame this shop!

jayoo

He pretty much pumped the tyre to bursting point, i could barely get it back on, and when i did, the back brakes felt compleatly off :mad:

Dont really wanna shame them as i think it was a once off, that sucks balls, think i will just bring it to another shop which is much closer.

Thanks for the info guys, especially on the tyre pressure, like this bike and want to take care of it

Dr_Colossus

He probably charged you €10+ too for the tube. I'd suggest to bring it back and get him to replace it again for free seems as he didn't do his job in the first place. Alternatively buy a tube yourself (about €6) and fit it, if you don't know how it's very simple and definately something you'll have to learn for when you might be out on a remote track and get a puncture.
Also regarding your brake issue and how you said you could barely get it back on. It sounds like you didn't unclip the brakes and just force the tyre through the brake blocks thus probably moving them offline. MTB tyres are alot wider than the wheel rims so you'll either need to loosen the brakes or else only pump the tyre after you've it in place but be careful to centre it also as some MTB tyres are quite loose fitting on the rim.

blorg

You need a tube that fits your tyre- the stock tyres with that bike are 26x2.0. The former is the notional diameter in inches, the latter is the width of the tyre. So almost all mountain bikes are "26" but the width varies. Road bikes work in metric so you see sizes like 700x23c.

These tubes will do, you would want the 26 x 1.95 - 2.3 Schrader or 26 x 2.0 - 2.3 Presta depending on what valve type you want. Schrader is the wide car type, Presta is the narrower one. Presta will always fit but Schrader needs a wider hole in the rim. Best get whatever you have already.

Most new cyclists underinflate their tyres, so "to bursting point" was probably the right pressure if you are riding the bike on the road. Off road you want lower pressure for traction.

You would not expect to be able to get a wheel with an inflated tyre back on without releasing the brakes which I am presuming you don't know how to do. For future reference look at this - he releases the brakes at 40 seconds in, the rest of it isn't relevant to simply getting a wheel in but is good to know if you need to fix your brakes.

As to getting a puncture again, it happens, you can be unlucky. Anyone worth their salt will check the tyre for the offending object but sometimes you won't find it. Sometimes this is because it is not there, sometimes unfortunately it is there just well hidden. I have had bad days where I've gone through three tubes. If he didn't look then, yes, he should have- are you 100% sure that he didn't look though, I would not expect an exhaustative search but a quick hand around the tyre.

Best learn how to fix them yourself so you don't have the problem in future, it is very easy and the more you do it the faster you get! You may end up with a puncture far from a bike shop so carry a spare tube, pump and tyre levers in a saddlebag at all times. I strongly recommend this tyre lever