Puncture problems

Don't Chute!

As the title suggests I’m having problems with punctures the last couple of weeks. On my last seven spins I’ve had five of them. Same rear tyre each time. The tyre is less than a year old and I’ve checked the whole tyre and rim thoroughly each time and found nothing obviously wrong. The tyre is a continental gp 4000 and I’ve never had this problem before.
Any ideas? Am I missing something?

pjmn

Are the punctures on the tube the tyre side or on the inside? Could it be a spoke coming through?

Wishbone Ash

pjmn wrote: »

Are the punctures on the tube the tyre side or on the inside? Could it be a spoke coming through?

This.

Rim tape may be dislodged or need replacing.

Also always fit the tyre with the logo over the valve. That way you can determine more easily where on the tyre the puncture occurred.

Don't Chute!

It’s on the outside so don’t think it’s a spoke. Bike is only a year old so the rim is in good condition.

pjmn

OK that rules out a spoke so. Are the punctures in the same general area each time? I know you've said you've checked the inside of the tyre but you'd be amazed at things that can lodge in a tyre that are hard to locate.

Wishbone Ash

Did you take the tyre off and turn it inside out for a thorough inspection? Bend it back between your finger and thumb as you go along. There could be a tiny piece of glass embedded in it which is not obvious on a simple inspection.

Don't Chute! wrote: »

... Same rear tyre each time...

Put the front tyre & tube on the rear. If it punctures, you'll know it's probably the wheel.

Macy0161

At the start of the mick byrne last year, I had embedded glass that I (eventually) only saw when it was inflated. With no tube it wasn't sticking through enough to feel running my fingers along the inside. With an inflated tube, it wasn't sticking through enough to immediately puncture the tube. A few revolutions up the road with me on the bike however... Was on my third tube that I checked again before riding! A tiny little shard.

cython

If you have time on the roadside, I'm a firm believer in trying to inflate the punctured tube while still on the wheel, but with the tyre removed on one side of the bead. If you can find the hole in the tube in that setting, then you can try to line this up with the tyre and it should give you a stretch of a couple of inches rather than the entire tyre to inspect closely. Remember to allow for the tube stretching while inflated and not restrained by a tyre if doing this though!

micar

Had a tyre that kept getting a puncture about every 40km.

Couldn't find the source causing it. All I could do was replace the tyre......problem solved.

Don't Chute!

Thanks for the replies. I really thought I had checked the tyre properly but as some are saying it could be very hard to find. I’ll have one more go at it this evening and see what happens.

cdaly_

The other possibility is too low pressure which will cause pinch flats. Are you getting a 'snakebite' puncture where there are two holes close together in the tube? This is caused by the tube pinching between tyre and rim if the pressure is too low.

rubadub

cython wrote: »

If you can find the hole in the tube in that setting, then you can try to line this up with the tyre and it should give you a stretch of a couple of inches rather than the entire tyre to inspect closely.

I put my tyres on with the logo or some other distinguishing mark lined up with the valve.

rubadub

rubadub wrote: »

I put my tyres on with the logo or some other distinguishing mark lined up with the valve.

The crayon/chalk you get in a repair kit is handy for this.

The Noble Nudge

I had a month of punctures some time ago and it turned out the brakes pads had worn over the rim which meant every time I braked it was rubbing the sidewall of the tyre and the heat was blowing tubes...
Shards of glass could be the cause too...a tweezers is a handy thing for removal albeit not in your emergency roadside kit.

John G

I had 4 punctures in a month before, all down to the tyres being underinflated

Don't Chute!

Don’t think under inflation is the problem I usually have them at around 110 psi!

cython

rubadub wrote: »

I put my tyres on with the logo or some other distinguishing mark lined up with the valve.

I do that too, but more than once I've whipped out the tube and been uncertain was to whether I may have flipped it around once or twice, effectively doubling my search area, so a quick check while still on the rim helps prevent that.

rubadub

cython wrote: »

uncertain was to whether I may have flipped it around once

Mine have a rotation direction on them. I guess total slicks would not.

Often the tyres are not symmetrical, i.e. even if they were slicks there might be a colour logo only on 1 side, in which case you could have some rule like "logo on the left"

cython

rubadub wrote: »

Mine have a rotation direction on them. I guess total slicks would not.

Often the tyres are not symmetrical, i.e. even if they were slicks there might be a colour logo only on 1 side, in which case you could have some rule like "logo on the left"

I think we've still got crossed wires here - I mean the tube being taken out and flipped around. Keeping the tube orientation constant as compared to the tyre by keeping it on the rim is my purpose.

rubadub

cython wrote: »

I think we've still got crossed wires here

ah right!! I get you now. Tubes & wires crossed