My first flat in 3 years

[mwkeefer]

Finally messed up my Dahon Jack with kevlar tires, no puncture just a crack at the valve stem caused by disconnecting pump wrong yesterday... oh well, beats a blow out and is a 5 minute fix with the GNG drive retaining the stock rear wheel

-Mike

PS: The point is be CAREFUL with valve stems

 

[bowlofsalad]

Is it possible your valve hole has a sharp edge or a burr?

You might consider hitting all the edges of that hole with some sand paper for both the top and bottom sides, if you know what I mean.

 

[themadhatter106]

I wish I could go 3 years with only one flat. Hopefully some of your luck will rub off on me, of course I have the cheap ass $10 Nashbar slicks so I guess I get what I pay for. Next time I buy tires I will get some good ones.

 

[mwkeefer]

Yep, bowl your probably right although I would sooner blame the cheapie pump I used yesterday not releasing cleanly and my own stupidity for pulling it off... I'm pretty sure I deburred both stem holes in the rim.

Kevlar tires rock, tube is still delicate

-Mike

 

[lbz5mc12]

Okay now I have an issue of getting flats all the time no matter how well I reinforce the tire/tube. So in my accident the other day I taccoed/pac manned my rim with a curb going between 15-20 mph and did my tube pop? Of course it "didn't". I don't know if that would be considered irony or not. Rim shot, spokes shot, tire shot, but tube perfectly fine. I had also, before my ride/crash, just increased the air pressure in the tube. Don't get me wrong, I'm not mad, I'm just like WTF?

 

[mwkeefer]

Okay now I have an issue of getting flats all the time no matter how well I reinforce the tire/tube. So in my accident the other day I taccoed/pac manned my rim with a curb going between 15-20 mph and did my tube pop? Of course it "didn't". I don't know if that would be considered irony or not. Rim shot, spokes shot, tire shot, but tube perfectly fine. I had also, before my ride/crash, just increased the air pressure in the tube. Don't get me wrong, I'm not mad, I'm just like WTF?

I'd ask what you are riding and what your total weight (additional to base bike) is?

-Mike

 

[dogman dan]

Man, I've had top name brand tube valve stems rip off in one week. You had a good run from that one.

You also clearly don't ride in the desert southwest. Check out that one thorn with the lighter behind it. Those ones go in the bottom and out the top of the tube.

 

[mwkeefer]

Now that's serious thorns!!! I suppose I'm lucky in that I only have to worry about glass, metals and other road hazard conditions... We don't have thorns like that here, even in the woods.

-Mike

ps: Most of the flats I've seen people get are pinch flats from over weight, under inflation, etc.

 

[mlt34]

That's a serious thorn!

And your properly inflating your tube immediately before pac-manning the curb was probably what saved your tube. Even though the rim was destroyed, you didn't get the tell-tale snake bike in the tube.

Similar thing happened to me a couple years ago. I was following too close behind a car and didn't have time to swerve around a pothole big enough to shelter a small family. My rear wheel with a heavy hub and battery rack meant a badly bent rim and wrecked tire, but the tube survived and I was able to limp home with it at slow speed.

Luckily there's a crazy old bike mechanic in my neighborhood with every tool you never new existed from decades ago and I was able to use his tools to rebend the rim and save it.

 

[lbz5mc12]

I was searching around my garage trying to find my really good regular rear bike wheel yesterday so in the process I found four good front wheels to replace the one I mangled. The wheel is not fixable; it's creased at the point of impact. For more info on my crash I have a thread on general discussion under "fractured elbow today". I still need to take pictures of the frame and wheel to post.