Taiwan has been awesome! Can't say enough good things about it!
However I've been running to trouble with the bike I'm renting and I am wondering if I can get some advice. This is my very first time bike touring, so I don't know too much, but being on this subreddit I've been inspired to bike and eventually I want to bike and camp together too!
- Why does my back tire keep exploding?
The bike i'm renting comes with two panniers, and they only attach to the bike rack where the back wheels are. Is this uneven weight distribution why my back inner tube keeps failing on me?
I just took my bike to get my inner tube repaired (four flats in one week 😅) and they just recommended I buy a new inner tube, which I did. This was three days ago. Now when I'm riding, my front tire looks normal, but my back tire looks really squished at the bottom? I think it's under inflated, but i'm worried that if I add more air to the back the inner tube will pop again. I've had multiple people say my outer tire has no puncture marks so I really don't know where I'm going wrong. Stupid question I know but, should I try to put more air in the back tire ? It won't like explode, right? And do I need to fill up my tires every other day then? For my bike at home I have one of those auto-pump-thingys and I set it at the psi I want about every week. I can try using the hand pump the bike rental gave me but I'm kinda scared that if I mess with the tire pressure I could only make things worse.
- How do you all get used to being on the bike for multiple hours without your rear hurting? 😣
I rode for 6 hours today from Gaoxiong to Kending. I wore TWO bike padded pants and it still hurts 😠Am I just a wimp, or are there any methods to help make me no want to die?
Again, sorry I know I'm a noob! This is really my first time ever doing something like this and I want to learn how I can get better. Thank you!!
by ilovemydogshecute
5 Comments
What do you mean failing and exploding?
Like are the tires coming off the rim? Are you getting flat tires? What tires are you using and what are the conditions of them?
I know when I did Taiwan I had an obscene number of punctures. I did it on my race bike and had 12 flats over 14 days, but those were with race tires. The road conditions are awful and covered in metal bits everywhere.
What are you doing when you add air yourself?
Get a pump with a pressure gauge and inflate your tires to the recommended pressure. Bike maintenance 101
If your tire has actually „exploded“… meaning a total blowout where it comes off the rim than the whole tire is probably damaged and needs to be replaced.
1. Maybe the tubes the bike came with were old and therefore more prone to punctures. Maybe it’s sorted with the new tube. If it keeps happening, let a bike shop look into the tyre and rim.
Tyre pressure depends on the tyre width, road conditions, bike & driver weight. There are some online pressure calculators, maybe have a look at them. But it’s normal for the back tyre to be more “squished” – all the weight (you & panniers) are on the back.
2. You need to have the right saddle and riding position. With rented bikes theres always a risk of a not fitting saddle. No extra padding is gonna help with that. I would even say 2 pairs of padded shorts make it worse. You can see if moving the saddle up/down or forward/back and tilting helps, it’s gonna be trial & error and in the end it might not help if it’s just the wrong saddle (form, width).
If there’s not enough pressure in the tyre you’ll get pinch flats where the inner gets trapped between the rim and the tyre (often happens both sides at once so you get a pair of parallel slits on the inner side of the tube , also known as snake bites).
You could just have poor quality tyres. It’s always worth analysing the puncture point of the inner as that shows what has caused the failure. If you fail to remove a shard of something sticking through the tyre it’ll just puncture again in the same place.
Are you carrying spare inner tubes? You should do for convenience as much as anything.
🎥 How to Fit your Bike at Home
https://youtu.be/okpzw_H1KmQ
Everones body is different that’s why you need a saddle that fits your bum. If you stay somewhere longer maybe you could ask the hostel desk to help you to order a womens saddle online to a convenience store of your choice.
🎥 How to choose a comfortable womens saddle – https://youtu.be/Uot7spLNUvs
I know you’re probably not In Taipei but there are the two best bike parts and accessories shops of Taiwan.
Jiquan 91
https://maps.app.goo.gl/51PiC4gduSYKb3wz5?g_st=ic
have a nice trip!
Velo House
https://maps.app.goo.gl/N1F869RjKPVXfmS38?g_st=ic