Hi,
Sorry if this is a very beginner question, but I’m trying to diagnose the cause of a problem with my rear tyre tube.
A couple of days back I noticed by rear tyre kept deflating, following all the basic how-tos online I found a small puncture, sealed it up with a patch and thought I was good to go – but within 48 hours the tyre had gone flat again.
Tried to locate another puncture wound/test if the patch was working, and when placing in water there was absolutely no sign of any bubbles which leads me to think whatever puncture still existed must have been a very, very small one.
I decided to get another tube, but before installing it I noticed a couple of very small scratches on the rim of the wheel, a couple of which had ever so slightly raised bumps.
Just looking for advice as to whether something like this would be sufficient to cause a small puncture wound? If so, is there any way of mitigating this or will I need to invest in a new wheel/rim?
by FriendlyPinko
3 Comments
Your tube shouldn’t be anywhere near those scratches. So most likely not. Did you check the tire for debris that may be stuck? A shard of glass or metal perhaps?
Are you sure you aren’t just giving yourself flats by using a tire lever to reseat the tire? That’s what those scratches look like.
If you get another flat, carefully remove the tube keeping it in the same orientation as the tire/wheel to give you an idea of where on the tire/wheel to look for thorns, defects, etc.
But to answer your question, no, I don’t believe those scratches are causing your flats. They look to be on a part of the rim that isn’t even touching the tire or tube.