I just got my first flat this morning, need some advice please.
This morning, I topped up the air of my tires to 100 psi. I was going downhill pretty fast on a paved road, and I was braking (tapping) towards the bottom of the slope, and that’s when it happened. I heard a burst, and all the air on my front tire leaked out.
Do I need to change the inner tube? Or will patching it up worth? Can the patches sustain 100 psi as recommended for tire pressure? Any idea why this happened? I don’t think I hit anything, the road was pretty smooth. Is 100 psi too high for front tire? Was it overheating from the brake?
Thanks!
Edit: Inspected the tire when I got home. Does this mean I need to change the tire too? https://imgur.com/a/5BRgeAb
by temporepro
7 Comments
With a burst that tube is a goner. I use a 16×1.75-2.1 tube; it won’t have to stretch as far to fill the tire.
Im surprised and glad that you didnt get seriously injured going downhill while having an instant flat and not a slow leak over time.
I would replace both the tire and inner tube, and get rid of the stock rim tape as well for something better as they are notorious for deforming and or shifting exposing the holes its suppose to cover. I would also make sure the wheel is still ok after having an instant flat like that going downhill. you definitely would be ridding on wheel one way or the other and could potentially damage it.
Patches are good in a pinch, but only for small punctures. If you lost all the air that quickly, you likely have a cut/tear in the tube and will require a new tube. Also, if you even patch a tire out on the road, I usually recommend that you replace it when you get a chance.
I was literally talking to a friend about this a couple hours ago. Heat causes air to expand, which is not good when you max out the psi. With the heat from your rim brakes, you’re 100 psi might’ve gone to 110 or 120, that, plus the heat itself probably caused a burst. If you were running at 80 I bet it wouldn’t have happened.
If you were tapping the brakes rather than keeping them on it’s unlikely that the rim overheated sufficiently to cause the tube to fail. Did the rim feel too hot to touch?
Check the tyre carefully to ensure there’s nothing stuck in there and if it’s OK, replace the tube.
Patches are good in a tight spot but will eventually fail. Alas, the days of setting light to vulcanising material clamped onto the tube are long gone 🙂
In my early days my sin was having too low a pressure. I try to keep it in the middle of the recommended range these days – so about 75. I cheat and have an electric pump, so it’s a pretty precise pressure reading. Glad you weren’t hurt. As per other comments I’d check the tyre and wheel carefully, and given the cost of a new inner tube I’d always replace rather than repair.
Good to see that nobody here thinks 100 psi is way too much (unlike the other place).