I had trouble inflating a tyre of a bike that had been sitting in the shed for several years. (It's a family members bike, of course. I'd never neglect my bikes like that.) Seems the old Schrader valve was playing up. I removed the tyre and managed to inflate the inner tube. Then I replaced the tyre and thought all was fine.
The next day I was shocked to find that the inner tube and ballooned out, pushing the tyre off the rim! Like, WTF is going on? The tube is very tight. I tried to release some of the air but now the valve won't open at all. The barometric pressure increased slightly during that time period so that's not the reason. The faulty valve must be sucking in air! I didn't know this was possible.
Any ideas, people? Will it pop like a balloon? I've put it outside incase it bursts. Should I just cut it off and get a new tube?
by Ok-Duck-5127
4 Comments
I’d just get a new tube. Make sure your tires aren’t dry rotted as well, that’s a huge thing with bikes that have been sitting for a while.
It’s not worth taking a chance with a decade old tube. I’ve never seen a tube do that before, but it’s probably just cause it’s old and worn out.
deflate the inner tube, put the inner tube intire, make sure the inner tube isnt sticking out, reinflate inner tube.
You didn’t seat the bead correctly. Deflate it and try again! Self-inflating tubes would be wild tbh.
It’s not “sucking in air”. The tube is under pressure and if the tire isn’t properly seated, the tube will stick out, and without the tire to limit how much it can expand, it will continue to expand like a balloon because the larger the volume, the lower the pressure.