Hi —
Was trying to pump some air into my tire since it went flat whilst riding the other day — as I do it, I hear a small “pop”, and see that this big bubble has appeared that has rendered the bike unusable.
Is there anything I can do?
Am planning to take it to a service shop since I’m quite new to bikes — would it be a new tire?
Thanks.
by Aggressive-Tart-5751
6 Comments
That’s not your tyre. That’s the innertube from inside the tyre which has somehow managed to work its way out. You need to deflate the innertube, then ensure that it’s seated properly inside the confines of the tyre bead, and then re-inflate.
Pop the inner tube and then you won’t have the bubble.
Can’t believe the tube didn’t pop
I was going to explain it but it might be easier to take it to a shop.
The quick fix is to deflate the tube and push it under the tire and to inflate only to like 5 psi. Double check and make sure the tube is inside the tire and not poking out (check both sides and all around). If all good then inflate again to recommended pressure.
Fix this yourself.
Deflate the thing. The inner tube is the thing swelling. It is fine, you haven’t damaged it.
Watch this short video. https://youtu.be/fwwfV99VV8I?si=WrwIuDdMFZDZuTc
Pay attention to the bit where Simon says to make sure the inner tube is entirely inside the bead of the tire on both sides. When you pump the tire, the bead on both sides of the tire should hook onto the rim, keeping the tube contained by the tire and rim.
Pump it up part way. Then look carefully at both sides of the wheel where the rim and the tire touch each other. If the bead isn’t seated properly, deflate and try again. Once the bead is seated properly you can pump it to riding pressure.
It won’t take you long to get the hang of this.
It’s possible, but unlikely, the bead of the tire is stretched out so you can’t seat it. In that case a new tire is the cure.
See you on the road. I’ll be the guy in the ditch swearing at my pump. 😇
deflate! deflate! before it 💥