Today I got to ride indoors and was putting air in a tubular when the thing blew. We run these track tyres at 145 lbs and when mine snapped it was right at 150 per the gauge. I always go 5 over and lose a bit on taking the pump off the valve. I figure this leaves my at 145. After the very loud noise I was left with very little air and even less hearing. My ears rung for an hour and even now my right ear is still ringing. I've never blown a tyre before while filling it, indoors or out. But to do so inside at such high pressure is a thrill not be missed. My hands are still shaking.
We've both done that at work, my co-worker/riding buddy and I; once, it sounded like a shotgun blast! (Too bad that wasn't the time we did it on purpose!) Did it once at home, in the garage, too; never had one come off the UST rim like that before or since. At work, we have the regulated compressor; I have a floor pump at home, and it happened just as quickly.
I love this photo. Looks like me getting ready to open a Christmas gift from an old nasty girlfriend.
The tyres were new Continental's rated at 170 pounds. Never got near 170 when the big bang happened. Figure it was a defect. The gauge has never given any indication before to being off.
Dang..I'm going to have to quite reading some of these things. Tired of loosing Pepsi out the nose laughing so blessed hard at these pics. Luckily never blew a tire pumping em up. But have been standing near a tire cage when a split-rim truck tire blew. My first 'near death' experience.
When I worked at a bike shop, a mechanic blew up a tire. I cannot post his immediate comment on this site.
I've blown a tube in the garage and it scarred the hell out of me. I heard one blown at a distance. Went looking for it thinking I could help. I got to the neighbors garage and the kids were having at an industrial compressor with there Huffy tires and couldn't figure out what they did wrong. Kids...and Ian.
When i was a teenager i was at a gas station once trying to air up one of the tires on my Murray ten-speed. The valve stem was cracked really bad right where it met the tube so the minute i pulled the air hose off of it it would basically go flat within a minute. So i got so pissed i jammed the airchuck on the tire and let 'er rip. Scared the living hell out of me and everyone else outside that day. The guy at the pumps dropped to the ground and was covering his head. My friends still imitate me and what happened that day for laughs. They say if you closed your eyes this is exactly what you wouldve heard: "Dammit! ka-ding-a-ding-a-ding-a-ding-a-ding-BOOM!!"
When my brother and I were kids, a tire blew on his bike in the bedroom where it was being stored, this was during the winter after being pumped up outside in the cold. I guess the air in the tube expanding from warming up was too much for the tube to handle...
