As I've talked about I'm a big guy biking to lose weight. I was on the road about a quarter of a mile from my house and I had a blow out. I was worried it was a weight issue but I'm thinking not. It just blew out. Any idea what could cause this? I called my bike shop and they said it could be a rim issue,but then they tried to sell me on tubeless. Are tubeless better under pressure? roy
Need more info, roy -- yup, age of tube CAN be a factor, but how about the bike? Type, wheel/tire size, pressure you were running, etc. A few of us can CSI that stuff pretty well.
Roy though they can blow out, and age of the tire and many things can affect that, I'd put my money on that it was cut and not a blow out. What happens on a bike can be the exact same experience. A small piece of glass in the road, a thorn, or any of a number of things sharp can make a small cut and wha la you have a rapid loss of tire pressure followed by that sinking feeling that you know you are riding on the rim. The first thing I would check is the inside of the rim and tire. Gently rub your fingers inside the wheel and tire to feel for anything sharp. Remember there could be something in there that cut a tire so it could cut you too, so be careful. Yet anything rough should be readily apparent and that could be the source of your issue. The end of a spoke could be an issue and don't forget to check the rim tape.
The only way to answer the OP's question is to make a list and throw a dart. Several things, some if combined together and some not.
If you're riding regularly you should expect several flats this summer. Last summer I had a ton, a couple of times I had several in one ride. And yes I carefully check each occurance...sometimes they just happen. This year I haven't had any...yet. The important thing is to have the proper tools and spares, and the knowledge of how to change out a tube. One good hint: when the flat occurs on the real wheel, shift down to the little cog before removing the wheel. Makes it much easier to get on/off.
There are a lot that can cause a blow out low air presure is one, a cut tire is anouther, a pinch flat where the tube is pinched between the tire and the rim, snake bite. The last time I had a pinch flat I put a patch over the two holes and then I found a small leak in anouther spot. Conclusion was small leak, then when the tire got low enugh pinch flat. Bt the way if you are getting a lot of flats I like tire liners thay seam to help. my.02
If I were a bettin' man, I'd go for the pinched tube. If the blowout was accompanied by a report (bang!) then it's either a tire failure or a pinched tube. Other flat modes may cause rapid deflation but rarely sound like gunshots. Two tire failures can cause blowouts: cord failure, in which case the tire itself will have a gaping hole in it, or bead failure, in which case putting it back on the rim will be too easy and the tire will fit loosely. A pinched tube is the result of improper installation, causing the tube to get caught (pinched) between the rim and the tire bead. One guy in my riding group had a slew of blowouts, which continued until a couple of us who knew what we were doing finally pushed him aside and made him watch while we replaced his tubes. Hopefully that's the end of the issue for him, until he replaces his tires at any rate!
