Date:    Tue, 13 Jun 2000 14:31:16 +0100

In the last two months I've had a serious spate of rear tube punctures - 
about twenty and counting now.

I wanted to detail some of the things I've learned that aren't in the FAQ.

1. It's important to get your rim tape in *the right way up*.  I had a 
rubber rim tape which had an "up" face and a down face.  The down face had 
two raised edges to help it stay centered in the rim.  With the down face 
"up", the edges cut right into the tube and kept puncturing it.  When this 
happens, the puncture is a thin slit on the underside of the tube.

2. Don't use rubber rim tape for pressures over about 60 psi - it deforms 
too much and eventually the buldge your tube forms pushing into the spoke 
hole will rupture - this happened to me.  When you examine the tube you'll 
find little buldges which have permanently deformed the tube over the spoke 
hole, and one of them will have a fairly large cut in, where the tube ruptured.

3. When you've got a new tyre and you're fitting it and a tube to a wheel, 
put the tyre onto the wheel a couple of times, using tyre levers (you'll 
probably have to!) to stretch the tyre a little - it'll help a lot.

4. When you've had a real puncture, and you're found a stone or somesuch 
which has gone through the tyre, and you're removed the object - *look 
again*.  Sometimes a shard will have seperated from the object proper and 
will still be in place - when you inflate the tyre and cycle again it'll 
cause another puncture.

© 2008 FAQS.ORG. All rights reserved.