P*ncture fairy had it no for me this morning

[David Lloyd]

Had my first puncture in ages this morning, but it seems the puncture
fairy wanted to hang around and see what other mischief she could get
up to.

I felt my rear tyre going soft as I was approaching the A41 in
Cosford, so I pulled up by the Spider's Web cafe to check it out. A
very pointy bit of flint had defeated my Continental GP4000, which is
strange as flint is not common to this part of the country. I thought
it would be a quick change of the inner tube and off again.

Got the old inner tube out and put the replacement in quickly enough,
having checked the carcass for any other stray bits. Having swapped
back to my Sirius cyclocross bike, the pump it had was a short barrel
Blackburn with a locking lever. After a short time pumping I concluded
not much air was getting into the tyre, so I took the pump off to
investingate, only to find that the top of the valve core had snapped
off and was holding the valve open. I removed the broken piece and
started to pump again, knowing that the valve would still function. I
got the tyre up to a satisfactory hardness and removed the pump, only
to find that the remainder of the valve had dropped into the inner
tube and all the air escaped.

Time to repair the original inner tube, so back off with the tyre,
take the new (dead) inner tube back out, patch the old inner tube and
replace it, then pump it up without putting any force on the valve
core, whilst dealing with an obstinate pump. In all, it took me an
extra half an hour to get to work!

These Continental inner tubes do not have a replacable valve core, so
that is it for the new inner tube. They seem to have cut the threads
on the brass valve core, instead of rolling them, making them weak
IMHO. I would still use them over Vittorias though. Need to get my
hands on more Michelins.

David Lloyd

 

[David Lloyd]

On 18 Oct, 11:20, David Lloyd <[email protected]> wrote:
> Had my first puncture in ages this morning, but it seems the puncture
> fairy wanted to hang around and see what other mischief she could get
> up to.
>
> I felt my rear tyre going soft as I was approaching the A41 in
> Cosford, so I pulled up by the Spider's Web cafe to check it out. A
> very pointy bit of flint had defeated my Continental GP4000, which is
> strange as flint is not common to this part of the country. I thought
> it would be a quick change of the inner tube and off again.
>
> Got the old inner tube out and put the replacement in quickly enough,
> having checked the carcass for any other stray bits. Having swapped
> back to my Sirius cyclocross bike, the pump it had was a short barrel
> Blackburn with a locking lever. After a short time pumping I concluded
> not much air was getting into the tyre, so I took the pump off to
> investingate, only to find that the top of the valve core had snapped
> off and was holding the valve open. I removed the broken piece and
> started to pump again, knowing that the valve would still function. I
> got the tyre up to a satisfactory hardness and removed the pump, only
> to find that the remainder of the valve had dropped into the inner
> tube and all the air escaped.
>
> Time to repair the original inner tube, so back off with the tyre,
> take the new (dead) inner tube back out, patch the old inner tube and
> replace it, then pump it up without putting any force on the valve
> core, whilst dealing with an obstinate pump. In all, it took me an
> extra half an hour to get to work!
>
> These Continental inner tubes do not have a replacable valve core, so
> that is it for the new inner tube. They seem to have cut the threads
> on the brass valve core, instead of rolling them, making them weak
> IMHO. I would still use them over Vittorias though. Need to get my
> hands on more Michelins.
>
> David Lloyd

Why do I always suffer from finger dyslexia. The title should read
'The p*nture fairy had it IN for me this morning'.

 

[elyob]

On 18 Oct, 11:20, David Lloyd <[email protected]> wrote:
> Had my first puncture in ages this morning, but it seems the puncture
> fairy wanted to hang around and see what other mischief she could get
> up to.
>

My MD wandered past my desk yesterday with a puncture repair kit ...
"Nick, do you want to help fix my puncture" ... erm, no thanks ...

Anyway, wandered in a few minutes later and he was patching up the
inner tube in situ ... just about to put the inner tube back in.
"Whereabouts did you get the puncture?" ... "erm, not sure, maybe
around here" .. so I stuck my hand in and found a fair amount of glass
sticking through. "I suggest you get that out before you stick in the
inner tube" ... at that I wandered off again.

 

[Rob Morley]

In article <[email protected]>, David
Lloyd
[email protected] says...

> These Continental inner tubes do not have a replacable valve core, so
> that is it for the new inner tube.

You could probably shake the loose bit around until it fell back into
place, then hold the stem so it didn't dislodge until it was held in by
pressure - a bit like those puzzles where you have to get all the ball
bearings in the little dents.

 

[David Lloyd]

On 18 Oct, 12:27, Rob Morley <[email protected]> wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>, David
> Lloyd
> [email protected] says...
>
> > These Continental inner tubes do not have a replacable valve core, so
> > that is it for the new inner tube.
>
> You could probably shake the loose bit around until it fell back into
> place, then hold the stem so it didn't dislodge until it was held in by
> pressure - a bit like those puzzles where you have to get all the ball
> bearings in the little dents.

I know the type of puzzle - used to be good at those.

I had the tyre up to pressure, so the remainder of the valve stem
should have been held by the pressure anyway, but it didn't want to
work that way :| I'll have to look at it tonight.

David Lloyd

 

[Rob Morley]

In article <[email protected]>,
David Lloyd
[email protected] says...
> On 18 Oct, 12:27, Rob Morley <[email protected]> wrote:
> > In article <[email protected]>, David
> > Lloyd
> > [email protected] says...
> >
> > > These Continental inner tubes do not have a replacable valve core, so
> > > that is it for the new inner tube.
> >
> > You could probably shake the loose bit around until it fell back into
> > place, then hold the stem so it didn't dislodge until it was held in by
> > pressure - a bit like those puzzles where you have to get all the ball
> > bearings in the little dents.
>
> I know the type of puzzle - used to be good at those.
>
> I had the tyre up to pressure, so the remainder of the valve stem
> should have been held by the pressure anyway, but it didn't want to
> work that way :|

You quite likely blew it out of the stem with the first stroke of the
pump.

 

[Duncan Smith]

On Oct 18, 11:20 am, David Lloyd <[email protected]> wrote:
> Had my first puncture in ages this morning, but it seems the puncture
> fairy wanted to hang around and see what other mischief she could get
> up to.
>

Yep, she's doing the rounds. I've taken to taking the MTB on slicks
for a break from the fixie every now and again - and on Tuesday got a
flat rear (my first p*cture in the dark, raining cats and dogs too but
fortunately not too cold). Hoping the lights and tyres would hold out
eventually got back to town and then got a flat in the rear too.
Nevermind, it was close enough to walk home this time...

Any further and it would have needed fixing with the repair kit (spare
tube already gone), struck me that this would be a difficult thing to
do in the wet - even with self-adhesives, any one had to try it out?

Re-enforcements called for the winter, Marathon Plus 26x1.4 and a
couple of spare tubes. Dare I say it... like to see her try it now!
(I'll probably regret that)

Regards,

Duncan

 

[Trevor A Panther]

"Duncan Smith" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Oct 18, 11:20 am, David Lloyd <[email protected]> wrote:
>> Had my first puncture in ages this morning, but it seems the puncture
>> fairy wanted to hang around and see what other mischief she could get
>> up to.
>>
>
> Yep, she's doing the rounds. I've taken to taking the MTB on slicks
> for a break from the fixie every now and again - and on Tuesday got a
> flat rear (my first p*cture in the dark, raining cats and dogs too but
> fortunately not too cold). Hoping the lights and tyres would hold out
> eventually got back to town and then got a flat in the rear too.
> Nevermind, it was close enough to walk home this time...
>
> Any further and it would have needed fixing with the repair kit (spare
> tube already gone), struck me that this would be a difficult thing to
> do in the wet - even with self-adhesives, any one had to try it out?
>
> Re-enforcements called for the winter, Marathon Plus 26x1.4 and a
> couple of spare tubes. Dare I say it... like to see her try it now!
> (I'll probably regret that)
>
> Regards,
>
> Duncan
>
whispers very quietly --- I've done over 15000 miles without a puncture on
Marathon Plus -- admittedly on 3 different bikes ( so 3 different sets of
tyres). My current ones are coming up to 4000 miles. Had 3 punctures in my
trailer wheels in the last two years all with thorns in camp sites while
setting/packing up.

I am a road rider with a bit of very occasional off road tracks. Tyre
pressures are still important though.

--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom.
www.tapan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

 

[David Lloyd]

On 19 Oct, 03:05, Duncan Smith <[email protected]> wrote:

> Any further and it would have needed fixing with the repair kit (spare
> tube already gone), struck me that this would be a difficult thing to
> do in the wet - even with self-adhesives, any one had to try it out?
>

I suspect that this is what cycling capes were invented for. Instead
of mucking around in the wet, you could crouch down over your
p*nctured wheel, stick your head under the cape and work in the dry.
Dam these close-fitting water proofs!

David Lloyd

 

[David Lloyd]

"Rob Morley" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>, David
> Lloyd
> [email protected] says...
>
>> These Continental inner tubes do not have a replacable valve core, so
>> that is it for the new inner tube.
>
> You could probably shake the loose bit around until it fell back into
> place, then hold the stem so it didn't dislodge until it was held in by
> pressure - a bit like those puzzles where you have to get all the ball
> bearings in the little dents.

I've worked the broken stem back into the valve tube, but this is with the
inner tube out of a wheel. It will take some coordination to mount the inner
tube back into a wheel without the valve stem going missing again. It will
also take gentle inflation.

I took my emergency pump apart to see if it was contributing to the problems
I had and, sure enough, found one of the seals had twisted out of its
groove. Reseating the seal, a bit of spit and a quick reassembly job later,
the pump was operating well in both strokes.

David Lloyd

 

[Roger Merriman]

Duncan Smith <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Oct 18, 11:20 am, David Lloyd <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Had my first puncture in ages this morning, but it seems the puncture
> > fairy wanted to hang around and see what other mischief she could get
> > up to.
> >
>
> Yep, she's doing the rounds. I've taken to taking the MTB on slicks
> for a break from the fixie every now and again - and on Tuesday got a
> flat rear (my first p*cture in the dark, raining cats and dogs too but
> fortunately not too cold). Hoping the lights and tyres would hold out
> eventually got back to town and then got a flat in the rear too.
> Nevermind, it was close enough to walk home this time...
>
> Any further and it would have needed fixing with the repair kit (spare
> tube already gone), struck me that this would be a difficult thing to
> do in the wet - even with self-adhesives, any one had to try it out?
>
> Re-enforcements called for the winter, Marathon Plus 26x1.4 and a
> couple of spare tubes. Dare I say it... like to see her try it now!
> (I'll probably regret that)

she'll have to bring out some heavy weaponary if the size of the slashes
on my partners bike's Pluses are any thing to go on, she hasn't had a
punture for years with them, on has a road/park ride to work an back.
tires are at least 2 years old if not older.
>
> Regards,
>
> Duncan

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com