Weirdest thing (to me, anyway)

[Aurther J]

I bought a bike around this time last year, used from ebay, but it looked as if
it had literally never been ridden.

Well, it got a puncture yesterday and when I came to remove the inner tube, I
discovered that there was a length of a few inches along the wheel where the
tube was triple thickness (i.e. it had been folded back on itself).

When I got it all out it was quite clear that it was far too big a diameter for
my 26 x 1 wheel.

There was nothing unusual about the ride when it had been in use.

Is this a rare thing or am I just even more ignorant about matters bike than I
thought I was?

Although the puncture's very minor, I do not feel inclined to use this tube
again.

Also, how long does it take an experienced tube swapper to perform the task?

It took me what seemed like 20 minutes.

 

[Mr R@t \(2.30 zulu-india\)]

Aurther J wrote:

>
> When I got it all out it was quite clear that it was far too big a
> diameter for my 26 x 1 wheel.
>
> There was nothing unusual about the ride when it had been in use.
>
> Is this a rare thing or am I just even more ignorant about matters
> bike than I thought I was?
>

It sounds like someone who owns two kinds of bikes ended up with a puncture
and only a 700C (road/hybrid/tourer) tube, and used it as an "emergency"
repair.


> Also, how long does it take an experienced tube swapper to perform
> the task?
>
> It took me what seemed like 20 minutes.

TBH (unless you work in a bike shop or are a race mechanic etc) thats
probably the usual time for most people. I may have got it down to 10-15
mins on one occasion but that was because it was in the freezing cold on NYE
and I wanted to be somewhere else apart from in an empty industrial estate
car park (arrived at final destination in time for the party

Alex
--
Mr R@T / General Lighting
Ipswich, Suffolk, Untied Kingdom
http://www.partyvibe.com

 

[Zog The Undeniable]

Aurther J wrote:
> I bought a bike around this time last year, used from ebay, but it looked as if
> it had literally never been ridden.
>
> Well, it got a puncture yesterday and when I came to remove the inner tube, I
> discovered that there was a length of a few inches along the wheel where the
> tube was triple thickness (i.e. it had been folded back on itself).
>
> When I got it all out it was quite clear that it was far too big a diameter for
> my 26 x 1 wheel.
>
> There was nothing unusual about the ride when it had been in use.
>
> Is this a rare thing or am I just even more ignorant about matters bike than I
> thought I was?
>
> Although the puncture's very minor, I do not feel inclined to use this tube
> again.
>
> Also, how long does it take an experienced tube swapper to perform the task?
>
> It took me what seemed like 20 minutes.

Ah - the "Z" fold. A standard bodge if you can't find a 26" tube, and
it works OK.

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, Aurther J
('[email protected]') wrote:

> I bought a bike around this time last year, used from ebay, but it
> looked as if it had literally never been ridden.
>
> Well, it got a puncture yesterday and when I came to remove the inner
> tube, I discovered that there was a length of a few inches along the
> wheel where the tube was triple thickness (i.e. it had been folded back
> on itself).
>
> When I got it all out it was quite clear that it was far too big a
> diameter for my 26 x 1 wheel.
>
> There was nothing unusual about the ride when it had been in use.
>
> Is this a rare thing or am I just even more ignorant about matters bike
> than I thought I was?

It's a rare thing.

> Although the puncture's very minor, I do not feel inclined to use this
> tube again.

I wouldn't.

> Also, how long does it take an experienced tube swapper to perform the
> task?
>
> It took me what seemed like 20 minutes.

It's always a nuisance. I always carry a spare tube because patching a
puncture at the roadside in the rain is about as miserable as it gets.
You should, with practice, be able to get the old tube out, check the
inside of the tyre for thorns, etc, and get a new one in and pumped in
under ten minutes. Then you can do the patching in the warm and dry.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; If you're doing this for fun, do what seems fun. If you're
;; doing it for money, stop now.
;; Rainer Deyke

 

[Mike Sales]

"Aurther J" wrote in message >
> Well, it got a puncture yesterday and when I came to remove the inner
tube, I
> discovered that there was a length of a few inches along the wheel where
the
> tube was triple thickness (i.e. it had been folded back on itself).
>
> When I got it all out it was quite clear that it was far too big a
diameter for
> my 26 x 1 wheel.
>
> There was nothing unusual about the ride when it had been in use.
>
> Is this a rare thing or am I just even more ignorant about matters bike
than I
> thought I was?
>
> Although the puncture's very minor, I do not feel inclined to use this
tube
> again.
>
> Also, how long does it take an experienced tube swapper to perform the
task?
>
> It took me what seemed like 20 minutes.

Not unusual when the bike has been ridden with a flat tyre, friction makes
it creep round but it is anchored by the valve, so slack accumulates, but
the rest stretches.
The tube size may still be readable. I would not be surprised if it were the
right size. This sort of treatment does distort the tube.
As long as the tube holds air it does not seem to matter whether it is a
snug fit, although overstretching a too small tube will make puncturing more
likely. Any chafing as a result of this treatment is of course a problem. I
would reuse it, if there is no damage.
I have not timed myself, but if all is otherwise equal, I expect a couple of
minutes would do it.
Mike Sales.

 

[Sandy Morton]

In article <[email protected]>, Simon
Brooke <[email protected]> wrote:
> I always carry a spare tube because patching a puncture at the
> roadside in the rain is about as miserable as it gets.

See earlier posts - many moons ago - don't fix punctures just replace
the tube.

> You should, with practice, be able to get the old tube out, check
> the inside of the tyre for thorns, etc, and get a new one in and
> pumped in under ten minutes.

With a compressor handy it takes about 3 minuets which is about the
time that joe public will happily wait. Charge for supplying and
fitting a new tube is £4-00.

Stretched inner tubes normally occur when the tube is run seriously
under inflated and seems to happen even more often if the inside of
the tyre is wet. If you want to economise take the stretched tube
out and leave it aside for a day or two when you will normally find
that it has shrunk back to it's original size.

hth

--
A T (Sandy) Morton
on the Bicycle Island
In the Global Village
http://www.millport.net

 

[Rich]

"Aurther J" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I bought a bike around this time last year, used from ebay, but it looked
>as if
> it had literally never been ridden.
>
> Well, it got a puncture yesterday and when I came to remove the inner
> tube, I
> discovered that there was a length of a few inches along the wheel where
> the
> tube was triple thickness (i.e. it had been folded back on itself).
>
> When I got it all out it was quite clear that it was far too big a
> diameter for
> my 26 x 1 wheel.
>
> There was nothing unusual about the ride when it had been in use.
>
> Is this a rare thing or am I just even more ignorant about matters bike
> than I
> thought I was?

very odd.
>
> Although the puncture's very minor, I do not feel inclined to use this
> tube
> again.

yep, buy the right size and put that in.
>
> Also, how long does it take an experienced tube swapper to perform the
> task?

> It took me what seemed like 20 minutes.

If it's just swapping tubes, without fixing the puncture, then five minutes
is more than adequate, with two or three with experience.

 

[POHB]

>>Well, it got a puncture yesterday and when I came to remove the inner
>>tube, I
>>discovered that there was a length of a few inches along the wheel where
>>the
>>tube was triple thickness (i.e. it had been folded back on itself).
>
> Not unusual when the bike has been ridden with a flat tyre, friction makes
> it creep round but it is anchored by the valve, so slack accumulates, but
> the rest stretches.

Even pushing the bike for any distance with the tyre completely flat can
cause it

 

[Aurthur J]

On Wed, 29 Mar 2006 20:11:53 +0100, Sandy Morton <[email protected]> wrote:

>With a compressor handy it takes about 3 minuets which is about the
>time that joe public will happily wait.

So the actual time to replace depends on the composer chosen? (I'm always making
that typo )

>Stretched inner tubes normally occur when the tube is run seriously
>under inflated

Who said anything about stretching?

The tyre is clearly marked as a '700'.

 

[Aurthur J]

On Thu, 30 Mar 2006 08:36:17 GMT, [email protected] (Aurthur J) wrote:

>The tyre is clearly marked as a '700'.

Sorry, 'tube', tyre is marked '26'