Does anyone else..

[R-johnson88]

Does anyone else go through a tube a week, it seems every friday i have to buy and replace a tube, whether it be front or back..
Could i be the fact that i buy the $4 bell tubes or is 30 psi. too much?
thanks..

[ScottR]

Ive had one flat in the last year at uwf. 30psi is not too much...thats on the lower end of the spectrum. You need to check your rims and rim stips real close as well as the inside of your tires for debris and sharp objects. You may have a spoke poking out through your rim strip. You may want to look at getting a better set of tires as well. I have WTB Velorapters on my 26er and their bulletproof.
Dont buy a walmart set of tires, or any other bike parts from them for that matter. Tubes at the bike shop are about the same price. The Walton's dont need your money!!!

[R-johnson88]

alright, i had the wheel trued fri. and the mechanic didn't say anything about the spokes and i don't believe the spoke is coming through, but worth a check.
I'm pretty sure i just need to upgrade the wheel set as well, they're cheap.

Thanks for the advice.

[Endo]

like Scott said, be sure the a thorn or something is not still in your tire...then when you have another flat, try to figure out if you are having pinch flat vs puncture flats. Pinch flats occur when you don't have enough pressure in your tire and hit something hard enough to damage the tube...you usually lose air quickly - sometimes within a few seconds....and these are usually indicated by holes on the side of the tube. Most of the flats that I have had have been pinch flats.

Puncture flats are thorns, etc that penetrate the tire into the tube. These would usually leave holes on the top if the tube and the air loss is slower.

If you are having pinch flats, try running more air pressure....if it is puncture flats, try using the slime-filled tubes.

[R-johnson88]

alright, you saying thorns made me think i know i went riding through sand spurs the day before i got the flat. So i think i'll check that.
Do you suggest the tube that already has slime or just a bottle to fill the tubes, i was thinking the bottle b/c i've saved my tubes as that they're slow leaks..

[Endo]

that's probably the best route -- i usually use the bottles and remove the valve core because it is cheaper than buying the tubes...the only benefit with buying the slim tubes is the convenience. if you go to the automotive section of walmart, you can get a huge bottle of this off-brand yellow slime for about $5 and it includes a valve stem remover.

[R-johnson88]

alright, i'll do that...
I think i've either cracked or really screwed up a bearing in my back wheel so i've got to get that fixed first.

Thanks for the advice.

[ScottR]

Honestly, I wouldn't sink alot of money into repairing your bike. Keep checking Craigslist and Ebay. You can get something used thats decent and can take some abuse for 200-300 dollars.

[R-johnson88]

yeah i was debating something like that.
I hope to just have this one last until christmas or until i can get a job which i don't see happening soon, with the economy no one is hiring.
I'm debating possibly keeping the frame i've got and upgrading my wheel set and fork.

[BigKev78]

Hey also make sure to check the inside of your tires to make sure any thorns that may have cause the flat get removed. When I was running tubes most of my flats were pinch flats like Endo said, I had to run my tire pressure at 40+ PSI. However that doesnt do much good for climbing and cornering. I switched to Maxxis Crossmark LUST Tubless and used the Stans tubeless conversion kit for the wheelset. Amazing difference, the tires have a stiffer sidwall so you can run really low pressure for outstanding grip and performance on climbs and never worry about a flat. If you dont think its worth upgrading the bike you have now, once you finally find a good one you should check into tubless tires.