Slow leaks

[RetFor]

what can i do for slow leaks? (other than make potato leak soup.)

it seems like ive always got a slow leak, no matter what. even after replacing the wheels completely. i put in rim tape and a wheel liner in the front, and its still seems to have a small leak.

also, the leaks got much worse after doing some work on my bike recently. (see derailleur forum) now my back tire will only last 5-7 days before becoming unridable. the front one lasts better, but it also seems to have a small leak. one possible culprit is i use co2 cartridges to fill my tires since manual pumps are a pain. those can get pretty cold when filling a tire a lot. have you heard of someones tube freezing and cracking from those before? that would be my guess on the back one, since i had to deflate it and refill it to take it off to do work.

i have a new tube i can put on the back for now, but i dont want to use the co2 to fill it if its just going to kill it again, assuming that was what happened. also, i have to throw out the old one. i know how to find the leak by sticking it in water, but whats the best way to patch it once i do find it?

thanks.

[haykong]

(05-19-2013, 12:21 AM)RetFor Wrote:  what can i do for slow leaks? (other than make potato leak soup.)

it seems like ive always got a slow leak, no matter what. even after replacing the wheels completely. i put in rim tape and a wheel liner in the front, and its still seems to have a small leak.

also, the leaks got much worse after doing some work on my bike recently. (see derailleur forum) now my back tire will only last 5-7 days before becoming unridable. the front one lasts better, but it also seems to have a small leak. one possible culprit is i use co2 cartridges to fill my tires since manual pumps are a pain. those can get pretty cold when filling a tire a lot. have you heard of someones tube freezing and cracking from those before? that would be my guess on the back one, since i had to deflate it and refill it to take it off to do work.

i have a new tube i can put on the back for now, but i dont want to use the co2 to fill it if its just going to kill it again, assuming that was what happened. also, i have to throw out the old one. i know how to find the leak by sticking it in water, but whats the best way to patch it once i do find it?

thanks.

bike tires/tubes shouldn't hold air too long like a car tire...... but they shouldn't completely deflated in a few weeks. Yeah if the tire delated completely in a week or two.. there's a small leak.. ... there can be a very small puncture in the tube... You can patch it up.. I recommend REMA patches and glue. Read the instructions, use the sand paper, and when you apply the glue you need to let it dry a bit before applying the patch. Forget the pre-glue stuff from other brands. If you can't find the hole yourself then next best thing is water. Anyway, once you find the hole.. determine if it's punctured on the rim side or tire side. If it's tire side check your inside of your tire for debris as well as outside. Sometimes there might be a very small thorn puncture or small glass shards etc etc. Also look for glass shards on the outside of the tires etc.... Worse case replace tire.. If it's rim side.. maybe need rim tape or any of the walls of the wheel might have a sharp edge... check that.

Just curious why only the front wheel has only liners? why not the rear? The rear wheel normally gets more punctures since more of the riders weight is in the rear.... therefore more pressure on debris to puncture tires.

Oh yeah If you do get another liner, you should get STOP Flats liners since I recall a friend got them and they have a guarantee if you get a flat with their liners, they will give you a replacement tube free.


Just curious why you use C02 carts? seriously those are really made for emergencies especially if you're a roadie who wants to travel light. Just curious why do you find manual pumps a pain? Yeah They can be a pain when you get a flat while commuting and you have one of the small mini pumps. But why not get a floor pump for your home base, now you can pump tires pretty quickly with floor pumps.

Oh also you should consider keeping your tires inflated within specs of the tire since under-inflating a tire will make it wear down faster and affects handling. Also it increases the chance of having a pitched flat when a tire is under-inflated. More reason to have a floor pump with a gauge.

Especially since I recall you have a road bike with hybrid tires.. those require higher pressure than mountain bike tires.

[RetFor]

(05-19-2013, 02:11 AM)haykong Wrote:  bike tires/tubes shouldn't hold air too long like a car tire...... but they shouldn't completely deflated in a few weeks. Yeah if the tire delated completely in a week or two.. there's a small leak.. ... there can be a very small puncture in the tube... You can patch it up.. I recommend REMA patches and glue. Read the instructions, use the sand paper, and when you apply the glue you need to let it dry a bit before applying the patch. Forget the pre-glue stuff from other brands. If you can't find the hole yourself then next best thing is water. Anyway, once you find the hole.. determine if it's punctured on the rim side or tire side. If it's tire side check your inside of your tire for debris as well as outside. Sometimes there might be a very small thorn puncture or small glass shards etc etc. Also look for glass shards on the outside of the tires etc.... Worse case replace tire.. If it's rim side.. maybe need rim tape or any of the walls of the wheel might have a sharp edge... check that.

Just curious why only the front wheel has only liners? why not the rear? The rear wheel normally gets more punctures since more of the riders weight is in the rear.... therefore more pressure on debris to puncture tires.

Oh yeah If you do get another liner, you should get STOP Flats liners since I recall a friend got them and they have a guarantee if you get a flat with their liners, they will give you a replacement tube free.


Just curious why you use C02 carts? seriously those are really made for emergencies especially if you're a roadie who wants to travel light. Just curious why do you find manual pumps a pain? Yeah They can be a pain when you get a flat while commuting and you have one of the small mini pumps. But why not get a floor pump for your home base, now you can pump tires pretty quickly with floor pumps.

Oh also you should consider keeping your tires inflated within specs of the tire since under-inflating a tire will make it wear down faster and affects handling. Also it increases the chance of having a pitched flat when a tire is under-inflated. More reason to have a floor pump with a gauge.

Especially since I recall you have a road bike with hybrid tires.. those require higher pressure than mountain bike tires.

ill look into those patches. i guess for now ill refill the old tube til i can get a new pump. ive been using the co2 cause a good floor pump can be expensive. i figured for the money, i might as well just use co2 cartridges, which are more convenient and would come out cheaper if im only using em now and then. having to use one or more a week isnt cheaper, though. especially if thats what caused the leak in the first place.

i have the rim tape and liner for the back wheel already, i just never put it on, for two reasons. first, the back wheel is harder to take off. especially since its not a quick-release like the front one. also, the liner widens the wheel slightly, and the back is already a pretty tight fit since its hybrid tires on a road frame. i was worried that putting it on might make it too wide.

i thought road tires get a higher pressure, though? arent mountain and hybrid tires supposed to have a little give to them?

[nfmisso]

On my bikes; the tires need to be topped of at least weekly, twice a week if I am fussy. I have mix of Schraeder and Presta valves - does not seem to make any difference.

CO2 inflators are fine for topping off on the road, after bringing the tires up to about 80% of working pressure with a mini-pump.

Get a floor pump, they are not that expensive. I keep a Zefal brand floor pump with a built in gauge at work, less than $20- at Wal-mart: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Zefal-Air-Max-Floor-Pump-5610/14264315 it works well on both SV and PV. At home I have a Schwinn brand pump with a built in gauge that I bought twenty years ago. Still works great.

[DaveM]

Pure CO2 will leak out of your tubes faster than normal air will. The CO2 molecules actually dissolve into the rubber of the tube/tire and escape.

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/may98/895552329.Ch.r.html

[RetFor]

(05-21-2013, 12:29 PM)DaveM Wrote:  Pure CO2 will leak out of your tubes faster than normal air will. The CO2 molecules actually dissolve into the rubber of the tube/tire and escape.

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/may98/895552329.Ch.r.html

well, i think the old tube did have a whole, cause on monday it didnt even last a day, so i replaced it, but thats probably why the new one seems to be losing faster than expected as well.

(05-20-2013, 11:34 AM)nfmisso Wrote:  On my bikes; the tires need to be topped of at least weekly, twice a week if I am fussy. I have mix of Schraeder and Presta valves - does not seem to make any difference.

CO2 inflators are fine for topping off on the road, after bringing the tires up to about 80% of working pressure with a mini-pump.

Get a floor pump, they are not that expensive. I keep a Zefal brand floor pump with a built in gauge at work, less than $20- at Wal-mart: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Zefal-Air-Max-Floor-Pump-5610/14264315 it works well on both SV and PV. At home I have a Schwinn brand pump with a built in gauge that I bought twenty years ago. Still works great.

ah, i see. hmmm, the zefal got a LOT of negative reviews because of the valve head breaking. schwinn must not make em like they used to, either, cause that also didnt get very good reviews. although it seems most of the troubles with the schwinn are problems getting it to work with presta valves, so maybe ill try that one since i have schraeder and its not expensive.

[nfmisso]

(05-21-2013, 09:38 PM)RetFor Wrote:  .....

ah, i see. hmmm, the zefal got a LOT of negative reviews because of the valve head breaking. .......

Almost all (if not all) from morons who try to rip the head off the valve stem instead of unlocking it, holding on to the valve stem and gently pulling the head off. The Zefal head is a very tight fit, making and excellent seal, resulting in fast pump up.

[RetFor]

(05-22-2013, 11:50 AM)nfmisso Wrote:  

(05-21-2013, 09:38 PM)RetFor Wrote:  .....

ah, i see. hmmm, the zefal got a LOT of negative reviews because of the valve head breaking. .......

Almost all (if not all) from morons who try to rip the head off the valve stem instead of unlocking it, holding on to the valve stem and gently pulling the head off. The Zefal head is a very tight fit, making and excellent seal, resulting in fast pump up.

ah, well, for now i ordered the schwinn. ill see how that one is.

[1FJEF]

CO2 will not work to keep tires inflated, only for temporary emergency use, it will find it's way through the tube- getting that pump will work great for you.

[RetFor]

(05-23-2013, 07:40 AM)1FJEF Wrote:  CO2 will not work to keep tires inflated, only for temporary emergency use, it will find it's way through the tube- getting that pump will work great for you.

yeah, for now, since its not coming til next week, it was getting low again, so instead of wasting another co2 cartridge, i stopped by a gas station, emptied out the tubes mostly and then refilled there. hopefully now i wont have to refill again for a while.