Last week my road bike developed a problem. For some reason the tube in the rear tire has decided to suddenly burst. The first time it happened while I was riding. I was doing about 20mph on a smooth downgrade when I heard a shriek like a bottle rocket and the tire went flat. When I removed the tube I noted an elongated (about a half inch) split along one of the seams. I assumed it was a faulty tube. At this point I did not think anything was strange.
Later that day I installed a new tube and hung my bike up on the wall. About an hour later I was working on my computer when I thought I heard a gunshot (it sounded like a .22). I peeked around the corner, looking for a bullet hole in my living room wall. I saw my bike had a flat.
Sure enough, the rear tube had deflated. The location of the flat was not a clean split this time, it was a ragged hole. This confused me. One part of the hole was slightly rounded, so i thought I might have damaged it when I was putting the tube and tire on the rim. The bike sat for a few days before I picked up a replacement tube.
Today I carefully checked the rim and tire for sharp burs or anything that might harm the tire. I did not find anything. I put the tube and tire on with my bare hands this time, careful not to pinch the tube at all. I inflated the tube. As I reached down to close the Presta valve the tube burst (making my ears ring for ten minutes). The force of the explosion made a small hole in the sidewall of the tire. I just stood there, puzzled. Then I said “Whoah, there goes a tire!” (That’s a reference to an N64 NASCAR game that I used to play.)
I am completely stumped as to what is happening.
Currently my best guess is that the pressure gauge on my pump is defective, causing me to over-inflate the tubes. But why has the rear tube blown three times while the front is fine? I’m planning to pick up a new pump soon.
Has anyone out there had a similar problem? Does someone have a voodoo doll representation of my bike and a large pin?
