Problem with bike tires going flat...

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Ali_TSO
Ali_TSO Posts: 1,172 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Here's the problem...

I bought this bike on Craigslist and the guy aired up the tires, but when I got home and sat on it to ride it, the tires were flat. The front one only halfway, but the back one...completely. :huh:

Then my hubby aired up the tires for me last night, but when I sat on the bike this morning, the tires went flat again. Does anyone else around 350 lbs ride a bike? Do you have problems with the tires? Am I just too big to exercise with a bike?... :cry:

Replies

  • knapowell
    knapowell Posts: 230 Member
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    When my tires started doing that I found out they were dry rotted.
  • justann
    justann Posts: 276 Member
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    The inner tube may possibly be popped or torn. Just yesterday I had to replace one on my daughter's bike.
  • dcmat
    dcmat Posts: 1,723 Member
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    It just looks like you have a couple of slow punctures. Either patch them up or replace with slime tubes.

    If you replace them, split the old ones onto strips (cut along the length and cut to break the circle) and place it in the trye and you have a simple puncture prevention
  • torregro
    torregro Posts: 307
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    Your post makes me laugh because it's such a man/woman kind of a thing. When working on a Habitat site with men I find that if something goes wrong, the women blame themselves and the men blame the equipment. LOL
    Take your bike to a shop and have them check the tires for you, then get yourself some new tubes (and possibly tires) and you'll be fine...........it's the bike............not YOU.
  • hyper_stitch
    hyper_stitch Posts: 180 Member
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    Give the bike a once over if you can, there are loads of great tutorials on youtube etc I doubt it's anything to do with your weight more the way the bikes been looked after or stored. I would replace the tubes and maybe even the tyres x
  • daniface
    daniface Posts: 338 Member
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    it could be varity of things,

    your tires could be old/ rotted
    your tubes could be pinched
    your spokes could be poking through the nipple tape on the inside of your rims


    i suggest you disassemble your bike tires and inspect, take the tube out of the tire and blow it up off the bike and see if you can feel/ hear any leaks, check the tape on the inside of your rim... and if its the tires, new tires are only 20 bucks or so

    thats all i got. happy riding :]
  • thcri
    thcri Posts: 459 Member
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    Your post makes me laugh because it's such a man/woman kind of a thing. When working on a Habitat site with men I find that if something goes wrong, the women blame themselves and the men blame the equipment. LOL
    Take your bike to a shop and have them check the tires for you, then get yourself some new tubes (and possibly tires) and you'll be fine...........it's the bike............not YOU.

    That is not the NORM. LOL. Usually women blame it on the men. LOL. Well at least in my case.
  • PhatVeeDub
    PhatVeeDub Posts: 4
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    There is a tube in the tires of (most standard) bicycles, the problem has to be in the tube or the valve of the tube. It could be a bad patch on the tube or the glue could have dried out. You may also have a small pin hole (from something as simple as a thorn) or a pinch hole (from hitting a curb too hard) in the tube that is causing a leak.

    If it is a 'standard' bike (one you would get at walmart, target or a neighborhood bike shop) then the tubes are readily available for cheap. They might run 5 bucks each and aren't difficult to put in.

    You can of course pull the wheel off the bike and put the entire wheel (or pull the tube out of the wheel) and put it into the tub or a bucket of water, put air in it, and look for bubbles.

    If the bike is of higher quality ($1000 or newer) it could have the higher end tubeless tires. Those have a tendency to leak air and will be soft much quicker than a standard tubed tire.

    Biking is a great activity for you. No impact and it gets you moving and gets you outside and of course, burns calories!
    Good luck!
  • ilsie99
    ilsie99 Posts: 259
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    Your post makes me laugh because it's such a man/woman kind of a thing. When working on a Habitat site with men I find that if something goes wrong, the women blame themselves and the men blame the equipment. LOL
    Take your bike to a shop and have them check the tires for you, then get yourself some new tubes (and possibly tires) and you'll be fine...........it's the bike............not YOU.

    That is not the NORM. LOL. Usually women blame it on the men. LOL. Well at least in my case.

    HAHA
  • Ezwoldo
    Ezwoldo Posts: 369 Member
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    I would take the whole wheel apart and check that there is nothing stuck in the tyre, change tubes and replace rim tape as this does wear out, this should cover all bases if it still persists then I would get new tyres and hopefully the it should be problem solved.
  • rocktinkerbell
    rocktinkerbell Posts: 12
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    I live in Florida and I have a problem with my tires going flat because I store it in a hot garage. Both of them will deflate just sitting in the garage. I'm sure its not you, its probably the tires like everyone else said. :)
  • dnthaveasn
    dnthaveasn Posts: 113
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    The problem is with the tires...not you.
    I don't want to see anymore of these :cry:
  • Ali_TSO
    Ali_TSO Posts: 1,172 Member
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    The problem is with the tires...not you.
    I don't want to see anymore of these :cry:

    Thanks hun....but come on! I haven't ridden a bike in 10 years, so I didn't know about the tubes and stuff... Figured maybe the tires had a weight limit. I'll have my hubby replace the tubes and we'll see what happens. :)
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
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    I suspect it's just old inner tubes that have some rot cracks which act like slow punctures.

    A couple of new tubes might just sort it out. I doubt it's your weight.
  • Missjulesdid
    Missjulesdid Posts: 1,444 Member
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    Ali,
    I've been shopping for a bicycle for a while now and I have grilled every clerk in Queens. "ARE you SURE this bike is strong enough for me?" "ARE you SURE these tires will hold me?" The clerks all acted like I was crazy for even asking. OF COURSE the bike and tires are strong enough.

    I did have one clerk explain to me that I should stick with the fatter tires for more stability since it has been a while since I've ridden. He also told me that If I chose a bike with very narrow tires, that I have to be careful to avoid going of curbs at fast speeds etc because that could bend the rims since it's a lower end bike I was looking at. The clerk himself was around 250 and he's an avid cyclist so I he was able to give me a lot of information based on his own experience.

    ALSO, this same clerk told me that If I do wind up getting a used bike to make sure that the wheels are true and the spoke tension is good. He said this is extra important for those of us carrying around a lot of extra pounds. I'm super excited for you to get your bike into riding condition.
  • mpchaplin
    mpchaplin Posts: 19
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    It's usually the inner tube that goes flat, and that's because of cracks (age) or holes (thorns/glass) , or slices where the valve sticks through the rim. NOT because of your weight.

    If you replace the inner tube and it's still happening 1) double check to make sure the spokes aren't poking through the rim and puncturing the inner tube, and 2) that the hole where the valve sticks through isn't slicing through the valve. Inner tubes are cheap and they aren't too hard to replace.

    Bike shops also offer tune-ups and things like that for around 20-50 dollars depending on the store. You might want to consider it since it's not a new bike-- grease the chain, check the brakes, gears, etc.
  • ShaneT99
    ShaneT99 Posts: 278 Member
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    Sounds like you just need new inner tubes to me. That's a quick and easy fix. Do check the tires though when you have them off to make sure there isn't anything in them, otherwise you'll just have to do it all over again.
  • Ali_TSO
    Ali_TSO Posts: 1,172 Member
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    Thanks everybody! :)
  • thcri
    thcri Posts: 459 Member
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    Thanks everybody! :)

    Also for the record. Bike tires don't hold air for a long time. I ride a rode bike and I have to add air just about every other time. My mountain bike I had to add once a month. So even with new tubes you will still more than likely have to add now and then.
  • Ali_TSO
    Ali_TSO Posts: 1,172 Member
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    An update: I was having a problem with what turned out to be the "stem" of the bike also. Took it to a bike shop today, and they adjusted that, and properly aired up the tires...turns out nothing's wrong with them, and I went on my first (albeit really short) 10-min bike ride today!!! :tongue:

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