Hi, guys.

This counts as REALLY newbie question. The past weekend I got a flat on my rear wheel. Unlike others, there was no popping noise. I presume it was a slow leak. I inspected tire really really carefully. I found no visible damage. I couldn't find any damage w/ tube, either. But, I replaced it w/ a new tube anyways.

Four days later, my tire is low again. I could see the sidewall crease under my weight. So, I put some air in. Ten minutes of riding around. It's low again. With my fingers, I can press in 1/4 inches or so.

What's the problem? Did I not install tubes correctly?

Hi, guys.

This counts as REALLY newbie question. The past weekend I got a flat on my rear wheel. Unlike others, there was no popping noise. I presume it was a slow leak. I inspected tire really really carefully. I found no visible damage. I couldn't find any damage w/ tube, either. But, I replaced it w/ a new tube anyways.

Four days later, my tire is low again. I could see the sidewall crease under my weight. So, I put some air in. Ten minutes of riding around. It's low again. With my fingers, I can press in 1/4 inches or so.

What's the problem? Did I not install tubes correctly?
Check the tube underwater and see if you can find the leak. Also it helps if you mount the stem in the tire by something on the tire so you can then go back and check the tire to see if maybe something small is stuck in there which is causing the the new tube to be punctured thus developing the slow leap. Until you find the source, you could be forever having to deal with it. This of course assumes you aren't somehow damaging the new tube when installing it, which is possible especially if you use tools and have a tire that is very difficult to mount.

Thanks. Being a newbie, it's entirely possible (probable...) that I may have damaged the tube during installation.

How frequently do people pump tires? Evey few days? Every 100 miles??

Normally I yield to just about everybody on questions of maintenance and repair because I'm a spectacularly so-so mechanic, but I've had more flats than any living cyclist and I claim expert status in this area...
Slow leaks are common, and as somebody already said, the easiest way to find them is to submerge the inflated tube in water and watch for bubbles. You don't have to put the whole thing under at once--fill the bathroom sink or even a bucket and submerge a section at a time, starting at the valve so you know when you're done. It may help to overinflate the tube slightly. When you find the hole, dry and patch normally.
Since you've had repeated incidents, it's possible there's something stuck in the tire that you missed, and you're likely to have more. Always run your hands around the inside of the tire and examine the outside for the thorn/piece of glass/whatever that caused the trouble. One trick (somebody also mentioned this) is to mount the tire on the rim so the label is right at the valve hole.Then when you find a puncture, you can tell where on the tire to look for the troublemaker.
Also notice which side of the tube the puncture is on. If it's on the outside, the part that touches the tire, then you probably picked up something on the road. Sometimes, though, it's on the INSIDE, the part that goes against the rim. That usually means either a bad or misaligned rim strip (the piece of cloth or rubber that covers the spoke holes and protects the tube from them). A very small gap or tiny misalignment can quickly puncture a tube. If that's where your hole is, and you don't see an obvious spoke end sticking out, it's probably best to replace the strip. Velox makes excellent ones; they're about $3 each in any bike shop.
I'm a frugal tube-user, and often have half a dozen patches on a single tube, but if you keep having problems, I'd just toss the thing. They're only five or six bucks; it's not worth screwing with. As for how often to pump, the answer is "As often as you need to." I think most of us at least squeeze the tires before every ride, and it's certainly not unusual to have to add air once a week or so. I used to know how fast air seeps out of a normal, unpunctured tube, but I've forgotten--something like 2 or 3 psi per week, I think.

Another deal with tires losing air can be when inflated, often some air is lost when you remove the pump. The amount depends on your pump and how quick/easy you get the pump head off the valve stem.

Often after inflating, and perhaps losing some air, people don't bother to check the tire right away. Then the next day, or a day later, then when checking they notice it doesn't seem quite full. In reality it may have not been quite full when you remove the pump.

I pretty much use normal tubes and they don't lose air very fast without some kind of a leak/problem. It certainly isn't a deal where I have to pump them up every day or even every other day.

How frequently do people pump tires? Evey few days? Every 100 miles??

Cory gave you great advice on flats. Read it, memorize it, and incorporate it into your life style. How often you have to pump depends on your specifics - tube (mostly) and tire. I use Michelin lightweight tubes and they lose about 2 psi per day. I typically pump once/twice per week. However, you sometimes get a tube that just seems more porous, and then you might have to pump every other day. IME, if you have a butyl tube and need to pump it every day, then you have a pin-hole tube leak or a leaky valve.

Cory gave you great advice on flats. Read it, memorize it, and incorporate it into your life style. How often you have to pump depends on your specifics - tube (mostly) and tire. I use Michelin lightweight tubes and they lose about 2 psi per day. I typically pump once/twice per week. However, you sometimes get a tube that just seems more porous, and then you might have to pump every other day. IME, if you have a butyl tube and need to pump it every day, then you have a pin-hole tube leak or a leaky valve.

I will incorporate your advices into my bicycling lifestyle. What's IME? Not only am I new to bicycling, but I'm new to cyberspace community.

General terms
NM - no message
FWIW - for what it's worth IIRC - if I recall correctly BTW - by the way LOL - laugh out loud
IOW - in other words ROTFLMAO - rolling on the floor laughing my a$$ off IMO - in my opinion
IMHO - in my HUMBLE opinion (never is humble) OTOH - on the other hand
OOB - out of business
YMMV - your mileage may vary (along with everything else)
AFAIK - as far as I know
AFAICS - as far as I can see
AKA - also known as
DIY - do it yourself
CUL - see you later (poor abbreviation)
ROT - rule of thumb
FUBAR, SNAFU, FUJIMO, BAMF - all contain the F word
AMFYOYO - adios my friend, you're on your own (AKA Dear John letter)
WTF - what the heck
SO - significant other (spouse, companion, favorite bike) MYOB - mind your own business
TTFN - ta ta for now (bye)
KISS - keep it simple, stupid
KITA - kick in the a$$
PITA - pain in the a$$
BOHICA - bend over, here it comes again
BHAG - big hairy a$$ goal
RTFM - read the freakin' manual
FYI - for your information
POS - piece of shiite

Bike Terms
TT - top tube or time trial TTT - team time trial BCD - bolt circle diameter CR - chain ring HS - head set STA - seat tube angle HTA - head tube angle RR - road race
BB - bottom bracket
TDF - Tour de France
CTC - center to center
ST - seat tube
JRA - just riding along
OOTS - out of the saddle
TDC - top dead center (in the crank revolution)
MUT - multi use trail

Fitness terms
HR - heart rate
HRM - heart rate monitor
AT - anaerobic threshold
PR - personal record
LT - lactate threshold
BPM - beats per minute
RHR - resting heart rate
MSS - maximum steady state

General terms
NM - no message...
You forgot SURP - I'm still trying to figure that one out.

General terms
NM - no message
FWIW - for what it's worth IIRC - if I recall correctly BTW - by the way LOL - laugh out loud
IOW - in other words ROTFLMAO - rolling on the floor laughing my a$$ off IMO - in my opinion
IMHO - in my HUMBLE opinion (never is humble) OTOH - on the other hand
OOB - out of business
YMMV - your mileage may vary (along with everything else)
AFAIK - as far as I know
AFAICS - as far as I can see
AKA - also known as
DIY - do it yourself
CUL - see you later (poor abbreviation)
ROT - rule of thumb
FUBAR, SNAFU, FUJIMO, BAMF - all contain the F word
AMFYOYO - adios my friend, you're on your own (AKA Dear John letter)
WTF - what the heck
SO - significant other (spouse, companion, favorite bike) MYOB - mind your own business
TTFN - ta ta for now (bye)
KISS - keep it simple, stupid
KITA - kick in the a$$
PITA - pain in the a$$
BOHICA - bend over, here it comes again
BHAG - big hairy a$$ goal
RTFM - read the freakin' manual
FYI - for your information
POS - piece of shiite

Bike Terms
TT - top tube or time trial TTT - team time trial BCD - bolt circle diameter CR - chain ring HS - head set STA - seat tube angle HTA - head tube angle RR - road race
BB - bottom bracket
TDF - Tour de France
CTC - center to center
ST - seat tube
JRA - just riding along
OOTS - out of the saddle
TDC - top dead center (in the crank revolution)
MUT - multi use trail

Fitness terms
HR - heart rate
HRM - heart rate monitor
AT - anaerobic threshold
PR - personal record
LT - lactate threshold
BPM - beats per minute
RHR - resting heart rate
MSS - maximum steady state


This awesome!! Should be immortalized in an FAQ.

fc

Here's the problem assuming you inspected your tire properly for debris... you pinched your tubes while installing them. Did you use tire irons? There you go.

Changing inner tubes on a road tire is a black art. Brand new tires are tough and some rim/tire combinations are tough. Usually, when getting the last 8 inches of the tire over the rim, that struggle can result in a pinched tube. Some advice:
- keep an eye on that tube. push it out of the way before using levers
- inflate the tube slightly
- try not to use levers. when on the last 8 inches, Go around the whole tire and push it to the center (lowest point) of the rim. Then push the last 8 inches of the tire with your thumbs
- don't use ultralight tubes.

fc

You forgot SURP - I'm still trying to figure that one out.


Stuck Up Roadie Pri......um Person.

Larry

Stuck Up Roadie Pri......um Person.

Larry
Okay... what about "nmnmnm"?

Okay... what about "nmnmnm"?

nm means no message, and there is a quirk in this site that requires at least 5 characters in order to accept a post. Therefore, people just repeat nm 3 times, giving 6 characters and an "NM" message.

nm means no message...
Okay, at the risk of missing the obvious - why would somebody post a message that has no message? An expression of derision?

Okay, at the risk of missing the obvious - why would somebody post a message that has no message? An expression of derision?

Sometimes, you can say all you want in just the title of the post. But you still have to enter some characters on this site. In the old days, you might just say "Drop dead! (nm)" and not have to enter characters. Now, you have to enter something. That's why you will sometimes see 12345 as the message.

Your rim tape may have shifted due to not enough glue, or being improperly installed, exposing a spoke hole which may have caused a small hole that allows air to come out... seen it happen on a friend's bike.

Sometimes, you can say all you want in just the title of the post. But you still have to enter some characters on this site. In the old days, you might just say "Drop dead! (nm)" and not have to enter characters. Now, you have to enter something. That's why you will sometimes see 12345 as the message.
nmnmnm