Keep getting puncture on inner side of the tube

Question

I am getting puncture on inner side of my tube near the same spoke, it happened 3 times.

I have checked everything, no sharp edges on the rim, no foreign objects, and even spokes dont seem to stick out of nipples.

It gets flat only after riding couple of miles.

This is single wall rim. Even with 2 rim tapes I am getting flat at the same location. And also it is not snake bite puncture either, it is just same location where it would rip the tube.

I am being extremely careful when installing tube so I am sure that tube is not getting stuck between tire and rim. Rim, tire and tube sizes are correct also.

Is there any possibility that spoke can stick out under pressure when I ride the bike and ripping the tube ? If it is possible, how can I verify it?

Answer 1

Spoke tension decreases when a tire is placed on a rim and inflated. One can imagine that an empty rim on inspection doesn't show any sign of a spoke protruding thru the nipple. However, when the tire is placed, inflated and spoke tension decreases, this could have a dramatic effect on where the end of a spoke ends up in a wheel with a tire mounted and inflated to riding pressure. There could also be other contributing factors such a borderline low spoke tension to begin with or the brass nipple threads compromised in some way that allows abnormal movement of the spoke when tire is inflated.

Check the spokes in the area of the recurring punctures. Compare spoke tension there with other spokes on the wheel. If any spoke end protrude past the end of the nipple, grind a small amount of the end of the spoke. You could try a length of duct tape to first cover the inner nipples in the offending area and then cover that with the rim tape. You don't want to use excess amounts--dont allow the tape to interfere with the bead seat of the rim.

You could also use a length of tire patch on the inner tube in the area to afford it some extra protection. Glue the patch on a new tube in the area where others were punctured. The extra thickness may help especially combined with extra tape or grinding of the spokes.