15
Sounds like the butyl rubber inner tubes have perished a little, and you have either a very slow leak, or a valve that lets the air out slowly.
Just buy three new tubes from an online supplier - they'll cost about $5 each. Two to fit, and one to carry as the spare. You should also have two/three plastic tyre levers, a working pump, and whatever tools are ...
11
There are several questions here.
You were on a road trip and found a hole in your tire...
I swapped front and rear tyre to have the weak one in front because it gets less pressure. Was this correct thing to do? Also, should I have deflated the air pressure in tube when I saw this?
And...
Should and could I have put both my old and his old tyre to prevent ...
9
I'm going to focus only on some aspects of the post that weren't addressed.
... tyre on my rear wheel was worn out. I could clearly see the threading (if this is correct name for that) on the side walls of the tyre near the rim. I swapped front and rear tyre to have the weak one in front because it gets less pressure. Was this correct thing to do? Also, ...
8
The only actual issue if the tyres will fit; and they will from the two 26" sizes you've quoted. Number of gears (speeds) is irrelevant.
Marketing people like to throw in spurious detail often to give the impression they know what they're talking about.
7
I've never heard of a "1 speed tyre", but it is possible this is a harder durometer rubber to resist wear if the rider does a skid-stop, at the cost of being less grippy. It should still fit your rim the same.
The only likely gotcha here is whether both 26" tyres are the same size.
Check the ETRTO code on the sidewall. It will be in the format 559-56 or ...
7
Putting something between a hole worn (or cut) in a tire and the inner tube is called making a boot. Using a opened up inner tube will protect the inflated tube to some extent, but it isn't very durable and because it is stretchy it can't prevent the inner tube from ballooning out of a hole in the tire.
you can't put two tires in a rim, but what you could ...
5
It's possible that your rims are not too large for the frame, you are just using tires that are too wide and tall than the frame was designed to accommodate.
Tire height is related to width, you can't specifically get a tire that is shorter. YOu just need to drop down to the next lower tire size. E.g., if your tires are nominally 32mm wide try 28mm tires.
...
4
It looks like age/exposure related failure from what I can see. If it is a defect the shop where you purchased them may pro-rate them on new tires. If they do this it would be a good will gesture on their part. I worked in the retail automotive tire world and it is nearly impossible to get a defect related replacement from the manufacturer. They blame under /...
4
Make sure you are fitting the tire correctly. Examine the bread all the way around the rim on both sides and make sure it is seated evenly.
I wonder if the inner tube is not properly inside the tire near the valve. The reinforced area around the valve can get stuck under the tire bead. Before inflating, push the valve into the rim to make sure the tube is ...
4
Whenever you are not aiming for riding in a race, go for serious puncture proof tires. Especially if you are a casual rider who can't just fix a flat within 10min on the road side. I certainly can't, even though I've patched enough tires for a lifetime. You are not going to get significant enjoyment out of being able to ride 0.1km/h faster, but you are going ...
3
Folding bead alone will not affect your ride in a notable manner.
Here are some things which will affect the ride a lot more than whether it's folding or wire bead:
Tyre width (bigger = smoother)
Tyre pressure (lower = smoother)
Rim width (wider = smoother)
The difference between folding and wire beads are not really about comfort.
You could argue that the ...
3
Not a helpful answer, but I would definitely find a lighter bike. In the UK, Frog and Isla are popular makes for light bikes. I would say a 20" wheel is OK for a 5-6 year old.
A single-speed Frog 52 (20" wheels, 10" frame) weighs under 8kg. Make sure the saddle is high enough, and raise it if he looks uncomfortable.
Both my children had Frog ...
3
I had a Slime bike tube that leaked into the Schrader valve and really gummed up everything to where no air would release. After removing the valve, no air was escaping so a solid clog for sure in the valve or tube. I replaced the valve with a cheap kit from Wal-Mart ($2.96) and still no success until I attacked the problem by inflating and blowing the &...
3
Do you have the stem nut tight? I'd back that off a lot when fitting the tyre - at this point its main job is to stop you loosing the valve into the rim while working the tyre.
Also, I'd make a point of starting the tyre on the rim near the valve, and then work away from that spot. Valves can be a little fragile, and their mere presence makes it harder to ...
2
An old MTB will have used 26" wheels (559mm rims), you want to put 700c (662mm) rims on it with smaller tires.
We can work out wheel approximate diameters. Assuming tire height above the rim is about the same as its nominal width and the MTB frame will take a 50mm tire.
559/2 + 50 = 329mm
622/2 + 28 = 339mm (+10mm)
The 700c tire might fit but bear in ...
2
The Sunlight tubes I was using have a "ribbed" area near the valve stem. Patches just did not hold in that ribbed area.
Inside the rim no sharp areas or spokes protruding, but I added an additional cloth rim strip and a Continental brand tube purchased from a different shop.
It is holding for now, although this problem sometimes doesn't show up ...
2
Have you thought about a bike cover or bicycle wheel covers ?
This seems the most logical form of protection for little outlay, the most effective method would be to move the bike out of reach of the cats but if that’s not possible then a cover of some sort may suffice.
If the cover isn’t suitable or the cats destroy it, you could easily make a bike stand ...
2
I see in the specs that this bike has 20 inch tyres. That's a very big bike for a kid who is only 6 years old.
I'm guessing you have the saddle right down to help him get on it? That could be another indication of a bike too big for the rider.
As a start, I'd suggest getting him to test-ride another bike. Someone else's would be ideal and there's no cost. ...
1
From your update it looks like you did all the right things. In the photo, and after your tweaks, the bike looks to be correctly sized, he has a nice upright position and his elbows are slightly bent which is ideal. The saddle height looks good as well. Good job!!
As he gets more comfortable riding you might be able to raise the saddle ever so slightly to ...
1
You obviously need a tire of the correct diameter for a "26 inch" wheel - These may be marked 26" or ISO / ETRTO 559.
Generally you'll want a tire narrower than a MTB tire for on-road use. Narrower tires running a higher pressure have less rolling resistance.
How much narrower is up to you depending on the roads or trails you want to ride on, ...
1
Do the cats do it while people are around? Then a spray bottle of water can be used to deter them at the instant they start. Yes, its slightly mean to the cats, but once they learn then the problem goes away.
Or store the bikes in a room with a closed door, keep the door closed.
1
I think your idea "some sort of removable, thick rubber coating (perhaps a second, larger pair of tires cut to fit over mounting)" would probably work.
I would store the bike upside down and use old mountain bike tires.
If that fails, perhaps try inexpensive hard plastic tubing used for underground sprinkler systems, about 1.5 inch diameter. With ...
1
we once had a batch of cheap tubes that all punctured near the same spot. i thought the odds of a defect like that were too long to take seriously but we couldn't think of any other reason. i know it's an unsatisfying and obvious answer, but i would try a different brand and see what happens.
if it still happens, well, i'm not sure. even the sticky-backed ...
1
@GregoryLeo another side-thought is gearing changes.
Some assumptions - the bike is a 48/38/28 triple, with an 11-32 cassette (number of gears is irrelevant here) and I've assumed a 559-54 tyre, so ~54mm wide.
48 38 28 tooth chainring
11 113.2 89.6 66.0
12 103.8 82.1 60.5
14 88.9 70.4 51.9
16 77.8 61.6 45.4
18 69.2 ...
1
I was on a roadtrip as I found out that tyre on my rear wheel was worn out. I could clearly see the threading (if this is correct name for that) on the side walls of the tyre near the rim. I swapped front and rear tyre to have the weak one in front because it gets less pressure. Was this correct thing to do? Also, should I have deflated the air pressure in ...
1
I did the exact same thing a long time ago. I wonder what width tyres you used?
Basically, I had a touring bike which I used for "rough" touring, and used the 38c version of this tyre.
It was fine at lower pressures in rough roads.
I then bought a set of 25c versions for a winter road bike. Horrible! These, tyres are not designed for smooth roads and ...
1
The amount of gears has no bearing on the type of tyre.
The 26" part refers to the wheel diameter, so this is the most important part.
The 2.1" or 1.95", refer to the width of the tyre. The width of the rim determine which width tyres you should have. If your wheel is ok wth a 2.1 wide tyre, then a 1.95" wide tyre will be absolutely fine.
What you ...
1
When I fitted a new Schwalbe Marathon Plus, it kept bulging near the valve when I tried to inflate it. The solution was to replace the inner tube with a smaller one. I also discovered that the trick to getting the tyre on is to secure it with cords or cable ties as you work around, to stop one side slipping off.
Edit: Thanks to the guys who suggested this in ...
1
Know this is an old post. Agree with everything. Just wanted to add another problem I ran into. Got one side's bead out. Couldn't get the other side out for the life of me. Nearly broke my thumbs trying to knead it out. Nothing.
Got a bright light to see what was going on. When the tire was installed, the rim strip must've gotten pushed over into rim seat ...
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