I'm runnig radial tubes in radial tubeless tires, mounted on stock
wires. I have slow-leak flats every few thousand miles. The puncture
invariably have been in the sidewalls of the tubes. There have never
been any foreign objects found inside the tires. What I think is
happening is that there are creases in the tubes that eventually develop
into into holes through flexing. It probably would be better to
use smaller tubes and make sure to blow them up like a balloon with the
tires half way mounted, then let out just enough air to permit finishing
the tire mounting job. Might be able to eliminate the creases that way.
Tell me more about wheel taping kits, please, Barney.
TIA,
CR
Barney Gaylord wrote:
> At 06:05 PM 6/17/04 -0500, TJ Tryon, Jr. wrote:
>
>> Anyone have any issues with tubes in tubeless tires (heat or
>> cupping)? Any good methods to seal up spoked wheels to be able to run
>> tubeless?
>> ....
>
>
> I nearly missed this one, as a change of subject on the fly.
>
> I have two concerns for using tubes in tubless tires. The first is that
> tubes increase rolling resistance and heating in a few different ways.
>
SNIP
>
> An even greater concern may be the internal surface texture of the
> tubless tire. Tube type tires should be very nearly perfectly smooth on
> the inside where they contact the tube. Tubless tires commonly have a
> grid of molding ridges on the inside, looking like a rectangular pattern
> of very narrow but slightly raised ridges. It doesn't take much of an
> obstruction inside of a tire to destroy a tube. In some cases just
> leaving a paper sticker inside of the tire can be enough to cut through
> a tube in a few hundred miles of normal travel. A sticker with a small
> wrinkle is almost guaranteed to ruin a tube. I suspect that the molding
> grid pattern inside of a tubless type tire can equally do nasty things
> to a tube.
>
>SNIP
> These new tires and tubes only made it about 200 miles from north Texas
> before the first tube gave out in Oklahoma. It was most likely caused
> by a crease in an oversize tube, but there were also paper stickers with
> wrinkles found still attached inside of the new wire wheels. This was
> followed by an order for a next day air shipment to Casper, Wyoming, for
> new tubes and some wheel taping kits.
>
SNIP
> Given any choice at all, I would never use tubes in tubless tires. For
> wire wheels I would go to great pains if necessary to seal the spoke
> holes to allow running tubeless.
>
> $.03,
>
> Barney Gaylord
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