I am new here and if this is in the wrong place I apologize. I have been riding about 2 1/2 months now doing anywhere from 7 to 12 miles 2 out of 3 days. My bike is a Schwinn Volare. I know its a cheap bike but it was in my price range. it seems like I can't go more than about 2 rides without replacing my rear tire tube. It keeps blowing out on the inside of the tube where the spoke holes are. I have replaced the rim strips a couple of times and last time I even ran a strip of electrical tape around it before putting the new rim strip around it. Any help is appreciated. The rim seems to be very smooth around the holes.
I just found this site--and you haven't had any answers since Aug. 20, so maybe you've solved your problem. But here's what I would do: before you take the tube out of the tire, see whether there is any sharp point that corresponds to the puncture. If you have taken the tube out, you can align it by placing the valve stem next to the hole in the rim. It could be that a spoke is too tight and the end is poking beyond the nipple and puncturing your tire. Is your tire true--that is, when you spin it, does it spin uniformly? A good way to check whether a tire is true is to watch what happens when it goes past the brakes. A properly trued tire should not noticeably wobble. Also check whether the spokes make more or less the same noise when you pluck them (like an instrument). If some are too tight they will give a higher pitch; if too loose, a lower pitch.
If there are two holes, it could be due to underinflation. Make sure your tires are adequately inflated before riding; otherwise the tube can get pinched between the tire and the rim when you hit a bump, resulting in a "snakebite" puncture.
Good luck!
bwogilvie:I just found this site--and you haven't had any answers since Aug. 20, so maybe you've solved your problem. But here's what I would do: before you take the tube out of the tire, see whether there is any sharp point that corresponds to the puncture. If you have taken the tube out, you can align it by placing the valve stem next to the hole in the rim. It could be that a spoke is too tight and the end is poking beyond the nipple and puncturing your tire. Is your tire true--that is, when you spin it, does it spin uniformly? A good way to check whether a tire is true is to watch what happens when it goes past the brakes. A properly trued tire should not noticeably wobble. Also check whether the spokes make more or less the same noise when you pluck them (like an instrument). If some are too tight they will give a higher pitch; if too loose, a lower pitch.
If there are two holes, it could be due to underinflation. Make sure your tires are adequately inflated before riding; otherwise the tube can get pinched between the tire and the rim when you hit a bump, resulting in a "snakebite" puncture.
Good luck!
I appreciate your input. What I ended up figuring out is that the rim liners that come in the bike are garbage. I bought some rim tape online and it fixed the problem completely or at least it seems. The tubes were actually going into the spoke holes and blowing out. It was happening all around the tube. I honestly have not been able to ride much lately because of 2 hurricane evacuations and 1 that actually hit whick lead to a lot of storm surge on the streets whick lead to trees and power lines on roads and early curfews for the city. Hopefully now I am getting back to normal and after getting to ride a few more times I will know if the problem is fixed for sure.
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