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Leaky tubes

chuckycheese

chuckycheese

Forum Sage
Past Site Supporter
Charter Member
I realize that all tubes are somewhat porous and will leak air over time. I recently installed an IRC tube which seems to require air on a regular basis....any recommendations about tubes (either good or bad) would be appreciated. Thanks, guys! :!:

P.S. The valve stem is not the problem. :wink:
 
You could add a bottle of PJ1 Balance Plus. It's a balancing fluid and sealer in one. Or one of the other sealers, I mention the PJ1 because I have used it with nothing negative to report on it.
 
The 4mm tubes are supposed to be very puncture resistant. I've had a Cheng Shin that was DOA with a bad valve and just last week I had a Kenda that split at a seam. The Kenda had gobs of electrical tape holding a second tube around it so I probably caused the failure.

Steve
 
I'll second the Balance Plus recommendation. I have used it for years with good results.

It is also possible that you pinched the tube slightly when installing it. I know I have done that enough times and if it is just a place where you barely pinched the tube with a tire tool it can result in an extremely small leak.

Mike
 
Hey Charlie :) ,

Sounds like you might have pinched it installing it. You might try some of the sealer stuff depending how bad the leak is, it might work, great if it does. If you don't have any tire irons, I would for sure get some. Dennis Kirk, I know has them.

Get one of the straight ones and the longer one with the hooked end. I have a set that I've used all thru my dirt biking years and there great!! You might want to spend a bit extra on a better quality tube plus purchase a new rubber rim strip or check yours out. They can dry rot over time and the spoke nipples will protrude and puncture your tube.
Also when you take your tube out, notice how it comes out. Lay it on top of the tire & wheel and air it up and see where the hole is. Then you can feel the inside surface of the rim where the puncture is and see if there is a burr on your wheel or there could also be a thorn or something in your tire if the pucture is on the bottom side.

Unwad your new tube and put it in a big ziploc bag or a brown grocery bag with a good bit of baby powder in it. Shake it around till you get a good coating on the tube. This makes it slide around in the tire easily when mounting and will work itself into place easier. Shake of the access baby powder and put the tube inside the tire and rim with the valve stem protuding thru enough to just start the stem nut about half way or so. At this point, put some air in the tube, not a whole lot but enough so it works all the crease's out and works itself into place (thats where the baby powder will help). Then let the air back out. I usually remove the core for the time being.

Then put a good supply of dishwashing liquid all around the bead of the tire. This will really help when working the tire back into the rim. Starting where the valve is, push the tire down in under the rim and around on both sides as far as you can just with your hands. Then carefully stick the small tire iron in at one side, and prize back against the tire to just to hold it, (careful not to skin your rim). Then you can take the big tire iron with the curved end wich hooks on the inside of the rim, and begin taking small bites all the way back around toward the small tire iron.

When it starts getting tite at the end, push in abruptly with your hands down on the tire down where you started at the valve stem. This will loosen it up at the top where your working the tire. When you get it popped on. Install the valve core and air it up to at least 40 psi to seat the bead and tighten up your valve stem nut.

Charlie you probably already know all of this and didn't need a tire & tube changing lesson but I thought it might help others in the future. I've always changed my own tires since I was in high school. It's not bad after you get a little experience under your belt. When breaking an old tire down off the rim, if you don't have high zoot bead breaker, you can use a shop vice and some 2 by 4's. Also you can lay it on a carpeted floor with 2 people pushing down on it with there feet will work.

I've ran tires on large and small street bikes balanced and unbalanced and can't ever tell the difference either way. But if it's handy for you to take it to a shop, they shouldn't charge over $5 to $10 to balance it. This will give you time to see if the tire stays up too. Sorry for the long post. Good Luck:D
 
:o Charlie, I just noticed, your bike has mags. Do you really need a tube.
Most tires will mount tubeless. Just a thought. 8)
 
Thanks

Thanks

Hey Mountain Man!! (and all you others :lol: ) Thanks for such good information and advice. As far as needing tubes, I'm not really sure...I know the bike came with tubes from the factory and I've heard that the reason was because the early mags were somewhat porous and leaked. It seems like that's probably true because I figure if air leaks out with tubes, air would leak out worse without tubes. :cry:

I would like to try running tubeless and may give it a whirl in the future! :!:
 
The early 'star mags' were meant to run a tube. Look and you'll see, well you actually won't see "Tubeless" embossed anywhere on the wheel as it is on later mag style wheels. I have run the old star mags with and W/o tubes...they tend to leak because of porosity without.
Early BMW 'snowflake mags' were also made to run innertubes.
 
Yeah

Yeah

Yeah, Jim, I looked my mags over very carefully and there is nothing on them that would indicate they're intended to be run "tubeless". :cry:
 
Hey jimcor, I'm glad to see your post. I've said for years, a mag wheel was good to run tubeless tires whether it was stamped tubeless or not. I've heard & read for years that they were porus, and would leak air,. but never had this problem nor knew anyone who had this problem. I guess this proves, for sure, that you may have a problem with tires mounted tubeless on mag rims not stamped tubeless. Good to find out for sure, thanks, Rick GRUUGGRRR%&^$*@$%. I forgot, I saw a mag wheel, back in the early "80's", that wouldn't hold air. but It was one that was marked tubeless. We found a very small crack in the wheel, at the valve stem hole that was leaking very slowly. Now I've seen one leaking that was not marked tubeless, and one that was marked tubeless, so now I'm still confused. I guess I'll just keep running tubeless till I have a problem myself, then maybe I'll put in a tube.
 
Thanks for the info on the mags not being really for tubeless. I've worked on newer bikes for so long and hadn't had a tire off of mine yet, I guess I didn't realize they were really just tube type. "Makes sense."

Wished my instant messaging still worked. I wonder if the Spybot search and destroy that I downloaded is throwing up a firewall???

Later Guys,
 
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