BANG!! Blow out !! What causes it?

[Jon C C on a Bianchi]

Riding along today and BANG!!! the rear tyre blew out. side wall just above the rim. biggish hole but smaller than a 5 p piece.

presumably this is just down to wear and tear?

Continental Ultra tyre. I've done just over 2,500 miles on it.

anyone suggest a cause? anyone recommend a decent tyre around £25-20?? how often should tyres be replaced?

thanks in anticiaption

Jon

[Dominic]

That's interesting Jon as somebody was saying on the Bikeradar forum that they were having similar trouble with Conti tyres. Don't think they were Ultras though. On the other hand it could have been caused by a bit of debris by the road.

As for tyre recommendations, you will get a load of different replies. I have never been a big Conti fan recently but I have been commuting since November on a pair of Conti GP 3000 that I got cheap off e-bay and I must say they have been excellent.

I am also a big fan of Michelin, Krylions for day to day and I was TTing on Prorace until I got my tubs.

[George]

If the side wall just blew out with a loud bang there is a chance that either the pads were rubbing against the tyre wall then the tube poked out and blew or the sidewall was knicked by something which blew the tube.

I had the same problem with a brand new set of conti 4 seasons where the sidewall got slit by something, I repaired it with a cut piece of motorcycle inner tube and contact adhesive, after that it was as good as new.

I really like these tyres for commuting and training as they are deffinately the grippiest and best tyre for sure in the wet conditions, and a nice easy loose fit which is nice with cold fingers.

They hardly ever puncture and the only weak point is the side wall and if you want to go real fast there not the try for you but you can't have it all.

[Andrew G]

Think George is right, it sounds like the brake block might have been rubbing, either that or sometimes an impact can cause a blowout but you'd have noticed that as you would have had to hit a fair sized pothole with a bash. The only other cause I can think of is the tube exploding and causing the split. Can happen in summer with the heat and over inflation, but at this time of year heat won't be the problem , so possibly only over inflation on an older tube.

Difficult to say how long a tyre should last (although 2,500 miles isn't very long) as it will depend on use - weather, road surface, etc, etc. I'm always happy to spend money on good tyres as they are the only thing in contact with the road, hopefully . If you stick with Contis then 4Seasons always got good reviews, but steer clear of Gatorskins as everyone I know who had them said they were lethal in the wet. I'm currently using Panaracer Extreme Duro 700/25s on my commuting/winter bike and they seem pretty good. [url=http://www.pearsoncycles.co.uk/index.html?pageTitle=PANARACER_EXTREME_DURO_700_X_23_FOLDING_PAIR&pageDesc=HALF_PRICE_GET_A_PAIR_FOR_GBP_2999_NORMALLY_GBP_6000_EXTREME_DURO_700_X_23_FOLDING_IN_ORDER_TO_WIN_R&action=detail&maincatID=0&catID=&prodID=2961&brandID=]Pearson's[/url] are doing them as a half price special of 2 for £30 at the moment - certainly not a race tyre but maybe a bit better in the winter.

The 3000s were great Dominic, just a pity you can't get hold of them anymore. The 4000s are crap, never gave the same confidence and very skittish in the wet. Conti obviously thought they were rubbish as well as the 4000s came out so soon afterwards whereas the 3000 had been around for a few years. I've found the 4000s much better and have much better grip in all weather although I still wish they did the 3000s. Probably try ProRace on the race/good bike again when they need replacing.

[Jon C C on a Bianchi]

Thanks, fellas

The pads look positioned OK - on the rims and not the tyre. Just glad it wasn't the front and not doing 50 downhill !!! Off to GB's tomorrow - see that they have some GP 4000s for just over £20 each.

Thinking about it I did notice a slight rythmic knocking vibe earlier in the ride (which I choose to ignore - I was in a hurry) which suggests that the tyre was probably already developing a fault/hole that was putting the wheel out of balance. I was going slowly and definitely didn't hit anything.

Just wondering how many miles i should expect to get out of a rear tyre?

Jon

[Jon C C on a Bianchi]

we've crossed over posts, Andrew.

are you saying the 4000 are crap and the 4 seasons good?

[Andrew G]

4 Season have had good comments from others in the club although I have no experience of them. Supposed to be a good tyre for winter/grotty weather.

4000 are crap 4000s seem much better. I think they should drop the 4000 as they clearly think something is wrong with them themselves, hence the s, just don't want to admit to it. I've spotted a number of places doing deals on the original 4000 tyres so maybe they are trying to get rid of those already manufactured before fading them out quietly.

I've just noticed [url=http://www.sigma-sport.co.uk/home.html]Sigma[/url] are doing a Continental GP3000 FOUR SEASONS tyre which looks excellent. A combination of the old superb 3000 and 4Season tyres. I can see them being my next tyres for everything other than racing on.

[Andrew G]

[quote] and had a but right behind me :Shocked:

[Jon H]

I wouldn't go as far as saying Conti Ultra Gatorskins are "lethal in the wet", but agree that they can be a bit iffy if it's really greasy on the roads like at this time of year. But then you just have to use a bit of common sense and not expect to be able to corner like you would on dry summer roads.

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

Conti's have always had a reputation for weak sidewalls, even years ago with their tubs. They seem to be happy to trade that off with a good bit of rubber and you pays your money and takes your chance. (mine have been OK so far............)

[Jon C C on a Bianchi]

thanks for all the advice. much appreciated.

Hope I'm not pushing it but need some more help.

popped down to GB today and bought 3 Conti GP 4 Seasons tyres.

Fitted two to my bike in about 20 mins. Absolutely straight forward. No problems.

thought I'd put one on the rear of Sam's bike (identical Bianchi model to mine). Took me bl**dy ages. about an hour and a half!! fingers sore and bleeding. much cursing. it was even difficult putting one edge in the wheel rim. ridiculously tight. I can usually do it with finger and thumb power alone but in the end had to use the tyre iron to gently ease the final 6 inches over the rim.

it's done now but really bothers me what happens when he punctures out on the road on a cold wet day.

my question (s). is this usual? why problem with one and not the other two? should I take it back and replace it? any ideas/tips how to get a tight tyre on the wheel?

thanks in anticipation

Jon

[-Adam-]

Use a tyre lever???

[Jon C C on a Bianchi]

Ok i did that in the end but always under the impresion that not a good thing to do as might damage the tube.

still doesn't explain why one should be so incredibly difficult.

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

Never use a tyre lever to put a tyre on - it will pinch the tube.

Some tyre/rim combinations fit better than others - I had some Michelins on Mavic Cosmics that you could remove by hand without the need for levers although it is questionable how safe they would be if you punctured going rapidly downhill

Get some of these - they really work well....

[url]http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-0-VAR-Tyre-Lever-903.htm[/url]

[-Adam-]

[quote="mrP(Boonen)VT"]Never use a tyre lever to put a tyre on - it will pinch the tube.