I was just reading a thread about tires blowing, well mine popped while I was riding. I had just used a bike shops air hose and when I got on I knew there was too much pressure… I was just about to stop and let some air out when POP! To any bystanders it probably appeared to be some kind of assassination, as there was a loud BANG and then I hit the ground.
That was my first UPD off my new Nimbus, I did a nice tuck and roll and came out of it with a scrape on my arm. I’m not sure of my speed, I wasn’t pushing hard but I was going pretty fast.
I’m looking now at UDC’s ‘Commuter 36-inch tube’ for $38, anyone know if there’s a better price? I also remember reading about people putting a 29" tube in their 36", can someone shed some light on that? I’ve got the airfoil double-walled rim.
Bedford unicycles sells 36" tubes for $35CAD, or $30USD. I’m sure if you order 3, he will sell the third half price. Ask for small packaging shipping: it is a fraction of normal postage.
Ouch! Looks like people are going to have to be careful with the Airfoil X and the TA tire combo. Was the tire damaged at all in the blowout? Any idea what pressure was in the tire?
I don’t know why the Coker tubes are $38 now at UDC. Coker Tire has the 36" tube in their catalog for $15.50. They were out of stock at one time, I’d call or write to find out if they have stock before ordering.
The other option is the 29er tube. LiveWire Unicycles has a guide on how to install a 29er tube. The Schwalbe AV-19 tube will work. You can order the tubes directly from the Schwalbe web site. Last time I ordered they had a minimum order of $15 so you would need to order three or more tubes. Or you can have your LBS order the tubes.
You’re going to want at least three of the 29er tubes anyways so you’ll have a spare. You’ll probably pop one trying to get it installed. After that you’ll get the hang of it. You can’t really patch a 29er tube because the patched area of the tube won’t stretch. So once a tube gets a pinch or other puncture you end up throwing the tube away (or patching it and using it on a real 29er instead of the Coker).
The 29er tube works but is more fussy and less reliable than the thick Coker tube. I used 29er tubes for a while. Then I got a puncture flat due to a thorn and went through three 29er tubes installing a new tube. I ran out of 29er tubes and went back to the old reliable Coker tube.
I was riding it a little low, probably somewhere between 25-30. I held the hose on not but two seconds or so, it must have shot it up to 45-50psi. Then about a minute later I was kissing concrete…
I’m glad it happened on the bikepath and not on the side of the road, could have been worse. There’s no damage to the tire itself, just the tube. Also some scratches on the back of the T7 handle which seems to have taken the brunt of the fall. I came completely off and didn’t have a chance to catch the uni.
This hasn’t happened to me yet, and I run up to 50psi (he says, knocking on Ti).
I also hope it doesn’t happen to Tom B., because that would further validate his slouching-toward-incompetence theory.
EDIT: I happen to have several airfoils purchased from a couple years ago to a couple months ago, and it is absolutely true that they differ in overall diameters as well as bead seat diameters. The newer ones being slightly smaller.
As if it really NEEDS any further validation. Sad but true their track record is well documented. They’re way past slouching TOWARD incompetence. They’ve arrived, and now they’re just slouching.
Bah, does anyone know if theres going to be a new batch of larger airfoils in the semi-near future, say, before July? This really makes me reluctant to get an airfoil 36er for this spring.
You’re suggesting the rim is at fault, it might be but thayr was running it with a high pressure, suggested tire pressure is 32PSI even though no one actually pays attention to what the tire says and goes for 35-40PSI, I havn’t had a flat or anyhing on my coker, I wouldn’t suggest using a 29" tube, I have no experience with them myself but I can’t see them being much good.
This coming from you Dustin??
First, the recommended max. pressure on tires doesn’t mean much, in light of rims, usage, and other factors. Lotsa folks run higher than 32 with no ill effects, and all the benefits of lower rolling resistance. Where the practical upper pressure limit is, however, remains to be seen.
Second, while JC may not have had a good experience with 700c tubes, I have. Not once have I had a problem with them. No flats, no leaks, no blowouts. And I find the lower weight tube helps reduce the overall rolling mass esp. at the outside of the wheel. There is “much good” to them, and you should try one for yourself sometime. But like any other piece of equipment, there are good brands and not-so-good ones.
The existing 36" wheel equipment still leaves alot to be desired.
Pete
Yeah, but not allowing high pressures is a real problem. Running the coker at 50psi makes it a really nice smooth ride. I hate running it lower. We all know it says 32PSI on the tyre, but we also all know we ignore that and it works fine on normal rims.
Brian - if you’re not sure, then just buy the stock coker rim, the stock coker rim fits the tyres, and is fine at high pressures. You can always upgrade the rim later when/if a new good rim comes out. Unless you’re super-fat or take it down 6 foot drops it should last okay, mine has several thousand miles on it and is okay.
I wasn’t saying that having a high tire pressure is a bad thing, mine is over 32PSI too I’m afraid, you can feel the tire is hard but it doesn’t feel overly pumped or anything. If you get on your unicycle and notice the wheel feels very strange and hard then obviously there is WAY too much air in it or you’re used to running your tire near to flat, if you run a tube near to exploding then I don’t find it too weird it would blow out.
Pete, I will be trying a 29" tube sometime and will post what I think, a light unicycle is very nice for road riding even though once a heavy wheel is going it will keep going. I havn’t decided yet.
Sad but true their track record is well documented. They’re way past slouching TOWARD incompetence. They’ve arrived, and now they’re just slouching.