Mongoose Squid Problems

I just got a squid a few days ago. The problem is that the tube keeps popping. If you inflate the tire over 30psi, the tube comes out from the tire and pops. I’ve already busted 3 tubes and tried 2 different tires. It almost looks like the rim is a little too small for a 20" tire (but it’s definitely too big for a 19" tire). Note, the tire comes out whether riding or not. It popped again last night, after I put the uni away for the evening.

BTW, I prefer the ride when the tire is hard, it feels weird at 25psi.

the squid… poor soul

you either don’t have it properly seated in the rim or the sidewalls of the rim are not tall enough?

Dude, get a nimbus. The squid is a terible unicycle designed for little kids to play with for 5 minute then give up because its not meant to actually ride.

If you were so inclined, you could get another 20" wheel off a bike, and switch rims. Easier said than done, but it can be done.

Does the Squid have a hooked bead rim? The rim should have a ridge or hook on each wall of the rim that holds the tire. Some cheap rims either have no hook or an inadequate hook to hold the tire.

You can take the rim to a bike shop to ask them if the rim has a proper hook.

If the rim is the problem you’ll need to get a new rim and have the wheel rebuilt.

That has happened once on my Torker LX, too. It was not too long after I had ridden through some water, and I suspect that helped. I think the tire may have been a tad low, not overinflated. When I posted about that experience, someone mentioned that once that happened, you couldn’t reuse the tire because it wouldn’t seat right. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but could be part of the problem.

You might check that there’s not any oil or other lubricant on the rim, and try to make sure the tire is centered on the rim as you’re airing it up.

If you have a bicycle shop put a new rim on it, it’s liable to cost you what you could buy a new unicycle for off ebay.

You could “glue” the tire on. I believe thats how b*kers have gone tubless. If I remember correctly, it makes changing flats a pain.

Talk to your LBS about the “glueing”.

Look, I found the problem.

Maybe it’s the rim that’s causing it to pop? Maybe you need a new rim, not many people here have dealt with a squid so you probably won’t find a 100% sure answer.

The only place I have seen the Mongoose Squid was back before Christmas on the Target web site (wasn’t in stores, even).

However, regardless of how good or not-good it may be, I would expect that the rim is the same one used on a lot of 20" bicycles, and they don’t just sit around blowing tires off, to my knowledge. So I would think the right combination of tire, rim, and installation procedure should take care of it.