Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Threequalseven]

I'm so frustrated right now! I bought a bike brand new last year, and my tires have gone flat on me probably ten times by now. I want to go to the shop that sold me the bike (and has since patched and replaced multiple tubes) to ask what the deal is, but everywhere is going to be closed for Chuseok. One of my only 5 day vacations - no bike. It's such shit! I just bought a new tube for it last week and everything. It never goes flat on me while I'm riding it. It's only ever flat when I'm getting ready to go somewhere. Seriously, like there needs to be yet another thing that makes living here unbearable sometimes! Does anyone else have this problem with Korean bikes?

[Old fat expat]

yeah, bikes here are so lazy.

[optik404]

You know you're supposed to pump up your tires/tubes before riding.

[J Rock]

I worked at a bike shop in high school for a couple years, it's not Korean bikes. It's most likely one of 2 things, it could be something sharp is stuck in your tire that is puncturing your tube. It could be so small that it's just a tiny hole and takes a couple days to completely deflate. Take the tire off the rim and run your fingers inside the tire and feel for anything sharp. A good bike shop would do this for you after your second or third time coming in with a flat.

Or it could be a spoke head is popping up to far past the rim and it's rubbing/cutting the tube. You should have a rim band that protects against this but maybe they didnt put one on when they changed it last time.

Thats just my 2 cents worth of advice.

[tmax500]

That's bad luck, hope you get it sorted out. Maybe you could upgrade to Bontrager hard-case tires (at a Trek dealer) which are heavy duty.

[Threequalseven]

[atwood]

Other than what jrock said, it could be a pinch flat from the tube being caught between the tire and the rim. This happens when new tubes aren't seated properly.

[caniff]

Option A: take off the tire, fill it up and submerge it somewhere in water. Squeeze the tire and check for bubbles and maybe you can locate the source of the leak

Option B: buy a new tire

[Nester Noodlemon]

Have you noticed to see if it is going flat on the top or the bottom of the tire?

[byrddogs]

J Rock gave good advice as to the potential problems. If you don't have rim tape on the rims, then you should invest the little coin to do so.

[caribmon]

if there's a small hole in the tire, the tube will always get punctured

if you hit a curb, it can bend the rim and create a bit of a sharp edge that needs to be filed down.

I'd get a new tire, get a file and sandpaper, remove all the rim tape, sand and file everything smooth, then use electrical tape all around. Then cut a little hole in the tape for the tube stem

[Threequalseven]

I just had the bike shop guy look at it, and it was just a tiny pinpoint puncture. There's no place for the spokes to pop through the rim, so it seems my wimpy tires just can't handle the grit and debris these Korean roads dish out. As caibmon said, if there's a hole in the tire itself, the tube will always go flat. However, I plan on selling the thing in just a couple weeks, so I don't really want to drop the money for new tires. Would a half-assed solution like putting tape over the tire hole be enough to prevent new punctures in the same spot? I ride a road bike with skinny tires. (Sorry, I know this isn't a bike forum.)

[byrddogs]

[Zyzyfer]

Don't have anything to add but have the exact same problem. Just wanted to thank everyone who offered advice.