I’m not familiar with bike mechanics at all. My wife has had non stop issues with her tires not filling up or staying inflated. We’ve been to multiple bike shops and they replace the tube then the same thing happens.
I want to see if I can do some research and figure this out on my own. Any advice? I have no idea where to even look for reliable information.
by borbly
8 Comments
Bro, I’m sorry I can’t help about the wheel, but I just have to say damn look at that Branding 😂😂😂 I just thought it was funny. It has like four different numbers on it 3000, 700 , 500 they went crazy with the numbers at the factory 😂
Just start wrenching on it it’s just a bike.
You should be able to learn with [a tutorial like this one from GCN](https://youtu.be/S2HMwOHyfsc?si=OTktB5M24Nc7b6cv)
While you’re doing it, look for what is causing the punctures: is it in the tire? Is it in the rim (and tape)? Or is it bad tube installation? Or is it pinch flats from riding? You need to answer that question before installing a new tube!
Looks like a cheap tire. Maybe replace them with something tough, like a Schwalbe Marathon…
What tire pressure are you running?
High pressure tires often lose air after a few days. That is normal. If they go flat very quickly, you may have something sharp stuck in the tire that is puncturing the tubes. With the tire off, get a cotton ball and swipe inside the tire to see if it catches on something. Also check that all the spoke holes are covered, with nothing sharp showing.
Tubes can be patched to save a bit of money.
Do you want to replace just the tire or the wheel ?
From your comments I’ll assume the tire(s). Look at the side of the tire you have, you should have markings like ??-622 and/or 700x??c. That’s the dimension or your tire.
Tire size standards are a bit of a mess and can ve hard to navigate as a newcomer but just trust the 622 one, it’s called the ETRTO standard, it’s the most universal and is also more precise.
As for ways to solve recurring punctures, there are a few possible causes. I would check :
– foreign body embedded in the tire (shops should have checked for that but ehh)
– tires too worn out / damaged
– damaged / misplaced rim strip ( the strip that’s between the rim and the tube)
– scuffed rim : you can check for that by running a cotton ball along the inside of the rim to see if the fibers catch on something.
Anyhow, start by removing the tire and taking a look at the tube. Yoi can post more pictures of anything that looks amiss
Ah, the good old Ozone 500 RS 3000 from Academy Sports.
We meet again old friend…. we meet again…
It’s the tires. They are shit. Complete and utterly total rubbish You are just going to get puncture after puncture until you pull your hair out and throw the bike in the trash.
Luckily for you, Continental Ultra Sport IIIs in 700×28 are cheap on Amazon ($30 each) and will last you probably longer than the rest of the bike will.
I would also suggest eventually looking into replacing the brakes with Tektro R559s with the nutted bolt, not recessed. I say that because the brakes are going to be the next thing that will drive you nuts with constantly trying to keep one side or the other from dragging on the wheel.
Before replacing the tube, use some electrical tape to tape the rim on the inside (where the spokes are being fitted through) do that for like 4 o5 layers, and that should give you an thick layer that will stop the rim from cutting your tube