I just bought a bicycle/bike tube (20"), when i inflate it, 1 side of it goes big/fat and the other just inflates normally, what should i do? , its happened with some of my other tubes.
98627
I recently bought a pair of inner tubes and when I partially inflated one of them before putting it into the tire (only a few pumps with a floor pump), I noticed a portion of it was bulging out considerably. It looked like a snake who had swallowed a giant mouse, there was a huge bulge on one section of the tire. I went to get my camera to take a photo of it, but it then burst before I could take a photo.   Went back to the LBS and got a replacement tube, and when I partially inflate this one it also bulges quite a bit too, although not nearly as extreme as the last one that popped.   Is it normal for an inner tube to bulge out as much as this? I'm just worried this one will pop as well.
4025
I have been getting flats every 20-30 miles for the last 2 months. This has caused serious inconvenience to me, as bicycle is my preferred mode of transport to work and class. Details of the situation:    Hybrid bicycle  (Specialized Globe 2007 -- 5,000 miles ballpark on it) Only rear wheel is flatting Rear wheel is 622x19C rim Tire is 700x35, Kenda 700 35-42 inner tube I just replaced the whole rim and spokes, for $60 (I had a lot of broken spokes and the rim was out of alignment badly). However the flats keep coming. Tire pressure suggested on the rear wheel is 30-60 PSI  I run the pressure between 50-60 PSI I weigh 212lbs. and I carry up to 30 extra pounds of load (backpack etc.) The holes in the inner tube are usually single tiny punctures. I never find anything in the tire like glass or anything The tire seems to have been worn very quickly (it seems kind of like a cheap tire).    Is the tire a possible cause, or is it possible that some misalignment in the hub (Shimano attached to an 8 speed cassette) is just messing things up?  This is driving me crazy... maybe I should buy a new tire and run the pressure much higher?  Run the pressure lower?   buy some specialized kind of inner tube?  I would really do anything to avoid having to patch flats every other day!  **** THANKS EVERYBODY, I BOUGHT AN ARMADILLO FROM SPECIALIZED... NO FLATS IN 2 WEEKS **** I think the pressure was way too low on the piece of crap tire i had before ... armadillo is solid!!
89422
I've recently changed the default 700x35 tires and 35mm Schrader inner tube to 700x25 slicks with 25mm Presta inner tubes.  However whilst fitting the new tire and inner tube, I noticed that the inner tube had about an inch or two of excess length to it. This mean I had to tuck it into the tire, doubled back on itself.  I've doubled checked the inner tube packaging and it's definitively for a 700 diameter rim.  I presumed that it would sort itself out when I pumped up the tires. Is this normal?
61593
Would someone explain wheel sizes.  If I am not mistaken, the wheels on my Trek 520 touring bike are 700C. There are no markings, and of course, no documentation of any kind. I assume 700 means 700mm, so 700 / 25.4 = 27.56 inches.  If I measure the rim however, its diameter is approximately 25.1 inches.  If I buy Continental tires, the size is 28 inch, but I have to buy 27 inch Bontrager tubes.  To make matters worse, per this link, tires come in sizes of 26, 27, and 28 inch, and size 700.     How can I determine my wheel size, and are these various sizes interchangable. Also, is the 'C' suffix important, and what does it mean?  Of course the tires are marked, but I am under the impression (per the dealers comments) that Continental marks their tires differently than everyone else. Also, the tire markings don't help for ordering a new wheel.   With so many tire sizes available, how can I know if I am using the correct size.  After reading the various answers here, I should explain that my confusion on this matter stemmed from the fact that I used to work as an auto mechanic. In the auto industry, car tires are based on wheel size, 13", 14", 15" etc, and there is no possible way to mount a 15" tire on a 13" rim for example.  So when I saw all these different tire sizes, I assumed they all required a different wheel size, but in fact, there is essentially just one wheel diameter for my type of bike, which they refer to as 700C, which is actually 622mm.   I also initially assumed that the C referred to the wheel's width, but that isn't true either. The C is apparently just antiquated terminology.  So at least in theory, I can mount a 26", 27" 28" or 29" tire on my 700C (622mm) rim. I just need to verify the width of the tire is suitable my wheel width, which is what Sheldon Brown's article explains.  Also, I measured my Continental tires, which are marked as 28 inch. They actually measure 27 inches (fully inflated), which must be why my dealer calls their sizing non standard.
11243
We often get questions on bicycles.stackexchange about fitting wider or narrower tires to bicycles. We have a large number of these with answers suiting the specific bike or style of bicycle in question, but I have been unable to find one that provides a generic answer covering off all things that need to be considered. For most bicycles, the answer is the same regardless of the specific style and sizes of tires in question.   This is intended as a canonical question that we can point closed questions to.
53064
So I thought I would sort out my wheel bearings (after asking a few questions here first).  Did the front without much of a problem, (reused the existing bearings at the moment, had not got round to going to the LBS to get new ones).  I tried to do the rear wheel tonight.   So I got the wheel off, took the quick release out.  undid one side of the axle (disk brake side I believe), took out the bearings etc.  I noticed that a few of the bearings from the cassette side had fallen out while taking the other side off. I then used the chain whip and other bit thing (who's name I can not remember) to eventually undo the cassette (was on real tight).  Took everything apart (trying to remember the order, even placing things in rows of where it came from) and cleaned it all up.  Went to put it back together again and I can not figure out at all (not with any confidence) how the bearings go into the cassette side under the locking nut (think its called that, the bit that comes off with the chain whip and tool).  Here are all the bits and the wheel.  Think I may have to admit defeat and go the LBS to get it sorted but they had a 5 or so day wait.  I am hoping someone might be able to guide me in the right direction to get this working again please.  Thanks      If anyone else has this problem here is a picture of the final way I assembled it:
50853
As a child I had solid rubber inner tubes in my bike. They were a pain to get on but after I never had a flat again!  Now I've recently started biking again and have had two flats in two days, each resulting in a three-mile walk back home. I've been searching for solid rubber tubes for a few hours now, but have only found them at wal*mart, and they don't have the correct size? (700x38c)  Why have they disappeared? I thought they were a fantastic product . . .
37794
When it comes to fixing bikes, i'm not to crash-hot. I can clean grime, oil the chain and put it back on if it falls off. However, when it comes to the inner tubes I usually rely on someone else to get me another tube and put it on for me (I can put them on, but in that sense I'm too lazy). So, today, when I went to pump up the tyres I found they had a puncture and I would prefer to change them as I haven't ridden this bike in a LONG time, only I'm not sure if there has to be a certain size tube. Help? Please? :)
45272
I have an older version of this bike:    They have made some changes to the components since I bought my bike but it is more or less the same.  Here are the .    I was hoping to put a solid fork on my bike for the winter.  I want to keep the mountain feel and have lots of clearance for wide tires, etc but I want to get rid of the weight and give my fork a rest.    When choosing a solid fork what do I need to know?     Will any solid fork fit onto my bike?  Do forks come in different sizes?  Different diameters?  Different lengths?  I heard something like you need a special fork if you are going to put it on a bike that was designed to be used with shocks.   I know that I want a fork with disk break mounts so this makes the search slightly more difficult.  Ideally I would also like rack/fender mounts.  (For future touring).   My wheel size is 26 inches, what would happen if I used a 700c fork on my bike?  This seller claims thats what he was using  for.    Edit:  Thanks for the great information.  After reading I have been looking around for a used local fork.  I think that I found one possibility.  But any feed back would be appreciated.     The fork was designed to be used with 700C or 29 inch wheels but it has an axel to crown length of roughly 17 inches (431 mm).  I currently have 100mm Travel in my suspension fork so  that I should get a fork with a length of 455 mm (17.9 inches).  Is this reasonable?  Does it matter if it was designed for a 700C tire if the fork length is correct? As you can see in the picture of the fork the fork has some rake.  Is this a problem?  Will that amount of rake make the bike ride strangely/differently? The steer tube/ headset size is 1 1/8th standard size which is the same as my bike so no concern there.     Here is a picture of the fork:
6166
My girlfriend got a new city bike today and she touches the front wheel every time she has to make a hard turn.  Is there anyway to avoid this besides replacing the whole bike?  LATER EDIT: I think I found my answer .
90491
I have been struggling to create a bump that goes spiraling around a tube, sort of like a toilet paper tube.  Basically, it is a line that wraps around the tube several times, continuously.  I cannot figure out the math to make it happen.
110342
I went to a bike shop for new tires. I did not know which tires fit on my bike, so I just showed them my bike.  When I took a look at the new tires, there was a label at the side, which says:     40-622 (700x38C-28x1 5/8 x 1 1/2)   What do all these numbers mean? I am asking for two reasons:   I would like to find the right tires for my bike in the future myself When buying another bike, I would like to buy one where I can use this tires as well
26293
My friends say it will last forever, and not to worry about it. Online results show anywhere from two years to 25. I have no clue what to expect!!  Let me give some context. I bought a decade old Specialized Epic Comp for about $550. There are no real problems with it. I needed to bleed brakes and replace the rear wheel, but that's beside the point.  The m5 alu frame shows no signs of fatigue (eg, no cracks, dents, etc). Based on what the previous owner told me, I calculated that he has probably rode about 45 000 km on this bike. Note that this an XC bike so I don't assume that there would have been much opportunity to abuse the frame.  So with all of this in mind, can anyone give me a rough estimate of how long this 10 year old bicycle frame might last?  Sorry if this question is too vague/specific or already answered to a degree. Im new to this forum 😀.
46505
Recently the cranks on my bike started to creak. I checked with my usual "bike-bible" . They recommended dis-assemble, lubricate, re-assemble.  So I did that.  Remove cranks. Remove spindle. Clean. Lubricate. Reassemble.  No, the creak is still there.  (To find out the source-area of the sound I had a friend riding the bike slowly while I ran alongside listening. And the sound where coming from the area of the bottom bracket/cranks. I am happy no neighbor saw me...)   For each revelation of the cranks there are two creak-noises.  If I, when on the bike, push down with both feet I hear a noise. Turn 180 degrees without pressure, push down again and there is the noise again. If I am "too soft", low pressure there are no sound. Since I have clips I have tried to only work with one foot to keep a constant load during a revelation, there where no detectable sound then.  Anyone have any idea what is wrong on the bike? And how I should fix it?  /Leif
101369
It's my first tire change experience and I got so far using youtube videos but now I'm stuck. Got these Schwalbe 365 tires yesterday for my folding bike. It is an all season model which feels a bit harder than the tire that was on the bike from the factory but both are 40-406 20x1.5". The bead doesn't sit properly on the rim. This is the case from both sides as seen in the images. There's a small misalignment between where the problem manifests itself on each side of the rim. The tube is also brand new (Continental). The temprature in the bicycle room where I tried is around 16-22 deg.  Hadn't used soapy water when installing the tire and can't measure tire pressure (it's recommended 3-6 bar).  What do you recommend to solve the issue?     Update: bought a pump with gauge, rotated the tire and used a bit of liquid soap to end up with this result:    One thing that I discovered today is that the tire is literally tighter at the point where there's a problem which makes me think the tire might have some issues due to how it was stored I  the shop. But that would be too sad because despite the issues I really like these tires.
28558
Yesterday when I was biking my mountain bike on level paved path, I would pedal but get no power to the wheel.  To use a car analogy, it was as if I had the clutch in and was apply gas.  It seemed to happen most often after I coasted and then went back to pedalling.  I would pedal and realize that no power was going to the wheel.  The chain was definitely on the sprockets and moving. I could change gears no problem while I had no power.  Sometimes stopping the bike and starting again would work, or just trying again.  Needless to say, I'm taking it in as I'm not mechanically inclined, but I'm hoping to learn something.  Perhaps a link to a site that explains the problem?  So my questions.   What is going on?  I have heard of something called the "freehub".  I really don't know how bikes work though, so I'm hoping for an explanation of how one can pedal and give power to the wheel and then stop pedalling and the wheel just keeps moving (without the pedals moving).   If you are on a ride, is there any emergency adjustment to make?   For what it's worth, it's an old bike.  Circa 1993 Performance Mtn Bike.  So it's not too surprising that it's falling apart.  I haven't used it a whole lot, and have tried to wash and oil it, but I probably haven't taken the care that a biking aficionado would.  Also, besides losing power after coasting, one time I was pedaling and suddenly the pedals weren't powering the wheel.  I almost went over the handlebars!  So, I definitely want to get it fixed.  I'd just like to know a little bit about what is going on.  Thanks,  Dave.  Bonus question:  If there is enough info to make a diagnosis and you have ideas on costs to fix, perhaps you could comment on whether it's worth fixing.  Like I said, it's circa 1993 and cost about $450 then.  No shocks or anything.  Just 21 speed Mtn. Bike.
18541
My girlfriend and I are looking at a new bike for her. The one we're looking at has a 70 degree head tube angle while her current bike has a 70.5 degree head tube angle. Unfortunately, none of the local shops has one in stock for her to try out. So my question is:  How much does the head tube angle affect the fit and feel of a bicycle? I'm sure that it has at least some effect over the fit of the bicycle, but how much? And I'm guessing it has an even bigger effect on the steering, but again, how much?