So I’ve been trying to put a new inner tube on a Crest rim. Got some new tubes from Innertubes Shop. Tried 5 tubes, 2 different tyres and replaced rim tape, once with new fabric tape and once with 3 wraps of electrical tape. Each time tyre deflates with a new puncture.

What am I doing wrong? And please don’t say using tubes on tubeless rims, I might cry.

Is there a really sharp burr around the valve stem or something?

When you remove the tyre to repair the puncture/change the tube are you noting where the tube is punctured with reference to it’s position on the rim?.

Use the yellow Stans tape. Its nice and slidey, which helps the tyre seat more easily.

As long as you are fitting the tyres correctly, starting opposite the valve and making sure you are getting the bead well into the “well” of the rim, you should be able to fit them with no levers.

Not a hidden thorn or something stuck in the tyre? I’ve had this happen, repeated punctures which drove me insane until I found two tiny shards of flint which had been causing merry hell.

Is the hole always in the same place? That’d help you track down a specific cause, if there is one. (it’s why you align your logos 😉 )

Failing that- any chance you’re pinching the tube? Some folks say this is easier to do on stans rims, not an issue I’ve had myself mind…

Thanks for the advice. Punctures have been in the same half of the tube but not in the same place with two different tyres. I did think that it might be because the rim tape scrunched up a bit in one place?

I might try the stans tape, the notion of being able to get a tyre on these rims without a lever is appealing. I’ve always started opposite valve etc but have never got away without using a lever, almost with Maxxis tyres!

Just run your hands around the rim, feel for something sharp.

But you wouldn’t put a tube on a car/motorcycle wheel designed to be tubeless, so why buy Stans in the first place?

so why buy Stans in the first place?

Light?

Never had a problem before (in 2years) and wanted the option to run tubeless at some point if I ever found the right tyre.

Plus I said please don’t mention tubeless but thanks anyway.

birdage

Remove the “i”, juggle it around a bit and you get…

badger

😯

Have you tried eliminating the part that keeps failing?

Are you pinching the tube when getting the tyre on with levers?

Crest’s are really narrow and had the same pinched tube punctures with mine.

What am I doing wrong?

pinching the tube I would guess, either with lever or tyre bead

do you put the tube in with it being partly inflated? (as in, just enough air to hold its shape)

Are your new tubes bigger than the previous ones you were using? I tried using Maxxis freeride tubes for a while on Crest rims and had quite a few pinch punctures when fitting. Went back to smaller tubes and the problem went away.

My advice would be to learn proper tyre fitting technique. When I first got Crest rims I had nightmares about fitting tyres at the trail side, but one afternoon of intensive internet research gave me some uesful tips on fitting tyres. I spent the rest of the day practicing and since then I haven’t found a tyre I can’t fit by hand to a Crest.

remove tyre
remove goo
insert tube
inflate

works every time 🙂