Topic: This Sucks -- The Sequel

[Angry Chicken]

At least my brand new tire got pierced by the rusty 2" nail only a 15 minute walk from work.  Yup, that's the 2nd bad thing that happened today.  The 1st was getting stung by a wasp on the way up the basement stairs just before leaving for work.  They say bad things happen in threes.  In my case it's been four, since in addition to the flat and the wasp sting:  3) I found out that the spare tube the bike shop gave me was the wrong size [700 x 25C vs. 700 x 33 C] and 4) after patching the tube successfully [good] and inflating the tire to about 84 psi the tube exploded at about 85 psi [bad].

It wasn't a walk to work.  It was crosstraining.....

There's no moral to this story except to make sure that when the bike shop gives you a spare that's it's both:  a) the right valve type [already burned once there]; b) the right size.  It's really my fault for not checking after all.

[dorin]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune.  There should be absolutely no problems using a 700x25C tube in a larger tire.  Bike tubes are quite stretchy.  I use 700x18C tubes in my 700x38C tires.

[Angry Chicken]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune.  There should be absolutely no problems using a 700x25C tube in a larger tire.  Bike tubes are quite stretchy.  I use 700x18C tubes in my 700x38C tires.

  Really?!  Crap!  It looked so small, I didn't think it would fit.

disclaimer:  I know the above wording will attract certain rogue elements of this forum, but I want to go on record as claiming that there is/was no sexual innuendo intended in the above statement.

[X-Traction]

While smaller tubes will stretch to fill a larger tire, I think they're more vulnerable to rupturing.  Like, try cutting a rope that's under tension, as compared to the same rope not under tension.  The slightest damage can immediately grow to total failure in the tube/rope that's being stretched.

(this topic will soon have a "user currently ignored" post)

[dorin]

You'd think so, but in practice I found that the thinner tubes hold out just fine.  It's the tire that really provides the strength to hold the air pressure.  I've been using narrow 1.25"-1.5" tubes in tires as wide as 2.6" on my mountain bikes for years without any real problems.