So this morning I decided to remount the tire on my 29, since it had been installed backwards. It wasn't a big deal, since the tire is mostly slick, but the tread was technically directional so I wanted to flip it while I had some spare time.
I deflated it, popped it off, popped it back on again, and went to re-inflate it. I didn't bother turning the compressor on since I had been using it yesterday and it hadn't completely run down yet. I filled the tire, and it felt mostly hard, but I figured it could use a bit more. I looked at the gauge and it only showed 60lbs, so I flipped the compressor on to jack it up to 100lb since I was pretty sure I remembered it being rated for that much.
BOOOOOM!
Re-reading the sidewall, I noticed that it was in fact only rated for 60lb. Oops.
So while my right ear was figuring out how to hear things again, I took a trip down to Bikes and Beyond and got a new tube and tire as well as some proper rim tape instead of the silly rubber rim strips that always seem to slide around uselessly. My poor Big Apple tire had snapped the bead cord so there was no saving it, so I got a somewhat smaller Bontrager tire instead (which I carefully noted was rated for 80lbs).
I installed it all, paid my money, and went back home to reassemble my uni, only to discover that the tire exploded with enough force to bend the rim! Back again I went to Bikes and Beyond and they were nice enough to true the wheel for me while I waited rather than having to leave it with them until Tuesday - for some reason this time of year is really busy for them.
So now my lovely uni is as good as new again, with a slightly slimmer tire (which honestly suits me just fine). I took a picture of the new setup, so you can compare with the old.
4 comments:
You couldn't flip the tire, rim and all?
No, the threads on the left hand side are left-hand threaded so as not to come loose during regular forward riding.
Unexpectedly losing a pedal or crank on a unicycle tends to be a rather upsetting experience that I wish to avoid.
I can see that. Is the "bead cord" you mention the thing that makes it look shinier in the old photo?
No, it's the cord that's inside the tire at the bead (the place where the tire joins to the wheel) and holds back against the air pressure trying to stretch the tire out and away from the wheel.
The shiny bit in the photo is just some retroreflective paint on the tire.
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