So I picked up some brand new tires and tubes (tire = Armadillo) for my 6 year old Vitali. Everything on the Road bike is in great condition due to me travelling so much for the last several years.
I get maybe 2 hours of riding in (4 commutes to and 3.5 from work @ 45 mins per go) when the rear tube explodes. I assumed that maybe I picked up some crap on the road or maybe I managed to pinch that tube when changing the tires/tubes and it's been waiting to give. Change that tube, commute in to work, go for a couple of laps around Stanley Park then end up having a picnic with wife and friends on second beach. The bike has been parked for easily 40+ minutes when BOOOM, the front tube explodes.
In both cases, the tube ends up with a split down the side approx 3-4 inchs long and the tire is blown off the rim at where the tube exploded.
Now, it could very well be that I can't change a tire after 10+ years of riding. But I was pretty careful in checking the bead of the tire and ensuring that I wasn't pinching the tube.
A friend suggested that perhaps the tire/rim fit is not tight enough (tires were fairly easy to put on - could do it with hands only), and that pumping the tube up ended up lifting the bead high enough that the tube was able to get underneath it. Then when things settled, the tire pinched the tube and it exploded. Seems plausible, but I'm not sure.
I'm going to hit La Bicycletta and talk to them about it, but I'm wondering if anyone else has encountered something like this?
It's got me a bit spooked to get back on that bike until I know the cause and can be reasonably confident that it's been addressed.
Cheers