# bike tire and duct tape **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 28, 2003, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362 "2003-12-28T02:46:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/1 "2003-12-28T02:46:19Z")
My son found a bike awhile ago. One day the back tire just blew. Big hole. He thinks if he taped it with duct tape and then fills it, he can ride it. No? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/2 "2003-12-28T02:58:28Z")
No, there just wouldn’t be any way to make a good seal. The air would always find its way out under pressure. The only thing you can do is replace the tire. I don’t think it would cost much, but it’s been a while since I’ve bought a bike tire, so perhaps someone who knows better can post? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/3 "2003-12-28T03:03:43Z")
No If the inner tube has blown, then duct tape isn’t air tight. If the tire itself has blown, then it needs to be replaced. Duct tap is neither load bearing (if the split is anywhere near the sidewall), nor is it road-proof. [Here’s](http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/special_events/cycling/newsid_3030000/3030436.stm) a simple guide to bike maintenence. ---
**Author:** ![5cents](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/46a35a/32.png) [@5cents](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5cents)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/4 "2003-12-28T03:54:09Z")
First, did the tube blow, or did the tire blow (which means the tube also blew)? If just the tube blew, repair or replace the tube. If the hole is just a pinhole, you can use a tube patch kit - duct tape won’t work. If the hole is a 4 inch long gash, then what happened is the tire wasn’t mounted properly, the tube snuck under the tire, pushed the tire off the rim, and the tube, sensing its new freedom, blew up. In either case, inspect the tire to make sure it is OK (in particular, get rid of the nail/wire/whatever that caused a pinhole), then install the (repaired or new) tube and tire properly. If the tire has a hole, you really should replace it. However, if you are stuck in the middle of nowhere and have to ride to the next town, you can usually make a temporary patch out of a dollar bill or tyvek (from a fedex envelope - the type that feels like a stiff fabric). Place the patch between the tube and the tire, and ride carefully. ---
**Author:** ![KenGr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecc23a/32.png) [@KenGr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KenGr)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/5 "2003-12-28T05:24:00Z")
It certainly wouldn’t be the right way to fix it but I learned long ago to never say “It won’t work” when duct tape is involved. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/6 "2003-12-28T11:30:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vanilla \* > \*\*My son found a bike awhile ago. > \*\* _ **FOUND?** _ :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/7 "2003-12-28T13:08:56Z")
Depending on where the hole is in a tire, you can boot the tire in an emergency. I have seen as suggested materials the following: dollar bill, wrapper from a Power Bar, piece of plastic milk carton. Note that you have to be carrying these things when the tire goes, and they’re mostly a “to get home” repair. My understanding is that these are for holes in the tread surface; holes in the bead/too far up the sidewall cannot be booted. ---
**Author:** ![Booker57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Booker57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Booker57)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/8 "2003-12-28T13:16:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Peanuthead \* > \*\*_ **FOUND?** _ :rolleyes: \*\* I truly found a Trek 720 at the local recycle center. It is just amazing what people discard. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/9 "2003-12-28T15:01:53Z")
Yeah, I guess it’s possible. But I’d be a little leery about a kid who comes home with a “found” bicycle. (Must stem from my own juvenile delinquency days.) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/10 "2003-12-28T15:52:04Z")
We sometimes walk down our street (together) on Tuesday nights, which is garbage night. The bike was thrown away. We couldn’t afford one, so he picked it up. Its a girlsbike,but hey, he wanted a bike. It was simply sitting in the living room when it suddenyl and loudly blew! ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/11 "2003-12-28T16:16:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vanilla \* > \*\*It was simply sitting in the living room when it suddenyl and loudly blew! \*\* Was it just the tube, or is there a hole in the tire too? Was it just after you pumped up the tire? My guess is that part of the tube got pinched between the tire bead and the rim. When you pump up a pinched tube, sometimes it holds for several minutes and then suddenly blow. This doesn’t damage the tire, but the tube is toast. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/12 "2003-12-28T16:21:52Z")
Hours earlier we had filled the tires. We felt we may have filled one uptoo full. He rode it fine. It sat in the living room at least an hour before blowing. Large hole too. ---
**Author:** ![gcarroll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/65b543/32.png) [@gcarroll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gcarroll)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/13 "2003-12-28T16:37:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vanilla \* > \*\*Hours earlier we had filled the tires. > We felt we may have filled one uptoo full. > He rode it fine. > It sat in the living room at least an hour before blowing. > Large hole too. \*\* In a discarded bike the sidewalls of the tires may have oxidized (“rotted”) and have been unable to contain the pressure for long. If this is the case, you will need new tires. You might check around for some used tires, if cost is a problem. many tires are still good when replaced. ---
**Author:** ![5cents](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/46a35a/32.png) [@5cents](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5cents)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/14 "2003-12-28T16:38:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vanilla \* > \*\*It sat in the living room at least an hour before blowing. > Large hole too. \*\* The hole runs along the tube about 4 inches, and has a “starburst” pattern about halfway along the tear, right? This is a classic sidewall blowout, caused by either a poorly seated tire (tire’s bead wasn’t seated in the rim properly, perhaps because the tube was pinched between the tire and the rim) or a bead separation failure (tire bead said bye bye to the rest of tire). ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/15 "2003-12-28T16:59:46Z")
my son thought that if he cut the tire off the rim with scissors and then could he ride it for 1 day?😕 ---
**Author:** ![5cents](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/46a35a/32.png) [@5cents](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5cents)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/16 "2003-12-28T17:10:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vanilla \* > \*\*my son thought that if he cut the tire off the rim with scissors and then could he ride it for 1 day?😕 \*\* Um, I don’t think so. You won’t go far without a tire. Have fun cutting the tire with scissors - there’s steel in the beads. Take the bike and your son to a bike shop, buy a tube, ask them to install it, and watch and learn. Cost should be about $5 to $10, including installation. Next time, cost will be $3 (since you’ll do the installation yourself). ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/17 "2003-12-28T17:16:53Z")
I already knew that, but he insisted on my asking. We are calling today. ---
**Author:** ![KP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a9adbd/32.png) [@KP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KP)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/18 "2003-12-28T17:26:31Z")
Why let him learn the habit of wrecking things through impatience? (You’d think kids would learn their lesson after destroying a few things, but judging by the kids around me, they usually draw the conclusion that “that’s just what happens” and “if I had a newer, fancier, more expensive one, it wouldn’t happen”. I didn’t raise my kids like that, and frankly, they get more irritated by their friends destructiveness than I! The rim can easily become “spread” in 10-15 minutes. A spread rim won’t hold/seat the bead of a tire, it’s useless and can’t be repaired safely, so you’ll need to buy a whole new wheel. Also, spokes aren’t meant to take that much uncushioned shock, so they often bend and kink, quickly letting the rim go out of round, and once it starts to go out of round, further riding puts much more stress on it, driving it further out of round, until it just collapses. This is dangerous. The whole process can happen all at once. The kid hits a small rock jost right, or one of those aging spokes cracks or bends, and within a few feet -before he knows what happened- he’s flying headfirst over the handlebars of his newly wrecked bike. Of course the details can vary according to the age and construction of the bike - but danger aside, do you really want to raise the kind of teen who drives an endless stream of repairable cars into the ground, blowing engines because he couldn’t be bothered to wait? (We all know people like that) Understanding the things you work with, maintaining and repairing them with pride and craftsmanship, and acquiring skills as you go – these are lesson for life. More to the point, I had much more fun fixing my toys than my friends did wrecking and discarding theirs. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/19 "2003-12-28T21:18:54Z")
We called the localbike shop. They said to bring the bike in and have them change the tire with a new one,would be about $45. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/20 "2003-12-28T21:53:11Z")
How much of that is the cost of the tire? Bike shops don’t carry cheap tires as as rule. If you want to go cheap go to K-mart or other discount store and get a new tire and tube. You may need to go to a bike shop to get a set of tire levers. They are little prybars to get the tire on and off the rim. Good ones are plastic so they can’t cut the tube and have a hook to attach to the spokes when you run our of hand. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362.md?page=2)