[Humbaba]

I picked up a small nail in my rear tire and am wondering if I should just pull it out. The tire is not loosing pressure and it's pretty clear that the nail entered at an angle and (hopefully) is just embedded in the tread (see pics). The other question is whether or not this will increase the chance of a blow out or anything. I'm inclined to just pull it out, but I can just imagine the sudden hissing sound and needing to pull the wheel off the bike, and I don't have a stand, and yadda yadda... Any thoughts?

 

[CRASH!]

I'll bet that if you pull it out, it'll hiss.

I had a similar nail in mine this summer. It's a bugger to plug those severely angled holes too.

I replaced the tire.

MCN this issue comes out generally in favor of automotive plugs. It's your call. Again however, you may not be able to effectively plug the angled hole you have.

 

[Il_Vento]

I agree...Looks like a write-off.

I had to replace a nearly new Dragon this summer. I went for the new Diablo and I like it a lot.

 

[Humbaba]

D**n, that seems to be the consensus. :-[
Thanks for the input.

 

[Guest]

I say, run her till she pukes!

 

[jblouch]

I've had good luck with the "rope" type tubeless tire repair kits you can buy at any auto parts store. They come with the two tools you need to rough up the hole and insert the rope. Just slobber it up with rubber cement and give it a go. For $5 whatcha got to loose. Regardless of the angle of the hole, if it is round and relatively small it should work and last the life of the tire. Some will disagree, but I've been pluggin' tires (both automotive and MC) for 40 years and have never had one fail. The other "cheap" option is to dismount the tire and patch it from the inside. This also works well, but requires more work. Only as a last resort would I buy a new tire, especially if you've got lots of wear left on the tire with the hole. Good luck.

 

[AlexB]

Good chance it might start leaking faster once you pull it..

a quick test to see if it's already leaking would be to put some soapy water around the nail. .then see if it bubbles slowly..

I'd say ride it to a place where you can buy a tire, and that they'll install it...

then pull it out.. if it leaks. .get a new tire. if it doesn't ride home with a smile...

 

[Fillmore]

The problem with leaving the nail in the tire is that you could throw it at an inopportune time and suddenly lose tire pressure, which would adversely affect the handling of your bike.

I picked up a screw in my rear tire last thursday night. As I was riding home my bike was acting weird every time I leaned it over in a turn. I didn't know what the problem was, but by the next morning the tire was flat.

My tire only had a couple hundred miles on it, but I decided to just replace it.

If you have a Cycle Gear near you, I heartily recommend them for tires. Their prices are as good as most mail order, and they offer a road hazard warranty. Free replacement to 75% of the tread and pro-rated from there down to the wear bars. The warranty cost me about $12, which certainly would have been worth it if I had had it on the old tire.

They mount and computer balance, and even inspect your wheel with you when they take it and pay if they cause any damage. The downside is that you have to take just the wheel and tire, as they don't have facilities for removing the wheel from the bike.

--Fillmore

 

[Humbaba]

D**n I love this list - awesome resource. Thanks guys!

 

[CRASH!]

The reason I made a comment about the angle is that I found it to be a bugger trying to chase the hole all the way through the casing on my last flat (penetrated at a similar angle).

I agree that if you can get the plug in there, it'll make no difference. But you've got to chase the hole with the reamer and then with the plug inserter. Not easy to do at that angle.

 

[flynfink]

Rev's right, don't leave it.

I've also patched and plugged rears for many years. Won't do a front, too much at stake.

my $0.02 worth

 

[Humbaba]

Hey, just got back from the shop. Had a new tire all ordered and ready to go, but that nail turned out to be not much longer than what's shown in the pics, which means it didn't puncture the tire and I get to keep my $$$. ;D ;D

Got lucky,... this time.