maybe the tire is worn thin? they don't last forever. when i get repeated flats on the same tire i replace it.

Mine always seemed to happen while the bike was not in use, in the house. Never on the road. After weeks of
this frustrating experience, my nanny cam shed light on the situation. Not road debris, tubes or tires, but the #2 lady in my life.

Seems like the real-life Mrs. is jealous of an ex I recently started seeing again, an older Nishiki International, 105 components. Jealous of the time I spend with her. She can't stand the fact that on a gorgeous Sat. AM my first choice for a fun filled day involves the Nishiki and not her.

The Mrs. is smart. Throughout the week she deflates the tires a little. If I don't ride after Sunday, by Wed the tires soft. Then on Friday PM she sticks the tire with a push pin. When I saw that on camera I could have $%**X her.

I should have suspected here earlier. You should my wife's face when she sees me looking at other newer, sleeker bikes. The carbon, the Ti, the 10 speed groupo. Do I want quick positive Shimano type shifting or should I try a sleek buttery Campy groupo? This one's nice but that one is pound lighter. The talk of how I would love to ride this one and ride that one elicits rage in her eyes.

My wife and I have made up since then. I reassure her that she's #1 in my life. :) And although she doesn't approve of my mistress, she tolerates her. I just hope she shows the same restraint when I bring home a new one I'm seeing, a FELT F50. Boy is she sweeet!

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All kidding aside, new tubes, or are you patching the old one?

have you checked your rim tape?

are you seating the tube properly?

are your tires worn?

do you know a saboteur? ;-)

good luck,

Stop using a screwdriver to get that last piece of tire on the rim!

The tire is in very good shape, although I will change it anyhow if this happens again.

Using new tubes, not patched.

The holes are on the tire side, not the tape side.

I wouldn't have even thought about sabatoge, but that can't be it because the bike has been with me in at least one case continuously from mounting to flat.

I think I put them on in the proper and usual manner, and I do not use tools to work the bead back into the rim.

Could it have anything to do with over- or under-tightening the nut on the valve? Or maybe there was a mfg defect in the batch I bought.

Do the leaks occur on seams?

Oh wait, here's a good one I just remembered - repeated flats due to a tiny piece of glass inside the tire. Every time there was another flat a new tube was installed, the tire was rotated around and inspected carefully but apparently the piece of glass kept rolling around inside the tire and of course was reinstalled each time. Turning the tire inside out finally got rid of it.

If that's the case, it would make sense that the flats occur near the valve because that's at the bottom, where a piece of glass would end up when you roll the last bit of tire bead over the rim at the point 180 degrees away from the valve.

Try looking for an object - small piece of glass or wire lodged inside the rubber of the tire. It will probably be small enough not to be seen and wedged inside the rubber of the tire. Inspecting the tire from both the inside and outside is a good approach. I have had both problems - a very tiny piece of glass and a very tiny but sharp wire wedged within the rubber of the tire.

Neither caused a flat immediately, but over a 40 mile ride, I consistently got flat tires until I removed the foreign object. Be patient and feel around with your finger.

Good Luck.

B