The Fed-Ex guy showed up today with a one-two punch: my box of Armstrong VCT tile samples (about 15 shades of red & cream!) and my "first-aid kit" from Coker Tire. Sitting in storage the streetside tire had gone flat. The cause seemed to be a leaky inner tube since there was no damage whatsoever to the tire, and each time I inflated it the air would leak out around the valvestem where it passes through the rim. I hypothesized that exposed rivets inside the wheel abraded or punctured the tube.
After some reading about tube-type bias plies, and chatting with my Dad (who's been around way longer than tubeless radials!) I realized that I should've had the tire-monkeys who mounted and balanced them in '02 install "rim strips" which are like big rubber bands that go over the rim to protect the tube from spokes or rivets. Even the Coker Tire catalog tells you this (NOW! ..Thanks guys) So while I was springing for a new tube I fugured the other 2 probably ought to be replaced too, hence the Fed-Ex guy and the aforementioned box of rubber.
The stuff looks really decent, though I'm not real thrilled with the origin of the tubes. I'm not having a warm-fuzzy about putting Chi-com parts on my boss American streamline icon. What are you gonna do?
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