Well there's your problem!

[bcroslin]

About 10 miles into the training ride tonight I hear what sounds like a spoke break and one of my friends start cursing. A few of us pull over to assess the problem as the rest of the group motors up the road. My friend says he thinks he has a tack or a nail in his tire. We unfortunately have someone throwing tacks in the bike lanes here in St Pete and there has been a rash of flats all happening on the stretch of road we happen to be standing on. And then we get a look at the tire and see it has a nail in it. My friend tries to pull the nail out and it won't budge and that's when we realize the nail has gone through the tire, tube and the wheel.

I could explain what it looked like but it wouldn't do it justice. You have to see this to believe it. These wheels are only 9 months old and were a crash replacement from Shimano. It took 3 of us to work the nail out. Un-freaking-believable.

[Cicli]

Damn. And nice whitewalls.

[donevwil]

Wow, you've got me beat. What's the prognosis on the rim ?

Mine

1697905854

[thwart]

This is where you wish you were riding your alloy wheels...

[bcroslin]

He booted the tire and wheel and we got another 30+ miles in tonight. I don't think the hole will effect the wheel structurally but who knows. I feel bad for him because he crashed hard 9 months ago and trashed both wheels so these wheels (DA C50s) were the crash replacement.

I had a similar thing happen with a screw a few months ago but because I ride custom wheels all I had to do was pay for a new hoop and labor and I was good to go. I'm assuming C50's can't be rebuilt by anyone but Shimano?

[FlashUNC]

That'll buff out.

[makoti]

I had a similar thing happen with a screw a few months ago

You had something like this happen to you, too? And you were with this guy this time? I am NOT riding with you. ;)

[bcroslin]

You had something like this happen to you, too? And you were with this guy this time? I am NOT riding with you. ;)

I'm the same guy that had 7 flats in one month recently. The roads here are full of glass, tacks, nails, screws, etc. Gatorskins are probably the best selling tire in this area.

[David Kirk]

I had the same thing happen about 20 years ago.......riding my MTB to the trail head and a sudden 'BANG" and then a lump-lump-lump. I stop and see a framing nail through the rim.

I was able to wiggle it out, put in a new tube and finish the ride.....good ride aside from that.

dave

[Louis]

When your number's up it's up:

Over ten years ago as I was doing a cool-down lap around my apartment complex, my front tire ran over a piece of mulch which flipped up into the air a few inches and landed at just the right angle (momentarily, since a split second later it would have fallen over, because it could not balance in that position) so that when my rear tire rolled over it the tire and tube were punctured. No rim damage, though.

[beeatnik]

Sat morning at 5:30am.

Glad this guy didn't go all the way through
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/568/20950202931_892231b2a1_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/712/20950203251_2e7f07a492_b.jpg

Michelins are jinxed!

[Peter P.]

This happened to me on the way to work one day.

Unknown object sticks in the tire making a major scraping noise as the wheel spins under the fender.

I stop to find out what's going on and it's a nail that's entered one side of the tire and exited through the other side.

I pulled the nail out and IT LOST NO AIR! I played the lottery that night and lost...

[oldpotatoe]

He booted the tire and wheel and we got another 30+ miles in tonight. I don't think the hole will effect the wheel structurally but who knows. I feel bad for him because he crashed hard 9 months ago and trashed both wheels so these wheels (DA C50s) were the crash replacement.

I had a similar thing happen with a screw a few months ago but because I ride custom wheels all I had to do was pay for a new hoop and labor and I was good to go. I'm assuming C50's can't be rebuilt by anyone but Shimano?

Seen that twice in the shop, nail all the way through the tire and rim. On both, cleaned up the hole, more to save fingers on sharp ends than anything, and sent them on their way. Both were fine, not even out of true.

[bcroslin]

Seen that twice in the shop, nail all the way through the tire and rim. On both, cleaned up the hole, more to save fingers on sharp ends than anything, and sent them on their way. Both were fine, not even out of true.

Good to know. The wheel is still true and he really doesn't want to drop another $800 on a wheel. We figured maybe a little epoxy to close the hole up and retape the wheel and it should be ok.

[happycampyer]

The thing I'm still trying to figure out is, how must the nail have been sitting on the ground in order for this to happen? Does it need to be standing on its head? Resting against something? Glad your friend is ok.

If it were aluminum, it would probably be fine to smooth the hole out and be done with it. Everything I read and been told about carbon is that it dosnt like to have holes made in it. If I were your friend, I would have a carbon repair shop (Calfee, Ruckus, etc.) patch it.

[Ralph]

The thing I'm still trying to figure out is, how must the nail have been sitting on the ground in order for this to happen? Does it need to be standing on its head? Resting against something? Glad your friend is ok.

If it were aluminum, it would probably be fine to smooth the hole out and be done with it. Everything I read and been told about carbon is that it dosnt like to have holes made in it. If I were your friend, I would have a carbon repair shop (Calfee, Ruckus, etc.) patch it.

Usually front wheel kicks it up, and rear wheel runs over it. If in front wheel....maybe rider in front kicked it up on end.

[bcroslin]

Like I mentioned, I had a decking screw end up in my wheel 2 months ago. The construction industry is going nuts again here in FL and there's everything from nails, 2x4's and even aluminum ladders in the road. The roads get swept maybe once a month so the bike lanes are full of stuff that's bad for tires. Last night we passed 5 different spots where there's large piles of broken glass in the road.

At this point I should probably recant my rant about my recent experience with Vittoria tires. :/

[Lewis Moon]

This is one of the reasons I avoid any areas where new construction is occurring, like the plague.

[Mark McM]

Seen that twice in the shop, nail all the way through the tire and rim. On both, cleaned up the hole, more to save fingers on sharp ends than anything, and sent them on their way. Both were fine, not even out of true.

There are plenty of holes in a rim that are far bigger than the nail hole (e.g., the holes that the nipples and valve go through). The rim is really no weaker than it was before the nail went through it. Likewise, just as with the other holes, all you have to do is smooth out and/or cover up the holes (such as with rim tape) to protect the inner tube. In other words, no big deal.

And yes, just like others have reported, I've also had a nail go through the tire and rim, and after pulling the nail out the rim lived a normal lifetime.

[dpk501]

Maybe call and check out ruckus composites here in Portland to get their opinion?

Great carbon repair company.
Good to know. The wheel is still true and he really doesn't want to drop another $800 on a wheel. We figured maybe a little epoxy to close the hole up and retape the wheel and it should be ok.

[alembical]

similiar thing happened to me, luckily on the rear wheel. Screw did not go through rim, but bent the rim and messed up my brakes and brake bridge on my Serotta CSI, which had new wheels and brakes :( Could have been much worse though. Went from 25 mph to locked up rear wheel in about half a wheel revolution :)

[weaponsgrade]

Had the same thing happen to a friend a few years ago about 15 miles in on a century.