Ok, so I buy a new Hed alps (clincher), and decide it doesn’t need rim tape. The tire is flat within a day. I’m probably not the first one to do this.
So I take the tire off and tape the rim (and it’s an extreme bitch to take on and off). Then I take a look at the tube, and it has 24 cute little spoke marks around it.
I patch the one with the hole in in, put the tire back on, and it’s flat again within 15 min. Did I mention how hard it was to take the tire on/off? It has yet to happen without some combination of sweat, swearing, and blood.
…ok, so by the third patch, it finally hits me that I’m probably going to need 24 patches, which I don’t have, and my thumbs are getting pretty sore.
Anyway, today I bought a new tube. Maybe there’s still hope for me…
Your story reminds me of when I was a kid and I had a flat. I “fixed” it and it immediately went flat, so in my rage I speared the tire numerous times with a sharp object. After the bike sat around for a while my dad volunteered to fix my flat. Same thing happened to him, no sooner had he patched one hole he discovered twenty more. Boy, did I ever get a thrashing. Stupid kid.
Heh, oh yes, I taped the tire properly after the original flat. My problems usually occur out of stubbornness, and in this case, I was just sure I could save the tube. I hate throwing out a tube with life in it and all…
Don’t feel bad. On the very first bike I had ever built, I tried (and suceeded) to cross-thread in my bottom bracket, lunching a perfectly good frame. My boss laughed for years. Thank G’d it was used. This was quite a few years back.
I have also:
a) used the wrong cup press, destroying a new headset.
b) tightened a brake cable to the point of braking it.
c) scratched the hell out of a new frame installing components.
d) used the wrong rim tape on a clincher rim. That old, nasty Tioga plastic rim tape was just bad news. I had 32 holes in a brand-new tube.
e) popped the heads off of aluminium bolts.
Point is, these things are part of the learning curve. Don’t feel so bad.
If you’re struggling with get tires on/off rim I suggest the Crank Bros. Speed Lever. I got one a while ago and LOVE it. So much that I made it my christmas gift to my regular riding buddies. It’s well worth the $7 you pay.