A flat tire

I really like Freya's kayak trolley. Read my earlier comment on the trolley. Advantage of the big inflatable tires is that they roll quit good on sandy beaches. Inherent to every air-filled tire is of course that leaks may occur. Annoying: just as I packed my gear for the trip to Wales this morning, one of the tires of the trolley proved to be flat...

Properly inflated the tiny sturdy wheels fitted on kayaktrolleys are quit resistant to punctures. As a matter of fact I never had a punctured tire on any of my trolleys. The weakest spot of the trolley tires is the connection of the air-valves. See the picture on top of this post. This tube leaked at the little crack at the bottom of the valve. Problem is that repairing a leak at this spot is hardly possible. You will need a replacement. So I rushed to the shops and bought the last two 3-4.00 tubes available in Woerden this morning.

There is quit some difference in the quality of tubes. All tubes are made in China, but some of the tubes in kids toys (the ones most bike-shops sell) are of noticeable lesser quality than the ones sold by suppliers for professional building-hardware.

Even within one brand there are surprising differences. The pictures below are of the tubes I bought this morning. Both came right out of the box (same shop, same supplier, same brand).

Note the reinforced connection of the valve on this tube.
The second tube lacks this reinforcement, but still is tougher than the original tube.

Recommended tire-pressure 1,5-2.0 Bar. More pressure doesn't improve rolling!