Can You Seat a MTB Tire with an Explosion?
If you've spent much time online, you might have seen videos of people seating their truck tires by using explosions. Which got me thinking: Would that detonation strategy also work on a mountain bike wheel and tire? We spent the day with some Quick-Start and a fire extinguisher to find out. Oh, and please don't try this at home.
212 Comments
That said, seems like people can be quite desperate trying to seat a tire. Other than for a quick trailside fix (ideally mansplaining a tire installation on a desperate fellow mtbers tire), I don't see myself do this on my own bike. And I'd stick with pure hydrogen to cut back a little on my carbon footprint.
Other suggestion I'd refrain from is to, after igniting the wick, install a track pump to get more air (and oxigen) there. Even though this could prove effective, not all pumps have an adequate safety valve to deal with the backfire. Ideally you check the pump manual first. If it doesn't give any warnings in this regard, you'll be fine.
Fine print/disclaimer: If you're notorious for taking things seriously, please disregard anything you read in my post.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGsE17d_VYs
[Edit] Dammit. Saw it in seconds. How did I miss the hose attached to the valve?
Dynamite and other how powered explosives have their own oxidizer and reducer, which is why they do not require oxygen. They also tend to be unstable, or extremely powerful, or combust way to rapidly (explode). Think of Beirut and the explosion they just had.
Other than that, and this from a guy who burned his eyebrows more than once - hilarious video. I was really hoping you might be on to something.
As for Levy's tan - definitely a way to improve that. Semtex Vs pressfit, i say
Their problem was igniting the liquid and not fumes. To get an explosion, you need access to oxygen, which doesn’t happen under the surface of the liquid. Don’t do this (necessarily) but putting a tea/tablespoon of gasoline and letting it sit should allow the fumes to spread across the tire. Also, try to ignite the portion that isn’t liquid. I would also recommend going through and doing the chemistry: seeing how much gas you would need to add one atmosphere of gas to the tire and work your way up to there.
Once the official test ride report of the donut eventually drops, it'll almost certainly be a disappointment as all the myth and speculation will be over.
“Alright boys and girls, everybody’s finally sold out of everything, and nobody’s making anything new cuz the factories are all maxed cranking out reorders. We’ve got absolutely nothing to write about.
But, we got all this new money coming in from Trailforks now so we can still afford to pay you. Gimme something. Anything.”
Levy: “Hold my doughnut...”
www.brewracingframes.com/safety-alert-brake-cleaner--phosgene-gas.html
You need a rapid burn aka explosion and enough oxygen to support it.
Also: www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2nI069R7Vc
Given that you can't add oxygen, I'd use the absolute minimal amount of fuel if you want explosive ignition. If you fill that tyre with spray there's no air in there and it'll just burn from the outside not explode.
- spray lighter fluid in a cross pattern inside the tire/rim (ie top/bottom/left/right so that there is fuel a little bit everywhere)
- light up one side (just spray fluid a bit on the side of one of the places you put lighter on, so that you can light it up)
- if it doesnt pop right away hit the tire with your shoe on the sidewalk
boom it pops. its not an explosion btw. its pressure - the fire is hungry for oxygen that goes through the valve. if you do not remove the valve core IT CANNOT WORK - physics lol.
Oh also bic lighter > these crappy things to get a flame haha.
Would have been way more entertaining if it even had a remote chance of working.
Looks as if you swept the pavement before you started?
You think some idiot going to set a forest ablaze attempting this on the trail.
Good thing Richard Pryor didn't ride. He had a problem with flammables too.
if that would be me I would drop a bit of carbide into the tyre, put the tyre on rim and add quick slash of water through valve with REMOVED core. sniffing if reaction started (acetylene filling in the tyre, you should even hear it) then, lit the gas coming out from the valve. it would create explosion big enough to set up the tyre. just don't overdose the carbide. P.S. better fix the rim to something. cheers. I know all that from the chemistry classes.
It's all just so amusing. I'm enjoying the driveway scene, the bro-feel to it. The idea of some numb-nuts getting hurt while attempting this and all of us laughing.
If a thousand of us made the attempt, how many would be successful?
I love it!
There are plenty of other ways to get injured on the trails.
1. Why cant you use the proper terms describing the parts of the rim? 'This part' is called the rim bed for instance, and 'the side wall' is actually called the bead seat.
2. Why use gorilla tape when you already have a quality tubless tape from DT Swiss already installed?
3. WTF with butane?? no f in chance that was going to work. You need to use Brake cleaner or Ether. it needs to be WAY flamable.....not just butane flamable
4. rubber gloves while doing this was the dumbest thing I have seen in a while, even after you commented that they might melt to your skin, you still used them. DARWIN??
coulda been cool, but wasn't
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