I have been riding road for around 3 years from now and have never experiance a flat while out riding. It had been so long that I never even carry pump. Today I paid. I was at a rest stop on recreational 40 miler today about 10 miles from the end and as I was getting back on the bike to head in I did as I alway do and check my tires and darned if my front was almost flat. Somewhere along I developed a leak. Luckily it was a slow leak and I was just able to borrow a pump and air it back up and ride in before it went flat again. I guess now carry a pump on everyride.

Oh well it could have been worse like a complete blowout with a ruined tube.

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I've had few flats, but enough to know that I'm better off carrying the pump and patch kit.

My first in many moons was yesterday. I had just flown down a long steep downhill into Taylors Falls (glad it didn't happen at 40 mph :eek: ) and was pulling in to the riverfront park for lunch when I heard what I thought was a brake dragging: ffffft-ffffft-ffffft every time around. It was a slow leak but a leak nonetheless. No puncture, just a small split at a mold seam on the innertube where it crossed from the spoke strip to the rim, quickly patched.

This was the first time in trying out my fine "Back Trails" pump from Target. I got maybe 20 psi into the tire before the cheap plastic valve head shattered. :mad: It was enough (barely) to ride into town looking for a service station. I run a 20x2" tire @ 110 psi rear on my recumbent, and the small wheel combined with a wide range derailleur meant I had to take it very easy over the bumps.

The only station in town with air charged $.75 for a few minutes of compressor time, and I was leery of how much pressure it would supply. I didn't have cash, so I got out the ATM card, paid a $2 fee for the privilege, bought a Gatorade to make change, and finally caught a break when the pump managed to put 80 psi into my tire.

That cheap pump cost me dearly in hassles. I got a much better pump, and may spring for one of those CO² inflators.

Karl

Wow! I just bought one of those CO2 inflators. Was feeling guilty for spending the cash until I read both your stories. Now I just went and put an extra CO2 cartridge in my patch kit!.

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These things are my choice, I use good tires so I well no flats in years, but I carry the CO2 thing and I do this thing.
On my bikes with quick release seat, I pop it out, drill a 3/8 hole in the end of the seat post, in one side and out the other, then I put a 3/8 nylon dowel in the hole and made it nice on both ends so when the seat is in the bike it holds the dowel in.
I then put some electrical tape around about 4 CO2 things (Padding) (Don't want them rattling)and stuff them into the seat tube, dowel holds them in.

Sad thing is I only had one flat in 3 years.

Must be a day for flats.. I had a blowout. Fortunately, was only 1 mile from home. Fix a Flat did NOT WORK, and ended up walking it back home. Tomorrow going to LBS for tubes, pump/cartridge, and a tire-changing lesson.

I had my blowouts last month and would you believe the shop didn't add any sealant when they replaced the tire and tube the 12th, so I was 2 miles out when I found the latest thorn from Adolph Hitler's stickerweed crop on Friday 13th.

107F heat last Saturday was what almost took me with it. I hadn't felt that sort of heat since I was a 190 lb weakling of 14 on the way to the store for pop of course. 105F then wasn't as bad for me but the wind was good enough to dry paint at Earl Scheib. You don't get Santa Ana winds in Nyssa, Oregon a lot.

I read your blog, Becky and it's nice to meet you (well, TYPE to you). Keep rolling, you look like someone who will get wherever you want to go.

Steven

These things are my choice, I use good tires so I well no flats in years...

Yeah, can I give a +1 to Michelin for inventing the Krylion Carbons? They're fantastic tires. Of three flats in the last couple years, two were attributable to my stupidity. I ride some sh1tty roads and these things just keep on rolling.

One thing to consider is the fact that even the 16 gram proflate will not properly fill your tires. One cart will get you enough pressure to limp home though. Two will do the trick I imagine. With the reliability of the Michelins, the proflate is preferable to carrying a pump. Just toss it in your jersey pocket or seat bag and you're set.

I still advocate the Topeak Road Morph. For $26 or so it's the best pump out there, has a hose and gauge, and you can use it like a floor pump.

I still advocate the Topeak Road Morph. For $26 or so it's the best pump out there, has a hose and gauge, and you can use it like a floor pump.

I use the Topeak mini pump(not sure of name) and Its been at the bottom of a creek along with my bike(don't ask) and after cleaning it out its stil works great. problem is it take 1/2 and hour to get to 60psi :eek:

I picked my new bike Friday afternoon. Saturday morning I was back at the LBS buying two spare tubes, and the guy that sold me the bike came in and asked if I had a flat already. I shook my head no, and he said "Oh, those are anti-flats!"

BTW, I don't carry a CO2 inflator, but use a frame pump instead. I figure I'm not gonna run out of air, but I might just use up all of my CO2 cartridges. At 6' - 2-1/2" and 255 lbs, I figure I can pump enough air into my tubes with a frame pump.

I carry a CO2 inflator (superflate) three cartridges, a spare tube, a patch kit and a frame pump. I've seen a lot of recommendations for a road morph. Mine is a planet bike with a swivel head and it works fine for me. I've had flats from glass, nails, long staples, tire wire from shredded car/truck tires and sharp flint rock. I've never had more than two flats on one ride but I do get a flat often enough and far enough away from home that I do not care to walk back pushing a bicycle. I also always carry cash, $50 or so, just in case. As far as patches go, I like the clear ones from Park the very best, they practically disappear when you put them on the tube. And I've never had one leak. Flat repair is one of the necessary bike riding skills we all need. Slime and fix a flat make huge mess and are not a good idea IMHO.

If only I'd checked to be sure my wheels were true before I went out... Turned out I'd worn a hole in my TIRE from the wheel being out of true. All fixed now, though, and ready for the next blowout! :)

At least it happened going uphill, Becky... going downhill that would have been bad at the speed you go.

Did the bike shop true your wheel for free and replace the tire? You haven't put enough miles on that bike for you to pay for it.

Did the bike shop true your wheel for free and replace the tire? You haven't put enough miles on that bike for you to pay for it.

It didn't occur to me to ask for the tire for free. But I didn't mind paying for it, and they did true the wheel for free. This shop has free unlimited service for the life of the bike, for bikes you buy there. :) And free tire-changing lessons... (Fayetteville Bicycle Company, if anyone's in the area)

if you've never changed a flat, i highly recommend trrying it in your garage one day. it's a very good thing to not have to learn on the side of a trail, and some tires can be very tight.

Another good thing to try is using your onboard pump. See just how long it takes to get to a ride-able pressure. Many pumps I've suffered through in the past could be easily pumped, but wouldn't stay clamped on the stem unless you treated them like they were made of glass.

I bought a Wrench Force micro with a bottle braze-on clip mount. A frame pump won't work with the recumbent, and I have braze-ons up the wazoo. I'll probably end up with a CO2 inflator on my next trip to the LBS. Can the refill cartridges be had for cheaper anywhere, such as paintball supplies at Walmart?

Karl

Topeak Roadmorph is a great pump. Compact touring pump and can be used as a floor pump and can air up 120 psi tires!

Fixing a flat is not hard... but do practice taking the tire off at least once at once before you hit the road. My mom loved to tell the story of how I was able to fix the flat on the back of her Raleigh 3 spped when I was 6 years old and my dad was out of town on business. Back then we live in The Netherlands, and it was my mom's main form of transportation. I guess I'd helped my dad enough times that I knew how to use the lifters to get the tire off and then feed the tube out and use a bucket with water to look for the bubbles. No quick release rear axle so the wheel stayed on the bike. I had not been riding much the last two decades, but recently I was able to start riding my bike to work and had a flat on the way home. It was funny that I was actually a bit rusty with the whole process. I was glad I was close enough to home that I could take my time to do the patch. Funny how in my youth we were fixing flats a fe times a year and now it has become a rare event. Thankfully modern tires are a lot more puncture resistant.

Don't forget to carefully inspect the tire before you put it back on the bike. It took me a while to find the small stable that caused my leak in the 1st place. You don't want to fix the flat, assemble everything and then cause a new leak right away... that makes for a not so fun day.

I carry the following
- Small pump
- Tire patch kit with lifters
- Spare Inner tube - on the road it is so much easier just to put the new tube in rather than try to locate the leak. Once you are home you can fix the tube at your leasure.

Happy riding,
André

Fixing a flat is not hard...

Wasn't 25 years ago but now typing is a bother now and then and when your hands are red and sore after grasping Hunt-Wilde grips for a while, and bending over for too long hurts and I'm not even getting into getting woozy...

I'd rather walk it or get a truck ride and I never have a pump (15 days over 100 this month says uh-uh).

Any familiar ride I always carry a tube, mini patch kit, C02 gun and two cartridges. Fits into my seatpost bag. If I'm off by myself on a distance, I'll carry a mini morph and another tube too.

I've been mountain biking too long to try to under-equip.