Bicycle Mechanics - Tire repair

I got a flat yesterday. Replaced the tube patched the old one and pulled a piece of glass out of my tire. The hole left by the glass is about 2mm long. Should I patch the inside of the tire or just replace it or can I keep riding as is? The last time I pulled glass out of a tire the slice was a bit larger I didn't repair it and got a flat two rides later. I replaced that one.

Thanks
Daniel

I got a flat yesterday. Replaced the tube patched the old one and pulled a piece of glass out of my tire. The hole left by the glass is about 2mm long. Should I patch the inside of the tire or just replace it or can I keep riding as is? The last time I pulled glass out of a tire the slice was a bit larger I didn't repair it and got a flat two rides later. I replaced that one.

Thanks
Daniel

I was complaining to the wrench at my local bike shop I can go hundreds of miles on a tube then I get flat after flat, then have a stretch when I dont get a flat for hundreds of miles again. He said it is becaseu it is usually very small pieces of glass that might take a week or weeks to get through the tire. so one piece works thruough, punctures the tube, you change it, last time I had right at 30 miles on it so that was about how long it took for the glass to work thru. I am due to have as many flats as there are glass slivers in the tire. Made sense to me all excpet one thing, why always the back tire? least for me i have had many back flats and very few front ones, and the front ones dont seem to come in clusters. I am probably jinxing myself.

If it's just a thin 2 mm defect, I would not worry about patching the tire and certainly would not replace it.

(I follow the old convention of lining the stem and tire label. That works out so the thick patch is over the small defect hole in the tire.

I typically can repair tyre-cuts up to 5-6mm with the Tyvek material used for race-numbers. I just rough up the inside of the tyre with some sandpaper. Then lay down thin layer of 3M Fastak on the tyre and a piece of Tyvek the size of a nickel. After it's tacky, press the Tyvek patch down onto the tyre. Then I rough that up slighty and lay down more Fastak and glue a quarter-size piece of Tyvek on top. No bulging spots on the tyre and the casing fibres carry the force across the gap; something's that not done with a rubber path due to its elasticity.

I use Shoe Goo to mend my tires. I just make sure to use a putty knife to really smooth out the "fix" so that there are no bulges.

Regards,

I was complaining to the wrench at my local bike shop I can go hundreds of miles on a tube then I get flat after flat, then have a stretch when I dont get a flat for hundreds of miles again. He said it is becaseu it is usually very small pieces of glass that might take a week or weeks to get through the tire. so one piece works thruough, punctures the tube, you change it, last time I had right at 30 miles on it so that was about how long it took for the glass to work thru. I am due to have as many flats as there are glass slivers in the tire. Made sense to me all excpet one thing, why always the back tire? least for me i have had many back flats and very few front ones, and the front ones dont seem to come in clusters. I am probably jinxing myself.

I wouldn't believe that for a second.

I wouldn't believe that for a second.

Sounded good to me.:rolleyes:

Well.. glass CAN take some time to work through a tyre, but typically not very long. When you replace the tube, run your finger along the entire inside of the casing and feel for this glass or any metal objects that may have poked through to puncture the tube. If you don't, your new tube will puncture shortly.

Also, don't focus and look at the horizon when riding a bike like you do when you drive, you won't get there for 30-45 minutes. Instead, look diagonally down 75-100ft ahead and you'll see a tonne of stuff that can puncture your tyre like nails, glass, rocks, potholes, razor blades, syringes, etc. You can still keep a lookout for traffic and direction of travel with the upper part of your peripheral vision.

I was simply amazed at how much that made a difference. The first year I started riding, I got like 15-flats in only 3000 miles. That's more than the next 10-years combined, and that includes over 400 USCF and collegiate races as well as 6-years of track-racing. Flats don't "just happen", there's a cause.

Well.. glass CAN take some time to work through a tyre, but typically not very long. When you replace the tube, run your finger along the entire inside of the casing and feel for this glass or any metal objects that may have poked through to puncture the tube. If you don't, your new tube will puncture shortly.

Also, don't focus and look at the horizon when riding a bike like you do when you drive, you won't get there for 30-45 minutes. Instead, look diagonally down 75-100ft ahead and you'll see a tonne of stuff that can puncture your tyre like nails, glass, rocks, potholes, razor blades, syringes, etc. You can still keep a lookout for traffic and direction of travel with the upper part of your peripheral vision.

I was simply amazed at how much that made a difference. The first year I started riding, I got like 15-flats in only 3000 miles. That's more than the next 10-years combined, and that includes over 400 USCF and collegiate races as well as 6-years of track-racing. Flats don't "just happen", there's a cause.

I really watch for holes, glass and everything else and traffic. I did check inside the tire. Thnaks for the tips. I know they just dont happen, but maybe if I quit saying the f word I wont have anymore. ;)

Small cuts can be fixed with super glue.