Road Cycling - Stupid Question!

Hi guys.

Maybe this sounds like a stupid question for you experienced guys, but I got to know!

How do you repair a flat/puncture on the road??? Do you even find the small hole? I have a inner tube on my wheel and do I have to remove the whole wheel when I want to repair it? What tools do I need?


cheers and ride hard

I just carry a tube and replace it, I have a patch kit if I get a second flat, but knock on wood flat wise I have been extremely lucky.

All of our bikes have a patch kit, tire levers and correponding tubes in seat bag or handlebar bags in the kids case. My bikes have a pump so I can use it on the kids.

Wheel comes off for repair but usually if you can find what punctured the tire and pull it the tire can stay on the wheel. If you can't find the cause, you need to check the inside of the tire with a glove to see if you can catch a snag and find the culprit, you can do it with one bead of the tire off the rim, but it's usually easier to take the tire off completely.

Check around you should easily be able to locate flat repairing pictorials on the web.

I can only say about road bikes. There is a thing called a patch kit, that has a little "sticker" that will seal your tire. now you also need a spare tube, tire irons, and a pump. If you have a flat, you take your irons and pry off your wheel, replace your tube, patch your tire and stick it back on and pump it up.

you can go to your LBS and they will hook you up.

good luck

I always carry a spare tube (at ~$3.00 a tube, why not?) and when i get a flat, I remove the wheel, make sure I find where the puncture is, and what caused it.. I remove the piece of glass or wire or thorn that caused the puncture and replaced the tube.. piece of cake, really..

I always bring a spare tube. If I'm going longer than 50 miles, I'll usually carry 2 and a patch kit. Only once have I had to patch a tube on the roadside. If I flat, I'll swap in a new tube and patch the flatted one back at the ranch.

Hi guys.

Maybe this sounds like a stupid question for you experienced guys, but I got to know!

How do you repair a flat/puncture on the road??? Do you even find the small hole? I have a inner tube on my wheel and do I have to remove the whole wheel when I want to repair it? What tools do I need?

Not a stupid question at all. We all had someone tell us how to do it, ya know! :rolleyes:

Here's a good online resource: http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/skills/fixflat.htm

I always pack a spare tube and a patch kit. If I get a second flat on a ride, I'll patch one of the tubes. But I never patch a tube otherwise. I just throw them away when I get home and put a new one in my seat bag.

I just carry the patch kit and CO2 inflator now. Used to carry a spare tube all the time as well, but since I been running better tires and lower pressures, haven't had a flat on the road in several years. Could be my luck runs out tomorrow of course.

Yep, carry a spare tube and patch kits.

But here's an idea for Nuovorecord and other like-minded people. Don't throw away the old tube. They can be used as tie-downs, extra padding under the bar tape, all kinds of neat uses. I have a fender that is removable and the plastic strip that goes around the seat post was extremely slick. I cut a piece from a tube, superglued it to the strap and no more slippage.

I carry a patch kit, spare tube, and frame pump.

If you've never changed a flat and are a little reluctant to try it on your own (ALONE in the wilderness ;)) why not ask for a hands on demonstration at your lbs?

Tube , patch kit, pump. I don't need tire irons for my road bike. That will depend on your wheels and tires. You can get a neat little seat bag that will hold this.

Make sure you do a practice run at home or LBS before you actually need to. Also, always check to make sure that what gave you the flat is not still in your tire, or you will get pleanty of practice in a short time.

You do have quick release wheels, correct?

One other trick that hasn't been mentioned: I always place the tire logo lined up with the tube's valve stem. If you do this, when you locate the hole in the tube, you know right where to look on the tire for that piece of glass, radial tire wire etc which caused the flat. Likely everyone knew this but I just learned it a few years ago from my randonneuring buddy. Don

One other trick that hasn't been mentioned: I always place the tire logo lined up with the tube's valve stem. If you do this, when you locate the hole in the tube, you know right where to look on the tire for that piece of glass, radial tire wire etc which caused the flat. Likely everyone knew this but I just learned it a few years ago from my randonneuring buddy. Don

I didn't know this but I'm sure glad I do now. Thanks. (I love this forum.)

Finding the hole can be tricky. Remove the inner tube, and pump it up a little, then listen for any hissing. For slow punctures, I dip it into a bucket of water (much easier at home). By the roadside smear some water over, and look for bubling.
Use chalk to mark the hole, they are easy to lose when deflated.
Use sand-paper to rough up the surface, so the patch will take. I prefere the old fashioned puncture kit to self-advehive pads. The rubber solution will seal the hole, and the pad will prevent it opening again.
You can see why we carry a spare innner as a first resort.
Also, learn how to remove a wheel, and use the quick-release levere safely.
Its easier to be shown than told.

Also, keep an old energy bar wrapper in your tool bag. Mylar is super for reinforcing the tire if you get a large cut (large enough that the inner tube pushes through).

You might only be able to get 50 or 60 psi in the tire but at least you won't be walking.

Not a stupid question and good answers!
We use a Topeak frame pump that converts to a foot pump for real easy re-inflating. Co2 cartidges work fine also, but are pricier in the long run.
Local bike club/bike shops sometimes will hold a flat tire clinic; be sure to attend.
Tossing out punctured tubes is a no-no; if the hole is not too large, patch the tube at home and re-use it.
When they have too many patches on 'em use them as cheap bungies/tie downs.
Pedal on!

Most of the time I repair the tube on the road rather than using my spare tube. I carry a spare tube in case I cannot locate the leak or the tube was destroyed beyond being repaired. On the road all you have to do is pump the tire up and you should be able to find the leak, then mark the spot and let the air out. Next using tire irons get the bead of just one side of the tire started than you can either use your finger or use the iron and slide it around the rim to get one side of the tire off. Then STOP, you do not have to take the entire tire off the rim to fix or replace tubes. Remember that area of the tire you marked where the leak was? just pull out only about 1/2 of the tube with the leak being in the middle leaving the rest of tube in the tire...unless replacing tube than pull it all the way out and replace. You need to buff the tube where the leak is and buff with medium grit sand paper or the steel buffer some patch kits include and buff a slightly larger area than the patch will cover. I use Park glueless patches so there's no glue step, otherwise you rub some glue on using the glue tube not your fingers in an area covering the buffed area. Let the glue haze over then test with finger to see if tacky (not wet or dry) than apply patch and press hard and hold for about a minute. With a glueless patch you just buff then press the patch on firmly for about a minute, no glue to wait for. Then check the inside of your tire for debris that can cause a second leak, check the hole in the tire that cause the flat and make sure nothing is in it; then reinstall the tube into the tire. When putting the tire on make sure the tube does not get caught between the tire and the rim or pssst, so put about 5 pounds of pressure in the tube to get it up and away from the rim. Next just start popping the bead back into the rim, you should be able to get the whole tire on without tools, if not usually only the last inch is the hardest; you can use the levers to get the last section on but then you take a risk of pinching the tube with the levers or you can buy a specialty tool called the VAR from Rivendell bicycle works for about $8 or $10 and this thing makes it very easy without any possiblity of damage the rim, tire or tube; and it will fit in a seat bag.

Read the web site that Nouvo gave above and practice a few times at home before attempting to do your first time on the street. Doing a flat repair the first time ever and on the street is a very frustrating experience, I know I did that about 35 years ago!

Finding the hole can be tricky. Remove the inner tube, and pump it up a little, then listen for any hissing. For slow punctures, I dip it into a bucket of water (much easier at home). By the roadside smear some water over, and look for bubling.
Use chalk to mark the hole, they are easy to lose when deflated.
Use sand-paper to rough up the surface, so the patch will take. I prefere the old fashioned puncture kit to self-advehive pads. The rubber solution will seal the hole, and the pad will prevent it opening again.
You can see why we carry a spare innner as a first resort.
Also, learn how to remove a wheel, and use the quick-release levere safely.
Its easier to be shown than told.

I was shown something once, and thought it was a bit strange, but it works well out in the boonies. If you can't find a small leak with your hands, rotate the tube around just under your nose with the "road side" toward your face, almost like you were smelling the tube. Your nose and face on either side of it are very sensitive and you can feel a tiny leak hit you in the face when your hands can't find it.

Are there any special puncture kits? And if so, what is in them?

My bikes have a pump so I can use it on the kids.


:eek:

You are one tough dad...

:D

:eek:

You are one tough dad...

:D

Works on dogs, why not kids.... but seriously both are safe, pump is reserved for ties. Besides I wouldn't want to dent the pump.!!