Commuting - Do you fix your own flats?

I was wondering how many here fix their own flats?

Yesterday morning on my way home, I met a woman walking her bike along the MUP. She told me "I have a flat tire."
Being the gentleman that I am, I replied "We can fix that." She said " I am just going to take it to the bike shop." (Approximately 4 miles away) My mind went "Why?"

That got me to wondering, how many folks ride and don't or won't fix their flats themselves. Also, why not?

not me, not since I was about 8. before that either dad or the local service station did the flats

I think very few here would not fix their own.

but you bring up a good point....many casual/recreational cylists probably don't know the basics. Our admin is looking for a bike, and when she finds one, I have promised to teach her how to fix a flat.

Yeah, definitely. For me it was all about the right tools. Once I got a "real" wrench (not one of those small ones) and tire levers, it was easy.

I replace tubes, but rarely repair them.

I was getting a flat every 200 miles for a while. So I was fixing a lot of flats. Now I have better tires and have had only one flat in over 4500 miles.

There is really nothing too it if you know how. And I am not the fastest one out there. Carrying a spare and switching, then patching the flat when I got home is the way I go.

Yes tire levers are needed.

I was getting a flat every 200 miles for a while. So I was fixing a lot of flats. Now I have better tires and have had only one flat in over 4500 miles.

There is really nothing too it if you know how. And I am not the fastest one out there. Carrying a spare and switching, then patching the flat when I got home is the way I go.

Yes tire levers are needed.

That is my SOP.

I came across a couple on the bike trail one weekend and the young lady had a flat. It was a fat tire and I had a road bike, but she said it was a slow leak and they had managed to ride several miles on it before it went completely flat. So I gave her a shot of my C02 and rode off into the sunset, leaving her boyfriend feeling inadequate.;)

I do. After having a few flats in one month, i've gotten pretty good at it. I always bring a spare tube if i'm going to be riding farther than walking distance.

Since I was very young...... the LBS was across town, had very expensive labor rates, and I needed to use my bike on a daily basis.

If you have QR and Panaracer Pasela foldable tires, you only need a pump or CO2 to change the tube and get on your way again. With cheap bikes most people dont even have a wrench to get the wheel off.

I carry a spare tube, tire irons, a pump and co2.

I only use the co2 when I'm in a hurry.

Anyone who rides regularly, should know how to fix a flat; it's really not that difficult.

My wife doesn't, she calls me. She also doesn't post/read here.

If at all possible I patch in the field but I do have a spare tube. Usually it's faster for me to find the leak and crack the bead, pull the tube out there to patch w/o removing the wheel.

It wasn't until I worked at a real bike shop (years ago) that I found out that they fixed them and people actually brought their bikes in to have it done... So to your question, of course. Any cyclist fixes their own flats. That goes for my tubulars too.

Of course I fix my own flats! Burst a few tubes in my time, ripped a few with the lever in my time, ruined a valve or 50 in my time.

I carry a spare tube, glueless patches (for number 2 only) and only 2, Co2 cartridges on my road bike. Pump on all the others.

Coworker: You ride ALL the way from home and back?!

Me: Yeah, it's only 10k...

Coworker: What happens when you get a flat?

Me: I fix it.

Coworker: How?

Me: Spare tube or a patch.

Coworker: How do you pump it up?

Me: <blink...blink...blink>....a pump...?

do you fix your own flats?

Nah, usually I fix all my colleagues' and friends' flats ;)

I rode for years without repairing my own flats, until I got into the technical side of cycling. Just how I was raised.

Fixing my own flat is much faster than getting help. Fixing other people's flats makes me feel happy. I don't get many flats since I got religious about maintaining proper pressure and staying out of the debris zone, but I fix somebody else's every few group rides. Sometimes a female cyclist has a tire bead that is really hard to get over the rim, and I don't blame her for wanting somebody else's stronger fingers to take the abuse.

Last time I flatted on my own bike, I was about 2-3 miles into a metric century group ride and somewhere near the front of the pack. I hopped off, pulled out my spare tube and levers, changed the tube (and verified it was a bad tube not something sharp), and remounted everything well before the back of the group had passed. I caught up with some of my friends who started at the front by the first rest stop.

i took it to the bike show when i didn't have a tube and tools on me. other than that carry i my stuff i need to fix it except a pump, which i will get soon.

I rode for years without repairing my own flats, until I got into the technical side of cycling. Just how I was raised.

I was raised to try to fix everything myself - for better or worse. Now I factor in what my time is worth, what tools I have, and whether I have the skills I need for the seriousness of the job. Also, whether or not my neighbors will be watching. When my wife's car flatted in the driveway, I sure fixed that myself!

Some people are scared they'll break their bike if they attempt to fix a flat. These are the same people who will spend $150 to have their car dealer change their oil.

I'm a fake cyclist.

in 3+ years of 5-6 days/wk of commuting, I've never once fixed my own flat. There are 3 bike shops within 1 mile of my house. Two are within 2 blocks... I pass at least 4 or 5 more on my commute to/from work. For $8-$16 bucks a pop... taking it to the shop is no biggie.

Of course, my commutes are along highly populated urban routes that parallel public transit bus/train lines. If I get a flat, I just walk or train to the nearest bike shop and 15 minutes later... I'm back on the road. Its not like getting a flat out in the middle of nowhere like most of you.

If I ever took my bike to an isolated area, I'd be sure to have the appropriate supplies to change my own tire.

I've always fixed my own flats. I carry a spare tube and a repair kit. Usually I pile up flatted tubes in my garage and fix them all on a rainy day.

What amazes me are the guys you see on group rides who don't carry any seatbag, tools, repair kit or tube. Then they flat and expect someone else to bail them out. I don't mind helping someone out who's had bad luck, such as 2 flats on the same ride, but I am very reluctant to give someone my spare tube because they are too much of a weight-weenie to carry one. What happens if I get a flat after giving them my spare tube?

You'd be surprised (maybe?) at the number of people here that don't fix their own flats. On the other hand, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a bike shop.

I fix all the flats for myself, Pedaleuse, and the Pedalettes. Swap the tube and patch when I get home. I have several tubes with 5-6 patches on them.

I always fix my own flats. I would actually feel silly taking my bike to a shop for them to fix it.

I also try to do all my own bike maintenance too. The only times I had to take my bike in was to get some work done on my bottom bracket, because I did not have the proper tool for the job. I love learning how to fix things so, if I do take my bike in, I'm always asking if I can watch to see how they do it.

Yep, I fix my own flats.

Last time someone patched a flat for me was near 40 years ago & was actually agaist my will. I was in college & riding with a friend & he got a blow out. We had irons & patches but no glue or pump. There was a gas staion about 50 feet away & attempted to buy/borrow glue & use the air pump. Remember air was free back then. The guy in the gas staion says he'll fix it. We want to keep riding so we agree. When he's done he charges us $2.00. This is 1971 so $2.00 is more than minimum wage at the time. Bummer for him 'cause all we had between us was less than 50 cents. Took it & told us not to come back. So we didn't...

I was wondering how many here fix their own flats?

Yesterday morning on my way home, I met a woman walking her bike along the MUP. She told me "I have a flat tire."
Being the gentleman that I am, I replied "We can fix that."

Hey! That's my MO! Works for me! Lower my head with a depress facial expression when I see an approaching cyclist. Helps keep the greese off my finger nail :lol:

Ok, honestly I rather fix my own flat than to wait for someone at 4:30 am out on the street. First thing I did was to learn how to get those 700x25 $&@! Armadillo and Gatorskin off the rims. Once master those, everything else was a "cinche".

This is 1971 so $2.00 is more than minimum wage at the time. Bummer for him 'cause all we had between us was less than 50 cents. Took it & told us not to come back. So we didn't...

$2 then would be a little over $10 today. You got a good deal for 50 cents($2.60 today), and unlike the time I paid a lawn mower repair shop $5 ($32 today) to sharpen a mower blade, back in the late 60's, that took all of 30 to 45 seconds to do. Needless to say, I bought my own bench grinder afterwards.

There's a lot of stuff I'll pay a bike shop to do. Repacking bearings, replacing cables, truing a wheel (it's an art - an art I'm not willing to constantly practice at enough to get good at), replacing brake pads (tried once, couldn't seem to get the angle right, maybe I'll try it myself again some day), etc.

I'm kinda lazy, I don't really like working on my bike. I usually even pay them to clean the chain (all that hassle to get rid of the used oil properly...).

But I change my own flats because the only way it would be easier and faster for a shop to do it is if my tire got a flat as I was putting my bike in the bike rack at the bike shop - on a day they weren't booked. I can change a flat in the amount of time it would take me to put my bike in the car and drive the bike to the bike store. And that's not counting the time it takes to unload it, talk to the mechanic, wait for him to get to it, wait for him to do it (and that's if they're not already booked or something), pay, load it back into my car, and drive home - it's MORE time consuming and difficult to get the shop to do it than it is to do myself.

It's just faster and easier to do it myself, especially when you consider that I really need to have the supplies (spare tube, pump, patch kit, etc) on my bike for fixing a flat if I got one in the middle of nowhere, and it's a no brainer.

Heck, the next time I get new tires I'm tempted to pay them to put them on (what a pain in the ... last time, new tires are much harder to get on and off than tires you've used a bit). But fixing my own flats just seems like the easier, lazier option to me.

AAA fixes my flats.

:D
Fixing my own flat is much faster than getting help. Fixing other people's flats makes me feel happy. I don't get many flats since I got religious about maintaining proper pressure and staying out of the debris zone, but I fix somebody else's every few group rides.

Yeah, in the several years since I started buying decent tires (and replacing them before I can actually see daylight through them! :D) I've had very few flats. But for the few that have happened, yes, I fix them myself.

I've helped others, too. One episode that always makes me smile when I think of it: a few years back I was doing an MS150 ride. A long way ahead of me on a straight stretch, I could see two guys by the side of the road, one bike down. As I got closer I could see they were wearing all the "serious" roadie gear, team kit from their sponsoring company, etc. I was thinking, "Oh, man, they look so baffled, it must be something seriously wrong, like the derailleur has exploded into a million pieces or something, but I'll still do the 'accepted cyclist thing' :thumb: and ask if I they need any help."

Which I did -- and their problem was a flat tire, on the rear wheel. They had been talked into riding with the company team not too long before the event, the guy with the flat had just gotten the bike the day before, neither of them had a clue as to what to do about the flat. They asked me to do a "how-to commentary" as I swapped the tube for them. :)

Classic case of judging the book by its (fancy-pants roadie gear) cover! :lol:

I carry a tube, patch kit, levers and pump, but I rarely flat. I change them for my housemate (rare that she goes out without me, and I usually go to her triathlon events). I have taught her, a couple of times, but I do it faster, so I usually just jump in and do it to keep us moving (and her hands clean...)

I was riding along a MUP about a month ago and ran across a teenager walking an old 3 speed with a flat.

Me: "Need help?"
Kid: "No, I just have a flat"
Me: "...Yeah, but do you want a hand?..."
Kid: "What would do you?"
Me: "Replace the tube... I have one right here" <-points to pannier
Kid: "Oh. No, that's ok. I need to get to school."

It was a very strange interaction, it left me trying to decide how he thought getting to school walking a flat tire would be any faster...

Yup. Swap out the tube, patch the old one at home and store it back on the bike. I actually carry two tubes because I double flatted on some glass once. Once a tube gets three patches I toss it on the 4th flat on the theory that it's "used up". Nothing scientific behind that, just a theory.

I was wondering how many here fix their own flats?


What do you mean? One of these follows me when I go on rides.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2564/3852472234_83138f737b.jpg

Don't you have one? :wtf:

Ok, I'm on this supported cross-country tour and I come across these two other people on the ride, one of whom has a flat. So the three of us try to fix it ... can't do it, every-time we pump it up it goes flat again. Now it turns out one of these guys had a Ph.D. in nuclear physics, one in EE, and mine is in statistics. So three Ph.D.s and we can't fix a flat and he had to wait for the SAG. How embarrassing. In our defense, it turns out the wheel had a defective rim that was causing the problem, but still.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2564/3852472234_83138f737b.jpg


I'm that car on most group rides, if only I could carry extra bikes and food with me. I always have a chain tool, tire levers, patch kit, tubes, pump, 4, 5, and 6 hex keys, spoke wrench, chainring tool, 15mm wrench and lockring tool (for the fixies)

seriously?! just takes 2 minutes to fix a flat.

Yup. Swap out the tube, patch the old one at home and store it back on the bike. I actually carry two tubes because I double flatted on some glass once. Once a tube gets three patches I toss it on the 4th flat on the theory that it's "used up". Nothing scientific behind that, just a theory.

At home I always put the repaired tube back in the wheel, pump it up and then check it after a few hours. This is to make sure the patch took, every once in a while the patch will fail under pressure even if it looked like the patch was good. This saves me from replacing the tube on the road and then have the patch fail.

Swap out the tube then stash it to be repaired at home. Carry a patch kit in case I get multiple flats.

There is really nothing too it if you know how. And I am not the fastest one out there. Carrying a spare and switching, then patching the flat when I got home is the way I go..

Ditto...

There is really nothing too it if you know how. And I am not the fastest one out there. Carrying a spare and switching, then patching the flat when I got home is the way I go..

Ditto...

I don't do this - if I replace the tube I throw the old one out. When I was a kid, my dad always used to do this. Didn't work so well. When one of us would get a flat, half the time he would pull out the tube and the patch on the old tube would be broken somehow. Not sure why - maybe he wasn't patching the tube right. Or maybe the patch, when stored bend over inside a seat bag, doesn't hold up (or the glue doesn't hold up). I've had better luck with patches on a tube that's actually being used in the tire - being smashed up against the tire seems to do a better job at not breaking the patch somehow.

Since the advent of flat resistant tires, I get a flat maybe once a year at most, not worth the worry about my backup tube for me. (Though to be fair - I've had new tubes fail as well due to manufacturing defects, so go figure.)

What do you mean? One of these follows me when I go on rides.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2564/3852472234_83138f737b.jpg

Don't you have one? :wtf:

I need to get one of those.

...I replied "We can fix that." She said " I am just going to take it to the bike shop." (Approximately 4 miles away) ...

I usually get the same response when offering to help fix a flat, undo a derailleur/chain nest or fix anything else that could keep a cyclist from getting home or to work. So I kindly let them know that if they don't want me to fix it right then and there, they can come down to the shop on Saturday when I'm working and I'd be more than happy to fix the problem at the shop rate of $35/hour.;)

I can't even conceive of paying someone to fix a flat. Does not compute.

I know a bike mechanic that comes to my house for repairs. Cheaper than a bike shop and does some stuff for free.

I don't change mine. Isn't that why cyclists shave their legs? Get a flat, ya show a little leg, someone stops and fixes it.













Oh, I'm a 53yo male. You best believe I carry all the stuff to change it, no one's stopping for me :)

On a sidenote, if you're 53 years old, you are NOT older than dirt!!!!


Just sayin'....

Me: "Need help?"
Kid: "No, I just have a flat"
Me: "...Yeah, but do you want a hand?..."
Kid: "What would do you?"
Me: "Replace the tube... I have one right here" <-points to pannier
Kid: "Oh. No, that's ok. I need to get to school."

It was a very strange interaction, it left me trying to decide how he thought getting to school walking a flat tire would be any faster...I think this case can be chalked up to "never talk to strangers"; he probably didn't feel safe with the situation. Similarly, most of the women riders I know prefer to call someone they know (if they can't fix their bike) rather than rely on the random stranger who comes along.

Not just content with replacing bike tires, I repaired my child's stroller tire the other night (~8" tube, ran over a thorn).

I fix my own flats but it's not very often that I get them. I believe that every cyclist should learn how to fix their own flats. It's one of the easiest skills to learn, there is no excuse for not being able to do it yourself.