Commuting - How long does it take you to repair a flat?

It finally happened. First flat today. I was less than a mile out, so just walked back so could take time with first repair in decades.

Naturally this brought up the question, how long does it usually take a commuter to repair a flat. I need advice in figuring out the point of no return, i.e. at what point is it better to repair at site versus returning to start location.

Please be realistic in time estimate, over estimate rather than under estimate. Any general advice on handling this situation would be appreciated.

well, i use a co2 pump. it takes me no more than 3 minutes to actually change the tire and inflate the new tube... however it takes me a good bit longer than that just to get out my tools, the spare tube, and of course fold up the damaged tube, and get everything neatly packed back into my seat bag.

To answer your question, if i was more than a block a away, i would never walk my bike home because of a flat. (unless of course i run out of supplies)

Repair time should always be < 10 min . . . if you have all the equipment ready to go. The problems come when you don't have equipment or it fails, eg. CO2 pump that freezes up, running out of tubes because failed to check the tire for glass and nails. I've done about everything wrong when it comes to flats. You learn over time. Eg. patching a tube in the field is a bad idea, only a last resort. That sort of thing is time consuming.

It depends on a lot of variables- if I found the offending culprit quickly, temperature, etc.
I remember once having to fix a flat and the mosquitos were so bad, I spent probably 2-3 times longer due to all the swatting.

Most times & can swap out a tube & get back rolling in about 5 minutes or so.

Tires are the biggest factors to me, followed by wheels. If I'm riding with Conti's ona non aero rim, I can pull the tires off the wheel without levers. 3 minutes is tops for replacement. On aero (deep rim) wheels with some tight tires (Specialized being one prime example), I've spent ten minutes just getting the tire back on. I've also made toast of plastic levers trying to get the tire off the rim. Once it took me almost 30 minutes to replace a flat. It ws very hot and I kept sweating mading it hard to get a grip. The tire kept coming off the rim as I pried it on the other side

I get MAYBE one flat per year (uh-oh....jinx). I don't bother carrying tools (other than a small multi-tool). My commute is only 15K so if I get a flat I'll just jog with my bike either to the office or to home, whatever is closest.

And I NEVER patch. Tubes are cheap so I just replace them.

I'm not trying to say this is the best solution for everyone, but it is for me.

I do it the old-fashioned way: with a pump. Also, I've found that I break too many valve stems when I try to hurry so I take my time. Almost all my flats occur during my commute home so it's not like I'm in any hurry to get home anyhow.

When I was a flunky at a LBS we would race to see how fast we could get a customer written up, tube replaced, remounted, rung-up and out the door. I rember the fastest to be in the 4 minute range, most of that time was spent with the customer.

That being said, it currently takes me 30 minutes to swap from slicks to studs in my shop with a stand and air compressor. The tolerance of todays tires and rims are much tighter than they were 20 years ago. Plus I take a little more care to ensure quality over speed. I am reluctant to do the "quick stick" one tire lever method of removing tires because I have ripped the rubber off from around the bead doing that in the past... on a new tire! So I take time to remove the tire without damaging it or the tube or the rim.

Yeah, I go for the big MTB knobby tires and extra-thick tubes.

And I carry an EXTRA extra-thick tube with a nice low-tech pump.

It's dark in the morning, so it's more important to me to keep moving. If I really need to reduce weight to go faster I'll start with myself!

At home: less than 10 (patch or change tube)
On the road: more like 15 (change tube)
When the weather's nice, I sometimes just kick back and change the tube at my leisure. But I haven't had one since like October-November.

I can usually do it in less than 10 minutes to gather tools, remove the wheel, pull out the old tube, insert the new tube, inflate, and pack up. As others have said, it depends a bit on how stubborn the tires are too, and how much of a hurry I'm in.

It takes me at lest one beer and about 20-30 minutes to swap tires (knobbies and slicks) in the garage at home.

It takes me less than 5min. However, I repair as many flats on a spring Saturday as a flat prone person may do in a year or more.

I suggest that you gain some experience by practice. Don't waste your time with trying to patch on the road. Carry two tubes. Repair any tubes when you get home. Use removal tools that suit you and you are familar with. I use Zip Stick on the job and on the road. They work for most applications except for tires that are real tight fitting. Different tire and rims fit differently. See how you fair in practice and always inflate your tube slightly before installation. This lessens the chance that you will end up with tube stuck between the tire bead and the rim bead. Check interior and exterior of tire for objects that may have caused the flat.

Jude

Professional Bike Mechanic 25+ years

It takes me less than 5min. However, I repair as many flats on a spring Saturday as a flat prone person may do in a year or more.

I suggest that you gain some experience by practice. Don't waste your time with trying to patch on the road. Carry two tubes. Repair any tubes when you get home. Use removal tools that suit you and you are familar with. I use Zip Stick on the job and on the road. They work for most applications except for tires that are real tight fitting. Different tire and rims fit differently. See how you fair in practice and always inflate your tube slightly before installation. This lessens the chance that you will end up with tube stuck between the tire bead and the rim bead. Check interior and exterior of tire for objects that may have caused the flat.

Jude

Professional Bike Mechanic 25+ years


The two tube method is what I use. I pull the bad tube, check for sharp objects in the tire and then insert the good tube. Pump it up. I then quickly find the hole in the bad tube, patch it and roll it up for later. This also gives the glue on the just patched tube time to really set.

Biggest problems I have faced. Corroded zipper on my patch kit, and dried glue in the glue tube. Sigh...

Two days.

1] call home and get a ride
2]put the bike away because
3]I never have time the day of the flat, it always happens when I am supposed to be somewhere
4]ride the spare bike
5]fix it tomorrow.

sad, but true...

At home: less than 10 (patch or change tube)
On the road: more like 15 (change tube)
When the weather's nice, I sometimes just kick back and change the tube at my leisure. But I haven't had one since like October-November.


Ditto!! :D

Two days.

1] call home and get a ride
2]put the bike away because
3]I never have time the day of the flat, it always happens when I am supposed to be somewhere
4]ride the spare bike
5]fix it tomorrow.

sad, but true...

everyone needs a spare bike or two. :)

What do you know... I post this and this very evening, my dearly beloved Panaracer Pasela Tourguards find a nice big box staple on the road in the dark. The darn thing left an exit wound in my sidewall.

When I am riding my TOuring or older road bike..12 or less..My Klein with the Armadillos'.....Maybe a half an hour at the worst...Putting the tube under the bead..It takes skin off of your fingers...As the Armadillos wear the bead gets more flexible and easier to stuff...
On my touring bike, I use Performace Kevlar lined ST Cross K's..They change out pretty easy, actually.But I almost always have panniers on and that takes a while to take on and off.

I've had a lot of practice, so under 5 minutes isn't a stretch even if the culprit isn't immediately apparent. Bear in mind that's with a compressor. In the field it takes me longer to reinflate the tire than it does to make the repair, especially if I'm using a mini pump.

Love my portable , mountable Topeak (Floor) pump that attaches to your down tube...Pumps on the road are no longer a problem. along with its' gauge - best invention since sliced bread..

It sometimes takes longer than 5-10 mins, like when I pull the replacement tube out of the seat bag and DOH! find I forgot to patch it from the last flat!

All repairs are supposed to be made on the road, in my view. Lon Haldeman says all repairs can made using detritus found on the road, a bit extreme maybe but I like the philosophy. We are cyclists not drivers. It should be of point of pride to make repairs then continue and finish the ride. Drivers sit at the side of the road, on their cellphones, waiting for the tow truck, not us.
peace

I can't really say, I have Mr. Tuffy I havn't got a flat with them on. When I didn't use Mr. Tuffys it would take me a long time to walk a Sun EZ-3 USX to the bike store :( .

Never actually fixed a flat, and I doubt I will have to.
I'll carry spare tubes and just replace.
But my time estimate of 30+ mins is based on the time it took me to remove my knobbies and mount narrow slicks.

Less than 10 minutes any longer you’re playing with it. Most of the flats I fix are other cyclist. I keep various tube sizes with me and a few patches. I got it down to 2 mosquito’s bits per flat. I like to do it fast. The faster I do it the more time on the road. My taffy’s do a good job to keep the glass and wires out of my ponies. I do get a lot of glass that I have to clean out of the tires. A flat is part of cycling. Tubes now are more susceptible to punctures more than before.

Some rims make it really hard to take the tire off. I take the tires off with the bike upright. Most of the time someone can hold the bike or lay the bike on its side. Most of us have all kinds of stuff on the bars. I have used a small can of lube to make the tire levers work better. 3 to 4 hook tire levers (tire irons). You can hook the levers on the spokes. Use the levers close together first and work your way a part from each other. Slip one side of the tire on at a time.

Playing with it?
It took me a good ten minutes just to pull the tyre bead onto the rim.
Damn stiff stuff!

Usually 5-10 minutes for front tyre, or 10-15 for rear. I always replace the tube, never patch unless I'm out of tubes. It can take longer depending on the situation; my worst ever was at 3am, after working 9 hours overtime on top of a 7.5 hour day, in a bad part of town, in an ice storm, which took me around half an hour to get done.

I usually patch the tube when I get home, and I keep the tube unless the valve is shot, or I used the tube for something it's not designed for (eg, emergency bungee cord when I don't have enough bungee cords to tie something to my rack).

My FIR and Ambrosio rims on my commuter are horribly tight with ANY tire I've tried, so I'm on Armadillos (after a 4-flat ride home in a 40 mile RT commute). I can change a Pro Race on a Mavic rim in under 2 minutes with a CO2 pump, but again, I use a frame pump on my commuter. Changing my commuter flats is a different story- can take a few minutes wrestling with refitting the tire.

I've also learned to bring an EXTRA TIRE after a broke a bead during a blowout coming down a hill.

Commuting I carry enough tools to build a bike and several tubes- and a frame pump. CO2 is too expensive for frequent use.

I've been amazed that I can actually get the tire off, put in a new tube, and get the tire back fairly quickly (5-10 minutes). All of my problems have been with inflating the tire (stem too short, goofy pump, etc.). I got a Topeak Road Morph pump for Xmas and laid in a supply of the correct tubes, so I should be all set for this season (famous last words!).

I've also learned to bring an EXTRA TIRE after a broke a bead during a blowout coming down a hill.


That is why you a) don't bomb down hills at 100kph for 10kilometers. Carrying an extra tire on a commute is highly unecessary, unless you are doing massive distances.

It takes me a while .... (.... having just come home after fixing a flat) :(

First I have to think about how far it is to the nearest subway
The I have to look at the tire and think about whether it's better to fix it on the spot or wait till I get home.
Then I might have to turn the bike up-side-down which means wrapping my Brooks seat so it doesn't get scuffed.
Today my Blackburn pump just didn't seem to be doing its job so it took much longer than it should have.

Stacy

Then I might have to turn the bike up-side-down which means wrapping my Brooks seat so it doesn't get scuffed.


Stacy

Upside down???

Actually that reminds me of something amusing ... I learned to change my tires with the bicycle upright. After all, if you've got bags and panniers and things on your bicycle, you'd have to take all of that off to turn the bicycle upside down. However, a friend of mine learned to change his tires with the bicycle upside down. I had a flat, and in a gesture of helpfulness, he turned my bicycle upside down for me, so I could work on it ... and I didn't even know where to begin!!! Everything was backward!! :D

Not having to turn the bicycle upside down or to let it on its side is one of the plusses of the Esge 2-legged kickstand.

As for time, I'm in the 15-25 minute camp. A bit more if I include the time to find a safe place for the kids.

Best location for a flat? Back in 2001, during my first long-distance tour with Ève (then 5 years old). We had a flat right in front of a nice playground in Yamachiche. She had something to stay busy, and I didn't have to look around too much, therefore I could concentrate on the job to do.

A bunch of things you always need to carry when you ride: spare tube, glueless patch kits, tire levers, compact allen wrench tool. There was a time when I was getting pinch flats twice a week for about 2 months. I went through many tubes and I couldn't figure out why it was happening. Point is, I got really good at repairing my flats. The key is the glueless patches, you don't wanna be out there and messing with glue, it's a bother. These patches are good enough that as long as the hole didn't open up near a raised seam on the tube; you'll probably be able to ride the tube for awhile.

Aloha,
Matt

I recently had a rear wheel flat. It took me 40 minutes to get the old tube out and a new tube in. This puts me in the lowest 1% of flat changers. I think I am mentally challenged!

A bunch of things you always need to carry when you ride: spare tube, glueless patch kits, tire levers, compact allen wrench tool.

I recently added a pair of disposable rubber gloves to keep all the mud and grease off. These also help keep fingers warm during colder weather.

This time I was lucky enough to be near a fence so I just hung the bike up by the handlebars and popped off the front wheel.

Stacy

I recently added a pair of disposable rubber gloves to keep all the mud and grease off. These also help keep fingers warm during colder weather.

This time I was lucky enough to be near a fence so I just hung the bike up by the handlebars and popped off the front wheel.

Stacy


Baby wipes also take off the grease quite nicely.

And just be careful about what sort of fence you hang your bicycle on ... check for extra wiring. A lot of the fences around where I used to live are electric - to keep the cows in.

My FIR and Ambrosio rims on my commuter are horribly tight with ANY tire I've tried, so I'm on Armadillos (after a 4-flat ride home in a 40 mile RT commute). I can change a Pro Race on a Mavic rim in under 2 minutes with a CO2 pump, but again, I use a frame pump on my commuter. Changing my commuter flats is a different story- can take a few minutes wrestling with refitting the tire.

I've also learned to bring an EXTRA TIRE after a broke a bead during a blowout coming down a hill.

Commuting I carry enough tools to build a bike and several tubes- and a frame pump. CO2 is too expensive for frequent use.

If you use the non-threaded CO2 cartridges you can buy them for $3 - 5 per dozen at a sporting goods store or Walmart...last time I checked the LBS was charging $1 - 2 per cartridge...ouch. My wife only uses CO2 since she does triathlons and doesn't want to waste time pumping the tire up. The less expensive CO2 alternative really helps with flats she gets while training.

I'm right at the 10 minute mark regardless of front or rear. This is total repair time including set up and clean up (putting tools away etc.). My commuter has panniers too so I remove them first then replace them after the flat is fixed. It takes an additional 5 minutes if I'm patching the tube rather than replacing.

Never actually fixed a flat, and I doubt I will have to.
I'll carry spare tubes and just replace.
But my time estimate of 30+ mins is based on the time it took me to remove my knobbies and mount narrow slicks.
Such a waste of something that can be repaired and reused. To think cycling is supposed to be such an environmentally friendly thing

I meant on the spot.
That doesn't mean I wouldn't patch it when I got back home.

But still, I've never had a flat in my life.
It could be that my biking in the past was almost exclusively on an old MTB with fat, low-pressure tyres, so even rolling over crushed glass wouldn't cause a flat.

I recently had a rear wheel flat. It took me 40 minutes to get the old tube out and a new tube in. This puts me in the lowest 1% of flat changers. I think I am mentally challenged!

40 minutes! for starts, you don't have to always pull the whole tube out. getting the presta valve out of the rim can be a pain, esp out of 700c tires and if u think about it, chances are your hole will be on that 95% of the tube that doesn't have the valve. lever off one side of the tire (don't take the whole tire off) and pull the tube out, leaving the valve in place (although you might want to loosen up/remove the presta nut thingy to give it some slack). pump air into your tube and while squeezing the tube gently, listen for the hissing sound of air coming out. when you find the hole, sand the surface, and slap a glueless patch over the hole. pump back up, and listen again and make sure the hissing noise is gone. if all is good, stuff the tube back into the tire (tube should be still partially inflated) and get the bead back onto the rim. with practice, you should be able to fix the hole in less than 5 min, and get the tire back onto the rim in an additional couple min.

Used to take me less than 10 mins on my old mountain bike. On my hybrid bike it must take like 20 mins because the tires are so damned hard to get on and off! Also I am going to get the road morph pump so I dont have to worry about bending up the valve stem.

I am not a fan of glueless patches. I have witnessed a few horror stories with them. By comparison, my glued patches last almost an eternity. I have some that are at least a few years old and that don't leak.

Repair time should always be < 10 min . . . .

- - "should" ?

The answer depends on how we figure the time. I count from the moment I have to stop the bike to the moment that I'm back on the road. So the 11 - 15 minutes is realistic for me.

By the way folks, I learned the wisdom of carrying a spare tube when my flat was caused by a leak at the base of the valve stem. Unpatchable!

Geared bike w/ quick-release: <5 min. (tube change)

Fixie: ~10 min. (tube change)

SS MTB w/ Stan's notubes: Flats? What are those?

Actually I have flatted once with Stan's due to a sidewall tear, and that was a pain. Pull the tire, dump all the muck out. Boot sidewall. Remove rim-strip. Install tube. Inflate. Install tire. Tension chain. ~20 min.

Don't get me started on the ordeal you have to go through to change tires w/ Stan's...

-Trevor

I meant on the spot.
That doesn't mean I wouldn't patch it when I got back home.

But still, I've never had a flat in my life.
It could be that my biking in the past was almost exclusively on an old MTB with fat, low-pressure tyres, so even rolling over crushed glass wouldn't cause a flat.Ahh thanks for clearing that up. Of course you realize you've just jinxed yourself.

I am not a fan of glueless patches. I have witnessed a few horror stories with them. By comparison, my glued patches last almost an eternity. I have some that are at least a few years old and that don't leak.I've had glueless patches last for years in a setting where the tire was being changed back and forth between higher pressure slick and low pressure knobby. Certainly a case of your mileage may vary

I don't bother to time my changes. I can take quite some time to locate the cause of the flat, just to make sure it doesn't happen again just down the road. I tend to take my time because there is a routine involved, and that includes making sure everything is packed away and nothing is left lying on the ground.

By the way, splits in the tube at the bottom of a presta valve may not be totally irretrievable. On a long ride last Easter, I split the tube at the bottom of the valve while pumping it up on the side of the road. I repaired it with a strip of patch that night. It lasted the entire 300km ridden the next day, plus another 500-or-so km on commuting before I decided replacement might be a good thing.

While on the pumping up, I have a Zefal HPX. I find that with my weak shoulders (ie, previously damaged), resting the base of the pump against a fence post or other immovable object helps get the leverage going when the pressure gets up. The pump head faces upwards, and the wheel is suspended by the valve. It also helps reduce the back-bending so often involved in fixing punctures.

:beer: Thanks for all your comments.

:o Flat was caused by user error. Bike rim said to inflate to max of 95psi, I didn't notice tire has max of 58psi. 6 marks, whatever that means. I had the tube over inflated, no puncture just leak on inside.

It took me about 35 minutes for first time. But at least I didn't have to worry about the 2 big dogs jumping their 6 foot fence for the intruder outside their yard.

Over 5 minutes were fighting with the pump. Finally I figured out the pump is backwards. Instead of locking in the parallel to the tube position, it locks in the parallel to the connection position. Makes a big difference when you can get the pump to attach to the valve. About 10 minutes were taken trying to see if I could get a better pressure. My pump doesn't have an attached air guage and it was a lot of pump, check pressure, pump, recycle.

About 5 minutes were to find the leak. Finally I went the water bath route and found it.

What I learned:

1. still don't need to carry a pressure guage on the road, but do have feel of how hard to pump tire.

2. need to add to carry alongs:
2.1 plastic to sit on while working
2.2 rag to clean up hands
2.3 disposable plastic gloves
2.4 dog pepper spray
2.5 second tube

Hopefully the snow will clear up soon, and be back on the road again.

under 10 minutes when not injured.

I had a flat yesterday and my minipumped failed and then stuck on the valve. having ripped a valve out of a tube before I was trying to be careful. When the pump popped off, my hand went flying into the cogs. Cut up my finger pretty good.

Still managed to get it changed and on my way again in under 20 minutes. Lucky I was carrying both the mini-pump and a CO2 system. Also lucky that I was pretty close to home at that point, as my minipump is no more and I used my only CO2 cartridge.

Think I will get a road morph pump next to carry on the bike.

oh and at my LBS the 16g cartridges are $3 each. so if I continue to carry a CO2 system I will get one that can take untreaded as well as threaded cartridges