FujiKid

Hey Guys,

In a bit of a dilemma.. but as I was pulling into school this morning after my 20 mile commute on my road bike.. I slipped while turning because I leaned too much I guess..

Anyways, I busted the tube in the front tire of my fuji and now need to bike back to my house in under 30 minutes (4-5 miles up the road) to make a doctors appointment and I HAVE to ride.. can't call anyone unfortunately..

I know its probably horrible but I have to ride on the bare wheel... is there anything I can do to make the ride easier? Less painfull when going over bumps/potholes ect..?

Thanks guys

foresthill

you will definitely destroy your tire, and possibly your rim. You'll definitely wreck the rim if you take the tire off and ride on the bare rim. You're also highly likely to have another spill around a corner either way, tho much more likely if it's really the bare rim.

you don't carry a spare tube / patch kit?

4 - 5 miles? Leave the bike and run.

LowCel 

It would be cheaper to get a taxi or take a bus. Your rim will be shot and could very well cause you to crash doing even more damage.

FujiKid

Unfortunately not, I'm going to get one today when I go to performance and get my tube replaced.

But, I guess I'll just be extra careful when riding home today. It's mostly just a big hill anyways. :/

wrr1020

I don't know of any way to make your situation better, depending on the type of rim your probably gonna damage it. It'll be out of true if not completely damaged. Definitely carry a tube and c02/pump in the future.

Homebrew01

Probably faster and safer to run.

caloso

If you ride home, you'll probably have to buy a new wheel too at Performance. Seriously.

STP

Dont' ride! That's just crazy! Mooch a ride from someone, for crying out loud.

seejohnbike

wheelie all the way home. problem solved.

but yeah, you're going to trash your 'ish far worse by riding on a flat tire for any considerable amount of time, and you also risk wrecking on any kind of turns. don't ride on it. run, call a cab, take a bus, hitch a ride.

or, consider calling the doc and let him know you'll be running late, or ask to re-schedule.

sounds like you're making this a bigger problem than it should be.

M_FactorX19

agree! why not just walk? what could matter so much that you are home in 30min? why would you commute and not have a spare tube and co2 or pump? at least a patch kit. live and learn i guess but unless you have money to burn then why trash you wheel?

Homebrew01

How many of us had patch kits on our bikes when we were kids ?

sbxx1985 

Never really thought of this. I always had a patch kit, and it was always at home. I don't remember ever fixing a flat on the road when I was a kid.

caloso

True.

In my case it took the experience of a very long walk to teach me the importance of a kit.

LowCel 

When riding bmx bikes, never. When I upgraded to a mountain bike I always had a seat bag with a tube, patch kit, and a frame pump. I lived in the country so pay phones weren't really an option if something went wrong. Cell phones were only for the rich and probably wouldn't get a signal within 20 miles of my house.

CbadRider

Can you use a piece of duct tape or masking tape to patch the tube enough to get you to the appointment?

Homebrew01

I did that once after using all my tubes, with a piece of plastic I found on the side of the road. Wrapped it around the hole 4-5 times. Held air for a week.
But you need a pump too.

mmmdonuts

Probably a done deal by now but thumb a ride or borrow a wheel from someone.

the_don

BF gold

runningDoc

mr. wizard taught me that you can expire air at a more powerful rate/pressure than suck it in.



i'm betting you could get like 50psi in with your lips and lungs alone.

much harder to do with a schrader valve, but doable with a presta

fishymamba

I carry a patch kit and a tube.

scirocco

If you had started walking instead of posting on the net and waiting for answers you would be there by now.

FujiKid

Just thought I'd update everyone for the hell of it, but I ended up just biking up the road on it and managed to get home successfully.

Lesson learned though, so I made sure I bought and extra tube, tire levers, and a mini pump and stuffed em in my saddlebag after stopping by performance today.




Just decided to respond to THIS post, but did you even read what I wrote?
I have school, so I can't just ditch class and decide to start taking a stroll up the road. haha.

fishymamba

How is the rim?

FujiKid

Suprisingly, everything is perfectly fine.. Checked it out when I was changing my tube and everything was A-Ok.

Pain

One trick I heard about to get you home if you ever get caught in a situation like this is to stuff your tire with pine needles, grass, or leaves. Never tried it myself, but I think it could be just enough padding to save your rim.