Originally Posted by
Hoopdriver
$24 to repair a flat? Sounds like robbery to me. Not knowing much more than you describe, I'd say that the shop either installed the tire in a way that the tube was pinched between bead and rim OR that they did not verify that the tire bead was seated properly as they inflated it. Both situations could cause what you describe, but the latter is more dramatic when it blows. Some tires seat well, others take a lot of coaxing to seat properly.
Also, buy 3 tire levers. Always good to have an extra.
Not really! Considering it is such an easy task that people can do on their own. It is a good fee because it will hopefully encourage people to learn how to do it themselves which is an important skill and something you need to know because your flat might not happen near a shop or you might not have a shop open to deal with the flat when you get one.
Buy one tire lever, the Crank Bros Speedier Lever and be done with it. Don't fiddle around with cheap levers that you need three of. I have had the same tire lever for many years and it is the lever I used in the shop and at home and out on the road. I think in 3 years our old shop went through 3 Speedier levers and that was with probably at least 5000 flat fixes a year and one replacement was due to someone loosing it (possibly dropped in the trash or lost underneath a counter).