LandKurt

I got my first flat on my bike today. One step closer to being a real cyclist. I think I still need to get rained on, swallow a bug, and probably a few other things. I've had my bike for just less than a month, but I put about 350 miles on it before I got the flat, so I can't complain. I bought a Jamis Commuter 3, which seems sturdy enough for my 250 lb self. I'm not going for speed, so the upright posture and simple to shift internal gear 8 speed suits me fine.

I took some time off work this morning and joined up for a second ride with a local cycling club, the Potomac Pedalers. This was a leisurely CC class 35 mile ride down some local back roads. I was doing well and keeping up with the group until just before we hit our first rest stop at about 12 miles in. I felt the road we had turned on to was oddly rough given it's appearance and then I saw my rear tire was almost completely flat. I stopped as soon as I realized what was going on. I had a spare tube and patch kit with me, it was time to find out if I knew enough about using them.

As with anything the first time is a real learning experience. I learned that while I had a spare tube, I didn't have the proper tools to remove my rear wheel. Nor did I have the knowledge of how to deal with the internally geared Shimano Nexus rear hub which complicated matters. The experienced riders I was with hadn't dealt with one before, so they were unable to help. The spare tube would be no help without being able to remove the wheel. Patching was my only hope.

Luckily I was able to find the piece of glass stuck in my rear tire. Knowing where the problem was, I was able to partially remove the tire and patch the tube without removing the wheel. I was also lucky this happened just short of a rest stop where the riding group was pausing and then doubling back. I was able to patch the tube, replace the tire, pump it up with my frame pump and rejoin the group as they left the stop. It was a nice group and one of the guys stuck back with me to monitor my progress and whether the patch was holding.

Unfortunately I still had a slow leak which needed pumping up every mile or two. I took a short cut and caught up with the main group at the second rest stop. I was already worn out and knew I couldn't keep up with the group if I had to stop regularly and refill my tire. I told them to go ahead with the rest of the ride without me. I contemplated riding back to my car in stages between pumping up the tire, but wasn't thrilled at doing six miles of that. Luckily I was able to get hold of my lovely wife, who was off work early. She was able to come and pick me up and haul me and my bike back to where I'd left my car at the start of the ride.

Then I went straight to the bike shop and had them show me how to remove the rear wheel and deal with the shifting mechanism of the rear hub. It's more difficult then a derailleur system but not as bad as I was afraid it would be. I think I can deal with it on my own now. We found there was another small hole in the tube an inch away from my patch. So my patch held, I just didn't find all the damage.

I ended up doing 19.5 miles of the ride before quiting due to my leaking rear tube. I feel badly because I wasn't prepared to deal with my own equipment. I should have learned how to remove the rear wheel much sooner, I guess I was hoping it wouldn't come up. I'll have to try another ride with these guys and get it completed. I'd also like to assure them my bike isn't unrepairable in the field. One guy was telling me to get rid of it because it was unsuitable for riding if you needed to take it into the shop for a flat. He has a point, but the repair problem was my lack of knowledge, not the bike's fault.

B Piddy

My buddy just bought an internally geared bike and I got thinking about that exact same problem today...

When he bought the bike he was really hyped up on the idea of low-maintenance on the rear end, but I figured changing a flat might be an issue. Interesting post.

LandKurt

I had another flat on my bike today, just three days and 63 miles after my first. This time I was able to fix it myself using only the tools I was carrying. I removed the rear wheel and replaced the tube and got everything back together correctly. I was unable to find the cause of the damage and needed a bucket of water to find the small pinhole leak in the tube. It was probably slow enough that I could have pumped it up and done my ride anyway. It's annoying this happened so soon after the last flat, but it meant my wheel removal lesson was still fresh in my mind.

bigwies

Sounds like you are making great progress with your repair skills. Fixing a flat is a right of passage.

A good habit to get into when fixing a flat is to check the inside of your tire for glass, metal, thorns or whatever caused the flat. It will save from fixing the same problem more than once and keep your flat count as low as possible. Also, what type of tires do you use? Maybe you should consider something with a kevlar belt. In the Commuter forum a lot of folks ride Gatorskins and Aramadillos. I ride Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase tires and haven't had to fix a flat on them yet (I know, now I am doomed to fixing one soon).

LandKurt

These are the stock tires that came with my Jamis when I bought it a month ago. "Kenda Kwest street tires, 700 x 32c, with K-Shield puncture protection and 3M reflective safety stripe." I'm resisting the urge to replace tires with only 430 miles on them, I've spent enough on accessories already. Must not freak out over my first couple flats. But it sure would be nice to move up to something like Gatorskins.

I did my best to locate the source of today's flat. I checked the inside and outside of the tire, extra carefully where the tube pinhole leak should have lined up. I felt around inside, but couldn't find anything.

10 Wheels

I have had Flats like yours. Seems to be Glass.

lil brown bat

I wouldn't make that step until you know what the source of the flat was (it could be a little piece of wire, or it could just be "cheap crappy factory tube", or "bad installation", or any number of other things besides a puncture). Was the pinhole definitely on the outside? What's it like where you ride? I have yet to get a puncture on my commute, but I'm pretty careful not to ride through debris -- not always possible, but I think it's probably saved me a flat or six.

10 Wheels

I ride with a group. We have Flats. The record is One Rider, 6 Flats, One Day.
We carry Three spare tubes, One spare tire.
Happy riding.

Richard_Rides

I once had 5 flats in one week. Bad rim tape was the problem.

LandKurt

Just had a third flat this morning in the middle of my commute into work. It took me about a half an hour to pull the rear wheel and swap tubes in the damp and drizzle. I found the puncture in both the tire and tube this time, but no offending sharp object, though I checked fairly carefully. Each of these flats has been different so I don't think it's a systemic problem, just a bit of bad luck.

I guess that first four weeks on my new bike without a flat was the honeymoon period. The honeymoon is definitely over.

bautieri

It would look that way. I went over a thousand miles without a flat then had three in a span of two hours. It happens, hopfully this will be your last one for awhile.

Now go swallow a bug in the rain so you can make progress on the list

CliftonGK1

While you're reluctant to replace tires with under 500 miles on them, if you're getting this many flats it might be time to move up to a tire with better flat resistance.
Conti UG's are nice, but they don't come in anything bigger than a 700 x 28. If you're wanting to stick with the 32mm size you've got now, then the Ultra Gatorskins aren't it. The Schwalbe Marathon Plus is (IMO) the king of flat protection. They're heavy, but worth the rotating weight. I went over 3000 flat free miles on a pair of 26 x 1.75 Marathon+ tires.

If you're willing to go to a 28mm tire, I've got 2850 miles on my Gatorskins with only a single flat on the rear tire (at 2650 miles) and we're the same size, so the tire should wear similarly for you.