Hmm… ya know, I really haven’t given a lot of thought to flat repairs for my commuting. And I should, as I ride on city streets for part of it, and through a swath of homeless camps in another part along side a trail, and who knows what they can drop along the way.

I’m going to keep a few extra tubes and a pair of tire spoons at the office. Wouldn’t take but a few minutes to fix a flat if I had those and found a flat tire when I was ready to leave.

Been looking at the Velo Postino bars for an Electra Ticino I’m restoring. I wouldn’t mind a pair of bullhorn bars for my FX3, but everything I’m finding is pretty narrow, aimed at the fixie crowd, and pretty tight for space for brake levers, shifter, and my large hands.

If you want a truly flat-resistant wheel, look into solid rubber tires. Ride like a tank, but they can't flat.

Snarking aside, carry a spare tube, patch kit, and pump. Replace the tube on the first flat, and you'll have the patch kit if you get another flat. After you accumulate a half-dozen leaky tubes, have a patching day.

And take the flats you've already had as an indication you may want to watch the road a bit more carefully to avoid the trash that'll puncture your tire and tube.

I want to learn how to repair a flat, but especially for the rear tire it looks involved and something that I might not be able to do. How involved is changed a rear flat?

Also (and perhaps dumb question), if a nail goes through the tire, the tire should still be ok? Just the tube would either need to be patched and/or replaced?

Rear flat is just like a front flat, with one added complication -- getting the derailer out of the way and the chain off the cassette. (And the reverse when re-assembling.)

Small nail, no biggy. It's worth carrying a tire boot or a piece of Tyvek in case you run over a 3/8" self-tapping screw, or run a 16d nail through a sidewall.

Park Tool has a bunch of how-to articles (many with videos) on their website. Here are the ones describing tire/tube replacement and repairs.

https://www.parktool.com/en-us/blog/...&area%5B%5D=60

With most bikes, it's not that difficult. Easily done with a couple of tools.


It'll depend where that nail went in. As with car tires, damage (holes) at some spots can impact the tire's structural integrity.

On my own bike, a smaller nail or screw through the "bottom" of the tire will require tube repair or replacement. But it's been a long time since I bothered attempting to repair a tire. Most holes are so puny that it won't matter (except for having punctured the tube). Anything larger, and I just replace the tire.

Car tire shops have a repair method on the inside of the tire surface. DiscountTire (America's Tire), for example, uses a good-sized patch and a "glue" that essentially slightly welds together the patch and tire. I haven't looked, but I would be surprised if there aren't similar products for bike tires. Or perhaps a car tire shop would be willing to sell a half dozen of them to a bike owner.

Rear wheels are a PITA and where you'll get 99% of your flats (after all, that's where most of the weight is). I got tired of a string of flats, so I put a tire liner in my rear wheel. I carry a pair of nitrile gloves and a bandana (bandanas are mini towels and, as we all know, towels are the most massively useful things in the universe) because the process is unbelievably messy.

I'd practice taking wheels off and on, starting with flipping your bike; you may have a stand at home but not on the side of the road. After shifting into the smallest ring in the back and the biggest in the front, move or remove anything on the handlebars that could get mashed, bend over the bike and grab the seat stay and a fork blade, and flip it upside down. It does get easier with practice. Put something between your saddle and the ground to prevent scuffs, like your bandana. See? Already useful. I'm very lucky, in that my Maxxis DTH tires are supple enough that I can get them off and on with my hands.

This is only my opinion, but keep the HardRock. It's simple enough that you can learn to do pretty much any repair (and cheaper if you have a mechanic do it), and if you take care of it it will never fail you. You can mix and match parts, too, unlike modern bikes where everything is proprietary.

You might check out the Left Bank Bar; it's similar to one of the popular Nitto bars. Or maybe the Granola Bar.

Thanks but on the Ticino looking for something flat without too much pull-back. Going for a sporty vibe with it. For the FX3, if I were to replace the bars rather than get adapters for the Isozone dealios and bar ends, I’d want a bullhorn bar with forward-pointing ends. The widest I’ve found are around 450mm with a long taper down from the 31.8mm center that doesn’t leave much room for brakes, shifters and hands before they curve forward.

As far as debris on the road, it’s interesting that while lots of roads around me are frequently traveled by contractors and handymen who have screws and nails bouncing off their trucks, the specific streets on my commute are not and are relatively free of them. More likely a flat would come from a pothole or something someone dropped on the walk/bike trail portion of my route.

Tubes are cheap. I’d rather replace one and inspect the inside of the tire for something sharp than patch unless I was on the side of the road and stuck.

Understood. As for fixing flats, absolutely; swap tubes and repair at home.

Hi. I'm new here and I have recently acquired a Fuji Crosstown (serial number CF3E05067)
Can anyone tell me where I can learn what year this is? And how this bike is regarded?
Thanks! Sorry if this is the wrong place to post but I could find an appropriate thread for this question.
Marc Bossiere

You should take your time in making such life decisions and build a bond with your bike .My bike is my best friend!!!!

Look through the years until you find a match.
https://www.bicyclebluebook.com/valu...uji/Crosstown/

[QUOTE=curbtender;23328776]Look through the years until you find a match.


Thanks again for all of your replies.

Both of my flats were caused by nails. The first one was with a "regular" tire and the one a day later was with a more puncture resistant tire ($60 ish). I can see the screw in the tire. Are Maxxis tires pretty sturdy?

So, as I mentioned, I'm at a crossroads. Put may $500 into my Hard Rock or buy new/used new. If new/ used new, I am sort of interested in these fat tire/mountain bikes. Would those be tough ride up hills as compared to my Hard Rock?


Best regards,

Steph

As much as it pains me to say it, you need not dump $500 into your Hard Rock all at once. There probably isn't anything fundamentally wrong with it that steady incremental replacement with quality components wouldn't address at an as needed basis.

You will need basically everything eventually. Why not get your monies worth and learn some new skills while you are at it? The $500 you mention is probably to have a shop do the work. Just about every task on a bike can be done at home with very few tools and any special tools needed tend to be fairly in expensive.

You can re-cable a bike with housing for under $30-40. Brake pads will set you back -$25. A bottom bracket is ~$25 & the tool to do the job is around $12. Axle sets with cones and balls are ~$20 or so. The cone wrenches and axle vice to make the job easy are about the same...Boom! A new bike!

If it were me & I simply had to invent a reason to spend money on a commuter, it's be on a tubeless capable wheel set. Pull out the nail, shove in a DynaPlug if it didn't seal automatically and carry on as if nothing happened. I'd tell myself that all the times I avoided being late to work pencils out.

If you can make pancakes or bake bread, you can build a wheel. It is little more than following instructions. Once you have it laced, take it to a shop for a tune & true if you are unsure if your abilities.

Bike shops entire service model is to do what customers believe they can't or have no interest in learning. Customers are willing to pay dearly to remain ignorant. Learn a thing or two and there is simply no reason to justify a $500 spend on a Hard Rock...or any bike service for that matter.

There’s no tire that can resist nails; as base2 said, you can go tubeless if you expect to ride over nails a lot. Maxxis tires are not extra puncture resistant, but they’re light and supple, meaning squishy, and squishy tires (theoretically) deform around things rather than impaling themselves.

You’ll have to decide whether to keep the bike. Is there a reason you’re having so much difficulty? If you like the bike, keep it. I agree with pretty much everything base2 said.

FYI, fat bikes are heavy, meant for riding in sand and snow.

[QUOTE=steph746;23328829]

If there's a problem with shifting the Hardrock it would probably succumb to some troubleshooting without having to buy anything.

Mountain bike tires certainly look aggro but there's nothing special about their casings. They are available in tough or light, just like any bike tires. Ironically for this subforum, the toughest are downhill bike tires, which have enormous very soft treads, wildly inappropriate for the street.

Tubeless - I like it and use it. But I'd have a hard time recommending it to anyone who isn't fully committed. To do it right you need the specific tires AND rims. There used to be conversion kits for 26" non-tubeless MTB rims before tubeless became the default, but there are no longer. It's possible to do with enough tape or a sacrificial tube (this was called "ghetto tubeless" if you want a search term) but it's never going to be like the engineered fit you buy on a new bike today. And it's not a panacea, either. I've mostly found it moves maintenance home rather than preventing it. I've had one bad experience where I tried to patch a hole that probably didn't need it and driving in the plug just made the hole much larger.

Thank you for your reply. I do agree with you and I would definitely like to learn basic (perhaps intermediate) bike maintenance so I can be more self-sufficient. It seems to come down to time. I don't know if I have the time to invest and learn how to do it. I use YouTube to try to learn specific things, but I can't see myself using YouTube to learn how to change a rear flat or change the shifters.

I suppose that's why I go to the bike shop. It pains me every time and I feel guilty (like I should know how to do it), but I still go. I suppose it's the same as taking your car to a mechanic. I'm sure learning to do it yourself is much cheaper, but you have to invest the time.

Funny that you say that. I worked in bike shops for a few years, so I can do pretty much everything. I even have a lot of pro-grade tools. I feel guilty for NOT using my local shops much. The owner of one of them likes me so much (for some reason) that he won't even charge for small jobs. I try to pay, but he refuses to accept. So I buy inner tubes and cables from him. I get my parts at swap meets and such, so I barely need to buy anything retail.

base2's advice is excellent.

Shifter tweaks often involve the cabling. And cabling re-do requires the correct tools. It's not hard, but yes it does take time. The fiddling with the tuning of derailleur function often involves the cabling (adjusting tension, re-do of the cable and housing), sometimes the screws on the derailleurs. It can be frustrating, the first few hours of the first couple of times you do these. But if you go slowly, think about what each adjustment's accomplishing, and note the difference, fairly quickly it becomes second-nature.

Replacing a rear tube and/or tire is fairly simple. Yes, it can be quickly learned through watching a handful of how-to vids on Youtube or the Park Tool website. Again, once done a couple of times, it's easily understood.

Eventually, the teeth on the drivetrain wear to the point of needing refreshing. In my experience, more often a chain, but somewhat less often the chainrings and the cassette. It's easy enough to bring in the rear wheel to a shop in order to have them swap a cassette, but the chainrings and chain are easily accomplished. Again, there are how-to vids on these.

The suggestion to go at one job at a time is a good one, if you're leaning toward learning how to do these tasks yourself. The beauty is, going through them it's certain your knowledge of your own bike is enhanced, as is your ability to know what's wrong if a mishap occurs while on a ride. Something as basic as a tube change, while on a ride, is easily done if you have a couple of standard tools and spare tube with you. It's good to get to the point of knowing which basic tools to carry, which spares, and which simple tasks you're able to perform to get you home.

Did my first bike build at age ten. Wasn't much, but I handled the frame restoration, painting, hub maintenance, head maintenance, chain swap. (Didn't bother with the bottom bracket, but I'd have had a shop do the BB and crank if needed.) Wasn't a derailleur bike, so that was simpler. Only the chain tool was a specialty tool; the rest were basic garage/shop tools. A contemporary derailleur bike's got a few more adjustments to it, plus the cabling. Doing the cassette requires a couple of specialty tools for the task. As does the cabling/housing. But, again, with a bit of time and eventually acquiring the tools, it's neither costly nor difficult to pick up the know-how for each job.

Isn't for everyone, but many tasks are fairly easily done. If shop maintenance is your preference, that'll work too.

as a side note, yes you can use youtube to learn how to change a tube... I remember there was one where lance armstrong was showing the procedure. which is even more interesting is that during the leadville 100 toward the end of the race, he had a flat and decided it would take too much time to fix so he continued on it.

So, I got three flats in the past month or so. All on the rear tire. I don’t see any construction so I don’t think changing my route will do much. Just bad luck?

so, I am still looking for a new bike. I’m going thinking of Surly because they are built well. But I’m open to other brands.

i think basically I need thicker tires or something like that. Maybe mountain bike tires? Would that be practical for just using the bike to commute to work mainly? About 12 miles a day. My coworker has a pretty large mountain bike and he seems to go pretty quick on it. However, just wondering in general if larger mountain bike tires are the answer? Would they just get flats as easily as other thinner tires?

Flats on a commuter really suck. Where are the holes? Same place, sidewall or towards the rim?

mostly same place in the middle of the tire.

If you mean knobby tires, I recommend against that. They will make pedaling more of an effort, and they don't offer puncture protection. There are tires designed to prevent punctures, and they succeed to varying degrees but no tire that guarantees a puncture-free ride is worth riding, so you have to balance those criteria.

Most flats occur on the rear, so you may not need to get a puncture-resistant tire in the front. And when you get a flat in the front, it's easier to fix than one in the rear.

Surly bikes are well built. There are lots of brands to consider. Surly is a good one, though dollar for dollar, they are heavier than most. That's not a terrible thing, but it is one small drawback.

Three in a month! Yuck. Is it possible the tire is getting worn? That's a lot of screws and nails; if you keep riding that route, maybe you'll eventually pick them all up, and problem solved! :p Two options; tire liners, like these Rhinodillos I put in my rear wheel when I started to get flats (they come in different widths, so pick the right one for you), or Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires, specifically made to be puncture resistant; you really only need one. And yes, tubeless is a good option if you insist on picking up hardware every time you ride, but it might require different wheels; it's certainly worth looking into.

Surlys are good bikes, but a different bike won't solve your flat problem. If you really just want a new bike, then go for it! The Bridge Club and the Ogre look pretty great, though I wish they still offered 26" wheels for the small sizes. You might also look at Priority Bicycles, and the Trek FX series. Anything you can take a test ride on, do it, for as long a ride as they'll let you. If you don't need it to be new, just new to you, give us your city and state, and we'll be happy to bike shop for you; sort through all the pretty junk and find the real gems.

EDIT: Your next post will be #10 and you can post pics! A lot of us would love to see your bike.

May have a small wire or thorn poking through. Mark your tire at the air valve when you get a flat and pair up your tube/puncture. I use a good pair of magnifying glasses to look for buried crud.

It actually was a small wire. I had the bike shop check it and I got a new tube. I do have Schwalbe tires on currently. The shop said they were more durable than the other tires I had, but still got a flat. They recommended Continental (forgot the model) if it continues.

Thank you Karina for your reply and offer. I'm open to brands, but have been looking at the Surly Straggler and Cross Check (used). I'd like something a bit more upright.

I commute about 12 miles/day mainly and could possibly get into some more weekend riding, but currently it's just the commuting.

I'm sorry about your flats, but realize that's nothing to do with the age of your bike. Might be the tire... There are two kinds of tire that are flat resistant and you could categorize them as "thick armor" and "hard armor".

Not only are there just road hazards, but we all can tell you stories of mistakes, like pinch flats from riding pressure too low, not finding the thorn or wire and popping it again, putting in a tube too skinny for the tire that has to herniate to fit and then is a time bomb for any disturbance, rim strip going wrinkled and having the spoke ends puncture it from the back side, just to name a few!

But if you want to get a new bike to keep up your enthusiasm you will find few here to dissuade you!

I do understand that flats would happen regardless of the bike. So, I do realize that I probably will get a flat on a new/newer bike. If I do get a new/newer bike, I'd go with whatever tires it comes with and then look to upgrade to a more puncture-resistant tire after that flat happens.

So, I would say the bike upgrade is not related to the flats. I am currently riding an early 90s Specialized Hard Rock.