winter flat change secret?
 

So far I've been lucky, (cross fingers) , and I have an internal geared hub WITH a drum brake, it would be a hassle to change the rear.

I asked my mechanic friend if he had any tricks, and he gave me the smartest tip I've ever heard:

- drill a 2nd valve hole in your rear rim
- insert two tubes, only pump up the outside one.
- if you get a flat, just pump up the inside one (or even just carry a CO2 canister with you! 30 second fix) and ride home, then fix things up properly

that sounds good on paper but how well does it work in practice? in particular how do you drill a valve hole for the outside tube?

Wow, would've never occurred to me in a million years. My commuters have 28 & 25mm SMPs, except the one w/Nuteck airless. This merits serious consideration/investigation. One would think the inside tube would have to be be smaller the the outside tube. And maybe a presta/presta valve combo to save on material removal from the rim. I'm going to run this one by my cycling/mechanical genius buddy and see what he thinks. May be a keeper for winter commuting. Thanks for posting it. Either way a Topeak Road Morph w/gauge would be the pump of choice. Got a feeling there's going to be alot of commentary both pro and con. :popcorn

That sounds like a good way to destroy a rim. You might try looking for good flat protected tires and get the sludge filled tubes.

PS - I hate sludge filled tubes.

You buy the special intertubes with the valve stem holes in them.

I also put two chains on (one on each chainring) in case one of them breaks I don't have to stop to fix it.

Why? I wouldn't think that another valve hole 180 degrees away would cause any real trouble. I've drilled mine out for schraeder, and even when I had the original total crap single walled rims drilled for schrader, riding on roads that are so rough that eventually I broke an axle, the cheapo rim never failed. With a good rim I wouldn't think this would really cause any trouble.

As for riding with the extra stuff inside, shouldn't be a problem. Heck, I rode all last winter with my Nokians pushing studs in towards the tube, so I cut the beads off an old tire and used it as a tire liner, riding the whole winter with the extra tire stuffed in there.

I might be leery of drilling an extra hole with really narrow rims, but I'm not a speedster anyway, and I wouldn't ride my route with anything skinnier than 32s.

This is actually a pretty intriguing idea. I'd probably do it but I get less than one flat a year.

I used to drill schreader holes in the 90's.
Just learned something new, maid my day:)

Rear flat on an IGH with a drum brake sounds like an awful roadside repair job anytime of the year. But I think the idea is really clever. Correct installation could be a real challenge considering how many people seem struggle with setting up just one tube properly, but I think it could work really well.

On the other hand, if you are considering buying a set up like this (IGH, drum brake, chain guard) you should do it with the full knowledge that rear flats are going to be a huge pain to fix, and you WILL get a flat rear eventually. I'm thinking that particular feature is not talked about much on the sales floor.

I guess I would use a marker so I don't accidentally pump the
wrong rim hole.:)

"Just carry a wrench" the salesman replied to my rear flat IGH question.
A week later, I had it on the stand for drill, when I realized the
procedure was not that simple.

Hello All

Saw a post on www.Instructables.com, back in 2006 or 2007
about putting two tubes in a wheel. If you want to read about
it goto that website.
Quess the best thing to do is, if you get a flat, I look for a service
station, go in the restroom,and change the tire in there, or just
HTFU and change it outside....:)

You're likely to screw up when you go to drill that hole. I certainly would be.

Besides, what to do if you decide to stop using that extra tube solution?

Just went to this website. click on 'bikes' and it's on page 16. There's also instuctions on how to build a bamboo frame...I thought 'YM a/t KC' Ninja cyclist w/t bamboo frame bike was just an exaggerated character...man, I'm SO 'bike culturally' challenged. :p Anyway, it's a GREAT site...for anything DIY.

that will make riding sorta suck for all the times you don't have a flat

have fun with that

Nashcomguy, you got past the DIY on how to make a net gun?
Man you got some will power!:)

Why? Measure, punch, put it on the drill press, drill a pilot hole, then drill the final hole. clean it up with a chamfering bit and buff with a little sandpaper. I can't imagine how that could get screwed up.

If you decide to stop, install some kind of a plug. I'd think a panhead screw with a couple of washers and a locknut would work. Heck, if you replace the rim tape, just tossing down a thin bit of aluminum strip under the new rim tape should fix it up just fine, it's just like booting a tire, except you're booting the rim.

For that matter, just the rim tape would probably do - the hole for a schrader valve isn't much bigger than the hole in the inner wall that goes down to the nipples, and they are reinforced by nothing more than my rim tape. If you drill for presta, I think the hole might even be SMALLER than the one going to the nipples.

You can get inner tubes which are not circular, just closed sausages of rubber with a valve in the side. You can fit and remove them without removing the wheel.
You should also fit the toughest tyre you can find such as Marathon Plus.

The problem with fitting 2 inner tubes is that whatever made the puncture is probably still embedded in the tyre and will cause a 2nd flat.
I have an Alfine hub gear but it uses disc rather than drum brakes so removing the rear wheel is not so difficult. I figured out how to separate the cable from the cassette arm. The cable has a nut to engage with a slot in the cassette arm. You slacken off the cassette arm using a very small allen key in the appropriate hole (which they tell you about) but then you have to put a little rotation into the nut to slide out of the cassette arm easily.

I don't understand why you have to remove the wheel? I don't see why you can't just pull the tube out of the tire,fix it,put it back on,without removing anything?

Booger1: impossible! go try it... you can't just break the tube and re-fuse it. The chain stays/axle/chain are in the way.

Also I think this mainly works for larger tire sizes with lower psi, and you do have to work your way around the outer tube's valve with the innermost tube. It'll still inflate fine though, nothing sharp in there. Just set it so they're side by side at the valve areas, you can't have the innermost tube pump up and push the other tube's valve up, and then push into the metal of the valve.

he's saying patch it, but even then..:twitchy:

I'll keep carrying a tube in my seat bag...it's a 5 minute change.

Correct,just pull the tube out,patch the tube,look for what caused the flat,put it back in.That's how I fix all of my flats,I don't remove the wheel unless I'm at home or need to do something else.

Mad idea on having 2 tubes inside the rim. :)

When fixing a flat don't rush it or get frustrated. If you start making mistakes you take longer, your hands get colder and it becomes a pain in the a*se. I prefer just to put a new tube or an already patched tube in rather than fart around try to patch it on the road.

Booger1 how the hell do you find the hole and patch it in driving rain or sleet? I picked out a small wire that caused the flat the other day and the hole was tiny and I struggled finding and patching it under a lamp at home let alone in the dark or overcast conditions on the road.

I think that these are out of production for a number of years now. My vague recollection is that they were made by Specialized and had the term 'snake' in their name. I have one somewhere in my collection, though presumably its rubber has lost some of its original elasticity by now. In any case, they were specifically intended for repairs without taking off the wheel and were intended to be pushed in on the side of the original but now flat tube. I have been pondering whether one could make such a 'snake' out of a regular tube.

Oh, I saw it. Believe me, I'm goin' back. :thumb: In fact I may apply for 'alien resident' status, 'cause I'd like to make it my home. :p