So I had my first ever tyre puncture on my commuter folding bike yesterday.

It happened whilst I was doing a turn in a construction zone. I heard a "psshht", "psshht", "pshhht" sound, and immediately pulled over to see my rear tyre deflating. Looking rather sad and pathetic if I may add. :-/

I train-ed it back home and took the bike over to an LBS for repair.

The chap removed the tyre and showed me the puncture - a clean hole. I asked him if it can be patched up but he said I have to replace the tube (perhaps more profitable). So I did the tube replacement. Cost me $6.

Then on reinflating the tyre it began to bulge out at one location. So we deflated and took a look again. The tyre internal fabric was coming apart. I think it must have happened at the time of the puncture. Whatever penetrated the tube also caused damage to the tyre.

So I had to do a tyre replacement. The repairman had only one type for my 20" size. It was not so smooth as my original Kenda Kwest. Nor did it have the safety reflective strip. So $10 for too much tread for my purpose. I had no choice really - I need the bike to get to work. Total cost for everything was $16. Singapore dollars i.e., works out to around 20USD.

So I now have my old tyre and tube at home. I think I will purchase a patch up kit and fix the old tube up. Maybe use it as a ready replacement for future flats.

I also think I will purchase a new pair of 20 x 1.5 reflective tyres - my front tyre may also need replacement soon. I'm looking for something smooth with reflective paint on it. The reflective paint was very useful I think. Essentially road commuter tyres. What is recommended?

Will post photos of the damaged tyre when I get home in case anyone is interested.

That is a really inexpensive replacement tire!

I don't have experience with tires that size, but I have used a couple of different tires and tubes now. Qualities that I value in tires, in order of importance:

1. puncture protection (Kevlar works really well for this)
2. reflective sidewall strip
3. low rolling resistance (subjective to some extent, related to higher max tire pressure)

Good luck shopping. Sounds like your puncture experience was construction-related, and hopefully a rare experience.

@ Bluish Green,

Many thanks for your comments. It may be that the same Kenda Kwest tyres that I've been using till now are the way to go for a replacement.

Unfortunately there is always some construction or other going on in Singapore. Courtesy of the government's need to continually upgrade infrastructure for the "greater good". Not something I agree that any public moneys should be spent on. But we best not venture into such dicey areas.

I run Kend Kwest 100 psi tires on my commuters and have had good luck with them. They are built good for a cheap tire. The 100 psi tire has good puncture protection but the lower psi Kend Kwest are not and do not hold up well to commuting duty.

This does indeed look interesting. However do they have a reflective strip wall?

I agree the replacement doesn't sound expensive at all. If it's not a gaping hole in the inner tube, go ahead and patch it and keep it as a spare for later use.

I believe Schwalbe make several Marathon variants in the 20 inch size. If you are particularly interested in puncture protection the Marathon Plus is second to none. It's also a heavy and expensive tyre, but very durable. Many of the Marathon models have the reflective strip too. Lah!

www.schwalbe.de

--J

First, learn to fix your own flats on the road, and carry a spare tube and tool kit. (damage to tires is much more rare, but it happens). Some cyclists are coming to a paradigm that it is better to replace the tube than to patch. In the case of the bike shop owner, he is in business to make money, and he would have to charge more to patch the tube, than to just replace it. Time is money.

Quite interesting. I also read that the Kojak is an interesting model. I wonder if it has sidewall reflectors.

Time is money true enough. Perhaps I got a good deal after all.

I'll be purchasing a patch up kit to learn the art.

It's not necessary for me to do it on the road though. More likely I'll fold my bike and make use of the public transport to get home to do repairs. Fortunately the public transport here is convenient enough that I can make use of it in emergencies.

Some images herein.

Damage Tyre pics.
External view:
a imageshack.us link

Internal view:
a imageshack.us link

Damaged tube pic:
a imageshack.us link

New Chinese generic no-brand tyre ($10) side by side with my old Kenda Kwest with reflective sidewalls. Working out which is which should be easy enough.

a imageshack.us link
a imageshack.us link

If I've patched a tube 10 times I feel I've gotten my money's worth from it and its time for a new tube.

The Kenda Kwest's worked well enough, but I always found them difficult to mount straight the first time so that they sat on the rim properly. After they were broken in, then they were okay in temps up to about 107 F. Above 107 F, I had to life the bike off the road when I stopped to keep the rubber from getting too hot and softening and the tube blowing out of the sidewalls.

I patch tubes and use them until I get a puncture that is on a seam or another place where a patch frequently doesn't hold and then toss it. Yes, it does cost more for the store to patch than replace, so no surprise they just replaced it.

When looking to buy tires I always go to BikeTiresDirect.com. Not always the cheapest, but they are a virtual catalog of what's available.

+1

Thanks very much for the advice regarding patches.

Btw I've been considering the Schwalbe Kojak tyres. Does anyone have any experience with these?