Lesson from Saturday's charity ride: Check your spare kit.
06-07-10, 12:38 PM
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Lesson from Saturday's charity ride: Check your spare kit.
I had my first flat on the road bike in almost 4 years and many thousands of miles of riding. 40 mile charity ride supporting the local Humane Society.
Tire off and check for foreign material, check;
spare tube in, check;
tire on, with care not to pinch tube, check;
check that no part of the tube is pinched with the bead, check;
inflate to ~50 psi to check seating, no check :-(
Turns out a split developed in the tube while being inflated, I guess. It occurred in the section I hand mounted. Further checking showed it in pretty bad shape.
No sweat, find the hole in tube 1, patch it, and head out. Oops, glue had dried.
Neither the tube nor the glue had been touched since purchase in 2006. Both had been in my jersey pocket as well as a seat pack.
I do keep the tube in a baggie but it had separated at the seal unknown to me.
Lesson learned, check and replace these things - cheap insurance
Fortunately another rider gave me a tube.
Still, a very nice day, met nice folks, had a great time.
Tire off and check for foreign material, check;
spare tube in, check;
tire on, with care not to pinch tube, check;
check that no part of the tube is pinched with the bead, check;
inflate to ~50 psi to check seating, no check :-(
Turns out a split developed in the tube while being inflated, I guess. It occurred in the section I hand mounted. Further checking showed it in pretty bad shape.
No sweat, find the hole in tube 1, patch it, and head out. Oops, glue had dried.
Neither the tube nor the glue had been touched since purchase in 2006. Both had been in my jersey pocket as well as a seat pack.
I do keep the tube in a baggie but it had separated at the seal unknown to me.
Lesson learned, check and replace these things - cheap insurance
Fortunately another rider gave me a tube.
Still, a very nice day, met nice folks, had a great time.
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Last edited by billallbritten; 06-07-10 at 12:41 PM.
06-07-10, 12:49 PM
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Point noted. I've seen many people with little tubes of dried up glue trying to fix flats.
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06-07-10, 12:50 PM
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had the same problem about a year ago. i now use the park tools glueless patches on the road. in my experience they work excellent.
06-07-10, 01:23 PM
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06-07-10, 01:28 PM
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Take out 2nd spare tube - check
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06-07-10, 01:34 PM
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I carry glueless patches, then repatch them with glue patches at home.
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06-07-10, 01:48 PM
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i have a tube in my SOUL wheels (which require 60mm valve stem tubes) that has been patched with a glueless patch for well over 2k miles now, no troubles. i really like those park ones, they seem to hold very well.
06-07-10, 02:24 PM
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Evaporated glue sucks ass.
Especially cuz the tube looks friggin' full until you squeeze that bad boy and then you realize:
your ride is over dude, call the wagon.
Especially cuz the tube looks friggin' full until you squeeze that bad boy and then you realize:
your ride is over dude, call the wagon.
06-07-10, 02:49 PM
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I did too (Park brand as well), until the wheel sat in my car on a warm day. Then it got goopy and slid off the hole. Lesson learned.
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06-07-10, 03:50 PM
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I started writing the purchase date on my patch kits using a Sharpie after this happened to me. Now I just need to figure out the rotation date.
Anyone have any idea how long an unopened tube of glue should last? Worst case, I'll just toss 'em in the trash after a year...
Anyone have any idea how long an unopened tube of glue should last? Worst case, I'll just toss 'em in the trash after a year...
06-07-10, 03:51 PM
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I started writing the purchase date on my patch kits using a Sharpie after this happened to me. Now I just need to figure out the rotation date.
Anyone have any idea how long an unopened tube of glue should last? Worst case, I'll just toss 'em in the trash after a year...
Anyone have any idea how long an unopened tube of glue should last? Worst case, I'll just toss 'em in the trash after a year...
06-07-10, 11:16 PM
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The thing about the glue in your patch kit - squeeze the tube a bit so the glue comes up to the top and pushes out the air, then screw the top on tight. Glue in my kit is like 3 years old maybe and you wouldn't know it if you saw it.
06-07-10, 11:35 PM
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I started writing the purchase date on my patch kits using a Sharpie after this happened to me. Now I just need to figure out the rotation date.
Anyone have any idea how long an unopened tube of glue should last? Worst case, I'll just toss 'em in the trash after a year...
Anyone have any idea how long an unopened tube of glue should last? Worst case, I'll just toss 'em in the trash after a year...
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06-08-10, 05:38 AM
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It's not that hard to do. I check my tire pressure before every ride, inspect my tires regularly, and watch where I go.
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06-08-10, 05:58 AM
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If you don't ride in urban areas or on roads with shoulders you don't get many flats. I have gone over 10,000 miles without a flat riding in rural South Carolina.
06-08-10, 06:24 AM
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Most of my riding is in Northern VA, D.C., and Montgomery County. All urban areas. I guess I've been lucky!
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06-08-10, 08:05 AM
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My experience is that if you inflate that tube with co2 the cold gas will cause the glueless patch to fail.
06-08-10, 08:55 AM
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Well, my area is about as urban as you can get, I suppose. I have to ride quite a ways to find anything approaching rural. The constant construction around here doesn't help much, either.
06-08-10, 11:21 AM
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Did the Marietta River Rendezvous this weekend mostly in the pouring rain. Reportedly over 100 flat tires the first day! Rain + junk washed onto the roads = flats.
Some of this is self inflicted. Guy pulls the bike out of the garage after setting for years and goes on a charity ride. Bound to have flats.
Some of this is self inflicted. Guy pulls the bike out of the garage after setting for years and goes on a charity ride. Bound to have flats.
