First flat fixed something seems off.
 

Ok so I've had my first flat after 3 years of cycling. It was a pinch flat with all the air going out of the tire after 3 seconds. I pulled over on the side of the road and proceeded to fix it which took 20 minutes as this was my first time fixing a flat tire. Someone please see if i did it correctly as the bike is not riding the same as before.

Turned bike upsidedown and removed the rear wheel
Took off the tire and tube from the wheel
Put on a brand new tube bontager 700x 18-23, Presta 43/46 then put the tire back on
Inflated the tube which took a while to straighen out the tire and then placed the wheel on the frame.
After riding for 5 minutes at an easy 15mph pace something seemed off.

The shifting felt fine but something with the rear wheel felt off. My tire would skid noticeably when cornering and when accelerating the transfer of power was not smooth. I feel like the bike would "jump" when I applied pressure to the pedals. Did I miss a step? It was night around 9:00pm so everything was dark but I think I followed all the steps. Having never fixed a tire before I just don't know. Did I overinflate the tire I could check because my frame pump doesn't have psi reading?

I think I might have overinflated the tire. I might have not put glue on the wheel before putting on the tire. I don't even know if this last one is a step.

Reinstall the tire and wheel in the morning when you can see what your doing.

Agreed, could be anything from the wheel not being seated correctly, to the tire being somehow out of whack.

You may not have inflated the tire enough, which can cause a "sloppy" feeling in the rear of the bike. Also verify that the bead of the tire is under the lip of the rim on both sides all the way around. You don't use glue on "clincher" tires. Another thought is that maybe the skewer isn't tight. Verify that it is well seated into the slots in the frame and that it is tight.

For more on tires, see this very complete article by the late Sheldon Brown. http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html

You said you didn't put glue on the wheel before you put on the tire. Is it a tubular tire, or a clincher (a clincher has an obvious inner tube, inside the tire, next to the rim. A tubular looks more like a doughnut, with no obvious tube). You don't need to glue clinchers--they're held on the rim by air pressure.
Assuming it's a clincher, check the bead (the edge of the tire that hooks inside the edge of the rim) to be sure it's seated all the way around. Spin the tire to see if it looks round--it shouldn't have a spot that's higher than the rest of the tire. Examine everything carefully, and you'll probably find what's wrong. Overinflation is possible, but it's not likely to cause the symptoms you mentioned. Still, at least until you get a feel for the proper pressure, a tire gauge is a good idea.

hold up. since you've STARTED cycling 3 years ago you've never ha a flat?

amazing.

Thanks everyone for the replies. I'm at work now(2:12AM) and would have tried to fix it but fixing the flat was all I had time for before I had to bike back and shower for work. Didn't even had time to pump up the bike with my floor pump w/ pressure gage.

It was a pain to fix, it is a clincher tire just fyi. I've never had to fix one so I had no idea about the glue thing until now. And yes first flat in 3 years but have bought a new wheel with tire and tubes on it after small crash.

Make sure it's seated properly. Sounds like my recent experience. I didn't check it right away and it cost me my frame :(

Seated well, upon inspection the tire had teared, had to buy a new one

that sure took a while.

3 years without a flat + this (I'm assuming the inspection was made once safely at destination).

You've had some good luck.

Flipping the bike over to work on it was OK when we were kids, but it's really not the best way with nice modern bikes. Keep the bike upright as you remove the wheel and then lean it over after the wheel is removed.

A good tip: before removing the rear wheel, first shift into the smallest rear cog. Not required, but IMO makes the job a lot easier.

What's so bad about turning the bike over and why is it better to put the bike on its side?

I'm not sure, but a flipped over bike might actually be resting on the shifter bodies themselves -- I don't want to set my bike on expensive plastic bits that are easily scratched -- or broken. Plus, a road bike flipped over isn't incredibly stable because the bars are narrow. IMO, it's easier to remove and install wheels when the bike is right side up.

And, it's a good idea to have the bike right-side-up when you tighten the skewer, to help ensure that the axle will be seated into the bottom of the dropouts.

i disagree, i think way to much is made about flipping a bike over, especially when you gently and carefully place it on the ground. My body weight places a lot more pressure on the hoods than me resting it on the ground. yeah, I may put some scratches in the plastic but for me personally I care about function over looks.

What is the benefit? Even if it was harmless, flipping the bike would still be an unnecessary step in changing a flat.

its a lot easier to remove and replace the wheel without needing to touch the chain and in my opinion the bike rests a lot more stable. There may not always be something to easily lean the bike on to prevent it from falling over and getting badly scratched up so i prefer to balance it upside down. to each their own i guess

Personally, I care about function more than looks. ;)


You're right, to each his own; maybe I'm in the minority on this....

what kind of bike do you ride?
that directly has an affect
would you flip your 3k carbon road bike over on the handlebars?
hell no

Why would that be worse than turning it on its side against the ground? You'd be rubbing something against the floor in both situations. Is it because you only have to worry about contact with the pedals and sides of the bars with the latter?

It's amazing how many problems I have solved in 5 seconds flat on friends'/customers' bikes by simply opening the QR and letting the wheel center into the dropouts. A lot of people do not take adequate care to ensure the axle is seated properly. It's common even with people who are experienced riders.

If you are good, you can put your wheel on any way the bike is oriented but for most, just let the bike's weight settle it properly when it is upright.

Also, if you removed the rear wheel and then put the bike flat on the ground on its side, wouldn't the chain touch the ground thereby picking up a bunch of dirt and grime?

only if you lay it on the right side. but you should never do that anyway.

Right. For some reason I thought chains would be long enough to touch the ground even when the bike is lying on its left.

Mine doesn't sag that far... I suppose on a very slack MTB it might sag enough with the wheel off but then, you can always just not lay it in dirt.