When do you deal with a puncture?

[FitMum]

I have only recently started cycling and had a puncture on my last ride. I stupidly didn't have anything on me ( as expected from a silly newbie) and cycled on it back home, which was about 10 minutes. Is that really bad? Should I be worried that I damaged the bike? 😟

 

[C R]

I have only recently started cycling and had a puncture on my last ride. I stupidly didn't have anything on me ( as expected from a silly newbie) and cycled on it back home, which was about 10 minutes. Is that really bad? Should I be worried that I damaged the bike? 😟

It depends on how flat the tyre was. If fully flat there may be damage to the rim, and the tyre will most likely be damaged and need replacing, but there should be no other damage to the bike. Best bet get a shop to check the rim.

 

[Heigue'r]

Get yourself a pump and a couple of spare tube plus puncture repair kit.Deal with it there and then.I would usually use a new tube when out and about and repair the punctured one once I get to home/work.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Straight away.

 

[Sharky]

Always carry patches and spare tubes. First thing to do, is to remove the tyre, but try and remember where it was relative to the valve. Inspect the tube and locate the hole. If repairable, patch it. Then inspect the tyre at the point where it punctured. If you don't find the cause, then you could easily puncture again. Once the offending flint or thorn has been removed, replace the repaired or new tube and fit the tyre without using levers if you can. Using levers is one of the causes of punctures.

Inflate the tyre and cross your fingers and hope you complete the ride.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

If I'm only riding within a couple of miles of home I don't bother with puncture repair stuff, as i don't want to faff around or leave anything stealable on a hack bike that might be left unattended outside a shop or the pub. When the inevitable visit from the Fairy occurs, I take it on the chin and walk it, then fix the puncture at home. Never ride on a flat tyre, it destroys both the tubes and tyres and can even damage the wheel. Get off and walk!
When doing longer rides, I do carry the means to fix flats, but I also have a policy of using puncture-resistant Schwalbe Marathon tyres, which means the chances of actually getting a flat on any given ride is very remote.

 

[I like Skol]

No one has mentioned it yet but it is invaluable to practice the puncture repair process at home, using the kit you will carry with you when out on the bike, BEFORE you have a real puncture.

This way you will know you have everything you need and know how to do it. Better to discover you don't have the right tools or don't know how to do something in the comfort of your own home rather than when you are stranded at the side of the road in the rain!

Just remove and refit the inner tube to the front and rear wheels a couple of times to make sure you can do the puncture repair and successfully get the wheels back into the frame/forks ok so that the brakes and gears still work correctly.

It might sound like a faff doing this but once you have mastered the technique you will never forget it and having a puncture during a ride goes from being a ride ending disaster to a mere inconvenience that might just cost you 15-20 minutes of delay

 

[FitMum]

It depends on how flat the tyre was. If fully flat there may be damage to the rim, and the tyre will most likely be damaged and need replacing, but there should be no other damage to the bike. Best bet get a shop to check the rim.

It wasn't completely flat, but will definitely take it to he shop for a check. Thanks for your advice.

 

[mustang1]

I'm prepared to walk up to 30 minutes. I figure it'll take me 10 minutes of flaffing about fixing it so I'm only "wasting" 10 minutes. Though that's not a waste as I enjoy walking.
BUT that's coz I wear mtb shoes. If I wore road shoes, then I'd probably only put up with 5 minutes walk.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Fix a flat straight away even if it's partial. It's definitely not going to get any better, and odds are that it's most likely to get worse, fast. It could even be dangerous, especially if you corner on a half inflated tyre.

If you're only going to be riding to the pub / shop a mile or two away, and you have normal street shoes on, and if you can face the walk home, then you can justify not carrying repair kit. (That's most people's limit for going without a kit).
For all other circumstances, get the basics, stow them in a saddle pack and (as suggested by Mr Skol) practice using them before you need to. YouTube videos help a lot if you don't have someone to talk you through it.

 

[nickyboy]

Always carry patches and spare tubes. First thing to do, is to remove the tyre, but try and remember where it was relative to the valve. Inspect the tube and locate the hole. If repairable, patch it. Then inspect the tyre at the point where it punctured. If you don't find the cause, then you could easily puncture again. Once the offending flint or thorn has been removed, replace the repaired or new tube and fit the tyre without using levers if you can. Using levers is one of the causes of punctures.

Inflate the tyre and cross your fingers and hope you complete the ride.

Funny how we all have different methods for fixing a puncture. Our main difference is that I'll happily use tyre levers to get a stubborn tyre back on the rim. Never had a puncture by doing this

Without wanting to sound condescending to @FitMum it may be quite hard work to get a tyre back on the rim otherwise

As others have said, take a look at videos on YouTube and then have a couple of practices at home to make sure you're ok how to do it. We all started this way

 

[Sharky]

Funny how we all have different methods for fixing a puncture. Our main difference is that I'll happily use tyre levers to get a stubborn tyre back on the rim. Never had a puncture by doing this

Without wanting to sound condescending to @FitMum it may be quite hard work to get a tyre back on the rim otherwise

As others have said, take a look at videos on YouTube and then have a couple of practices at home to make sure you're ok how to do it. We all started this way

I do sometimes have to resort to using levers. Usually when they are new, but less so after a puncture.

I can recall huge problems with tubs in the old days. Had to stretch them and all sorts to get them on.

 

[MichaelW2]

You need to know how tight your tyres are to get on and off the rim before you do a roadside repair. I have snapped weak tyre levers on tight fitting tyres. There are plenty of how to videos but you need to switch out a tube in the comfort of your home first.

 

[oldkit]

A couple of tips from the "man of a Thousand punctures", at least it feels like it after yesterdays event. Yes I had Yet another bleeping puncture,despite reasonably tuff tyres and sealant in the tube. I ended up with a tyre full of sealant which I had to scoop out with my fingers while being perched on a 2foot wide grass verge on a very busy A road and having picked the top of an ants nest (Unknowingly) to carry out the repair.
As it was warm, I was able to use plastic tyre levers, but I always carry a couple of small steel levers in case the plastic ones give up, although they will mark alloy rims and I have no knowledge of Carbon rims at all.

Prior Practice is invaluable, as is the case with pitching tents before arriving at the campsite in the rain at night!

I always put a ball point pen mark on the left side of the tyre in alignment with the valve, If I have to remove the tyre I can always get it back in the same place.

If the site of the puncture is obvious, it is sometimes possible to just pop the tyre off just where the puncture is without removing the wheel from the bike and patch as normal.

Hope some of this was helpful

 

[PaulSB]

Carry spare inner tubes. If you puncture simply replace the tube and take the punctured one home with you where you can repair it in peace and quiet......or simply bin the tube, when home, which is my preferred option.

Always check the whole tyre for thorns etc. Run your finger tips round the inside of the tyre on both left and right sides. If this reveals nothing check the outer surface carefully.

Carry a pair of eyebrow tweezers - invaluable for removing thorns, embedded glass etc.

Keeping your tyres correctly inflated will significantly reduce the potential for puncturing.