When do you deal with a puncture?

[vickster]

I always find it harder to get tyres off than on always! Levers off, thumbs on.

 

[FitMum]

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

That makes so much sense to practise before, thanks for your detailed reply ;-)

 

[FitMum]

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.

Thak you! Puncture-resistant tyres? They exist??? Are they expensive?

 

[PaulSB]

Thak you! Puncture-resistant tyres? They exist??? Are they expensive?

There are tyres which have greater resistance to punctures than others. You'll get many differing opinions. I swear by Continental Gatorskins and never got on with Schwalbe Marathons, I had three punctures in ten days when I bought a pair - binned them.

 

[I like Skol]

Thak you! Puncture-resistant tyres? They exist??? Are they expensive?

Don't fear the puncture, they are really not a big issue. Having said that, some tyres are better than others and some are just atrocious! I gave away a set of Continental tyres that came on one of my bikes as they were getting punctures on nearly every other ride. I put up with them for 300-400 miles before I could stand it no more and replaced them. After a couple of months decided to try them on my hybrid commuter as it needed new tyres anyway. Punctured on the first trip!
Normally get maybe 1 or 2 road punctures a year but really can't remember any since I started using Vittoria Randonneurs.

 

[PK99]

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.

Always put the tyre on with the tyre name lined up with the valve - working out where to check for flints etc is then easy

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

You'll get many differing opinions. I swear by Continental Gatorskins and never got on with Schwalbe Marathons, I had three punctures in ten days when I bought a pair - binned them.

My various Schwalbes have all so far managed to keep the Fairy away for nearly 2 1/2 years now, and some of them are not even as highly protected as Marathons. Got a visit from the Fairy in a cheapo MTB knobbly tyre this weekend, luckily only a ten minute walk. The other tyre on that same bike is a Schwalbe Land Cruiser. Schwalbes are not actually expensive tyres when you factor in how many miles the touring type ones will last. Some riders report getting anything up to 10,000 miles out of a front Marathon by the time the puncture protection layer starts showing through the tread. I've also found the rubber compound to be very tough and resistant to cuts caused by glass & sharp stones.

 

[PaulSB]

My various Schwalbes have all so far managed to keep the Fairy away for nearly 2 1/2 years now, and some of them are not even as highly protected as Marathons. Got a visit from the Fairy in a cheapo MTB knobbly tyre this weekend, luckily only a ten minute walk. The other tyre on that same bike is a Schwalbe Land Cruiser. Schwalbes are not actually expensive tyres when you factor in how many miles the touring type ones will last. Some riders report getting anything up to 10,000 miles out of a front Marathon by the time the puncture protection layer starts showing through the tread. I've also found the rubber compound to be very tough and resistant to cuts caused by glass & sharp stones.

Quite right good tyres on a mile by mile basis are not expensive.

I suspect the reason why different riders prefer different brands is more complex than it appears. I can give no explanation as to why my first and only pair of Marathons would suffer three punctures in 10 days on my commute. Prior to this, in absolute honesty, I had ridden 7 years on Gatorskins without a puncture.

 

[Kestevan]

Don't fear the puncture, they are really not a big issue. Having said that, some tyres are better than others and some are just atrocious! I gave away a set of Continental tyres that came on one of my bikes as they were getting punctures on nearly every other ride. I put up with them for 300-400 miles before I could stand it no more and replaced them. After a couple of months decided to try them on my hybrid commuter as it needed new tyres anyway. Punctured on the first trip!
Normally get maybe 1 or 2 road punctures a year but really can't remember any since I started using Vittoria Randonneurs.

I'm the person he gave the tyres to.... I commuted on them till they were worn out, and don't think I had a puncture.. Best value tyres I ever had. 😊

 

[FitMum]

My various Schwalbes have all so far managed to keep the Fairy away for nearly 2 1/2 years now, and some of them are not even as highly protected as Marathons. Got a visit from the Fairy in a cheapo MTB knobbly tyre this weekend, luckily only a ten minute walk. The other tyre on that same bike is a Schwalbe Land Cruiser. Schwalbes are not actually expensive tyres when you factor in how many miles the touring type ones will last. Some riders report getting anything up to 10,000 miles out of a front Marathon by the time the puncture protection layer starts showing through the tread. I've also found the rubber compound to be very tough and resistant to cuts caused by glass & sharp stones.

Thank you, great to know!

 

[FitMum]

I'm the person he gave the tyres to.... I commuted on them till they were worn out, and don't think I had a puncture.. Best value tyres I ever had. 😊

Lucky you then ;-)

 

[Sharky]

Just out of interest, and a bit off-topic ... I've never come across tubular tyres myself, because I've never been involved in racing. I have only read about them.

Don't you need to glue them on? So if you puncture while riding tubulars aren't you a bit stuffed? (unless you have a team car coming) Do you have to glue the new one on?

Are they THAT much better than clinchers in a racing environment to justify the faff?

Usually there is enough glue left on the rim from the previous tub. But if you are using a well worn tub, they can rotate round. When I used them, clinchers didn't exist and all club riders used them. In a race (time trial), if you puncture, you can swap tubs in about 4 minutes. If in a team (fastest 3 to finish) , you can still finish in a reasonable time. Nowadays, with clinchers, riders just seem to pack if they puncture with clinchers. Tubs do roll well, but compared to modern clinchers (20mm Conti Supersonics etc), I couldn't tell the difference.

Regarding punctures, once you have exhausted the spares you have with you, you are a bit stuck. But you can ride on a flat tub as long as it is still stuck to the rim. Sprint rims, I think are a bit stronger than clinchers. They are a box section, so don't have a fragile lip that runs round the circumference.

But if you were like me, I carried a razor blade, needle and wax thread and a thimble as well as a repair kit and would stop by the road side, unpicking the thread, locating the puncture and stitching it back up. Not an easy task, but just takes a little time and practice. After repairing tubs, the worry of a puncture with clinchers, just evaporates and presents little to worry about. In fact when not raining or dark, it is quite a satisfying experience to repair a puncture.

 

[FitMum]

Usually there is enough glue left on the rim from the previous tub. But if you are using a well worn tub, they can rotate round. When I used them, clinchers didn't exist and all club riders used them. In a race (time trial), if you puncture, you can swap tubs in about 4 minutes. If in a team (fastest 3 to finish) , you can still finish in a reasonable time. Nowadays, with clinchers, riders just seem to pack if they puncture with clinchers. Tubs do roll well, but compared to modern clinchers (20mm Conti Supersonics etc), I couldn't tell the difference.

Regarding punctures, once you have exhausted the spares you have with you, you are a bit stuck. But you can ride on a flat tub as long as it is still stuck to the rim. Sprint rims, I think are a bit stronger than clinchers. They are a box section, so don't have a fragile lip that runs round the circumference.

But if you were like me, I carried a razor blade, needle and wax thread and a thimble as well as a repair kit and would stop by the road side, unpicking the thread, locating the puncture and stitching it back up. Not an easy task, but just takes a little time and practice. After repairing tubs, the worry of a puncture with clinchers, just evaporates and presents little to worry about. In fact when not raining or dark, it is quite a satisfying experience to repair a puncture.

This sounds so complicated... 😟 would probably leave it for hubby to deal with it ;-)

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I always find it harder to get tyres off than on always! Levers off, thumbs on.

Same here😀

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I had a rear wheel puncture today.

I always try and find somewhere safe off the road first, to do the repair. This maybe a grass verge, gate into farmers field etc. This will involve a short walk most times.

If it is dry, I fix punctures the old way with patches and rubber cement. If wet I’ll put a spare tube in. Today I patched the tube.
I always try and locate source of puncture before refitting a tube.
I use two or three tyre levers to get the tyre off, but it is often easy enough to get it back on with thumbs.

My other comment is that it’s easy to lose the dust cap or metal ring (from the inner tube valve) in the long grass of verges. So put them in your rear jersey pocket whilst fixing the puncture 😀