flat tire! doh!

zoot alors! i just got a flat tire on my bianchi. luckily, i got a ride to work from a pal at the local coffee shop.

but now i have to fix a flat tire. i'm sure it's super routine ... but i've actually never done anything like that. any tips i should look out for? do i have to order special tubes or anything? or any regular bike tubes will work?

do i have to take the wheel off? might be a good time to fix my tail light ...

now if i can get my vespa up and running again (where's that decompression cable?) ... until then ... i'm a pedestrian again.

Re: flat tire! doh!

if its a small enough hole you may be able to fix it on the bike by patching the tube, if it a blow out then you either have to take the wheel off or cast a spell your choice, usee either tyre tools or very blunt scredrivers to get the wheel offf the rim , or better yet take it to a bike repair shop, theyve done it hundreds of times

Re: flat tire! doh!

Ron Brown /

Miguel,

I posted most of this a couple of months ago to someone else.

Ped tires should come off as easy as bicycle tires. Bicycle tire irons work just fine. Be sure you begin to remove the tire near the valve first and make sure the opposite side is in the well of the rim. When installing tire, begin opposite the valve and finish with the area close to the valve. Again, making sure the tire is pressed into the rim well. You can usually install the tire without using levers if you have it positioned in the well correctly.

On my way to BBQ5, 3 peds, 90 miles one way, we had one flat in a rear tire. I did not even remove the wheel. Just popped the tire off one side of the rim, pulled out the tube, patched it and put the tube and tire back on. Took about 10 minutes. Had another last weekend in the rear wheel, took about 15 minutes to fix including removing and re-installing the rear wheel.

If the instructions are not clear, try to find someone who has repaired bicycle tires to show you how.

A regular $1.99 bicycle patch kit from any discount store works fine. While you have the tire off, clean the inside of the casing and rim and make sure you have removed whatever caused the puncture. Sprinkling some talcum powder on the tube will allow it to slide in the tire and avoid kinks. I usually pump a few pounds of air into the tube after installation then let it down again and check for kinks. Press the valve stem into the rim before inflation to make sure that the valve stem base is not trapped between the tire and rim. If you have mag rims, use a piece of shoe leather or similar between the lire lever and the rim to avoid scratching it.

It really is a piece of cake once you get used to it, your ped tool kit should include a patch kit.

Ron

Re: flat tire! doh!

i just wanted to commend miguel for using the phrase "zoot alors"!.. that rules... i miss french class..

Re: flat tire! doh!

Check Ree's posts about puncture proof tires... I'm going to do that next tire change

Wayne, url please?

I looked and couldnt find ree's post on that. Could you post a url?

Re: Wayne, url please?

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