Flat tire repair.

Arne · Jul 25, 2004

I do not ride a ton of miles, but I do go out fairly often for short spins
(5-20 miles). I have a currie uspd drive on one of my recumbents (GRR). One
of my lurking fears is getting a flat tire, especially on the rear of the
GRR fold rush.

I stopped in and got some new tube patches from a local bike repair shop. My
old kit had glue, patches, tire irons (really 'plastics'), etc..... I'm
still not comfortable with the idea of fixing a tire on the road. On my old
up-right, I could stand the bicycle upside down, so it wasn't too big a
deal, but even that was long ago. Having the tire in my face did make it
easier to spot the problem, though.

Now, with a windshield, etc., I can see myself lying on the grass with the
bent on its side while I try to figure out what the problem is. And the
patches now come with no abrasive or glue. Are the new ones that good that
you can just stick them on the tube?

I carry a pump, patches, irons and that's about it..... and i guess the
drill will be to lay the bent on a lawn and find the hole, then attempt to
repair it without removing the tire.... is this the way I should approach
it?
..
Arne, USA
..
..

Tom Sherman · Jul 25, 2004

Arne wrote:

> I do not ride a ton of miles, but I do go out fairly often for short spins
> (5-20 miles). I have a currie uspd drive on one of my recumbents (GRR). One
> of my lurking fears is getting a flat tire, especially on the rear of the
> GRR fold rush.
>
> I stopped in and got some new tube patches from a local bike repair shop. My
> old kit had glue, patches, tire irons (really 'plastics'), etc..... I'm
> still not comfortable with the idea of fixing a tire on the road. On my old
> up-right, I could stand the bicycle upside down, so it wasn't too big a
> deal, but even that was long ago. Having the tire in my face did make it
> easier to spot the problem, though.
>
> Now, with a windshield, etc., I can see myself lying on the grass with the
> bent on its side while I try to figure out what the problem is. And the
> patches now come with no abrasive or glue. Are the new ones that good that
> you can just stick them on the tube?
>
> I carry a pump, patches, irons and that's about it..... and i guess the
> drill will be to lay the bent on a lawn and find the hole, then attempt to
> repair it without removing the tire.... is this the way I should approach
> it?

The easy solution [1] is to get an EGSE two-legged kickstand. This
normally holds the TE/GRR upright with the rear wheel a few inches off
the ground. If the flat is on the front, the bike is easily rocked back
onto the rear wheel, and then the front can be carefully set down on the
fork ends on the front wheel is removed.

There has been much discussion of "glueless" patches on
rec.bicycles.tech, with the general consensus that they are only a
temporary fix compared to glue patches, and work best on lower pressure
tires.

[1] Pun intended.

--
Tom Sherman – Quad City Area

Just zis Guy, you know? · Jul 25, 2004

On Sun, 25 Jul 2004 09:26:16 -0500, Tom Sherman
<[email protected]> wrote in message
<[email protected]>:

>The easy solution [1] is to get an EGSE two-legged kickstand.

Always assuming they can still be had - Pletscher apparently went
tits-up recently. Buy now before it's too late!

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

Lewis Campbell · Jul 26, 2004

When I used to use pneumatic tires (I use Airfree Tires mostly now) I
carried a 20 foot piece of nylon rope, so that, if I got a flat, I
could hoist the wheel up in the air by roping it to a tree branch,
street sign, etc.

Try it, you'll like it.

Lewis.

*********************

"Arne" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<vQMMc.40224$Sh.11816@lakeread06>...
> I do not ride a ton of miles, but I do go out fairly often for short spins
> (5-20 miles). I have a currie uspd drive on one of my recumbents (GRR). One
> of my lurking fears is getting a flat tire, especially on the rear of the
> GRR fold rush.
>
> I stopped in and got some new tube patches from a local bike repair shop. My
> old kit had glue, patches, tire irons (really 'plastics'), etc..... I'm
> still not comfortable with the idea of fixing a tire on the road. On my old
> up-right, I could stand the bicycle upside down, so it wasn't too big a
> deal, but even that was long ago. Having the tire in my face did make it
> easier to spot the problem, though.
>
> Now, with a windshield, etc., I can see myself lying on the grass with the
> bent on its side while I try to figure out what the problem is. And the
> patches now come with no abrasive or glue. Are the new ones that good that
> you can just stick them on the tube?
>
> I carry a pump, patches, irons and that's about it..... and i guess the
> drill will be to lay the bent on a lawn and find the hole, then attempt to
> repair it without removing the tire.... is this the way I should approach
> it?
> .
> Arne, USA
> .
> .

Mike Schwab · Jul 26, 2004

When did you get yours? I ordered some in Febuary and have been unable
to get any useful information on my shipment since.

Lewis Campbell wrote:
>
> When I used to use pneumatic tires (I use Airfree Tires mostly now) I
> carried a 20 foot piece of nylon rope, so that, if I got a flat, I
> could hoist the wheel up in the air by roping it to a tree branch,
> street sign, etc.
>
> Try it, you'll like it.
>
> Lewis.
>
> *********************
>
> "Arne" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<vQMMc.40224$Sh.11816@lakeread06>...
> > I do not ride a ton of miles, but I do go out fairly often for short spins
> > (5-20 miles). I have a currie uspd drive on one of my recumbents (GRR). One
> > of my lurking fears is getting a flat tire, especially on the rear of the
> > GRR fold rush.
> >
> > I stopped in and got some new tube patches from a local bike repair shop. My
> > old kit had glue, patches, tire irons (really 'plastics'), etc..... I'm
> > still not comfortable with the idea of fixing a tire on the road. On my old
> > up-right, I could stand the bicycle upside down, so it wasn't too big a
> > deal, but even that was long ago. Having the tire in my face did make it
> > easier to spot the problem, though.
> >
> > Now, with a windshield, etc., I can see myself lying on the grass with the
> > bent on its side while I try to figure out what the problem is. And the
> > patches now come with no abrasive or glue. Are the new ones that good that
> > you can just stick them on the tube?
> >
> > I carry a pump, patches, irons and that's about it..... and i guess the
> > drill will be to lay the bent on a lawn and find the hole, then attempt to
> > repair it without removing the tire.... is this the way I should approach
> > it?
> > .
> > Arne, USA
> > .
> > .

Jay Adair · Jul 26, 2004

I took a quick 15 mile spin yesterday, hit an uneven patch of concrete, in a
turn, at about 25 mph and flatted both tires in about 1/10th of a second,
wiping out hard and dragging my behind over some rough concrete before
stopping.

After wiping the blood off my hands and legs, I pulled out my spare tubes
and spent 30 minutes repairing the flats. Thankfully, the tires were still
OK (just some small surface cuts) so I was back on my way RIDING instead of
PUSHING my bike all the way back home (pushed before, took too long).

To fix the flats I just leaned the bike against a wall and removed the
wheels one at a time, not too difficult. But I've decided to start carrying
a set of folding tires, too, just in case. I really think I need a 'bent
with mountain bike wheels & tires on it.

For me, I'd rather slap a new tube inside the tire than to pull out the tube
and try and find the leak and patch it and hope the patch holds, etc.

Jay
Vision V45

> "Arne" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<vQMMc.40224$Sh.11816@lakeread06>...
> > I do not ride a ton of miles, but I do go out fairly often for short
spins
> > (5-20 miles). I have a currie uspd drive on one of my recumbents (GRR).
One
> > of my lurking fears is getting a flat tire, especially on the rear of
the
> > GRR fold rush.
> >
> > I stopped in and got some new tube patches from a local bike repair
shop. My
> > old kit had glue, patches, tire irons (really 'plastics'), etc..... I'm
> > still not comfortable with the idea of fixing a tire on the road. On my
old
> > up-right, I could stand the bicycle upside down, so it wasn't too big a
> > deal, but even that was long ago. Having the tire in my face did make it
> > easier to spot the problem, though.
> >
> > Now, with a windshield, etc., I can see myself lying on the grass with
the
> > bent on its side while I try to figure out what the problem is. And the
> > patches now come with no abrasive or glue. Are the new ones that good
that
> > you can just stick them on the tube?
> >
> > I carry a pump, patches, irons and that's about it..... and i guess the
> > drill will be to lay the bent on a lawn and find the hole, then attempt
to
> > repair it without removing the tire.... is this the way I should
approach
> > it?
> > .
> > Arne, USA
> > .
> > .

dipseair · Jul 26, 2004

"Arne" <[email protected]> wrote:

> I stopped in and got some new tube patches from a local bike repair shop. My
> old kit had glue, patches, tire irons (really 'plastics'), etc.....
> I'm still not comfortable with the idea of fixing a tire on the road. On my old
> up-right, I could stand the bicycle upside down, so it wasn't too big a
> deal, but even that was long ago. Having the tire in my face did make it
> easier to spot the problem, though.

Carry a spare tube to swap with the leaky one and tools including a
good pump like the Topeak Road Morph with gauge. The cheap wedgie
frame pumps are well……cheap and difficult to pump to any useable
pressure. Be sure to remove the cause of the leak from the tire
before installing the new tube. Patch the leaky tube at home with
regular patch and glue.

The twin kickstand is probably the best answer to what to do with the
bike while replacing the leaky tube. On a recent ride a fellow rider
propped up my V2 on its single kickstand while I replaced the tube for
the rear tire

Without a person to assist I would use a fence post
or tree etc to lean it against.

David Bogie · Jul 26, 2004

The dualie stand on my TE is more torward the rear. It pops the front
wheel of the ground about 2 inches. it makes rear wheel changes
difficult and one cannot grip ER's carbon fender for stability. The
edges of the fender are knife sharp and will cut depply.

david boise ID.

Tom Sherman <[email protected]>
> The easy solution [1] is to get an EGSE two-legged kickstand. This
> normally holds the TE/GRR upright with the rear wheel a few inches off
> the ground. If the flat is on the front, the bike is easily rocked back
> onto the rear wheel, and then the front can be carefully set down on the
> fork ends on the front wheel is removed.
>
> There has been much discussion of "glueless" patches on
> rec.bicycles.tech, with the general consensus that they are only a
> temporary fix compared to glue patches, and work best on lower pressure
> tires.
>
> [1] Pun intended.

David Bogie · Jul 26, 2004

Couple of other things:
I learned to mount the tire with the label at the valve. That way it
was easy to figure out where the cause of the leak is by comparing the
tube to the tire. Be careful running your fingers around the inside of
the tire casing to find the cause. You can lacerate your fingers on
glass or other sharps. And be sure to examine your rim for any damage
the cause of the flat or running on your defalted tire may have done.
The high pressure 451 tires on certain ER models can be impossible to
remove with conventional tire levers. Invest in the stainless steel
units made Minoura alth I carry Park's three-lever set. Seems to be
capable of removing the super tight bead of the 451s.
I always replace the tube on the road and patch the other tube when I
get home. Some of my tubes have more than four patches on them.

david boise ID

[email protected] (dipseair) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Carry a spare tube to swap with the leaky one and tools including a
> good pump like the Topeak Road Morph with gauge. The cheap wedgie
> frame pumps are well??cheap and difficult to pump to any useable
> pressure. Be sure to remove the cause of the leak from the tire
> before installing the new tube. Patch the leaky tube at home with
> regular patch and glue.

Tom Sherman · Jul 27, 2004

David Bogie wrote:

> The dualie stand on my TE is more torward the rear. It pops the front
> wheel of the ground about 2 inches. it makes rear wheel changes
> difficult and one cannot grip ER's carbon fender for stability. The
> edges of the fender are knife sharp and will cut depply.

Now that you mention it, I have seen several Easy Racers with EGSE two
legged kickstands, and all the Tour Easys sit with the front wheel up
and all the GRR/TiGRR's sit with the rear wheel up. Coincidence?

--
Tom Sherman – Quad City Area

Tom Sherman · Jul 27, 2004

Lewis Campbell wrote:

> When I used to use pneumatic tires (I use Airfree Tires mostly now) I
> carried a 20 foot piece of nylon rope, so that, if I got a flat, I
> could hoist the wheel up in the air by roping it to a tree branch,
> street sign, etc....

Look, there's an eccentric Englishman [1] lynching a bicycle!

[1] Expatriate.

--
Tom Sherman – Quad City Area

Torben Scheel · Jul 28, 2004

David Bogie wrote:
> Couple of other things:
> I learned to mount the tire with the label at the valve. That way it
> was easy to figure out where the cause of the leak is by comparing the
> tube to the tire.

If you are sure of the tube orientation. Usually I just pump up the tube
with 10-15 strokes and listen for air escaping (from the tube!) while
rotating it near the good ear. When it is found, sanded and glued (no patch
yet) I look for the cause of the puncture at the right spot(s) in the tire.
A minute or more after the glue is applied, it's time for the patch.
Remember to hammer it lightly several times to assure good contact. This
applies to vulcanizing patches like Rema Tip Top.

> Be careful running your fingers around the inside of
> the tire casing to find the cause. You can lacerate your fingers on
> glass or other sharps. And be sure to examine your rim for any damage
> the cause of the flat or running on your defalted tire may have done.
> The high pressure 451 tires on certain ER models can be impossible to
> remove with conventional tire levers. Invest in the stainless steel
> units made Minoura alth I carry Park's three-lever set. Seems to be
> capable of removing the super tight bead of the 451s.
> I always replace the tube on the road and patch the other tube when I
> get home. Some of my tubes have more than four patches on them.

My tubes usually have more than 10 patches when discarded - no reason to
trash them before the valve leaks or the butyl is finished. (Beers comes in
glass bottles around here :-( )

Regards,
Torben

Tom Sherman · Jul 30, 2004

Torben Scheel wrote:

> My tubes usually have more than 10 patches when discarded - no reason to
> trash them before the valve leaks or the butyl is finished. (Beers comes in
> glass bottles around here :-( )

The State of Denmark may have broken glass, but at least you can get a
decent beer from a vending machine as compensation [1].

[1] Or at least this was true in the past.

--
Tom Sherman – Quad City Area

Edd Brady · Jul 31, 2004

Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Torben Scheel wrote:
>
> > My tubes usually have more than 10 patches when discarded - no reason to
> > trash them before the valve leaks or the butyl is finished. (Beers comes in
> > glass bottles around here :-( )
>
> The State of Denmark may have broken glass, but at least you can get a
> decent beer from a vending machine as compensation [1].
>
> [1] Or at least this was true in the past.

I don't know how well it will work, but Honeywell has announced a
plastic that improves preservation of freshness and "is intended to
replace glass bottles in the next few years." I'll believe it when I
see it, but it sure would be nice.

Edd

Torben Scheel · Aug 3, 2004

Tom Sherman wrote:

> The State of Denmark may have broken glass, but at least you can get a
> decent beer from a vending machine as compensation [1].
>
> [1] Or at least this was true in the past.

Still very much true, it's even getting better - there's a lot of small
breweries (again) now, forcing The Big One to produce a decent variety.
Mmmmm - Refsvindinge Ale #16 - mmmm.

--
Regards,
Torben
webmaster @ www.hpv-klub.dk
Evita II SWB, Custom Challenge Focus Sport *Acrofobia*, Python FWD lowracer

GEBUH · Aug 8, 2004

I have a kickstand that attaches near the dropouts, I put the stand down and
lean my TE against something. That gives me plenty of room to remove the tire.
Since I have rear panniers this is easy- I don't have to remove them to get to
the wheel.
gebuh

dipseair · Aug 9, 2004

One more tip.

"Torben Scheel" wrote:
> Usually I just pump up the tube with 10-15 strokes and listen for air escaping > (from the tube!) while rotating it near the good ear.

This will probably draw some interesting comments but here goes:

I find that some leaks don't make enough noise to hear so I always
rotate the tube with some air pressure near wet lips and have always
found the leak quickly.

Child · Aug 12, 2004

"GEBUH" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I have a kickstand that attaches near the dropouts, I put the stand down
and
> lean my TE against something. That gives me plenty of room to remove the
tire.
> Since I have rear panniers this is easy- I don't have to remove them to
get to
> the wheel.
> gebuh

BETH!!
How are you!?!?!?!

How are the kids?

Toured with them lately?

-Other Beth

Torben Scheel · Aug 19, 2004

dipseair wrote:
> One more tip.
>
> "Torben Scheel" wrote:
>> Usually I just pump up the tube with 10-15 strokes and listen for
>> air escaping > (from the tube!) while rotating it near the good
>> ear.
>
> This will probably draw some interesting comments but here goes:
>
> I find that some leaks don't make enough noise to hear so I always
> rotate the tube with some air pressure near wet lips and have always
> found the leak quickly.

Jup, and works in traffic too

Regards,
Torben

Flat tire repair.

Arne

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