Changing flats in cold weather

I don't fix 'em on the road. I use Airlock tire sealant in my tires,
and CO2 cartridges to pump em up (multiple times if necessary) until I
get home.

Javier said:

I'd like to keep riding my bike during the winter but I'm concerned
that if I get a flat I may not be able to repair it on the road and
have to deal with a nice long walk home. I run Bontrager HardCase
tires year round and have yet to get a flat. However, I know that
flats are inevitable. Are there any specific winter tips for fixing
flats in cold weather (24-30 degrees)? These Hard Cases tend to be
rather stiff tires to get back on the wheel.

Thanks,

Javier

just be careful where you ride, if you pass a salty area, ride fro 100
yards with your gloves rubbing the top of the wheel to remove any
pointy or sharp material from the wheels. also underinflate the tires
by 5% so they are a little softer, you are not going to go super fast
anyway, it is wintertime
carlos
www.bikingthings.com
ride fast, get fit, be happy

Javier said:

I'd like to keep riding my bike during the winter but I'm concerned
that if I get a flat I may not be able to repair it on the road and
have to deal with a nice long walk home. I run Bontrager HardCase
tires year round and have yet to get a flat. However, I know that
flats are inevitable. Are there any specific winter tips for fixing
flats in cold weather (24-30 degrees)? These Hard Cases tend to be
rather stiff tires to get back on the wheel.

Thanks,

Javier

OK, I'm a 'car-free' person and I don't relish the thought of changing
a flat on ANY brand of tire on a cold day.

My 'Boy Scout' (be prepared) tip is to dress in good gloves, so that
your hands are not cold when you start and to carry one of these tire
tools with you:-

http://tinyurl.com/ynqckj

And NO it is NOT ME that is selling it.

Hope this helps.

Lewis.

*****

Quoted message said:

Javier said:

I'd like to keep riding my bike during the winter but I'm concerned
that if I get a flat I may not be able to repair it on the road and
have to deal with a nice long walk home. I run Bontrager HardCase
tires year round and have yet to get a flat. However, I know that
flats are inevitable. Are there any specific winter tips for fixing
flats in cold weather (24-30 degrees)? These Hard Cases tend to be
rather stiff tires to get back on the wheel.

Thanks,

Javier

just be careful where you ride, if you pass a salty area, ride fro 100
yards with your gloves rubbing the top of the wheel to remove any
pointy or sharp material from the wheels. also underinflate the tires
by 5% so they are a little softer, you are not going to go super fast
anyway, it is wintertime
carlos
www.bikingthings.com
ride fast, get fit, be happy

I have never, ever, had a puncture from salt.

Ted

--
Ted Bennett

On Fri, 23 Nov 2007 06:28:32 -0800 (PST), Javier <[email hidden]>

may have said:

I'd like to keep riding my bike during the winter but I'm concerned
that if I get a flat I may not be able to repair it on the road and
have to deal with a nice long walk home. I run Bontrager HardCase
tires year round and have yet to get a flat. However, I know that
flats are inevitable. Are there any specific winter tips for fixing
flats in cold weather (24-30 degrees)? These Hard Cases tend to be
rather stiff tires to get back on the wheel.

IME, it's sometimes easier in cold weather. As in hot weather, carry
a spare tube so that you can patch single-flat failures at home
instead of by the side of the road. If you have to patch on the go,
allow a little more drying time for the solvent-based patch adhesive.
Stiff fingers are more of a problem than stiff tires, at least for me.

Oh, and check your inflation regularly; no sense courting a pinch flat
anytime.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Ted Bennett said:

Quoted message said:

Javier said:

I'd like to keep riding my bike during the winter but I'm concerned
that if I get a flat I may not be able to repair it on the road and
have to deal with a nice long walk home. I run Bontrager HardCase
tires year round and have yet to get a flat. However, I know that
flats are inevitable. Are there any specific winter tips for fixing
flats in cold weather (24-30 degrees)? These Hard Cases tend to be
rather stiff tires to get back on the wheel.

Thanks,

Javier

just be careful where you ride, if you pass a salty area, ride fro 100
yards with your gloves rubbing the top of the wheel to remove any
pointy or sharp material from the wheels. also underinflate the tires
by 5% so they are a little softer, you are not going to go super fast
anyway, it is wintertime
carlos
www.bikingthings.com
ride fast, get fit, be happy

I have never, ever, had a puncture from salt.

Ted

Dear Ted,

That's because you don't rub it off the top of your wheel and throw it
over your shoulder.

:-)

Some advice should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

Quoted message said:

Ted Bennett said:

Quoted message said:

On Nov 23, 9:28 am, Javier <[email hidden]> wrote:
> I'd like to keep riding my bike during the winter but I'm concerned
> that if I get a flat I may not be able to repair it on the road and
> have to deal with a nice long walk home. I run Bontrager HardCase
> tires year round and have yet to get a flat. However, I know that
> flats are inevitable. Are there any specific winter tips for fixing
> flats in cold weather (24-30 degrees)? These Hard Cases tend to be
> rather stiff tires to get back on the wheel.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Javier
just be careful where you ride, if you pass a salty area, ride fro 100
yards with your gloves rubbing the top of the wheel to remove any
pointy or sharp material from the wheels. also underinflate the tires
by 5% so they are a little softer, you are not going to go super fast
anyway, it is wintertime
carlos
www.bikingthings.com
ride fast, get fit, be happy

I have never, ever, had a puncture from salt.

Ted

Dear Ted,

That's because you don't rub it off the top of your wheel and throw it
over your shoulder.

:-)

Some advice should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

Drat!

I forgot that a pinch of salt scraped from the tire might prevent a
pinch flat.

:-)

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

In article
<[email hidden]>,

Javier said:

I'd like to keep riding my bike during the winter but I'm concerned
that if I get a flat I may not be able to repair it on the road and
have to deal with a nice long walk home. I run Bontrager HardCase
tires year round and have yet to get a flat. However, I know that
flats are inevitable. Are there any specific winter tips for fixing
flats in cold weather (24-30 degrees)? These Hard Cases tend to be
rather stiff tires to get back on the wheel.

Thanks,

Javier

Carry a spare tube; patch the punctured tube at your leisure.

I also pack a cheap set of gloves to circumvent direct skin to metal
contact during the ordeal. Cheap gloves such as cotton mechanic's
gloves [ http://tinyurl.com/26q7tv ] afford enough dexterity to swap
out a tube and maneuver a tire on and off; keep your hands free of
heavy grease/oil; and deter freezing fingers for the duration of the
repair. The gloves are also convenient in all seasons for various types
of repairs.

Have your tools/supplies well organized. Chances are winter's long
nights will find you changing tubes after dark and fumbling for parts
in the freezing gloom won't help. I assume your bike is already
equipped with adequate lighting: this will serve you well when
inspecting the tire casing for the (possibly still embedded) cause of
the flat.

Better to avoid clogging it with slushy wheelspray, if you've a frame
pump mounted along the seattube with its head at the BB, flip it round
so that the pump head resides under the top/seat tube cluster.

More esoterically: if you don't indulge in regular maintenance and your
flats occur on an annual basis, ensure that your QR skewer is well
lubed: learning that it has seized inside the axle while attempting to
service a flat is a PITA; if your tube is of the presta variety and the
valve stem locknut is installed, see to it that the slush/salt doesn't
seize it in place. Or consider doing without it, superfluous as it is.

email hidden said:

My 'Boy Scout' (be prepared) tip is to dress in good gloves, so that
your hands are not cold when you start and to carry one of these tire
tools with you:-

http://tinyurl.com/ynqckj

That is an excellent recommendation, especially for anyone needing to
change narrow high pressure road tyres, which can sometimes be real
b*stards to get back on again.

Quoted message said:

just be careful where you ride, if you pass a salty area, ride fro 100
yards with your gloves rubbing the top of the wheel to remove any
pointy or sharp material from the wheels....

Jobst versus Sheldon? <http://sheldonbrown.com/brandt/wiping.html>

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
"Localized intense suction such as tornadoes is created when temperature
differences are high enough between meeting air masses, and can impart
excessive energy onto a cyclist." - Randy Schlitter

aka Lewis Campbell said:

...
OK, I'm a 'car-free' person and I don't relish the thought of changing
a flat on ANY brand of tire on a cold day....

Does it get cold where you live?

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
"Localized intense suction such as tornadoes is created when temperature
differences are high enough between meeting air masses, and can impart
excessive energy onto a cyclist." - Randy Schlitter

Tom Sherman said:

Quoted message said:

just be careful where you ride, if you pass a salty area, ride fro
100 yards with your gloves rubbing the top of the wheel to remove
any pointy or sharp material from the wheels...

Quoted message said:

Jobst versus Sheldon? <http://sheldonbrown.com/brandt/wiping.html>

You'll notice that the rebuttal closes with "I believe..." where in
contrast the original piece cites reasons why tire wiping is
ineffective. It's part of bicycling religion. Besides, as I
explained, Most flats occur in rear tires and today's bicycles have
the tire close enough to the seat tube to grab the fingers and tear
the nail off if not worse.

Don't do it!

Jobst Brandt

Javier said:

I'd like to keep riding my bike during the winter but I'm concerned
that if I get a flat I may not be able to repair it on the road and
have to deal with a nice long walk home. I run Bontrager HardCase
tires year round and have yet to get a flat. However, I know that
flats are inevitable. Are there any specific winter tips for fixing
flats in cold weather (24-30 degrees)? These Hard Cases tend to be
rather stiff tires to get back on the wheel.

My suggestion is to carry a Crank Bros tool and an extra tube rather
than try for a patch. That's my tactic. One day I had two flats and had
to call for a ride home so maybe two tubes. Pretty miserable sitting
there in an open field with the temps at 0 C and a wind blowing.

Winter is a terrible time.

On Nov 23, 6:48 pm, Tom Sherman <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

aka Lewis Campbell said:

...
OK, I'm a 'car-free' person and I don't relish the thought of changing
a flat on ANY brand of tire on a cold day....

Does it get cold where you live?

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
"Localized intense suction such as tornadoes is created when temperature
differences are high enough between meeting air masses, and can impart
excessive energy onto a cyclist." - Randy Schlitter

Well, since you ask, 'I' think it gets cold here.

In the past couple of days we have gone from 85F to 42F. IMHO that is
nearly cold enough to freeze the tail off a brass monkey.

It is, however, great running weather. :-)

Kind regards.

Lewis.

*****

aka Lewis Campbell said:

On Nov 23, 6:48 pm, Tom Sherman <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

aka Lewis Campbell said:

...
OK, I'm a 'car-free' person and I don't relish the thought of changing
a flat on ANY brand of tire on a cold day....

Does it get cold where you live?

Well, since you ask, 'I' think it gets cold here.

Here in Cheeseland, we had a white Thanksgiving day.

Quoted message said:

In the past couple of days we have gone from 85F to 42F. IMHO that is
nearly cold enough to freeze the tail off a brass monkey.

I did a fall ride on a lowracer with minimal carrying capacity. Knowing
it would warm up considerably and having no room to carry a jacket, I
started off in 10°C (50°F) temperatures in shorts and a short sleeve
jersey, and was not too uncomfortable.

Quoted message said:

It is, however, great running weather. :-)

I think it is a matter of acclimation. I remember visiting relatives in
Hawaii in winter, and the locals were shivering in the 20°C (68°F)
weather. Conversely, the Inuit wear shorts and tee shirts in 5°C (41°F)
weather and complain about the heat.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
"Localized intense suction such as tornadoes is created when temperature
differences are high enough between meeting air masses, and can impart
excessive energy onto a cyclist." - Randy Schlitter

Per Tom Sherman:

Quoted message said:

I think it is a matter of acclimation. I remember visiting relatives in
Hawaii in winter, and the locals were shivering in the 20°C (68°F)
weather. Conversely, the Inuit wear shorts and tee shirts in 5°C (41°F)
weather and complain about the heat.

One day in December, when I had been living in Hawaii for about
six years, I was sitting on a bench in this place in Waikiki they
called "The International Marketplace" - wearing a cardigan
sweater and freezing my pasty white butt off.

Tourist guy from some place like Pumphandle, Nebraska sits down
beside me.

I guess he felt a need to say something because his opening
comment was "Sure is hot and muggy here."
--
PeteCresswell

email hidden said:

On Nov 23, 6:48 pm, Tom Sherman <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

aka Lewis Campbell said:

...
OK, I'm a 'car-free' person and I don't relish the thought of changing
a flat on ANY brand of tire on a cold day....

Does it get cold where you live?

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
"Localized intense suction such as tornadoes is created when temperature
differences are high enough between meeting air masses, and can impart
excessive energy onto a cyclist." - Randy Schlitter

Well, since you ask, 'I' think it gets cold here.

In the past couple of days we have gone from 85F to 42F. IMHO that is
nearly cold enough to freeze the tail off a brass monkey.

It is, however, great running weather. :-)

Kind regards.

Lewis

Dear Lewis,

November 19, sunny and 82F:

http://www.chieftain.com/metro/1195542000/1

November 24, 9F at 4am, sunny and 29F at 10:30am and rising:

http://i11.tinypic.com/8bemiyd.jpg

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

Dear Lewis,

November 19, sunny and 82F:

http://www.chieftain.com/metro/1195542000/1

With Canada geese too! Looks like summer in Toronto.

Javier said:

I'd like to keep riding my bike during the winter but I'm concerned
that if I get a flat I may not be able to repair it on the road and
have to deal with a nice long walk home. I run Bontrager HardCase
tires year round and have yet to get a flat. However, I know that
flats are inevitable. Are there any specific winter tips for fixing
flats in cold weather (24-30 degrees)? These Hard Cases tend to be
rather stiff tires to get back on the wheel.

Depends on personal acclimatization and attitude, but I'd not
say that 24-30 F (-4..-1 C) is a point where you "can't repair"
anything. At such temperature it is even possible to work without
gloves (for a short time, of course). Tyre patches stick worse,
but carrying a spare tube, or two, saves from glueing in the field.

When it gets colder, say to -10 C (10-15 F), working no gloves
may be not a solution any more. Situation-saver is the fact that
at sub-zero temperatures bicycle needs studded tyres. Good
studded tyres are thick and high on their large knobs. I never had a
puncture of those (riding about 4000 km on studs per year for
last five years). And modern studded tyres have also kevlar bead
versions, which are easier to mount/dismount - which just makes
me feel easier.

Changing a tyre at -20 C (-5 F) may be a real challenge, but
judging by your post, this is not a case you are worried about.

Konstantin Shemyak.