Getting a punture help please

Tim Green said:

Hello group, I am new to the wonderful world of cycling, and I have bought
myself a fairly good road bike.

Ok I wanted to ask about the procedure for repairing a flat tire.

<SNIP>

G'day Tim;

I'll direct you to one of the most useful cycle relateed websites there is

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/flats.html

Cheers

Joel

Joel Mayes said:

Tim Green said:

Hello group, I am new to the wonderful world of cycling, and I have bought
myself a fairly good road bike.

Ok I wanted to ask about the procedure for repairing a flat tire.

<SNIP>

G'day Tim;

I'll direct you to one of the most useful cycle relateed websites there is

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/flats.html

And after reading that, actually pretend you have a puncture and go
through the motions of fixing it. You'll be glad you did when you have a
real one 50km from home - instead of taking you 30 or 40 minutes, it'll
take you more like 15. Carry a spare tube as well as your tools and
puncture kit.

--
..dt

Joel Mayes said:

sheldonbrown.comflats.htmlOpen ↗

Cheers

Joel

and most importantly practice before you get 50km away from home - try it at home - hopefully u have quick release front and rear!

"Carry a spare tube as well as your tools and puncture kit" is good
advice. I never repair them out on the road, as there is no need to
when you can do it "properly" back at home in front of the telly. Fit
new tube, fold up old one and take it with me....

One thing that's of great help is to check your rims and there will be
"rim tape" lining them so the spoke-ends don;t damage the tyres. Often
factory bikes come with black rubber rim tape which shifts and allows
the tubes to be damaged - you should replace this on day 1 with
"proper" rim tapes which your bike shop can sell you.

Another thing is to replace your tyres with some that have some kind of
puncture resistant kevlar/polyaramide/whatever belt in their
construction...using such tyres I almost never get punctures. Maybe
your bike already has such tyres - check the brand of tyre on the
internet to see what the manufacturer says...

And finally, the better you can get at levering the tyre on and off the
rims using your thumbs rather than the levers, the easier you'll find
it to change tubes without generating additional punctures.

Cheers
David M

David M said:

And finally, the better you can get at levering the tyre on and off the
rims using your thumbs rather than the levers, the easier you'll find
it to change tubes without generating additional punctures.

I got so used to doing this I stopped carrying tyre levers. Luckily the
first puncture I got on the new bike occurred at home. There was no way
that tyre was coming off the wheel for the first time just using my thumbs.

DaveB

[snipping lots of good advice]

... and, check your bike pump occasionally. Getting stuck along the Midland Highway because the pump that has been so faithfully carried around for years has died somewhere along the way is a bit disappointing.

happy riding!
ali

Joel Mayes said:

I'll direct you to one of the most useful cycle relateed websites there is

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/flats.html

One essential tool he doesn't mention: pliers (or tweezers). I got a
flat not all that long ago; the cause was a thin bit of wire, about a
half centimetre long. No way was I getting it out of the tyre with just
my hands, but with pliers, it was an absolute breeze.

--
My Usenet From: address now expires after two weeks. If you email me, and
the mail bounces, try changing the bit before the "@ to usenet".

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>> "dtmeister" == dtmeister <[email hidden]> writes:

dtmeister Joel Mayes said:

Quoted message said:

Tim Green said:

Hello group, I am new to the wonderful world of cycling, and I
have bought myself a fairly good road bike.

Ok I wanted to ask about the procedure for repairing a flat
tire.

<SNIP>

G'day Tim;

I'll direct you to one of the most useful cycle relateed websites
there is

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/flats.html

dtmeister> And after reading that, actually pretend you have a
dtmeister> puncture and go through the motions of fixing it. You'll
dtmeister> be glad you did when you have a real one 50km from home -
dtmeister> instead of taking you 30 or 40 minutes, it'll take you
dtmeister> more like 15. Carry a spare tube as well as your tools
dtmeister> and puncture kit.

Amen to that. When if came back to cycling I did just that and boy was
I glad. The multi-tool I'd bought was supposed to double up as tyre
levers. Didn't take me much time at all to snap both of them.

My practice run threw up a deficiency in my tools which is irritating
but not as irritating as being 10k from the nearest train station in the
pissing rain and the bicycle ambulance at least 40 minutes away.
Practice practice practice and punctures won't hold you in fear any
more.

I don't repair the tube on the spot, I fit a fresh one and repair the
damaged one at my destination.
--
Cheers | ~~ __@
Euan | ~~ _-\<,
Melbourne, Australia | ~ (*)/ (*)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>> "alison" == alison b <alison_b> writes:

alison> .. and, check your bike pump occasionally. Getting stuck
alison> along the Midland Highway because the pump that has been so
alison> faithfully carried around for years has died somewhere along
alison> the way is a bit disappointing.

Heh, one of my less stellar moments was walking out to a flat tire.
Changed etc etc then put my trusty Topeak Road Morph on and pumped and
....

Nothing.

Not a breath of air going in to the tube.

It took me ten rather panic filled minutes to figure out that the base
of the pump had unscrewed a bit. Two twists later and the pump was as
good as new.

Did I feel stupid :-p
--
Cheers | ~~ __@
Euan | ~~ _-\<,
Melbourne, Australia | ~ (*)/ (*)

quote='Joel Mayes'Tim Green said:

Hello group, I am new to the wonderful world of cycling, and I have bought
myself a fairly good road bike.

Ok I wanted to ask about the procedure for repairing a flat tire.

<SNIP>

G'day Tim;

I'll direct you to one of the most useful cycle relateed websites there is

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/flats.html

Cheers

Joel[/QUOTE]
I read over that site... and did not pay much heed to tyre pressure..... I reckon the number 1 way to avoid punctures, is too make sure tyres are properly inflated.... a good hard/high pressure......

On 2005-09-30, Euan (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

My practice run threw up a deficiency in my tools which is irritating
but not as irritating as being 10k from the nearest train station in the
pissing rain and the bicycle ambulance at least 40 minutes away.
Practice practice practice and punctures won't hold you in fear any
more.

Dammit, my RACV bike assist membership must be just about due to
finish, and I haven't yet used my $15 worth of free taxis.

Quoted message said:

I don't repair the tube on the spot, I fit a fresh one and repair the
damaged one at my destination.

If you know it's only a small puncture, and you know exactly where it
is, and in particular, if you don't have quick releases (quick
releases aren't all that quick on the OCR3, because you have to fight
to get the wheel out of the brake blocks), and if it is good weather,
you may find patching to be quicker and more painfree than changing
the whole tube.

--
TimC
"A distributed system is one in which I cannot get something done
because a machine I've never heard of is down." -- Leslie Lamport

"Tim Green" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello group, I am new to the wonderful world of cycling, and I have bought
myself a fairly good road bike.

Ok I wanted to ask about the procedure for repairing a flat tire.

Ok might sound like a silly question to your seasoned pro's, in which
removing a rear wheel and fixing a flat, and puting the wheel back on is
like putting butter on your toast, but I have to admit, it scares the
living daylights out of me to think that I may get a flat tyre 50k's from
home.

Please give me a easy step by step guide to removing and fixing a rear
flat, and putting the wheel back on.

When I have removed the rear wheel in the past, the chain drops down, and
I have absolutely no idea on how to put that darn wheel back on, so please
tell me how you guys and gals do it.

Sorry if this sounds dumb, but it really puts a dampner on my ride if I
have to worry about this always in the back of my head.

Cheers,
Tim

I thought I'd throw my 10cents worth in as well......Tim, if you are very
new to cycling and concerned about punctures, I'd suggest it might be worth
your while to go to either the bikeshop where you bought the bike, or to a
bike shop you might be comfortable with, even if it costs you 10 dollars, it
might be worth it.
Ask them to show you step by step how to take the wheel off, watch carefully
how he manipulates the chain around the rear cogs and don't be afraid to ask
questions.When and if they help you out, go straight home and do exactly the
same again before you forget. It might be a pain but you'll thank yourself a
hundred times when the time comes...50 miles from home. Always take basic
tools like tyre levers and a spare tube and as others have suggested, don't
worry about fixing the tube till you get home.
Working around the rear cogs and derailers can be a bit confusing to
newcommers so that's why I reckon it's best to watch the experts do it
first.

Cheers
DJ

"Euan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>>> "alison" == alison b <alison_b> writes:

alison> .. and, check your bike pump occasionally. Getting stuck
alison> along the Midland Highway because the pump that has been so
alison> faithfully carried around for years has died somewhere along
alison> the way is a bit disappointing.

Heh, one of my less stellar moments was walking out to a flat tire.
Changed etc etc then put my trusty Topeak Road Morph on and pumped and
...

Nothing.

Not a breath of air going in to the tube.

It took me ten rather panic filled minutes to figure out that the base
of the pump had unscrewed a bit. Two twists later and the pump was as
good as new.

Did I feel stupid :-p
--

Heh...last time I did that it was because I'd ripped the valve off the tube.
Oops.

DJ said:

"Tim Green" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello group, I am new to the wonderful world of cycling, and I have bought
myself a fairly good road bike.

Ok I wanted to ask about the procedure for repairing a flat tire.

Agree with practice and being shown how by an experienced rider.
Kevlar tyres help as does Tuffee tape.
Carry a spare tube always, or tubes if doing a long solo ride.

Couple of lessons I have learnt. If using Presta tubes, take spare out of box, unscrew nut and try to blow some air in. Rarely, the valve is stuffed in manufacture and you cant get any air in by mouth or by pump, useless ballast. If OK, squeeze air out and put the tube back in its box. If not in the box they get holes worn in them after a while by rubbing against tools etc. if not protected.

I returned to cycling 3 years ago and first flat was a 40 minute clueless frig around. After lots of practice (mine and others) out on the road I can have the rear wheel back on in 3 minutes. Pumping up usually is the longest part, sometimes another 3 min !

Smart of you to ask. Could save yourself a Very long walk with the bike.

Cheers
Hugh

HughMann said:

Agree with practice and being shown how by an experienced rider.
Kevlar tyres help as does Tuffee tape.
Carry a spare tube always, or tubes if doing a long solo ride.

Couple of lessons I have learnt. If using Presta tubes, take spare out of box, unscrew nut and try to blow some air in. Rarely, the valve is stuffed in manufacture and you cant get any air in by mouth or by pump, useless ballast. If OK, squeeze air out and put the tube back in its box. If not in the box they get holes worn in them after a while by rubbing against tools etc. if not protected.

I returned to cycling 3 years ago and first flat was a 40 minute clueless frig around. After lots of practice (mine and others) out on the road I can have the rear wheel back on in 3 minutes. Pumping up usually is the longest part, sometimes another 3 min !

Smart of you to ask. Could save yourself a Very long walk with the bike.

Cheers
Hugh

Just one other hint that I would like to pass on. If you plan to do long rides where being able to call for help is not a easy option I suggest that you also carry some patches; i had three flats in one ride. Specialized make a set of self stick patches that come in a tiny pack with 6 patches that work a treat.

On 2005-09-30, jcjordan (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

Just one other hint that I would like to pass on. If you plan to do
long rides where being able to call for help is not a easy option I
suggest that you also carry some patches; i had three flats in one
ride. Specialized make a set of self stick patches that come in a tiny
pack with 6 patches that work a treat.

Maybe you want to practice with putting a sacrificial patch on too.

Was it GPL who had one of those self-stick patches on a BR one day,
and concluded that they were useless? They just didn't stick there at
all, so when you stick the tube back in the tire, they get rubbed off.

--
TimC

Quoted message said:

cat ~/.signature

Passing cosmic ray (core dumped)

TimC said:

Was it GPL who had one of those self-stick patches on a BR one day,
and concluded that they were useless? They just didn't stick there at
all, so when you stick the tube back in the tire, they get rubbed off.

Passing cosmic ray (core dumped)

mine is still holding strong after 2 months...but i think that you have to leave them to bond for a long time if they are to stick well...haven;t experimented
anyway my kit was a $4 or some other cheapy price one off the shelf

[quote="Euan"]>>>>> "alison" == alison b <alison_b> writes:

alison> .. and, check your bike pump occasionally. Getting stuck
alison> along the Midland Highway because the pump that has been so
alison> faithfully carried around for years has died somewhere along
alison> the way is a bit disappointing.

Heh, one of my less stellar moments was walking out to a flat tire.
Changed etc etc then put my trusty Topeak Road Morph on and pumped and
....

Nothing.

Not a breath of air going in to the tube.

It took me ten rather panic filled minutes to figure out that the base
of the pump had unscrewed a bit. Two twists later and the pump was as
good as new.

Did I feel stupid :-p
QUOTE]

😄 I've been so lucky, this was actually the first time I have had to use that pump. The only other puncture I have had on the bike I used someone else's u-beaut machine. Sometime in the years of no use some of the valve had perished - I'm guessing got water in it that just sat there forever...

I had to ring my mum... :o

ali, who couldn't get by without her mum!

[quote="alison_b"]

Euan said:

>>>>> "alison" == alison b <alison_b> writes:

alison> .. and, check your bike pump occasionally. Getting stuck
alison> along the Midland Highway because the pump that has been so
alison> faithfully carried around for years has died somewhere along
alison> the way is a bit disappointing.

Heh, one of my less stellar moments was walking out to a flat tire.
Changed etc etc then put my trusty Topeak Road Morph on and pumped and
....

Nothing.

Not a breath of air going in to the tube.

It took me ten rather panic filled minutes to figure out that the base
of the pump had unscrewed a bit. Two twists later and the pump was as
good as new.

Did I feel stupid :-p
QUOTE]

😄 I've been so lucky, this was actually the first time I have had to use that pump. The only other puncture I have had on the bike I used someone else's u-beaut machine. Sometime in the years of no use some of the valve had perished - I'm guessing got water in it that just sat there forever...

I had to ring my mum... :o

ali, who couldn't get by without her mum!