Safe Speed Forums

Fed up seeing the eldest lads bike (i refer to it as a trick cycle) sitting out the back with a puncture , i bought him one .On opening it i was surprised to see the lengths of tubing as of years of old.Now the only valves i have seen over the past few years are either the racing type or car type --thought the old run of the mill ancient type valve had seen its days , or been replaced by a modern version not needing the rubber tubing to act as a valve element.
If that's right - is this a throwback, or an old design of kit.??

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

Perhaps you buy a standard kit.

As for punctures - Wildy guide to repair. Funnily enough I remember having to describe this in English speaking test at school. Ist probably only time I managed to stay in this class for whole lesson

If you get too many punctures - ist possible your have worn tyre or you have not got pressure correct. Should be 21.-3.4 bars (30-50 psi) for mountain bikes und between 6.2-8.3 bars (90-120 psi) for 700C tyres on other bikes. You should check pressure at least once per fortnight.

Puncture simple enough to fix - but some folk out there do not know - so for their notes This ist the roadside repair when you have not the equipment to remove wheel completely.

1. Deflate the tyre und remove valve nut.

2. Go to opposite end of wheel und work tyre back und forth to free from rim

3. Using rounded end of tyre lever - puch under tyre bead- then yank down to lift the bead over the rim. Try not to pinch the tube as this mean more punctures.

4. Hook lever end onto a spoke und about 10 cm (4 inch) around - repeat the process with a new tyre lever. Tou should not need more than three levers.

5. Now go around the tyre prising the sidewall away from rim with thumb

6. Remove one of the tyre levers und run between rim und tyre -lifting remaining tyre over rim wall.

7. One side of tyre should be free from rim - reach inside - coax out the tube.

8. Cehck tube for thorns und cuts

9. Find the puncture. Easiest way on the road ist to pump up the tyre und listen to locate the hiss. If nearby puddle - place tube in this to locate the hole.

10. Trusty piece of chalk to mark the spot.

11. Rub the puncture spot with emery paper to remove dirt und to help glue to bond. (Have used my finger nail file in past It help to be sassy female with manicured claws )

12. Apply thin coat of glue around the puncture

13. Leave to dry

14. Press patch into position - centre had to be bang on the hole. Smooth it out - NO air bubbles. Use tyre lever to press it down firmly.

15. Inflate the tube slightly

16. Push section of tube with valve stem through its hole on rim. Do not screw on the rim nut yet.

17. Go around wheel tucking the tube into deepest part of rim. Make sure ist even fit.

18. Start at valve - push tyre bead over edge of rim. Do this all around the tyre. Hold the base of the valve stem clear of rim as you do this - else it might catch on the bead.

19. When tyre ist fitted neatly - pump it up.

20. Check valve ist upright.Screw on the rim nut und spin wheel round.

21. You should now be able to ride off into sunset again

If you have patched about three time - replace the tube.

There sorted!

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Punctures...hah!

In Cyprus these little tiny pointy seeds lay scattered all around throughout the year. Car tyres are big enough to squash 'em, but bikes... I must have repaired 30 odd punctures in our three bikes before I stumped up the cash for solid tyres.
And the poor dogs They'd go leaping out into the garden, suddenly there'd be a 'YELP' and one would come hopping back with a little Aya (so-called because of what you yell when you tread on one bearfoot ) stuck in its paw. Our littlest Jack Russel used to burn his paws on the hot concrete as well; you'd come in and find him stood in his water bowl to cool off (bless).

Thanks - wildy - wish i was a newcomer to bike punctures .One little comment - the old style of tube used to be (from memory) a tube which was joined to size.These days ttubes are moulded and (invariably,if not always) the puncture is that close to the seam that some attention needs to be paid to reducing the size of the seam to ensure that the repair is permanent. I usually shave the seam carefully and then sand it.
It was the sight of the valve tubing that amused me - i thought that these days this sort of valve was a thing of the past.

Thorns - used to carry two spares in the Jeep in Africa when out in the bush - no need to test for punctures - just look for thorn like nail sticking out of tyre - at times six or seven.As for bikes -average was one repair per day.

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

I find it much easier just to change the inner tube. At home if I want to fix the puncture I locate it in the bath. But on the roadside there is no bath.

As for the valves, I only use schraeder valves. Hate the presto ones, they break too easily and I was once left stranded. Plus you can't pump at the garage (although they say at the garages not to use for bicycle tyres, nobody has ever pulled me over when I have).

Now if they really want to get everyone green and make things bicycle friendly, then how about getting garages to stock inner tubes of various sizes and to have a push-down hand-pump facility for bicycles. I have one of those at home but can't carry it around with me, so I have just the little pump which doesn't really pump the tyre enough except to get it to the nearest garage or home on a short-distance run.