You enjoy your cycling trips but hope you never have to deal
with a flat tire. Flat tires are a fact of life and at some point
you will most likely be faced with one. Don't let a flat tire
flatten your mood. Follow these 6 steps to deal with a flat tire.
1. Be prepared
It would be great if all flat tires occurred just as you were
leaving your home, but Murphy will make sure that doesn't happen!
Guaranteed you'll get your flat tire at the most inconvenient
time. It doesn't have to be that bad if you are prepared. Prepared
means having a full tire repair kit on your bike, and having
a bike stand on your bike which can make changing a tire easier.
2. Repair a rear flat
To fix a rear flat you'll need to remove the rear tire. Lift
the bike up on the kick stand or if you don't have a kick stand
you'll have to flip your bike upside down. Shift it to the lowest
gear on the smallest clog on the rear wheel. Move the rear derailleur
out of the way so that you have easier access to the wheel.
3. Repair a front flat
A flat on the front tire will require you to remove the front
wheel. Release the brake cable at the brake which will give
you some wiggle room making it easier to remove the brake. Use
the quick release, crank it a couple of times to loosen the
wheel.
4. Remove the tire
You need to completely deflate the inner tube before you remove
the tire. You can do this by applying gentle pressure to the
tire to force the air out. Once the tube is deflated use your
thumbs to separate the tire from the rim. Now here's where the
tire kit you purchased pays off! Take the tire levers out of
the repair kit and use them to pop the tire off one side of
the rim which will then expose the inner tube.
5. Repair the tube
Fill the tube with air then gently spin it near your ear. Listen
for the hissing sound of air escaping to narrow down where the
hole is. If this doesn't work and you've got a spare water water
bottle wet the tube down which will cause it to bubble where
the leak is. Once you've fixed the leak you'll have to deflate
the tube so you can reinsert into the tire. If you want to save
yourself a bunch of hassle you can purchase an instant repair
kit and do a proper repair when you return home.
6. Replace the tube
There are going to be times when a patch just isn't going to
do the job. Now if you were smart and you purchased that tire
kit this isn't going to be much of a problem. Grab a new tube
from the kit and follow the directions for removing either the
front or back wheel. If you decided against the tire kit, you're
going to have a long walk home or to the nearest garage. You'll
probably be cursing all the way because you were not bright
enough to purchase that kit. Bet you don't have this problem
a second time.
It's easy to see by following these 6 steps you can very quickly
be back on the road after that flat tire. If you've repaired your
tube it probably would be a good idea when you get home to replace
it with a new tube unless you are sure the leak was caused by
a puncture and not a weakness in the rubber. That's it your set!
A complete bike repair kit and they'll be no flattening your mood
for more than a couple of mintues!
