Patched my first bike tire

[tfordon]

I got my first flat tire on the bike ride home last night (under-inflated tires lead to snakebite puncture, d'oh).  I pulled over and patched it in the grass near the road.

I was a little daunted, since I had never patched a tire before.  But, it was super easy, and now I'll ride more confidently.  I'm sure for many of the advanced mustachians, this is a small achievement; But you gotta start somewhere, and early steps are usually the toughest.

[startingover]

Way to go!!

[kendallf]

Good deal!  You'd be surprised how many regular riders I see who can't change a flat (with a new tube, let alone patching the old one!).  I like to carry a spare tube and CO2, just because I can change one and reinflate in a minute or two.  Then I carry the punctured one home and patch them when I've accumulated a few.

[destron]

Good job! It's surprisingly easy to do.

Another good thing to carry in your kit is a piece of plastic cut out from a 2 liter bottle to use if you get a flap or hole in your tire. I have had that happen before (on a multi-day bike trek no less) -- if you don't use the plastic between your inner tube and tire, the inner tube will balloon out and pop again later.

[GuitarStv]

Nice job!

I always carry a spare tube . . . flats seem to happen when it's raining and miserable out and swapping tubes on the road, then patching in the comfort of your home is much easier!

[Bakari]

Congrats on getting it right the first time!


A couple tips for anyone just getting started fixing flats, to avoid some very common rookie mistakes:

Always check the inside of the tube for glass/thorns that may have caused the flat, (even if you think you know what caused it).  I use my fingertips (lightly, so you don't get cut on it), because I've missed them using the rag method or visual only.

Never use tire levels to get the tire back on, just use your hands.  Sometimes its really, really tight, but the effort it takes still beats having to start the whole process over because you just pinched your new tube between the rim and the tool.

The glue type of patch is more reliable than the pre-sticky quick patch.  Let the glue dry before you put the patch on.

Make sure the tire is fully seated all the way around the rim before fully inflating it.  If the tube starts bulging out somewhere between tire and rim, deflate and start over.  Otherwise it will explode.  Violently, and loudly.

[destron]

Never use tire levels to get the tire back on, just use your hands.  Sometimes its really, really tight, but the effort it takes still beats having to start the whole process over because you just pinched your new tube between the rim and the tool.

I second this. First time I ever got a flat was on a three day trip and it was lightly raining. It took forever to fix because I caused two new holes in the tube trying to get it back on with tire levers. D'oh!

[startingover]

Thanks for the tips guys!  It helps to know stuff like that.  I'm new to fixing stuff, but my man is teaching me a lot!  I'm going to fix the next flat tire that some neighbor kid comes over with!

[capital]

Another good thing to carry in your kit is a piece of plastic cut out from a 2 liter bottle to use if you get a flap or hole in your tire. I have had that happen before (on a multi-day bike trek no less) -- if you don't use the plastic between your inner tube and tire, the inner tube will balloon out and pop again later.

You can also use a dollar bill or Clif Bar wrapper for this purpose, or any reasonably strong flat material.

[bikebum]

Never use tire levels to get the tire back on, just use your hands.  Sometimes its really, really tight, but the effort it takes still beats having to start the whole process over because you just pinched your new tube between the rim and the tool.

I second this. First time I ever got a flat was on a three day trip and it was lightly raining. It took forever to fix because I caused two new holes in the tube trying to get it back on with tire levers. D'oh!

I do this with my mountain bike tires. However, my road bike tires are impossible for me to put back on the rim without levers.