Commutes 6, punctures 1...

[cyberknight]

I have had 1 puncture in nearly a year of commuting so far .....pure luck i think.
Currently running on x rated tyres that are kevlar lined with slime liners. When i get some cash saved i am hoping to swap to to maybe marathon +.

I currently carry 1 inner tube , slime stuff , tyre levers and a multi tool

 

[Tynan]

I struggle to belive people don't carry a punc kit, even as a last resort

 

[Maz]

I don't, in fact I don't carry any cycling gear at all.

I've got 24 gears on mine.

 

[Tynan]

I don't, in fact I don't carry any cycling gear at all.

what happens then?

cab?

 

[buggi]

i don't wanna tempt fate but in five years since i first owned a road bike i've had only 4 or 5! And i swear its because i insist my tyres are pumped to maximum pressure.

First time i phoned someone to pick me up second time i was "rescued" by a random stranger who turned out to be a fully fledged cyclist and is now one of my best buddies 3rd time was on the way to Paris and the guy i was riding with made me do it, so i would learn but i'm glad he did coz two weeks after i was riding a lonely road when i got my fourth one and i managed all on my own and am now no longer afraid of it Fifth time was at home when i discovered it so at least i got to change it in the warm!

Punky... you might find it also helps on changing tyre time if you get a CO2 canister thing. Pumps your tyres up in 2 seconds, no effort. The only thing you have to remember is, when you get home, let the CO2 out and replace it with Air from a normal pump. CO2 is thinner than air and will seep out withiin 48 hours and you will have a flat tyre again (but only needs pumping up!). It's fine to get you home over a long distance though. The first time this happened to me i thought i had another puncture DOH! i didn't realise i had to replace the CO2 with air.

 

[threefingerjoe]

Here's a tip. When you're looking for the culprit that punctured your innertube. Be careful of running your finger around the inside of your tyre. This may sound obvious, but I slashed my thumb open doing this!!

I've done this, too! By the time I finished my repair, I had blood all over the pump, my headlamp (which I was using for a torch) and everything else that I'd touched.

Here's ANOTHER tip. Before you start feeling for that piece of glass, reach into your back pocket and grab your handkerchief (remember those?) Run the handkerchief around the inside of the tyre, and, if you pay attention, you'll feel it snag on the foreign object.

 

[Tynan]

Never had a bike break down on me-ever.

I admire your supreme serenity but surely you accept that it might at any time?

Even if your bike is so well maintained that there'll never be a mechanical failure, you can't prevent the occasional puncture surely?

I had a tyre seperate from the wire once, it was a couple of weeks old

 

[Tynan]

your handkerchief (remember those?)

not really, no, if it's going to be run around the inside of tyres, I'd be calling that a rag

 

[Eat MY Dust]

I don't, in fact I don't carry any cycling gear at all.

I never used to either and then I had my chain snap about 5 miles from home. Wasn't such a nice commute walking in my cleats!

 

[Tynan]

I never used to either and then I had my chain snap about 5 miles from home. Wasn't such a nice commute walking in my cleats!

deedy, I've got a chain tool and superlink now, I carried a chain tool for years and never used it on the road

I can't belive that people ride with no way to resolve a flat though

 

[Eat MY Dust]

Why didn't you scoot?

What, with SPD-SL cleats? It'd be quicker walking.