First visit from the Puncture Fairy.....

[Salad Dodger]

Last Sunday I rode some local paths. No problem.

This Saturday I went to get the bike out and was dismayed to find the front tyre flat. Further investigation revealed a flippin' great thorn through the tyre and the tube.

Good news - I was surprised at how quickly I could get the tube changed. (Good job I had a couple of tubes hanging around the garage...)

All the practice I had putting new tyres on my old bike a few weeks ago, then transferring them onto my new bike and putting the supplied tyres from my new bike onto the old one stood me in good stead!

So, can I ask...

Do most people repair punctured tubes, or just chuck them out and go for a new one?

And if you do repair them, what do you use? "Traditional" puncture repair kits with rubber solution, french chalk etc., or the new-fangled "peel and stick" patches?

I would welcome your opinions, please....

 

[maurice]

Peel and stick better on the trail (if you've run out of spare tubes), cheapo traditional kits for home repair.

If you think that's dismaying, this happened to me in Northern France last winter:

a) riding trails lined with freshly cut razor sharp thorned hedges.
rear puncture within 3 miles
c) stop to fix rear puncture, get freezing in biting cold wind.
d) go to move off and notice front tyre is now flat.
e) fix front puncture, become ever more freezing.
f) friend squeezes my freshly inflated rear tyre, now sub-inflated, and queries "didn't you just fix this?"
g) swear profusely.
h) notice all of our bikes tyres are covered in mud and thorns, quickly pump up rear tyre and abort ride before we get hyperthermia.

 

[globalfish]

Ever thought of going tubeless? I'm just about to. Had my share of thorns and don't want the hassle of punctures on winter/night rides.

 

[Ivan Ardon]

Peel and sticks will get you going, but aren't a long term fix for most people, give me a traditional repair kit sat at home in the warm every time.

Throwing away a tube because it's got a puncture? Well, that's just a bit crap isn't it?

 

[Panter]

Ever thought of going tubeless? I'm just about to. Had my share of thorns and don't want the hassle of punctures on winter/night rides.

+1. Google "ghetto conversion" for a cheap (and frankly bl**dy marvelous) version.

Alternatively, I used to take spare tubes (still do actually, just in case) and swap a pu***ured tube on the trail but repair the pun***red one later at home whilst sat in front of the telly/fire/fish tank.

Just one advantage of this is that you'll get a much better repair when you do it at home so you can have complete faith when you have to reinstall your repaired tube.
I've found the Tip-Top (Rena?) repair kits to be superb and have never had one fail.

EDIT: I know a lot of people that do buy cheap innertubes in bulk and just dump then when they're damaged, but I think it's a little wasteful and unescessary IMO.
Each to their own though

 

[maurice]

Both my mtb's are now tubeless, couldn't go back now. Apart from that I haven't had a puncture since I converted (April this year), the bikes ride noticeable better over stuff like roots.