Fixing a puncture or replacing inner tube when dirty

[Kingfisher101]

You need to practice at home in your kitchen or garage, removing a wheel and especially the back one and taking the tyre on and off etc. You will get punctures and it will be a total pain if you cant fix it.
I've had to walk home miles before now not because I couldn't fix the puncture but because I only took one inner tube, then had 2 punctures etc. If you cant be bothered learning then don't go further than you are prepared to push the bike home.

 

[Alex321]

How do I know what's optimal?

Enough to avoid pinch flats, but not rock hard as used to be thought. I tend to keep mine (700c x 28mm) at around 75psi.

As for tires that come with the bike, I bought a carrera crossfire 3 new.

Almost all new bikes come with relatively poor tyres, particularly lower end bikes, which that is./

Also is the added weight of higher puncture resistance a concern?

Unless you are racing, not really. They don't weigh that much more. Some people say that the most puncture resistant tyres feel "dead", but I think that is more down to a lack of suppleness than to added weight.

I ride a decent mid-range Cube road bike, and since I use it for commuting and a lot of riding on back lanes which can be pretty rough, I prioritise puncture resistance, and have marathon+ tyres on it. I still average between 14-17 mph on most rides, with quite a lot of hills.

With the tyres that came with the bike, I was averaging a puncture every couple of hundred miles, maybe even a bit less. I tried a couple of other medium level tyres, and they weren't much better, then some specialized armadillos which didn't puncture, but also didn't last very long - only about 1500 miles. Since I put the marathon+ on, I have done 2900 miles without a single puncture.

 

[Sharky]

+1 for practicing in a warm dry kitchen or garage. Get that perfect, then doing the same out on the road won't be too much of a challenge.

I alway carry spare tubes, but I always try and initially patch the puncture first. If the latter works, that's great, but if it deflates again a few miles later, it could be that the cause of the puncture is a flint, still embedded in the tyre. So a second attempt is needed , but reassuring that you still have a sound spare tube waiting to be used.

 

[Milena]

+1 for practicing in a warm dry kitchen or garage. Get that perfect, then doing the same out on the road won't be too much of a challenge.

I alway carry spare tubes, but I always try and initially patch the puncture first. If the latter works, that's great, but if it deflates again a few miles later, it could be that the cause of the puncture is a flint, still embedded in the tyre. So a second attempt is needed , but reassuring that you still have a sound spare tube waiting to be used.

The garage is cold 😔. Parents won't let me bring the cycle into the home. But I'll do it somewhere. The garage also has next to no space. My dad is one of those that buy junk from garage sales and keeps it. Any space created will get occupied by him with his junk.

How do I detect what's caused the puncture when the tire is soaking wet and gritty out in the field?

It's all well and good at home when it's clean and dry..

 

[Punkawallah]

What do you mean incur a cleaning cost? What are you talking about?

If you brought the bike into the shop for puncture repair with the wheels thick of mud, you’d be charged £10 for cleaning it first.

 

[Punkawallah]

The garage is cold 😔. Parents won't let me bring the cycle into the home. But I'll do it somewhere. The garage also has next to no space. My dad is one of those that buy junk from garage sales and keeps it. Any space created will get occupied by him with his junk.

How do I detect what's caused the puncture when the tire is soaking wet and gritty out in the field?

It's all well and good at home when it's clean and dry..

We’re back to the ‘carry a cloth’, then. Use it to wipe the tyre off, check it first for obvious sharps. The inside will be clean when you get it off. If you pump air into the tube and hold it close to your ear you can feel/hear escaping air. Repeat for the outside, inside and size . . .sides until you find the hole. Mark it. Fix it. Clear the inside of the tyre for sharps. Re-assemble.

 

[Milena]

If you brought the bike into the shop for puncture repair with the wheels thick of mud, you’d be charged £10 for cleaning it first.

You should have said that. But no. My tiers weren't muddy. Gravel and tarmac is what I ride. I don't do mud unless I'm forced to due to the route or getting pushed into it by a car or something. But as I said I'm already paying the bike shop for a full clean.

 

[Milena]

We’re back to the ‘carry a cloth’, then. Use it to wipe the tyre off, check it first for obvious sharps. The inside will be clean when you get it off. If you pump air into the tube and hold it close to your ear you can feel/hear escaping air. Repeat for the outside, inside and size . . .sides until you find the hole. Mark it. Fix it. Clear the inside of the tyre for sharps. Re-assemble.

Mark it how? Is it OK if rainwater goes inside the tire and on the rim? It's inevitable when it's raining.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

How do I detect what's caused the puncture when the tire is soaking wet and gritty out in the field?

Gritty is not a problem. Ignore it.

1. First remove one side of the tyre only from the rim.

2. With the valve still attached to the rim, pull the inner tube out.

3. Pump up the inner, whilst still attached to the rim by the valve. Locate the hole by listening to the air leaking from it. This may require you to inflate the tube quite a lot of it's a small hole, or it might be immediately obvious.

4. As the tyre is still on the rim, you now know exactly where the puncture was caused.

5. Minutely examine inside and out of the tyre the area where the culprit might be, and remove when found. If it's not obvious, don't give up; a very small piece of glass may be embedded.

6. Either patch the tube in situ, or replace with a new one.

Go practice this in your kitchen or in your garage, cold and cramped though it may be, or just outside wrapped up warm. You can take the wheel off outside so there's no muck. Until you are confident to do this, don't ask for any more advice!

 

[Milena]

Gritty is not a problem. Ignore it.

1. First remove one side of the tyre only from the rim.

2. With the valve still attached to the rim, pull the inner tube out.

3. Pump up the inner, whilst still attached to the rim by the valve. Locate the hole by listening to the air leaking from it. This may require you to inflate the tube quite a lot of it's a small hole, or it might be immediately obvious.

4. As the tyre is still on the rim, you now know exactly where the puncture was caused.

5. Minutely examine inside and out of the tyre the area where the culprit might be, and remove when found. If it's not obvious, don't give up; a very small piece of glass may be embedded.

6. Either patch the tube in situ, or replace with a new one.

Go practice this in your kitchen or in your garage, cold and cramped though it may be, or just outside wrapped up warm. You can take the wheel off outside so there's no muck. Until you are confident to do this, don't ask for any more advice!

I'll have to practise this outside in the rain then, because there's literally not enough space in the garage to lay the cycle down. I will also need to buy all the stuff to do this. And that also means a small pump, because I have to practise with the exact tools I'll have on me when I'm out cycling.

But thanks for this. Once I do all this I'll inform.

 

[Alex321]

I'll have to practise this outside in the rain then, because there's literally not enough space in the garage to lay the cycle down. I will also need to buy all the stuff to do this. And that also means a small pump, because I have to practise with the exact tools I'll have on me when I'm out cycling.

But thanks for this. Once I do all this I'll inform.

You don't need to lay the cycle down. Just put it upside down on saddle and handlebars. That is not going to harm most bikes, and it makes it much easier to get the wheel on an off. And if there is room for it upright, there should be room upside down.

And I wouldn't worry about using a small pump (unless of course that is the only one you have), it is getting the tyre on and off the rim (one side only), looking for the hole and checking the tyre for sharp objects that you need to practice - particularly getting the tyre on and off the rim.

 

[Kingfisher101]

The garage is cold 😔. Parents won't let me bring the cycle into the home. But I'll do it somewhere. The garage also has next to no space. My dad is one of those that buy junk from garage sales and keeps it. Any space created will get occupied by him with his junk.

How do I detect what's caused the puncture when the tire is soaking wet and gritty out in the field?

It's all well and good at home when it's clean and dry..

You take one rim off and run your fingertips round the inside of the tyre to find anything that sticks in your fingers, like a piece of glass, flint etc. If you find it then it needs pushing out with a screwdriver or pocketknife etc. (There could be nothing stuck in either).Look at the outside of the tyre as well for an object and damage etc. When out and about and getting a puncture just put in a new inner tube, don't be patching it up. It will take ages and its wet at the moment. You don't always know exactly what caused it. Just make sure there's nothing that's sticking into the tyre and that the tyre is put back properly on the rim. You need to go round the rim at both sides and make sure the inner tube isn't trapped under the bead.
If I were you I'd see if there's anywhere local to you that does basic bike repair classes. My local cycling group does these, community bike recycling places do as well. They will help you learn these basics.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

How do I know what's optimal?

Does the bike roll along well enough and corner okay on the gravel, and does it run fairly smooth and not feel as though it’s bouncing off every imperfection in the road?

If it feels like it’s bouncing off every bump you encounter, likely too much pressure, if it feels like you are riding through treacle or it squirms on corner, likely too low. Choose a pressure somewhere between and there you go.

 

[fossyant]

The garage is cold 😔.

Good god. Excuses excuses. Put a bloody coat on. My garage is detached, no heating, and I work on my bikes all year round with the bloody door open.

You need to learn otherwise you'll get fleeced by the bike shop for a wash and puncture fix again - was that £32 ? (yikes), where if you fixed it yourself, £5 max if you need a new tube, or a few pence for a patch.

Google is your friend these days, tells you how to fix punctures and even tie your shoe laces.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I alway carry spare tubes, but I always try and initially patch the puncture first.

This, if the weather is okay, patch. If it is cold (enough that your hands are losing sensation) and / or wet just put new tube in and patch at home.