Just brilliant!!!!!

[sw3008]

Got to the bike rack last night & loaded all the gear onto the "SW-mobile", started to ride & there was a lovely flat tyre at the back!!

Whipped the back wheel off & tried to put the spare tube in & wouldn't you just know it, the valve was too big for the wheel.

After 40 mins of "faffing about", eventually went to Halfords over the road & bought 3 tubes & a repair kit.

I then gave up & called International Rescue (a.k.a. Mrs W) who arrived in Thunderbird 2 (or the Seat Alhambra) to take me home.

Just what I needed after a long day at work. Luckily for me the weather was nice or I'd have been really p**sed off.

 

[Woz!]

Why not just fix the puncture?
I can generally fix one in minutes - even had a massive hole the other week when I was using the track pump and the tyre popped off the rim - the inner tube exploded and blew a flipping great hole. I thought what the hell and patched it and it's been running fine for a good 75 miles so far.

I only use the old style patches with vulcanising wossname seperate. Tried some of those one-shot modern ones before and they're useless.

 

[hackbike 666]

Can't say im that good at fixing punctures.

 

[sw3008]

Valve to big? Wrong sort of valve more like.

Invest in a pair of good tyres.

Nah, the tube was from my old baik & I hadn't checked if they were the same valve. The new ones are the presta & the one I had was a schraeder. Should have checked it out really.

The tyres a schwalb marathons - not sure why I'm having problems yet.

Why not just fix the puncture?

I would have, but I opened my saddlebag & guess what, no repair kit !!! Went over to Halfords & bought a new one.

So, the moral of the story is "be prepared"

 

[Woz!]

Can't say im that good at fixing punctures.

Last year I redid my flat roof with EPDM, which is basically the same stuff as they make inner tubes from. You stick it together with vulcanising solution, so I got a LOT of experience with it

The trick is to understand that the vulcanising solution is NOT glue - it doesn't stick the rubber together; it makes the two bits of rubber melt into one bit. You need to apply it thinly and make sure it's almost dry before you put the two bits of rubber together. Then you need to grate the chalk over the area to remove any tackiness so that the inner tube doesn't adhere to the outer tyre.
Easy peasy.

 

[goo_mason]

Last year I redid my flat roof with EPDM, which is basically the same stuff as they make inner tubes from. You stick it together with vulcanising solution, so I got a LOT of experience with it

The trick is to understand that the vulcanising solution is NOT glue - it doesn't stick the rubber together; it makes the two bits of rubber melt into one bit. You need to apply it thinly and make sure it's almost dry before you put the two bits of rubber together. Then you need to grate the chalk over the area to remove any tackiness so that the inner tube doesn't adhere to the outer tyre.
Easy peasy.

They don't have chalk in the new kits any more :-( I remember the little chunks fondly from my childhood cycling days. I'd carry a wee drop of talc in a bag in the kit of I could, but that might look very suspicious if anyone ever saw it !!

 

[redjedi]

I would have, but I opened my saddlebag & guess what, no repair kit !!! Went over to Halfords & bought a new one.

So why didn't you fix the puncture???

I'm dreading the day I get a puncture, it's been so long since I had a puncture (over a year), I think I may have forgotton how to fix a puncture (Maraphon + in case you were wondering)

If anyone gets a puncture in NW/W London give me a call, I could do with the practice of fixing punctures.

(I know I said puncture 6 times in that post, 7 now but I don't care )

 

[goo_mason]

So why didn't you fix the punture???

I'm dreading the day I get a puncture, it's been so long since I had a puncture (over a year), I think I may have forgotton how to fix a punture (Maraphon + in case you were wondering)

If anyone gets a puncture in NW/W London give me a call, I could do with the practice of fixing puntures.

(I know I said puncture 6 times in that post, 7 now but I don't care )

Actually you only said it 4 times ;-) The other three times you made a typo and said something else

 

[sw3008]

So why didn't you fix the puncture???

'Cos I'd lost the will by then & I wanted to get home.

I've repaired the old one to use a spare in future.

 

[Tynan]

the kits I buy still have chalk although it's bloody hard to get dust from, I'm a recent convert to leaving the plastic/paper backing on the patch, that doesn't leave much tack to chalk

 

[redjedi]

Thank you for pointing that out Goo, I wouldn't want to upset the puncture fairy (actually I would )

I wonder who the PUN-ture fairy is? I have a feeling it's Aperitif

(please don't tell him I called him a fairy )

 

[Amanda P]

I could do with the practice of fixing punctures.

Jedi, for a suitable fee I will be delighted to come and stick drawing pins in your tyres and give you all the practice you need.

If you like, and for a modest extra fee, I will sneak in and do it unexpectedly at random intervals in future. Wouldn't want you getting complacent, would we?

I take PayPal, cheques, notes...

 

[redjedi]

Jedi, for a suitable fee I will be delighted to come and stick drawing pins in your tyres and give you all the practice you need.

If you like, and for a modest extra fee, I will sneak in and do it unexpectedly at random intervals in future. Wouldn't want you getting complacent, would we?

I take PayPal, cheques, notes...

You will need something bigger than drawing pins

And I'll leave a £5 note wrapped around my spokes for you.

 

[Wolf04]

http://road.cc/content/review/3646-kenda-thorn-resistant-inner-tube

As previously reccomended by our own Hackbike666.

 

[Woz!]

They don't have chalk in the new kits any more :-(

My Halfords one does!

the kits I buy still have chalk although it's bloody hard to get dust from, I'm a recent convert to leaving the plastic/paper backing on the patch, that doesn't leave much tack to chalk

My old school patches don't have any paper on the back
In fact I noticed that Halfords even sell sheets of the old-style stuff that you cut yourself. Might get that next time so that I don't end up using big patches on small holes.
My recent kit even has a little metal grater with it, which makes getting dust from the chalk a doddle. It's a very cheap kit.