Learning How To Change A Tyre....

[RWright]

I ordered a pair of Maxxis Re-Fuse tires for my drop bar bike and a set of Mr Tuffy tire liners for both it and my Townie. I am just a fitness rider working toward total commuting rider, so if this doesn't work, slime is next. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[MrJamie]

Months ago I had put sealant (slime) in my tyres, as Mickle suggested on his site.
Was not trusting it, though so I still carried the usual, spare tube, tools, pump.
For a long time, nothing. Then I got a semi-flat due to a tiny bit of gravel 5 miles from home.
I say semi-flat, because I pumped it up, the air stayed in: when I got home I realized the cause of the puncture was still in the tyre. Slime works, now I only carry a pump and an allen key.

I'd really still carry the spare tube etc just incase... Slime isnt that great if you get a bigger hole in the tube from a larger shard of glass or similar. Its also really easy to get slime to block up the valve if you're not careful

 

[ufkacbln]

Practice at home with warmth and light rather than in the dark on the side of a freezing country lane Theres probably videos on youtube explaining it quite well if you watch a few.

I learnt as a child i think, as my dad was quite a keen cyclist. Its rather easy, but there are a few things that you can get wrong, most commonly is that whatever pierced the tube can still be embedded in the tyre or moving round loosely inside the tyre so itll puncture again once you get going. Always worth going round the tyre slowly feeling it from the inside and checking the bottom of the tyre for loose bits. If you mark where the valve was on the tyre (or put the tyre on so that a logo is by the valve) it gives you a clue as to where the puncture happened in the tyre. Also if you have a minipump without a host connector be careful about putting pressure on the valve when inflating, i broke a couple of tubes like that

+1

I do all my own maintenance, but even after all this time, whenver I come across something new or different I try it at home.

It not only gets you used to the repair, but also identifies tools. When my wife picked up her Gekko, I had a full road going tool kit from mine, then realised when we got home that we needed to add a 15 mm spanner to the kit.


Oh... and the really sad bit, but works well.

When you fit a tyre, align the tyre to the tube so that a particular character of the name is at the valve position.

I use the S in Schwalbe, but is entirely up to you.

This way when you have a puncture, you can take out the tube, lay it on the tyre with the valve in the same position and tell exactly where the sharp object is on the tyre........saving time searching the tyre for the offending iten

 

[Pat "5mph"]

I'd really still carry the spare tube etc just incase... Slime isnt that great if you get a bigger hole in the tube from a larger shard of glass or similar. Its also really easy to get slime to block up the valve if you're not careful

You must be riding often in cycle paths: them, and parks... glass [/quote]

 

[MrJamie]

You must be riding often in cycle paths: them, and parks... glass

Yeah, its everywhere theres always smashed glass on the underpasses every way out of Tesco etc, more where the kids hang out at night and recently the recyling men seem unable to take away the bottles without leaving broken glass somewhere in the street each and on top of that I keep finding thorns stuck in my tyres