On road inner tube repair

[SkipdiverJohn]

Similar to Skolly it depends what I'm doing and what bike I'm on.

Similar situation here. I divide my fleet into good bikes and hack bikes. The good bikes get ridden on longer rides and they all have puncture-protected Schwalbes (either original Marathons or Delta Cruiser+). I don't do skinny & fragile when it comes to tyres. The hack bikes run any stout tyre that will hold air, but are normally only used for short local trips. I also look where I'm going and don't plough through glass and road debris. That takes care of the puncture prevention side.
If I'm going more than a few miles I carry a pump, 1 spare tube, and a glue patch kit. Unless it's raining, I'd always repair and refit a punctured tube rather than use a spare. If I'm staying very local I don't take anything at all and I accept that the worst case scenario is an hour's walk home pushing a dead bike.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Punctures only happen at night and when it’s raining in my world. I know why and I don’t want you telling me otherwise. I am a very bitter individual.

They also always happen a short distance before a nice clean car park or layby where you can fix it. Of course you only discover this a few minutes after you set off having done all your fixing in a filthy ditch.

 

[raleighnut]

I don't do skinny & fragile when it comes to tyres

I do, a couple of my bikes have silly tyres in fact one is very silly, 20mm Continental Grand Prix Supersonic which weighs less than most inner tubes. They have the puncture resistance of a paper bag but they aren't half fast.

 

[MichaelW2]

Duct Tape and zip ties for everything.

No i carry my repair kit for any ride over 2 miles or when I am hauling the trailer
One tube and a repair kit with feathered patches.
My only roadside patch in recent years has been to the 20" trailer due to internal friction. Now have some spare 20" tubes.
My wife's 700c inner was punctured when I had my 26" tube kit. Fortunately it was 100m from Halfords so I got a couple of tubes. My touring kit is 700c.
My worst case scenario requires 3 different tube sizes.

 

[Milkfloat]

For my commute, I carry nothing, but have a tube and pump at work. The rest of the time I am tubeless so have worms, a tube and CO2.

 

[Smudge]

The same size 28-38 presta tube will fit 3 of my bikes, so thats all i carry. Along with a multitool and single tyre lever.
I'll take the risk not to have a second puncture while out.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I see that no one carries cans of instant sealant. I have one that I carry when riding the Brompton for any considerable distance because I fear having to remove the rear wheel of the B at the roadside. I've never used it though, so I expect that if it did happen I'd do it all wrong and I'd still have to remove the rear wheel, but I with the added bonus of having covered myself and the bike with a thin layer of sealant first.

 

[Smudge]

I dont bother taking any spare tube or patch kit with my folder. Being a folder, i fugure its easy to take on a bus or a taxi home. Also being a IGH, if a puncture were to occur on the rear, i'd rather deal with that at home.

 

[Sharky]

I do, a couple of my bikes have silly tyres in fact one is very silly, 20mm Continental Grand Prix Supersonic which weighs less than most inner tubes. They have the puncture resistance of a paper bag but they aren't half fast.

I've been using these or similar for about 10 years on my TT bike. Only ride about a dozen 10's a year, so not a high mileage but it was only this year that I suffered my first puncture. Hit a raised manhole rim and bottomed out against the rim. It was my new tri-spoke wheel and I think a bit wider than my old mavics, so didn't have as much cushioning against this sort of puncture.

Was carrying a spare, so swapped the inner by the road side and rode back to the start, rather than walk or wait for the turn marshal to pick me up.

Now have replaced the front tyre with a "tractor" sized 23mm continental TT tyre and this feels much more comfortable.

 

[PaulSB]

One thing I learnt a few years ago was to keep the spare tubes in individual plastic bags. I heard this trick from a CTC forum member but thought he was talking balony. Over time, the tubes move around in your saddle bag and surprisingly, can wear holes in the tube.

When I buy new tubes I douse them in talcum powder, wrap in newspaper and then cling film. It's worked so far.

The talc makes slipping any tyre back on to a rim much simpler.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

. Also being a IGH, if a puncture were to occur on the rear, i'd rather deal with that at home.

When I was a youngster, I used to ride to work on one of these roadsters with a SA hub gear, and I never found rear wheel punctures too big a deal.


The only thing that got disturbed was the control rod for the gear selector, but that takes about a minute to tweak back into adjustment. In some respects a single sprocket bike is less hassle, as you aren't having to pull the rear mech tensioner out of the way whilst you get the wheel out of the dropout.
The only bike I would not fancy a tube change repair on would be a full-on old school rod-braked heavy roadster with a fully enclosed chaincase. If I had one of those, (which I don't) I'd probably be tempted to fit M+, if they are even available in ISO 635 sizes.

 

[fossyant]

Two tubes, repair kit, co2 and a pump. Co2 for being lazy ! Repair kit only there as insurance as I fix tubes at home in the dry and warm.

 

[Smudge]

When I was a youngster, I used to ride to work on one of these roadsters with a SA hub gear, and I never found rear wheel punctures too big a deal.
View attachment 489077

The only thing that got disturbed was the control rod for the gear selector, but that takes about a minute to tweak back into adjustment. In some respects a single sprocket bike is less hassle, as you aren't having to pull the rear mech tensioner out of the way whilst you get the wheel out of the dropout.
The only bike I would not fancy a tube change repair on would be a full-on old school rod-braked heavy roadster with a fully enclosed chaincase. If I had one of those, (which I don't) I'd probably be tempted to fit M+, if they are even available in ISO 635 sizes.

I guess i could find out how easy or hassle it is to take out the rear wheel and replace it, in readiness for when i do have a puncture. In fact i should do it in advance, as these more modern Shimano IGH's are something new to me. They aren't the same as the old 3 speed Sturmey Archer ones i used to be familiar with.
I'll get around to it at some time.

 

[Dogtrousers]

With a Brompton it's not just the hub gear control rod - which you just screw up to where it was before - it's all the gubbins that goes with the chain tensioner and various other special bits of Brompto-complexity that makes me fear having to remove the back wheel. I did it once at home just as a practice run, with a youtube video as a guide. I woudn't fancy doing it in the wild.

As noted above this isn't an issue for urban rides, you just get off, fold it up and get a bus. But if I'm doing a longer ride it becomes a bigger worry.

 

[MichaelW2]

I guess i could find out how easy or hassle it is to take out the rear wheel and replace it, in readiness for when i do have a puncture. In fact i should do it in advance, as these more modern Shimano IGH's are something new to me. They aren't the same as the old 3 speed Sturmey Archer ones i used to be familiar with.
I'll get around to it at some time.

For 7/8/11 speed, only trick you need to learn is how to disconnect the cable from cassette arm. Don't loosten the cable bolt on the cable. Use a bit of wire or nail or 2mm allen key to slacken the cassette arm. Grab the cable bolt ( with pliers) and rotate to free it from the cassette arm.

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cxZXM4buaPI