Question about flat tires

Nanci, I can NEVER find the hole! Maybe it's old eyes.

I take two tubes with me. I've had flats where the replacement tube had a defect (usually around the valve).

You've received some GREAT advice about sitting in your living room & practicing. The rear wheel can be difficult if you have never done it before.

I'm surprised nobody asked to help! What is this world coming to? :mad: I always slow down and call out "Got everything you need?" If it is a women who appears to be struggling, I'll stop. Another good reason to carry two tubes - I've been able to give away a tube to hapless cyclists.

Karma is a good thing! :D

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Originally Posted by Dogmama

Nanci, I can NEVER find the hole! Maybe it's old eyes.

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You need to put air in the tube to find the hole. Don't depend on your eyes. Use the "look, listen, and feel" method (you can tell that I used to be a CPR instructor). Hold it up to your ear until you hear a hiss, then put it near your cheek to feel for escaping air. When you find the area, stretch the tube so the hole can be seen more easily. If that fails, go home and try the bathtub.

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Originally Posted by DebW

If that fails, go home and try the bathtub.

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Great advice! Drown the little bugger that ruined my ride!

http://www.marathonind.com/solid.html this site has a new type of tire that some of the guys I know use and they seem happy with them

Blood

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Originally Posted by Bloodsng

http://www.marathonind.com/solid.html this site has a new type of tire that some of the guys I know use and they seem happy with them

Blood

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There's another version at http://www.airfreetires.com/. I know a commuter who used these. They don't get flats, but they are heavy, and they are a bear to get on the rim (the company provided a tool to do it). To quote Sheldon Brown:

"Of all the inventions that came out of the bicycle industry, probably none is as important and useful as Dr. Dunlop's pneumatic tire.

Airless tires have been obsolete for over a century, but crackpot "inventors" keep trying to bring them back. They are heavy, slow and give a harsh ride. They are also likely to cause wheel damage, due to their poor cushioning ability. A pneumatic tire uses all of the air in the whole tube as a shock absorber, while foam-type "airless" tires/tubes only use the air in the immediate area of impact."

The guy I know who used them broke a rim.