Dreading flats!

[Geonz]

Add to the votes to practice in the living room (or the garage, or wherever).

I still need to read the side of the box when I'm doing it, and tho' I'm pretty lucky, in last year's 10,000 miles I had a few flats. I really, actually *did* ... at the bike shop, no less... try to take the tire off before the wheel. Not too long ago. I don't do well when distracted ... but hey, I can handle the "magic head" pump well.

Oh, but when it happens... *all* of mine have been "Oh, garbanzo beans, the tire is flat." No trauma.

[jesvetmed]

My first one is an olympic tri.... then a sprint, and another tri for the the year. Yeah, it just seems like a lot of time wasted! On the other hand, when I pumped and kept pedaling today, I only really got about 3-4 miles before I was completely flat again.

[sgtiger]

2) Someone once mentioned about something you squirt into the tube the "seal" it up to get you going without having to change tube?

The only one that comes to mind right now is Slime but I think there are other brands on the market. You have to remove the valve to get it in though. Some LBS's will do it for you or you can purchase prefilled tubes for about 3x the price of regular ones. You'll probably still need to stop to inflate your tire and inspect it to remove the offending object that punctured your tire in the first place.

I found an excellent how-to once on a commuting site, but I can't seem to find it now. I'll post it if I stumble upon it later.

ETA: I just read on one of the local LBS's website that it's not recommended for high pressure road bike tires.

[Geonz]

Oh, and I would as of today especially strongly recommend Bontrager Hard Case tires - they're heavy duty and I think harder to get on & off (but I've done it)... but my tire should have been gashed today and it wasn't at all.

[Spec&TrekGirl]

I had to chime in because I just got home from a ride where I had my first flat in years - I'm just getting back into riding. Oddly, I decided to stop and check my tires for no particular reason and found that the back tire was a little low and saw the offending thorn sticking out of it. I had a patch kit and remembered how to fix it...except that I apparently didn't wait long enough for the vulcanizing glue to dry before applying the patch because as soon as I got the tire put back together and pumped up - it started leaking again! Oh well, practice makes perfect, right.

I am interested in learning how to put the tire back on the rim without using the tools because I've pinched tubes before that way. I'm wondering if I don't have the hand strength to do it or if there is a technique I need to learn. I am signed up for a class coming up shortly.

I second (or third, or fourth) the practice in your living room before it happens to you approach.

I must say, there were several friendly cyclists who asked if I needed any help and if I had everything I need. Interestingly, some even said they didn't have anything to change a flat but offered their cell phone if I needed it.

[VeloVT]

I'm a fan of glueless patches (well, they're pre-glued/self-adhesive actually). Much easier than the old-fashioned kind and they work just fine. Plus the box is super teeny.

But any time we're riding more than 30 miles or so we bring 2 tubes each plus a patch kit. Rarely need it but better safe than sorry.

A few things to always do before fully remounting the tire and reinflating:
1. Check the inner surface of the tire for debris
2. When you're mounting the tire (getting the second bead on) it helps to actually push the valve up into the rim -- this helps ensure that section of the tube is seated well, it's an easy place to pinch for some reason.
3. Before you reinflate, but after you've fully seated both beads, go around the entire rim (starting and ending at the valve), pinching both sides of the tire away from the rim and making sure there aren't any areas where there is tube under the tire bead. This only takes a few seconds but it can save you from blowing out a tube.

There's a trick to getting the rear wheel back on easily and once you get the hang of it it's super quick. My first rear flat took me ages. I also used to be really slow at the actual tire-changing process... with plenty of er, practice , I've gotten pretty efficient -- and I can change a tire and hardly even get my hands dirty. The first few times I tried I was covered in black by the time I was finished . Hands, legs, face...

[OakLeaf]

That was going to be my next question, whether the "dry" patches will hold on a high-pressure road tube. I've got a couple of them on my hybrid's tubes already! The local "roadie" shop doesn't sell them, the cruiser-oriented shop does, so I wondered. But I take it they hold fine?

[VeloVT]

Oakleaf -- the glueless patches are fine. Frankly, when possible, we fix flats with "virgin" tubes and patch the punctured tubes at home, then put them in seatbags as spares. I have used glueless-patched spares for months with no problems, and I have also used glueless patches on the road (when I didn't have a spare tube) with no problems. I inflate my tires to 120 before every ride (on road bike -- on my commuter with cx tires I go for weeks without inflating!!!), so they can certainly handle high pressure just fine, I think...

[KnottedYet]

the box those glueless patches come in really is cute. My LBS has them, presta/shraeder adapters, and teeny keychain multitools at the checkout counter in big bowls like penny candy.

mmmm, better than candy!

[DebW]

How about those little stem lengthener adapters? If you need long stems, keep a stem adapter in your seat bag so you can use generic tubes if you ever have the wrong tube or have to borrow one.

[Andrea]

Most of the time when you race, you stick a spare set of wheels in the wheel truck. Otherwise, if you get a flat, you abandon the race and ride back in the wheel truck

As for what happens- I've had a front tire blowout at 20mph+ and the biggest thing is (just like in a car) DON'T PANIC!! Just keep your arms relaxed, stop pedaling, and don't make any sudden moves/braking. You'll be aight...

[Grog]

My first one is an olympic tri.... then a sprint, and another tri for the the year. Yeah, it just seems like a lot of time wasted! On the other hand, when I pumped and kept pedaling today, I only really got about 3-4 miles before I was completely flat again.

There is a very low chance that you'll have a flat during a race because usually the course director will have inspected it for glass and swept away grit and stuff. However, having been on the course director side, I know that sometimes some things get overlooked at the last minute!

So you can have a tube in your pockets, and a cartridge of CO2. But I don't think I'd carry that unless it was a half-ironman. Even for friendly triathlons I have taken off my saddlebag.

I am not 100% sure but in other types of races you wouldn't be allowed a saddlebag or anything attached to your frame (like a pump) that could become detached from it (possibly causing an accident).

[SadieKate]

There is a very low chance that you'll have a flat during a race because usually the course director will have inspected it for glass and swept away grit and stuff. However, having been on the course director side, I know that sometimes some things get overlooked at the last minute!

After standing for an hour at the finish line of the Mt Bachelor climb on the Cascade Classic 2005, we finally asked the race crew in the trailer across from us if maybe, just maybe, the glass should be swept up. We volunteered the labor but they had to provide the brooms. Hey, it meant we had live color commentary of our performance.

[Jen-Jen]

Hey- nice question and good info. I, too need to learn how to change flats this year: per DH.

He even purchased a flat kit and a little hand held pump for me!