my first flat!

[maryellen]

went to top off my tires this morning and discovered a flat -- on the rear wheel of course. Should be grateful that I had the opportunity to change my first flat bike tire ever at home.

I did have considerable difficulty locating the puncture. Couldn't hear a thing. To find it, I eventually had to put the tube in water in the bathtub and look for air bubbles. Even once I knew where it was, I could barely hear it.

And even tho I then knew where to look on the tire itself, I had a hard time locating the cause. I couldn't feel anything on the inside but I finally saw a small speck on the road surface of the tire. It turned out to be similar to a straight pin, but without the "top". Had to use tweezers to get it out of the tire. If this had happened on the road, I suspect I wouldn't have been able to find the cause and would have had one flat after another.

Do have to confess that I put the rear wheel back on without rearranging the chain. Oops! More practice in removing and replacing that rear wheel.

[bounceswoosh]

Sounds like a pain. My husband's gotten me into the habit of just carrying tubes. We carry several tubes and don't worry about a patch kit.

[maryellen]

I always carry two tubes with me. No way do I want to be playing with patches on the road! (Tho just in case, I carry a patch kit as well!) But don't you still need to find the puncture in the tube to determine the to figure out what caused it in the first place? Kind of disconcerting that I doubt I could have found the puncture and therefore the cause of the puncture out on the road.

Have you ever had a difficult time figuring out where the puncture was so that you knew where to look on the tire?

[bounceswoosh]

I suppose that would be a wise course of action in case the problem is caused by or affects the tire itself ...

To be honest, I haven't had to deal with a lot of this stuff yet *knock on wood*