Can't Call Triple A on a Bike Commute, I Bet

I have a six and a half mile one-way commute. I'm up to about four
miles in pretty good condition, so I'll probably be ready in another
week or two. My only real concern (okay, beyond getting swiped,
cornered, or just run off the road by the car-drivers) is what to do
about fixing a flat?

I haven't even changed a tube yet. Is there a basic, beginner-level kit
I should order, and/or a website to show me how so I can practice
first? I don't want to have to admit to work I'm late because I
couldn't fix my own tire. I know flats should be rare occurences, but
if I don't have the know-how and the tools, Murphy might get me.

Zia

Ziactrice wrote:

haven't even changed a tube yet. Is there a basic, beginner-level kit
I should order, and/or a website to show me how so I can practice

See:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/flats.html

You'll need a spare tube and a set of tire levers to get the tire off
the rim. And of course a decent frame pump or CO2 cartridge. Repair the
punctured tube at home at your leisure.

Art Harris

Ziactrice wrote:
I have a six and a half mile one-way commute. I'm up to about four
miles in pretty good condition, so I'll probably be ready in another
week or two. My only real concern (okay, beyond getting swiped,
cornered, or just run off the road by the car-drivers) is what to do
about fixing a flat?

I have fixed many many many flats on my way to and fro work. It's not
really a big deal, you just need to have the right things to hand. The
best thing to do is have a seatbag with these things already packed:

3 good tire levers (not Zefal - they're terrible)
1 spare tube that has the same stem and size as your bike tire
1 patch kit - glueless is okay for psi 60 or so, glued elsewise [2]
1 pump or CO2 inflator plus a couple cartidges

It's important to just always have these on the bike. Just attach them
and forget them. The pump does you no good sitting on the counter at
home.

Oh, and practice this for the first time at home. You don't want to
change a tire for the very first time by the side of the road [1].

I haven't even changed a tube yet. Is there a basic, beginner-level kit
I should order, and/or a website to show me how so I can practice
first? I don't want to have to admit to work I'm late because I
couldn't fix my own tire. I know flats should be rare occurences, but
if I don't have the know-how and the tools, Murphy might get me.

More than you ever wanted to know about fixing flats:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/flats.html

The abbreviated rec.bicycles FAQ answer:

http://draco.acs.uci.edu/rbfaq/FAQ/8b.2.html

There is plenty of good info in the rest of the site, but here are
probably the two most appropriate links:

http://sheldonbrown.com/beginners/index.html
http://sheldonbrown.com/commute/index.html

N.B. Some tire/wheel combinations are easy to mount, some are a right
terror. There's not much you can do about it, except try a
combination.

[1] Though I haven't had to do this in quite a while since switching to
a nice *heavy* commuting/touring tire.
[2] Glued is still always better IMO.

--
Dane Buson -
"Drinking through your hair is neither tasty nor nutritious."
-Anonymous

"Art Harris" wrote in message
ups.com...
Ziactrice wrote:

haven't even changed a tube yet. Is there a basic,
beginner-level kit
I should order, and/or a website to show me how so I can practice

See:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/flats.html

You'll need a spare tube and a set of tire levers to get the tire
off
the rim. And of course a decent frame pump or CO2 cartridge. Repair
the
punctured tube at home at your leisure.

Art Harris

"Art Harris" wrote in

You'll need a spare tube and a set of tire levers to get the tire
off
the rim. And of course a decent frame pump or CO2 cartridge. Repair
the
punctured tube at home at your leisure.

Take an inner tube, and a pin, and create your own puncture for
practice in advance, in comfort at home. The important thing is to
have enough patience to let the glue dry completely before putting on
the patch . Practicing at home, in comfort, is much better than
being confronted with the situation for the first time by the side of
the road, when, by sods law, it is bound to be dark, cold, and
raining.

Besides Sheldon Brown, there are plenty of books which tell you how
to fix a puncture, and which will also tell you about lots of other
things that you didn't even know that you needed to know. If you
don't want to buy one, borrow one from your local library.

Jeremy Parker

Dane Buson wrote:

3 good tire levers

I've always been curious -- why three? I don't believe I've ever used
anything other than two, though I buy them in packs of three.

RFM

Fritz M wrote:

Dane Buson wrote:

3 good tire levers

I've always been curious -- why three? I don't believe I've ever used
anything other than two, though I buy them in packs of three.

Because when you break one, you'll still have two good ones. Yes, I
have done this, more than once. Nowadays I use Soma steel core levers,
and I don't worry about them breaking anymore. But I doubt everyones
LBS stocks them.

--
Dane Buson -
Hark, the Herald Tribune sings,
Advertising wondrous things.

Angels we have heard on High
Tell us to go out and Buy.
-- Tom Lehrer

In article .com,
"Fritz M" writes:

Dane Buson wrote:

3 good tire levers

I've always been curious -- why three? I don't believe I've ever used
anything other than two, though I buy them in packs of three.

(For the benefit of the Original Poster

It's kind of like the grandfather/father/son
computer tape backup regime. Even the most
obdurate tire is removable with three levers,
especially at the initial phase of tire removal.
Once the tire removal is "started" you can get
by with two levers (or one) until you reach the
"almost half off" stage where you can grab a
handful of tire/inner tube with one hand and
peel them back a little, and pull the rim up
and out of the tire and off the old inner tube's
valve stem (which should be on the ground, at the
6 o'clock position) with the other hand.

I'm inflicted with an old-style nutted rear
axle, so I'm stuck with having to carry a
6" crescent wrench with my flat repair stuff.

I'm also blessed with old-style cantiliver
brakes. I can't be bothered phutzing around
with straddle cables, so I find it more convenient
to reinstall a repaired flatted wheel /before/
pumping it up again, so I can get the uninflated
tire back in between the brake pads. Even then,
I've gotta pinch the tire closed a little bit.
And then it's a good idea to check the brake pad
alignment on the rim after reinstalling the wheel.

When starting the new, still-uninflated inner tube/tire
combination on the rim, and poking the valve stem
through the rim's valve hole, I find it helpful to
immediately, temporarily screw the valve cap onto the
valve. It keeps the valve from receding, as Jerry
Seinfeld describes: "like a frightened turtle" back
up within the tire. It also helps with lining the
valve up perpendicular to the rim hole. Then, when
I'm ready to inflate the new tube, I take the valve
cap off again, and push against the tire where the
valve is with the thumb of one hand while attaching
the pump head with the other hand.

Some paper towels doused with isopopyl alcohol
and sealed in a zip-lok sandwich baggie make
fairly effective hand cleaners (roadside repairs
can be dirty work, and bike schmutz can really
soak into your skin. But if you do 'em with your
fingerless gloves on it gives them a nice, darkened,
aged look.)

The nice things about front wheel flats a
1) I don't have to invert the bike
2) I don't have to touch the chain, even
accidentally.

The nice things about rear wheel flats a

.....

Don't forget to deep-tissue massage & inspect the
tire + new inner tube all around the rim before
inflating, to make sure they're properly seated
in the rim, and not herniated or prolapsed anywhere.
Pump a little bit of air in there, and then go
around it all again, before fully inflating it.

Oh! And don't forget to check-for & remove whatever
caused the flat in the first place, before sticking
a new or repaired inner tube in the tire.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

I carry a patch kit wrapped with duct tape and two levers and a mini
pump. Every six years I break a valve stem and walk home in my cleats
cursing all the way.

"Ziactrice" wrote:

Is there a basic, beginner-level kit
I should order, and/or a website to show me how so I can practice
first?

http://www.bettybikegear.com/products_flattirekit.aspx

I saw her at the Sea Otter Classic. She also has an iPod video with
instructions on fixing a flat.
--
terry morse - Undiscovered Country Tours - http://udctours.com