Flat or punctured tire while out on a bike ride (or just commuting by bicycle) doesn't have to ruin your day! Before you head out on your new (or even old) bike, you can pad your peace of mind a bit by making sure you know what to carry and how to affect this most common 'mechanical' fix while out on the road or trail.
Replacing or patching flat tire.
First off, what type of tires are you using? Currently there are three types of tires available... Four, if you count the solid airless tire like Tannus. As solid tires aren't going to go flat and require road/trail-side repair, I am only including clincher, tubular, and tubeless tires in this post. Here is a good video discussing their differences.
Note that tubeless tires do occasionally go flat (perhaps it wasn't correctly seated or sealed when installed, or it got slashed rather than punctured... and the breach is too big for the sealant to handle). When tubeless tire goes poof on the road, they tend to get very messy (as in the sealant getting splashed out of the still rotating tire before you come to a stop, and there's a gooey mess everywhere) and takes longer to fix than clincher tires would.
And, yes, fixing a proper tubeless flat on the side of the road/trail would still require that you carry a spare inner tube and/or a patch kit. Don't leave home without it!
I am also excluding the tubular tires from this post as they are generally too big a pain as to be impractical to do on the road/trail-side. Most non-racing pros aren't using them anyhow (neither do we have a support car following us around to help with the stuff).
So, once you've figured out what type of tire you have (and whether you can fix it on the road/trail-side or not), you need to carry the correct flat repair tools and the correct size spare tubes (and a patch kit that hopefully is not older than a year, or the glue may have dried off, rendering it useless). Click here to go to the 'how to look up what size spare tube you need for your bike' post.
- How to take the rear wheel off the bike
Here is a good video on how to take the wheel off most types of bicycles (including how to release various types of brakes to make room for the tire to come out).
Note: You don't want to touch the disc brake rotor with your bare hand like he does in the video. That would tend to deposit skin oil to the rotor surface, causing the annoying brake squeals. If that happens, clean the rotor with rubbing alcohol (like the alcohol pads from the first aid kit) to de-squeal, and you should be good to go.
Also, another good thing to carry in your saddle bag if your bike is equipped with the disc brakes is a pair of disc brake caliper spacer pads. Once the wheel is removed from the bike, you'd put these pads in between the brake calipers to prevent them from slamming shut should the brake lever gets accidentally pressed. Why? Because such things do happen, and when they do, there is just about no chance that you could pry them open enough by the roadside to allow the rotor to pass thru so you could put the wheel back on.
And that... would be bad.
How to repair flat tire while on a ride.
Here are a couple of good videos on how to replace inner tube.
I think she does an amazing job. Would just note that it is also good to eyeball the rim tape (what the inner tube sits on on the wheel) to make sure no spoke-end is poking around or thru the rim tape to puncture the tube.
Here is a more detailed (and long) video on how to change the inner tube. Very fine tips and details. Unlike him, though I - like the lady in the first clip - prefer to work the tire beads in starting at and then away from the valve stem rather than the other way around (finishing at the valve).
I use Continental Gatorskin or Hardshell on my one go-anywhere-bike when riding on the roads, which is where I ride most of the time these days (I switch to cyclocross tires when hitting the trails on the same bike). And both the Gatorskin and the Hardshell are notoriously tight-fitting tires, especially when they're of the wired-bead variety rather than the more flexible folding variety. So, the last bit of beading the tire onto the rim is usually a work out. I don't ever use tire lever to push the last bit of bead in, but use the palm of my hands to massage it in. And, I don't like the idea of introducing a lot of force and/or movement to the tire/tube right near where the valve stem is. So... I start at the valve stem, and finish across the wheel from it.
How to patch a tube.
So, what happens if you caught a flat and don't have any spare tube available? Hopefully, you at least have a patch kit in the saddle bag that isn't so old as to have come unglued!
But, what if you don't have even a patch kit available and not on bus line... or within area serviced by taxi or ride-sharing vehicle?
I almost had to resort to one of these fixes once after catching 5 separate flats on a single ride out in a very remote part of the county... up in the mountains. They were all goat's head thorn punctures ganging up on my aged Gatorskins that had been subjected to too many trails riding ('cause I get trails-lust every now and then when hanging with the cars become a bit tiresome). I had gone nearly two years without any flat, and then, boom! Five flats out in the middle of nowhere, and actually depleting my overkill supply of 4 spare tubes, a patch kit (alas, was two years old and all the glue had dried up), and 5 CO2 cannisters. C'est la vie.
Tubeless flat repair.
Just because you use a tubeless set up doesn't mean that you should go riding around without carrying a spare inner tube that fits your tires! If you manage to slash that tire enough to require putting in a boot, you're going to need to put in an inner tube to ride home on.
Another good demo video... for good measure.
Last, but not least... flat repair for eBikes.
Obviously, this operation would be quite more complicated if your ebike isn't equipped with a stand, as ebikes are much heavier than regular pedal bikes. Most of these ebikes fat tires come with Schrader valve, so, you can probably roll into the nearest gas station and use the car air pump there to re-inflate. The car pump will likely max out around 35-40psi, though.
And, a more professional demo on ebike flat repair.
Whatever bike you choose to ride, be sure to research what type of tools and spare parts you need to have on hand to be able to fix a flat on the road/trail-side! We've come a long way since the 2010s when bike parts were more uniform. Nowadays there are many different wheel sizes and tire sizes rolling on the road, and you can't count on being able to bum a tube off someone else when your tire goes poof. Prepare for the worst and enjoy your ride!
All seasoned cyclists have an equipment pouch with them when they ride. Most often it's hanging below the saddle (saddlebag), sometimes it's attached to the stem and the top tube (bento bag), or in a triangular pouch between the top tube and the down tube, or in the second water bottle (usually the one on the seat tube), or in the Camelbak backpack. However we are carrying the equipment/tools, we are carrying them. They are the safety net that allows us to ride far away from home knowing that we will probably be able to cope with any roadside mechanical and ride back home (or at least to the working bus stop or within Uber/Lyft/Taxi range).
The most common mechanical problem you will get on the road/trail, of course, is the flat tire. Being able to change flats properly on your own is a necessary skills for any cyclist. Check with your local bike shops or cycling clubs to see if there is any flat clinic available (they are usually free). If not, there are several good 'how to' videos on Youtube. I recommend the Park Tool videos. They are really excellent and thorough.
So, what is in the bag?
At the minimum, your saddlebag should contain:
A spare inner tube that fits your tires and wheels, a patch kit, CO2 nozzle and a couple of canisters unless you are carrying a frame pump, tire levers/irons, a multi-tool with a chain-tool and spoke key(s) that fits your spoke nipples.
If you ride your bike enough, you WILL have a mechanical issue on the road sometimes. Even if you don't know how to repair whatever it is, it's best to have the tools with you. Chances are a good Samaritan will stop to check on you (cyclists are pretty good that way), but he/she won't be able to fix it for you if there is no tool available.
My saddlebag's contents.
I ride solo in lonely places far away from help a lot, so my saddlebag isn't quite 'minimalistic'. There are:
Powdered spare inner tube. My tubes come unpowdered in a paperbox. I take them out of the box, powder them, and wrap them each in a plastic bag with a 16 or 20 g canister of CO2, and write the tube's spec on the bag (since I switch between 28mm and 30mm tires quite a bit, depending on what sort of terrain I was heading into).
CO2 nozzle and at least 2 CO2 canisters of 16 or 20g. I use the super easy to use basic green Genuine Innovations G20315 nozzle. They're very hardy and small.
Two tire levers (plus one more attached to the multi-tool).
A preglued patch kit (with 5 patches in it).
A Park Tool IB-3 multi-tool with chain tool, spoke keys, and the extra tire lever. It's a heavier multi-tool, but it is super sturdy and has nearly all the tools you'd need.
A missing link. Well, usually 2 of those, one standard one, and one Wipperman Connex. The Wipperman is missing in the photo, since I used it the day before to connect a riding buddy's broken chain on the road. Unlike the standard missing link, the Wipperman Connex link can be used multiple times, and does not require any tool to install or remove. It is quite a bit more expensive than the standard missing link, but it's worth every penny.
A mini lube pouch.
Alcohol pads (for cleaning disc brake rotors or the braking surface on wheel rim).
A Schrader/Presta valve adapter, so I can make use of gas station air pump. Gas station air pumps generally max out at 80 psi, which is not ideal for many. But I'm light enough and running bigger tires, so 80 psi will easily enable me to ride home.
A nitrile glove and wet wipe. I look scary enough on my own without the involuntary post-repair black face paint.
A tablet of Diphenhydramine antihistamine (aka Benadryl)... you never know when you're gonna run into an angry bee or rattler.
A sock (you know how they get unpaired in the laudry and all of the sudden you have a closet full of unmatched socks?) and a spare rubber band. I also wrap a length of electrical tape around my handlebar stem, just in case. Just about everything but the tire levers go into the sock, and then into the saddlebag. It helps to not loose the little bitty stuff on the ground. Besides, it's a handy chain-wipe when needed.
An extra strap. Or a zip tie.
A piece of candy... Of course, I also carry gels and stuff in my jersey pocket. It's a just-in-case candy. Sometimes you get sort of frustrated wrestling with Murphy's Law's Revenge Days, and just need a pleasant sweet things to cheer you up a bit. I'm not called Smorg for nothing!
I've been riding with new riders a lot lately. It's a good thing in many ways, one of which is to remind me to not take certain things - like knowing how to choose the right spare inner tubes to take with me on a ride - for granted. There are lots of good 'how to change tube or repair flats' videos on Youtube, but apparently none of them tells people how to choose the tubes that fit their tires to begin with. So here goes...
There are 3 numbers you are concerned with when you look for a spare road bike tube, and they tend to come in this sort of combination: 700 x 23, 46 mm.
The first number, for a road bike, would tend to be 700 as in 700 mm (or 70 cm). This is the standard road bike wheel size. If you are less than 5'2" tall or so and riding a bike that fits you, though, you might be running a smaller set of wheels, probably a 650 mm, because your bike frame would be too small to run the standard 700 mm wheels without you ending up hitting the front one with your foot when turning the bike. Simply park your wheels next to a full size bike and you should be able to see if your wheels are the same size or smaller.
The second number is the tire width. For road bikes these days it's usually 23 mm, though 25 mm tires are becoming more popular now (this is the tires I'm using, btw). This number can vary a lot, the bigger the number, the bigger the tire, though the width of the tire on your bike is limited by how much clearing you have on your frame and brakes (I wish I can use 28 mm tires, but they are too big to clear my brakes, so I run a set of 25 mm).
Your tires' size is usually printed on the side of the tires... like in the photo above. On the inner tube boxes, this is usually given in a range instead of a single number. If your size is inside the range given (in the photos, the ranges are 20-28 for the Specialized, and 20-25 for the Giant), then you are good to go. If you are stuck in the middle of nowhere and only have a tube that is a bit smaller than the tire (like, a tube with range of 20-25 but your tire size is 28), you can get away with using the smaller tube. It'll just be stretched thinner than usual when inflated, though, and a bit more vulnerable to puncturing.
The third number is the length of the valve stem. As you can see, most road bikes come with the long and spindly Presta valve instead of the usual Schrader valve that is prevalent on car tires. My bike wheel in the photo has the standard size aluminum rim (about 25 mm). I need the valve to be at least 15 mm longer than the rim (or the pump or CO2 nozzle wouldn't fit over the cap when I reinflate), so I need 40 mm or longer stem.
If you use deep rimmed aero wheels like this guy does, you need tube with 60 mm or longer valve stem.
Mind you, I've been able to use tubes with 38 mm stem, but I have to use the stem nut to secure the tube, and it's always harder to keep the pump nozzle from slipping off when reinflating. It also takes longer to change flats since I always have to take out the nut, and is just an extra aggravation that I don't need. So, usually I go with the Giant tube in the 1st photo, with 48 mm stem. Some people use deeper (more aero) rim on their wheels, and they need tube with longer valve stem, like the Specialized tube with 60 mm one.
If you aren't so weight conscious and don't mind a few extra ounces on the bike, I'd recommend using the cheaper (thicker and heavier) inner tubes rather than the more expensive (thinner and lighter) ones simply because they are a bit more flat resistant. And, unless you are a super avid or pro cyclist you probably won't even notice any weight difference anyway.
So, you now know how to choose the right inner tubes for your bike... But do you know how to prep them before going out for a ride? It's pretty easy, and it could make flat-changing a lot more pleasant (if pleasant can be used to describe any such repair!).
Most tubes come unpowdered. Why do we powder our tubes? To make it less sticky, of course! Sticky tubes are uncooperative tubes and like to stick to things, and this can sometimes cause an extra flat when it pulls the rim tape, that rubberly tape that shields the tube from the spoke nipples, out of alignment and exposes the tube to the metal. You can buy pre-powdered tubes, of course, but they typically costs a couple of dollars more. It's way cheaper to prep your own!
Just take the fresh new tube out of the box. Take the valve stem nut out now, if you don't plan on using it. Then powder the whole thing. Re-fold it, with a CO2 cartridge if that's your method of re-inflation. Put the whole thing in a plastic bag and then wrap it up with a rubber band (usually comes with the new tube). Be sure to rubber band the plastic bag rather than the tube. Sometimes, if you rubber band the tube itself and then go a long time before using it, the rubber band works itself into the tube and can actually tear it.
My saddlebag contains: spare tube, 2 CO2 cartridge & nozzle, Swiss Army knife, patch kit, tire irons, multi-tool w chain-breaker, spoke wrench, $1 (for booting?), a dime (to toe-in brakes), valve adapter, extra wrench (in case I run into someone who doesn't use quick release). I also carry another spare tube & emergency kit in my backpack.
Always have at least a spare inner tube with you along with a way of inflating it (either a frame pump or a CO2 system), preferably, though, always have at least 2 spare tubes AND a patch kit... and a valve converter. The latter is a tiny little metal valve attachment that costs only about $2 and will enable you to use gas station air pump. The gas station pumps are made to inflate car tires, however, so you will only be able to put about 60 psi of air in, which is way more than you'll be able to blow in even if you're a huge-lunged opera singer, and should enable you to ride gingerly on until you can get to a bus stop or the nearest bike shop to use a floor pump to properly re-inflate the tire.
