Wooderson

I ride mostly in group rides. So as to not slow the group too much, we tag-team flats. One person usually unseats the bead, pulls the old tube, inspects for cause (and remedies if necessary), another person has the fresh tube ready to go in, and another person has the CO2 ready. I'm almost always doing the heavy lifting with the wheel (unseating, inspecting, installing new tube) because of my shop experience, I'm pretty fast.
I'd say our stops are usually 3-4 minutes.

Bnystrom

I run sealant in all of my tires - including those that use tubes - and on average I get less than one flat per year. There may be multiple thorns and small wires in them that would have caused flats that the sealant handled, but I'll never know. I used to work in the bike biz and have changed thousands of tubes, so I can do it in just a few minutes on the road, though it's typically for other people. The only thing that takes any real time is pumping the tires up.

hplbiking

I do not find 5-10 minutes as rushing it. I don’t remove the axle (unless it’s the rear in my time trial bike with horizontal drop outs), I don’t use the nut, I don’t patch it (unless I go through two tubes and even them I use glueless) and I use CO2. When you ride with others do they wait 20 minutes with you?
I used to ride with someone who took that long and we stopped waiting.

indyfabz

It depends. Am I drunk or sober?

indyfabz

ftw!

noglider 

@Wooderson, that's clever!

abramj

Had my first flat repair on the road a few weeks ago. According to Strava, it was right at 10 minutes. Pulled the wheel off (through axle and disk brakes), popped tire off without tools, found the piece of glass that cut the tube, replaced the tube with a new one, put the tire/tube on and aired with a CO2 cartridge all in one shot, tossed my stuff back in my pack, crammed the old tube in my jersey, put the wheel back on, cleaned my hands off, and rode off to catch up with the group. Probably cold do it faster if I cared to rush, but had decided I was going to ditch the ride and go home till a friend stopped to help me with moral support. He helped me catch the group after the repair!

alanf

Somewhere along the way I discovered that the sweepers that they use to sweep roads of sand and gravel etc, lose these fine wires off of the sweeper occasionally. Apparently cheap sweepers are the worst for shedding wires.

alanf

I was plagued with flats on my 700MM roadie tires until I got Gatorskin tires. Haven't had a flat since. They have more rolling resistance, but anything beats a flat.

I discovered long ago that especially with high pressure tires, just put a new tube on. The brand makes no difference IMO. Otherwise you'll spend countless hours fixing then refixing then rerefixing etc.

wphamilton

Frequently, and even drivers on my commute have stopped and hollered out if I needed any help.

I don't come to a complete stop unless they look out of sorts or hesitant, and I have fixed a few flats for people who were hesitant at first. The majority have it covered though, or they're too stubborn and would rather walk it back to the car.

drbarney1

I had a tube go flat from a pin-hole leak so I patched it. Several weeks later the tube formed another pin-hole leak and there was no puncture of the tire and nothing to puncture or pinch it where the new leak appeared without warning. That is why I no longer patch inner-tubes. For $6 I replace them. If I patched a tube on the road to get home I would still replace the tube as soon as possible.

dkatz1

I don't patch, I just put in a new tube (in fact, I have never mastered, even when at home, patching)...when i first started doing this 20 years ago, it took me FOREVER. Now I can change one in reasonable time (but have never checked with my stop watch), sometimes, even quick, but: I can STILL screw up and take forever...and I often have a hard time getting that last six inches of tire over the rim

dkatz1

I forgot: I have a hand pump along, but only use it to put enough air in the new tube to make it a bit round...then I use CO2...which I've found: doesn't get tires anywhere near as full as I'd like...

Cycle Tourist

[QUOTE=Witterings;20954953]

I've always held back on using the spare tube mainly because they're so much more compact from the shop than I'm ever going to be able to pack them back down to after they've been inflated.


Like most everyone I check to find the source of the problem, work a new tube in and fix the tube at home. As far as putting in back in the saddle pouch, hold the fixed tube flat and suck all the air out. It helps to pinch the tube so it doesn't close off the suction, then use your finger the other way to keep any air from re-entering the tube, screw the valve shut and fold about 6" flat and roll the rest around that 6" strip. If you start with the valve on the opposite side from where you start folding then you should have a reasonably small tube to put an elastic band on. I don't normally check my repaired tubes in water. I assume they're ok.

Once while touring, before realizing the maple tree spiked balls were doing me in, I had 5 flats in a quarter mile and used all the glue in my patch kit and had to make a bee line to the nearest bike shop.🙄

seamuis

I don’t get this bit. How does inflating the tube slightly to give it shape, make it easier to install? Surely that would make it more susceptible to getting pinched or punctured in the process? I roll my tubes up so that when I unroll it and insert the valve, the tube lays flat and sort of falls into place on its own and I can just push it into the inner wall of the tire as I’m reseating the bead. No chance of pinching it with the bead or the tire lever.

what size c02 cartridge or you using? What size tire? You need to use the proper size cartridge. I use the standard 16g, which for a 700x32 at roughly 80psi, is pretty much perfect. Expel the entire cartridge and I’m done. I only have to blow off and waste as small amount in the front, at 60psi.

gringomojado

I can get a flat faster than I can fix one

Mikier

Ditto...ditto... I usually carry two tubes tucked under the saddle and repair at home on a leisurely weekend along with a beer. I often also carry an old folding tire in the advent of the dreaded sidewall cut.

yukiinu

pump tire, find leak and its cause, remove one side tire bead (about 6 inches either sides of leak), remove cause of leak from tire, run fingers inside tire for remaining pieces of class sharp wire etc, patch tube per patch kit instructions, also if big hole in tire apply patch to inside of tire, re-install tire bead on rim, inflate tire, check that tire is holding air, and then peddle away.

dkatz1

Putting some air in the tire (I'm talking: barely any) makes it easier to get inside the tire....I don't use a tire iron to put tire back on...

SpeedyBlueBiker

You are not alone!

SpeedyBlueBiker

This guy might not be the fastest but he still is very good. Oh, and he has no hands and just one arm.

rebel1916

What kind of lunatic patches a tube on the side of the road?

greatscott

I can patch as fast as I can replace the tube, geez by the time you roll up a tube and get all the air out I have the darn thing patched. Not only that but if I replace the tube on the side of the road instead of patching then I have to go home and fix the damn tube which means unroll it, inflate it, find the hole and patch, reroll it back up and put it the saddle bag, why do all of that when most of the time the leak is easy to find when it occurs. Then I read some years back on a forum where he didn't even take the wheel off the bike, if he knew where the leak was at he simply removed about 1/2 of the bead on one side of the wheel with the hole area in the center, then pulled the tube out as much as he could, find the leak and patch and reinstall. I thought that was odd when I first read it but then one day I got a flat and knew where it was at so I thought I would try that method...I'll be dang if it didn't work! That method doesn't work on all flat situations but that one time it did it saved me a lot of time, it doesn't work on steel or wire beaded tires at all.

I'm not riding with a bunch of people when I ride so trying to save time to benefit a crowd of hurryups isn't a problem. But if I'm motivated, and not using the leaving the wheel on the bike method, I can fix a flat as fast as 5 to 10 minutes if I'm loofing; if I replace the tube it takes about 5 to 8 minutes; the time I did that leave the wheel on the bike it took me about 3 1/2 minutes but I was seeing how fast I could do it too. But those 2 or so minutes I save replacing the tube on the side of the road I have to go home and spend around 5 to 8 minutes fixing the tube, the reason for the extra time is due to inflating the tube and then try to find the leak, then let the air back out of the tube so I put a patch on it. So I can save myself around 7 minutes by just fixing the flat on the road.

mjd420nova

I have rarely had the experience of getting a flat while riding. After many decades of biking, I learned early on that multiple layers of tubing helps insulate things. Then Mr Tuffy came out. After wrapping the spoke ends in the rim with two layers of electrical tape (one layer the thick pliable, waterproof and vinyl on top). Heat in the summer will cause unexpected blowouts when things aren't protected. Mr Tuffy goes between a heavy duty tube and the tire. Went ten years on one wheel between flats. They work.

Leisesturm

Have not had a flat in over four years since switching to Bontrager Hardcase Series tires. I don't even carry flat repair tools anymore.