June 20th is PeopleForBikes‘ Fix-A-Flat day, and to celebrate, we’re showing you just how quick and easy a flat repair can be.
Flat repairs don’t need to be costly, complicated, or time consuming. With a few basic techniques and a little practice, a flat repair can be completed in a matter of a couple of minutes, for under $10.
Here’s a video of a flat repair performed at a red light, before it turns green again, to illustrate just how easy a flat repair can be with the right tools.
Want to perfect your flat repairing skills? Follow these simple steps!
- Ensure tire is deflated completely.
- Remove wheel from bike (don’t forget to release the brakes if your bike allows it!)
- Starting either side of the wheel, and anywhere on the rim, locate the ‘bead’ of the tire (the edge of the tire, which is hidden under the sidewall of the rim).
- Pull the bead of the tire over the lip of the rim. This is the hard part. *Only use tire levers if you absolutely have to!
- Once you have a section of the tire over the edge of the rim, the rest is easy! remove one entire side of the tire, so the tube is exposed.
- Pull out the tube. Either patch the tube, or replace it with a new one.
- Check the inside of the tire for debris, and the cause of the flat. Reinstall ONE SIDE ONLY of the tire.
- Put a little bit of air in the tube (so it holds a round shape)
- Ensure that only one side of the tire is sitting inside the rim well (and make sure that entire side is in)
- Insert the valve in its hole, and stuff the rest of the tube in however you can (doesn’t have to be pretty)
- Starting anywhere on the rim surface, tuck the remaining side of the tire back over the lip of the rim. The last 6-10” are the hardest. *Again, try not to use tire levers if possible
- Pump up the tire to approximately 20 psi, spin it to test that it’s seated properly, then inflate to the max pressure printed on the sidewall.
Simple! The tools you need to perform a flat repair are inexpensive and definitely worthwhile. For the fastest flat repairs, we recommend using Super B’s tire levers, and an Axiom FuseAir Combination CO2 inflator and hand pump.
SuperB Tire levers
LTP part number: 345077-01
MSRP: $3.99
Axiom Fuseair 120 pump
LTP Part number: 177362-01
MSRP: $64.99
