This post will probably receive a lot of disapproving shakes of the head from roadies everywhere when it is read, but it is about time I let the cat out the bag. Since I bought my first road bike late last summer, I have had the good fortune to have avoided all pot-holes, broken shards of glass, sharp stones and other assorted enemies of the road tyre. In 9 months of biking I've never had a puncture, not one, which in turn means that I have never actually had to fix one.
I’ve recently booked a biking trip to the Pyrenees (more on that another time) and the thought of being stuck at the top of a chilly mountain whilst clutching at a set of tyre levers wondering “what the hell are these things used for?” prompted me to run a puncture-fixing drill. So last night I cleared a bit of space in the living room (the missus is currently away on holiday so I didn’t get told off for fixing my bike indoors!) and set to work. I deflated the tube, played around with the tyre levers and eventually managed to get the tyre and the inner tube off. That act in itself took me far too long. The real pain however came in trying to put the tube and, more particularly, the tyre back on the wheel. The diagram I pulled off the net was not helpful at all and minute upon annoying, agonising minute ticked by as I wrestled Steve-Irwin style with the tyre. If that happened during the Etape I would have been in the broom wagon for sure - the whole embarrassing attempt took me just over an hour in total.
My blood was about the reach boiling point but just before steam started pouring from my ears I managed to find the trick to it and eventually got it sorted. I also took the opportunity to test out the new mini-track pump I got from Wiggle recently (very handy by the way). Despite the fact I probably burned more calories sorting the tyre than cycling along to Fight Club, I’m (fairly) glad I gave it a go. Better to discover the ins and outs of bike maintenance in the comfort of your flat than on the side of a road in the pouring rain. Maybe I’ll need at least one more try though…
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I've been there (and in the living room too!). I made such a mess of the first one that I broke the valve on the inner tube and ended up having a new tube put on in Halfords. What that did do for me though was to get a masterclass from the mechanic. Waiting for the Dulwich Paragon ride to start on Saturday a newbie like me got a puncture just waiting at the side of the road. Imagine the pressure he was under fixing it in front of 60 people he didn't know :-)
ReplyDeleteNo shame in that by the way.
ReplyDeleteBe careful to blow up the inner tube a little before you put it in between the tyre and rim. I usally blow it up by mouth as hard as I can (make sure it is clean) if you do not do this the inner can catch the rim and blow up at around 80 - 100 psi!.
It happened to me a few years ago when I did a repair beside a old man in a wheelchair who was recovering from a heart attack. As I talked away to him pumping up the tyre the inner blew up at 110 psi! I nearly jumped out my skin and had ringing sore ears!
As for the old man well he nearly jumped out his wheelchair and had another heart attack! He was then saying I was tring to finishing him off for good lol all in good humor ofcourse.
So yeah I think that is the only thing that can go wrong when changeing a tyre...I think?
I'm glad to hear I'm not alone in my experience. However slowly, I am determined to learn about bike maintenance and get to the point where I can have a go at fixing any minor problem myself.
ReplyDeleteAlec - the story of your puncture mishap painted an interesting mental picture that really made me chuckle!
Been there too Dan - 45 minutes to get my first tyre changed in the comfort of my lounge. My arms ached for days afterwards.
ReplyDeleteI had a puncture at the weekend and made a total arse of it - if that happens on the Etape, I'm stuffed. Last year I practised a few times before the day and got it down to 10-15 mins.