Arggh a puncture!!

CoolBoardr

Hi - I just brought a bike a couple of days ago and got a puncture on the way into work this morning :mad:

Bearing in mind im not really 'cycle minded', how hard really is it to repair myself? My bike is the cheapy Apollo XC.26 (http://tinyurl.com/r379z). I would have to go out and buy the tools and repair kit, but ill probably do that anyway regardless.

Or would it be easier just to get someone else to do it - and on that note, can anyone recommend somewhere good to go in Dublin city centre?

Thanks for your help!

Morgan

Repairing a puncture is a 5-10 minute job (assuming you're patching the tube). If you're replacing the tube it'll be about 3 minutes.

What you need:
A pump
Tyre levers
Patch kit (Rema Tip Top are the best. Don't bother with "glueless" patches - waste of time.)

Here's what do to:
http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=102

If you don't want to do it yourself then go to:
Square Wheel, Crow St., Temple Bar
Cycleogical, Batchelors Walk
Cycleways, Parnell St.

rubadub

It is very easy. I carry spare tubes with me, I have a cheap pump that will get me to the next garage to pump properly. I have big MTB tyres that need no levers. A new tube is cheaper than getting it repaired by a shop, you get packs on ebay cheap.
I recently got tyre liners which I think are very good, I tried sticking stuff through the leftovers and it is very tough.

CoolBoardr

Great, thanks for the replies. I think ill just get this one professionally repaired and buy a kit so I can do it myself next time.

daymobrew

I carry a pump and repair kit. The repair kit is in a small pack under the seat (e10.21).
My repair kit is the basic style you get even in Tesco (vulcanising glue, patches, sand paper). I also have metal tyre levers because my tyres are very tight.
The pump can get you home (slowly) if you can't fix the puncture or it's not convenient to do so (e.g. cold/dark/lashing rain).

The most important thing to learn: remove the cause of the puncture or you'll be fixing another puncture as soon as you get on the bike again.

You can get tyre liners as suggested by rubadub (getting the bike shop to install them when you get the puncture fixed is an ideal time). Another alternative is to change the tyres for ones with puncture protection, though since you've just bought the bike I'm sure you don't want to put too much more money into it just yet.

youcancallmeal

rubadub wrote:

It is very easy. I carry spare tubes with me, I have a cheap pump that will get me to the next garage to pump properly.

I was kind of wondering since I got my new bike. My tires are rated at 60psi, Is it safe to pump these up at those petrol station pumps that are supposed to be for cars. My crappy old bicycle pump probably wont do the trick.

Civilian_Target

I never bother repairing punctures. A new tube is 4 quid, a lot quicker and pretty fool-proof.

Oh, and yeah, use tyre-levers, its much easier than using your fingers

Alkers

youcancallme>al wrote:

I was kind of wondering since I got my new bike. My tires are rated at 60psi, Is it safe to pump these up at those petrol station pumps that are supposed to be for cars. My crappy old bicycle pump probably wont do the trick.

If you have the same valve types then yeah, they're by far the best way, takes about 15seconds!

dalk

I can't believe some of the people here who just throw a tube away a perfectly good tube when they get a puncture! :mad: Shame on you

Downtime

CoolBoardr wrote:

Or would it be easier just to get someone else to do it - and on that note, can anyone recommend somewhere good to go in Dublin city centre?

McDonalds on Camden Street if you are this side of the city will do it in 10 minutes for you for a tenner.

John_C

CoolBoardr wrote:

Great, thanks for the replies. I think ill just get this one professionally repaired and buy a kit so I can do it myself next time.

While you're in buy a repair kit (they're only about 3 euro) and ask to keep the old tube. Try to fix it yourself so you'll know how next time the problem comes up. You'll have a spare tube aswell then.

If you're new to this, there's one or two other basic maintainance jobs you should learn. Tightening your breaks every few weeks and replacing the brake pads every few months. Also clean and oil your chain every six months or so.

Domer

Hi.... how do you remove the oil and dirt from the chain and the gears in general. I am trading up and want to make my old hybrid look presentable when I look for the trade in value. Any tips on cleaning chain, gears, wheels etc. greatefully appreciated.

Thanks,
Domer

randomname2005

Domer wrote:

Hi.... how do you remove the oil and dirt from the chain and the gears in general. I am trading up and want to make my old hybrid look presentable when I look for the trade in value. Any tips on cleaning chain, gears, wheels etc. greatefully appreciated.

Chain:
It depends a little on what you have available to you. Some people recommend taking the chain off the bike, putting it into a bottle of degreaser, shaking, removing and wiping off. Then to re-oil you just hang it from a nail, drop oil on the top, little by little, until it drops off the last link. But you will probably need a chain remover for this.

Another way is by using a chain cleaner which is a device that attaches to your chain while it is still on the bike. The chain passes through the cleaner which has brushes, cleaning solution etc, and reoiling by dropping oil onto the chain as you rotate your pedals backwards.

Gears: (I presume you mean rear cassette?)
If you take the rear wheel off the bike you will have better access to the cassette. Spray some degreaser onto the cassette. Take a rag, insert it between two cogs and move from side to side. It may be necessary to fold over the rag once or twice to get a tight fit between the cogs.

R

John_C

Question:
If I take the chain off my bike how do I put it back on? Do I need a new link or can I put the old one back together?

randomname2005

John_C wrote:

Question:
If I take the chain off my bike how do I put it back on? Do I need a new link or can I put the old one back together?

You can put the old one back together however some people dont recommend it as it can make the rivet joining the two links loose. If you are going to make a habit of removing a chain, try and get an SRAM power link or something similar. See:
http://sheldonbrown.com/chains.html
As he says, chain cleaning, lubrication etc is a very controversial topic!!!

Just be careful when opening the chain (if you want to rejoin) that the pin doesnt get pushed all the way out!
R

rubadub

youcancallme>al wrote:

I was kind of wondering since I got my new bike. My tires are rated at 60psi, Is it safe to pump these up at those petrol station pumps that are supposed to be for cars. My crappy old bicycle pump probably wont do the trick.

It is safe, just go easy when filling. Most bike tubes go higher than car tube pressures, problem is the car tyre is higher volume so the flow rate is huge. If the tube is brand new I like to inflate and deflate several times so it untwists itself and finds its place in the tyre. You may notice tubes seem far too big when you put them in the tyre, they can risk folding over on themselves or flopping out the side and getting pinched. That is a reason to go easy in petrol stations, I have been pumping and noticed the pressure was staying the same only to see a massive bubble of tube out the side of the tyre!

You can get a foot pump with pressure guage in argos pretty cheap. In argos I got a cheapo kit with a u-lock, lock holder, water bottle, water cage, puncutre repair kit, tyre levers, allen key set in argos, mini pump and pump holder all for €20! The pump doesnt seal well but it gets me to the garage. I since got tyre liners so hopefully will have no punctures anyway.

You dont need basins of water to find punctures. I carry spare tubes. If I get a punture I go to a garage or use the foot pump to blow up the burst tube, find the hole by feeling for air, if the hole is small hold it to your face which is more sensitive. Then deflate the tube and apply the patch. That now becomes your spare so you can put the new tyre in straight away without the need for several visits to the garage.

youcancallmeal

rubadub wrote:

It is safe, just go easy when filling. Most bike tubes go higher than car tube pressures, problem is the car tyre is higher volume so the flow rate is huge. If the tube is brand new I like to inflate and deflate several times so it untwists itself and finds its place in the tyre. You may notice tubes seem far too big when you put them in the tyre, they can risk folding over on themselves or flopping out the side and getting pinched. That is a reason to go easy in petrol stations, I have been pumping and noticed the pressure was staying the same only to see a massive bubble of tube out the side of the tyre!

You can get a foot pump with pressure guage in argos pretty cheap. In argos I got a cheapo kit with a u-lock, lock holder, water bottle, water cage, puncutre repair kit, tyre levers, allen key set in argos, mini pump and pump holder all for €20! The pump doesnt seal well but it gets me to the garage. I since got tyre liners so hopefully will have no punctures anyway.

You dont need basins of water to find punctures. I carry spare tubes. If I get a punture I go to a garage or use the foot pump to blow up the burst tube, find the hole by feeling for air, if the hole is small hold it to your face which is more sensitive. Then deflate the tube and apply the patch. That now becomes your spare so you can put the new tyre in straight away without the need for several visits to the garage.

Excellent advice, cheers