Puncture repairs

dearg lady

Now I know I shouldn't be so lazy but it takes me aaaaages to repair a tube, so I'm wondering if anyone can recommend a cheap place in Dublin City Centre for tube repair/replace? Seems like a lot of places won't do repair and charge 12 for a replace, just wondering if there's better deals to be had.
Thanks

Lumen

How do you propose to get yourself to the place which will fix your tube?

dearg lady

Lumen wrote: »

How do you propose to get yourself to the place which will fix your tube?

walk

manwithaplan

Don't know of anywhere that will repair a puncture. Little Sport in Fairview will stick in a new tube while you wait for €10 - mightn't be city centre enough for you though. Cycleogical (who have posted a price list in their window, fair play to them) charge a very scaldy €15.

If you can't be arsed patching etc, you can replace a tube yourself. You can buy in bulk online so that they work out at around €3 each. I'm no purist though so don't feel you're being judged (much;) ).

OldPeculier

I was lazy about it too when I started out as it took so long to change I preferred paying to have the tube replaced! But given that a puncture doesn’t usually happen when you’re near the lbs it was a case of getting over my phobia and getting used to changing the tube! I never repair but replace the tube. I carry spares in my saddle bag and discard the old/punctured tube. You'll get faster changing the tube with practice!

reilig

Ah now, punctures are very easy to fix - or new tubes only cost €3 or €4 in my LBS.

Why not sign up for one of those bike maintenance course - seems to be loads of them running atm.

Lumen

dearg lady wrote: »

walk

So let me get this right...you're too lazy to spend a couple of minutes changing a tube over, but you're happy to walk a considerable distance and wait around whilst someone does it for you?



Carry a spare tube, swap it in, patch the old one when you get home. Repeat.

No, I don't know anywhere that does it cheaper than €12.

mp31

Is is the 'removing the tube and replacing it after repair' that you find difficult or the 'finding and fixing the puncture in the tube' bit tricky.
If it's the latter then buy a whole load of tubes and simply throw away the old tube and replace with a new one.
(I'm sure somone here will point to you a place where you can buy tubes in bulk at a good price)

Edit - sorry by the time I'd posted my reply, someone else had already suggested something similar.

dearg lady

manwithaplan wrote: »

Don't know of anywhere that will repair a puncture. Little Sport in Fairview will stick in a new tube while you wait for €10 - mightn't be city centre enough for you though. Cycleogical (who have posted a price list in their window, fair play to them) charge a very scaldy €15.

If you can't be arsed patching etc, you can replace a tube yourself. You can buy in bulk online so that they work out at around €3 each. I'm no purist though so don't feel you're being judged (much;) ).

thanks! do you have a link for somwhere to buy em? I might go that route, patching them is just such a pain! I'm quite slow at even just replacing the tube, but as OldPeculier said, I should get quicker with practise!

dearg lady

reilig wrote: »

Ah now, punctures are very easy to fix - or new tubes only cost €3 or €4 in my LBS.

Why not sign up for one of those bike maintenance course - seems to be loads of them running atm.

I can fix a puncture , it just takes more time than I'm willing to put in.

Lumen wrote: »

So let me get this right...you're too lazy to spend a couple of minutes changing a tube over, but you're happy to walk a considerable distance and wait around whilst someone does it for you?



Carry a spare tube, swap it in, patch the old one when you get home. Repeat.

No, I don't know anywhere that does it cheaper than €12.

As above, it takes me a long time, please read the post. I usually drop the bike when I'm goin somewhere anyway, and there are several bike shops within 5 mins of me.

OldPeculier

If you would rather hold out for the bike shop, try using Slime Dearg Lady!
(Slime: Self Healing Road Inner Tube)
But I do think practice makes perfect!

manwithaplan

I'm in work at the moment so can't access the relevant sites to link directly to the products but have a look at the usual suspects - wiggle.co.uk, chainreactioncycles.com (use paypal), probikekit.co.uk etc.

reilig

I would recommend slime tubes too. I have one on my bike for a long time and never got a puncture.

If you want cheap tubes, look at ebay. Here's an example:

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/2x-PRESTA-Inner-Tube-700c-700-x-18-23C-Racing-Road-Bike-/330581066562?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item4cf82ac342

dearg lady

OldPeculier wrote: »

If you would rather hold out for the bike shop, try using Slime Dearg Lady!
(Slime: Self Healing Road Inner Tube)
But I do think practice makes perfect!

do these work? I'm always so dubious, seems too good to be true!!
I think I'll just replace the tubes myself from now on, I'm sure I will get quicker and taking the wheel on and off the more I do it

Lumen

dearg lady wrote: »

do these work? I'm always so dubious, seems too good to be true!! I think I'll just replace the tubes myself from now on, I'm sure I will get quicker and taking the wheel on and off the more I do it

I haven't had great experiences with the slime.

TBH you shouldn't be getting much practice. If you're getting more than one puncture every few thousand km then there's probably some underlying reason like not enough pressure, crap tyres or cycling in the gutter or on off-road cycle lanes.

OldPeculier

I haven't had experience with slime but Reilig rates them, Lumen doesn't. Pretty much the same with friends I know who have tried it, some think it is useful others don't. Personally I go for tougher tyres and fewer punctures as a result. Get a saddle bag and spare tubes and you'll be fine. How regularly are you having punctures?

cdaly_

OldPeculier wrote: »

I haven't had experience with slime but Reilig rates them, Lumen doesn't. Pretty much the same with friends I know who have tried it, some think it is useful others don't. Personally I go for tougher tyres and fewer punctures as a result. Get a saddle bag and spare tubes and you'll be fine. How regularly are you having punctures?

What s/he said. Tougher tyres properly inflated will minimise your puncture frequency so you won't get enough practice to be quick at changing tubes...

dearg lady

Lumen wrote: »

I haven't had great experiences with the slime.

TBH you shouldn't be getting much practice. If you're getting more than one puncture every few thousand km then there's probably some underlying reason like not enough pressure, crap tyres or cycling in the gutter or on off-road cycle lanes.

I usually keep the pressure pretty good, and the tyres are good apprently (This is what I've been told...I don't know myself!) so maybe it's cycling off road cycle lanes which I do sometimes. I avoid most of them, but there's a patch on the way to work which is pretty dodgy when's its trafficky so I use the cycle lane there.
Funny thing was I spotted some glass one day and decided to use the road for few days after that...got a puncture on the road, sods law

dearg lady

OldPeculier wrote: »

I haven't had experience with slime but Reilig rates them, Lumen doesn't. Pretty much the same with friends I know who have tried it, some think it is useful others don't. Personally I go for tougher tyres and fewer punctures as a result. Get a saddle bag and spare tubes and you'll be fine. How regularly are you having punctures?

It's been a while, good few months since I got one, but got 2 this week, I thought the tyres might need replacing but got someone to look at them and they reckon not. Maybe just a run of bad luck..

OldPeculier

Oh God don't open the road Vs cycle lane debate or it'll be off thread pretty quickly :-)

dearg lady

OldPeculier wrote: »

Oh God don't open the road Vs cycle lane debate or it'll be off thread pretty quickly :-)

ooops! Ok, moving swiftly on...!!

3ndahalfof6

spare wheel ready to go, giving you plenty of time to repair or replace,

sounds like the ticket for you.

Lumen

dearg lady wrote: »

I usually keep the pressure pretty good, and the tyres are good apprently

Which tyres and how much pressure?

OldPeculier

dearg lady wrote: »

got someone to look at them and they reckon not

You also need to check the inside of the tyre, there may be glass/stone or something sharp that may not be evident from the outside, causing the problem. Obviously you'll need to check when the tyre is off, but it's something I do automatically now when I have a puncture

seamus

3ndahalfof6 wrote: »

spare wheel ready to go, giving you plenty of time to repair or replace,

sounds like the ticket for you.

Yeah, but carrying a spare wheel into work every day seems a little bit excessive to me. Two spare wheels if you want to be able to replace either.

dearg lady

Lumen wrote: »

Which tyres and how much pressure?

I'm not sure what type of tyre..I'll check. I keep them at the pressure shown, I think around 100, I can never remember, I check each time I put air in

manwithaplan

dearg lady wrote: »

I'm not sure what type of tyre..I'll check. I keep them at the pressure shown, I think around 100, I can never remember, I check each time I put air in

Do you have a floor pump with a pressure gauge or are you using a pump in a garage forecourt. I don't trust those pumps designed for car tyres to give an accurate reading.

By the way, I would advise you to run away now. Asking a simple question on this forum is akin to getting your tie caught in a shredder.

wicklowvet

As a slight aside what do most folks do with punctured tubes do you repair at home or discard them . i tend to replace tube when out but not sure whether to repair and carry these tubes as spare as i am worried re reliabilty of repaired tube as back up when out on a long spin !!

Lumen

wicklowvet wrote: »

As a slight aside what do most folks do with punctured tubes do you repair at home or discard them . i tend to replace tube when out but not sure whether to repair and carry these tubes as spare as i am worried re reliabilty of repaired tube as back up when out on a long spin !!

Discard them and feel really, really guilty.

Wishbone Ash

dearg lady wrote: »

I usually keep the pressure pretty good, and the tyres are good apprently(

At what pressure, what brand of tyres and what size?

cdaly_

wicklowvet wrote: »

As a slight aside what do most folks do with punctured tubes do you repair at home or discard them . i tend to replace tube when out but not sure whether to repair and carry these tubes as spare as i am worried re reliabilty of repaired tube as back up when out on a long spin !!

Carry them home and repair them. I carry patches with me on the bike for when the spare tube gets punctured also...

dearg lady

manwithaplan wrote: »

Do you have a floor pump with a pressure gauge or are you using a pump in a garage forecourt. I don't trust those pumps designed for car tyres to give an accurate reading.

By the way, I would advise you to run away now. Asking a simple question on this forum is akin to getting your tie caught in a shredder.

I have a floor pump with a pressure gauge.
Well you guys have given me plenty of food for thought, thanks a mill!!

tomasrojo

On the subject of punctures, my Brompton keeps getting punctures in storage. I leave it in the spare room, since it's only for special occasions where I feel I wouldn't like to leave a bike locked in the street, or need to combine public transport. To keep dust off, I shroud it in a big black garbage bag.

The mystery is: I've checked the tyres for firmness one week and they're fine; the next week, I go to use the Brompton and the back wheel has a puncture. A very bad one, in fact -- the type that won't let you get any pressure into the tube at all, and usually can't be patched. This has happened about three times now.

The spare room is a south-facing one, and gets quite warm when the sun shines. Brompton tubes are small-volume and high-pressure. Is it possible that the tubes are getting so hot under the garbage bag in a warm room that the tube is blowing due to gaseous expansion?

Lumen

tomasrojo wrote: »

Is it possible that the tubes are getting so hot under the garbage bag in a warm room that the tube is blowing due to gaseous expansion?

Unlikely, but something like a rim irregularity is more likely to puncture the tube under higher pressure.

tomasrojo

Will have another look for irregularities.

reilig

tomasrojo wrote: »

On the subject of punctures, my Brompton keeps getting punctures in storage. I leave it in the spare room, since it's only for special occasions where I feel I wouldn't like to leave a bike locked in the street, or need to combine public transport. To keep dust off, I shroud it in a big black garbage bag.

The mystery is: I've checked the tyres for firmness one week and they're fine; the next week, I go to use the Brompton and the back wheel has a puncture. A very bad one, in fact -- the type that won't let you get any pressure into the tube at all, and usually can't be patched. This has happened about three times now.

The spare room is a south-facing one, and gets quite warm when the sun shines. Brompton tubes are small-volume and high-pressure. Is it possible that the tubes are getting so hot under the garbage bag in a warm room that the tube is blowing due to gaseous expansion?

If there are existing ptches on the tubes, the heat can often cause them to lift or become brittle!!

-K2-

tomasrojo wrote: »

Will have another look for irregularities.

Do you have a cat?

tomasrojo

reilig wrote: »

If there are existing ptches on the tubes, the heat can often cause them to lift or become brittle!!

Good point, but these are fresh, and quite big punctures, acquired during storage. When the bike was put away, the rear tube was fully inflated, not even a slow puncture. Then a few weeks later, the rear tube is deflated, and has such a big puncture that it can't hold any air for any time, even using a track pump. When I locate the puncture, it's very visible -- and pretty much too big to patch. But the bike hasn't left the room in the meantime.

It's definitely happened at least twice, maybe three times.

-K2- wrote: »

Do you have a cat?

The wife was thinking it might be mice!

Beasty

Have you tried swapping tyres between rims? - it should help establish if it's a tyre or rim problem (or with a bit of luck, maybe the issue may even go away)

tomasrojo

Beasty wrote: »

Have you tried swapping tyres between rims? - it should help establish if it's a tyre or rim problem (or with a bit of luck, maybe the issue may even go away)

Good idea. I have had one previous occasion a tyre do something similar, on a non-folder.

smacl

tomasrojo wrote: »

The wife was thinking it might be mice!

Check the walls and ceiling for flattened mice with no front teeth

petethedrummer

wicklowvet wrote: »

As a slight aside what do most folks do with punctured tubes do you repair at home or discard them . i tend to replace tube when out but not sure whether to repair and carry these tubes as spare as i am worried re reliabilty of repaired tube as back up when out on a long spin !!

A well repaired tube should be almost as reliable as a new tube or reliable as makes no difference. I usually pump a bit of air in a while after doing the repair job to see if any escapes. Not alot, as you'll burst the tube.

tomasrojo wrote: »

Good point, but these are fresh, and quite big punctures, acquired during storage. When the bike was put away, the rear tube was fully inflated, not even a slow puncture. Then a few weeks later, the rear tube is deflated, and has such a big puncture that it can't hold any air for any time, even using a track pump. When I locate the puncture, it's very visible -- and pretty much too big to patch.

I was getting mysterious punctures on one of my wheels. It turned out that there was a slightly raised lip at one of the spoke holes which was protruding up through the rim tape. It didn't feel sharp, even with the rim tape off, but it was enough to puncture the tyres. I sanded it down and it was fine after that. They were really big unpatchable holes too.

Holyboy

tomasrojo wrote: »

On the subject of punctures, my Brompton keeps getting punctures in storage. I leave it in the spare room, since it's only for special occasions where I feel I wouldn't like to leave a bike locked in the street, or need to combine public transport. To keep dust off, I shroud it in a big black garbage bag.

The mystery is: I've checked the tyres for firmness one week and they're fine; the next week, I go to use the Brompton and the back wheel has a puncture. A very bad one, in fact -- the type that won't let you get any pressure into the tube at all, and usually can't be patched. This has happened about three times now.

The spare room is a south-facing one, and gets quite warm when the sun shines. Brompton tubes are small-volume and high-pressure. Is it possible that the tubes are getting so hot under the garbage bag in a warm room that the tube is blowing due to gaseous expansion?

The Brompton rim tapes are terrible, pinch flats galore, it may not be the cause but I would change them any way, soft rubber or sticky fabric, soo much better:D

Thinking about it a bit more I'd be 90% sure it's the hard plastic rim tape, change it and I'll wager you a large sum you won't have any more problems, that's kind of win, win,haha!

tomasrojo

The rim tape seems the likely culprit then. I'll try some rubber rim tape.

Thanks, everyone.

blorg

seamus wrote: »

Yeah, but carrying a spare wheel into work every day seems a little bit excessive to me. Two spare wheels if you want to be able to replace either.

Spare bike is the only sensible option, it's what the pros do.

As Pete says a properly patched tube is as strong as an original. I only replace the tube if it is a problem at the valve or otherwise unpatchable.

Note you MUST find the cause of the puncture in the tyre and remove it, or you will just puncture again on your new tube. As such I don't find a massive difference between patching on the spot and putting in a new tube. You need to locate the hole either way. Patching takes 4-5 minutes.

petethedrummer

you usually don't need to muck around with a bucket of water or the crayon (whatever the **** thats for). Just sandpaper an area around the hole, bigger than the patch you intend to apply. Sand down any ridges or joins in the rubber. Then put on a small amount of solution. SMALL amount. And let it dry. When it looks dry, apply the patch.

Don't apply a patch to a big wet gloopy glob of solution, however tempting it is.

Tenzor07

4 Pages about a Puncture? Sheeessshhhh!! :rolleyes:

petethedrummer

Tenzor07 wrote: »

4 Pages about a Puncture? Sheeessshhhh!! :rolleyes:

1 and a bit pages, reset your options. Less page clickery.

Tenzor07

Ok..


49 posts about a puncture! Sheeejjjeeesuss!!

petethedrummer

what do you wanna talk about?

Holyboy

petethedrummer wrote: »

what do you wanna talk about?

Id like to talk about my self, we all know how much I like to do that