by Edward James

Created on: April 10, 2010   Last Updated: April 12, 2010

Having the ability to deal with punctures is a key skill and one that all cyclists should be able to do. Regardless of whether you’re a road or off road cyclist punctures are all part and parcel of cycling, and it is something that is going to affect every cyclist at one time or another. Therefore, it is imperative all cyclists know what to do, and since there are more hazardous sharp objects on trails off road riders are likely to experience more punctures.

Luckily, off road tires are far easier to remove and fit than road bike tires, which can be a real pain to change and often require specialist tools and assistance from the local bike shop team, therefore a puncture on the trails should not present too many problems providing you are prepared to deal with it.

All cyclists should carry a puncture kit, the word “repair” has intentionally been omitted because I never fix punctures on the trails and a pump. A good puncture kit should consist of two good tire levers (good ones include Pedros or Quicksticks) or a Speed Lever and an inner tube. There is no need for anything else. Patches, glue or chalk is not needed. The amount of room two tire levers and an inner tube takes up is minimal and can often be stored in the pocket of a cycling jersey or a small saddle or frame bag if you have one.

Repairing an inner tube is known as “patching” it and this is something that should be avoided on the trails. The patching process not only takes a lot of time but it can be hit or miss and there is nothing worse than patching a tube only for the patch to fail a few miles down the trail meaning the process has to be repeated again. The best option is to pull out the damaged tube and replace it with the one included in the puncture kit, obviously remembering to take the damaged tube home with you. The damaged tube can be repaired after the ride, should you wish, but considering inner tubes are so cheap it is probably better to throw the damaged one away and purchase a new one. After all, patched tubes are more fragile and there is a risk the patch could fail meaning the whole process has to be repeated.

The hardest part of changing an inner tube is removing the tire. You may be fortunate enough to have a tire that can be removed by hand, i.e. without the need for tire levers, although most tires will require levers. Changing the inner tube involves:

Removing the inner tube valve cap and pressing the valve to ensure all air is out of the inner

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>