Bicycle Tyres

Repairing a bicycle tyre puncture is much simpler and far less regulated than with a car tyre. Repair kits are readily available, and come with all the equipment you need to fix your tyre and get you back on the road. Such kits generally come in small packages that can easily be packed into a basket, compartment, or bag and be taken with you if you are intending to go for a long ride.

Puncture Repair Kits

The kits should contain patches or plugs (used to seal the hole), a form of glue or cement to hold the patch to the tire, and a selection of accessories (sponges and brushes for applying the glue and smoothing down the patch) and tools (tyre levers, rasps, knives, stitch rollers, buffing wheels). You should also consider taking a spare inner tube with you on your travels, as a bad puncture may not be suitably repaired with a simple patch, and may need to be completely replaced by a new tube.

How To Repair A Puncture

The general technique for repair is to remove the wheel, and use the tyre levers to separate the rubber from the wheel rim – this allows you to pull out the inner tube, which when punctured is probably deflated. If you find the puncture easily (you might hear a hissing of air, or have tested the tube by holding it under water to check for the release of air bubbles - though remember to dry the tire completely before attempting repair), and decide to repair the tube, you should remove any foreign objects from the tube, and then use the glue and patch to seal the hole.

Before putting the inner tube back into the wheel, check that the glue has dried, that there is no excess glue seeping from under the patch, and that the puncture has been properly sealed. Once you are sure the puncture is repaired, it’s a simple matter of putting the tube back inside the rubber, and putting the wheel back onto the bike. Getting tyres on and off the wheel can be difficult for the inexperienced, however, so it is recommended that this operation is practiced a few times before you are out on the road and have to repair a puncture in the middle of a rainstorm!