Puncture Prevention and repair.
Road cycling's biggest turn-off is getting a puncture while out on a group ride.
Tires come in many brands and varieties from light weight race tires to heavy commuting tires, and what tires you run will depend on what sort of riding you are doing.
But one thing they all have in common is a large piece of glass will slice through them.
If it's a friendly bunch ride then everyone will stop, while the offending rider fixes the puncture.
If not then you can be sometimes left on your own, while the bunch rides off into the distance.
Either way you must become proficient at fixing punctures and flat tires.
Changing tires is always a pain, but if you practice at a home a few times, then when the time comes you will accomplish it easily enough.
Prevention.
Once tires start to wear, punctures will occur, so the first rule is to regularly check your tires for wear and tear.
When tires get badly worn, not only is it dangerous to ride on them, but you will start getting punctures regularly.
So if in doubt replace the offending tire or tires and save yourself a lot of aggravation and disgruntled ride mates.
The biggest cause of punctures is glass on the road, so again check for glass in your tires regularly.
Do this by deflating the tire slightly or until you can squeeze the tire easily, this will open up cuts in the tire and allow you to see if any glass is lurking there.
If so flick it out with a thin metal blade.
Carefully check around the whole tire.
Do this and you will save yourself many punctures.
What Equipment should I Take on my Ride? You need to be self sufficient on the road.
While obviously we all give other riders tubes if they need them, really you should always take your own spares.
I personally take: A hand pump, 2 x spare tubes, 2 x tire levers, gas cylinder with its inflation device - these inflate tires in a about 4 seconds, available at any bike shop - a small multi tool, a packet of self adhesive patches, these are only temporary patches, but will get you home if you run out of tubes and need to repair one.
And lastly I take a small section of an old tire, approximately 50mms long (2inches), and cut the bead edge off.
This can be used if you get a really bad cut in your tire.
Slip it between the tire and the tube underneath the offending cut, before inflation, and it will prevent any further incidents.
These items can be placed in your back pockets, in a small bag placed under your saddle, or I put them into a cut down water bottle then into one of my bottle cages.
One final piece of advice.
When fixing flats while riding with a bunch, there will be a fair bit pressure on you to get the job done quickly, mostly unspoken but you will feel it.
Take your time, and get it right the first time.
Tires puncture for a reason, and if you don't find the cause, then chances are you will get another flat a kilometre down the road.
Once you've extricated the offending tube, get a another rider to inflate the tube and find the hole, then you can determine roughly where on the tire the problem is.
You can then concentrate on that area to find out why.
Check very carefully for glass, it only takes a tiny piece of glass to pierce through the tire to cause a puncture.
Only once you've found the reason why, and removed any foreign matter, should you continue with putting in a new tube and inflating.
Then you can continue on with your ride, hopefully without further incident.
Road cycling's biggest turn-off is getting a puncture while out on a group ride.
Tires come in many brands and varieties from light weight race tires to heavy commuting tires, and what tires you run will depend on what sort of riding you are doing.
But one thing they all have in common is a large piece of glass will slice through them.
If it's a friendly bunch ride then everyone will stop, while the offending rider fixes the puncture.
If not then you can be sometimes left on your own, while the bunch rides off into the distance.
Either way you must become proficient at fixing punctures and flat tires.
Changing tires is always a pain, but if you practice at a home a few times, then when the time comes you will accomplish it easily enough.
Prevention.
Once tires start to wear, punctures will occur, so the first rule is to regularly check your tires for wear and tear.
When tires get badly worn, not only is it dangerous to ride on them, but you will start getting punctures regularly.
So if in doubt replace the offending tire or tires and save yourself a lot of aggravation and disgruntled ride mates.
The biggest cause of punctures is glass on the road, so again check for glass in your tires regularly.
Do this by deflating the tire slightly or until you can squeeze the tire easily, this will open up cuts in the tire and allow you to see if any glass is lurking there.
If so flick it out with a thin metal blade.
Carefully check around the whole tire.
Do this and you will save yourself many punctures.
What Equipment should I Take on my Ride? You need to be self sufficient on the road.
While obviously we all give other riders tubes if they need them, really you should always take your own spares.
I personally take: A hand pump, 2 x spare tubes, 2 x tire levers, gas cylinder with its inflation device - these inflate tires in a about 4 seconds, available at any bike shop - a small multi tool, a packet of self adhesive patches, these are only temporary patches, but will get you home if you run out of tubes and need to repair one.
And lastly I take a small section of an old tire, approximately 50mms long (2inches), and cut the bead edge off.
This can be used if you get a really bad cut in your tire.
Slip it between the tire and the tube underneath the offending cut, before inflation, and it will prevent any further incidents.
These items can be placed in your back pockets, in a small bag placed under your saddle, or I put them into a cut down water bottle then into one of my bottle cages.
One final piece of advice.
When fixing flats while riding with a bunch, there will be a fair bit pressure on you to get the job done quickly, mostly unspoken but you will feel it.
Take your time, and get it right the first time.
Tires puncture for a reason, and if you don't find the cause, then chances are you will get another flat a kilometre down the road.
Once you've extricated the offending tube, get a another rider to inflate the tube and find the hole, then you can determine roughly where on the tire the problem is.
You can then concentrate on that area to find out why.
Check very carefully for glass, it only takes a tiny piece of glass to pierce through the tire to cause a puncture.
Only once you've found the reason why, and removed any foreign matter, should you continue with putting in a new tube and inflating.
Then you can continue on with your ride, hopefully without further incident.