Tube/Tire Repair

I finally got the dreaded flat in a somewhat remote spot this past weekend.   Even if i wanted to change out the tube the hand pump I had with me was broken! Had to slowly "limp" back ~40 miles to camp.

Anyhow, I want to be better prepared next time.

Just curious what other folks carry with them for tire/tube repair?

Any aftermarket kits that are nice?

What about C02 vs hand pumps vs carrying both?

Anything else I should know?

Thanks!

Gonna need a decent set of spoons for tire removal and replacement. Motion Pro seems to be a favorite. Get three of them. Wrenches to remove the wheels. Heavy-duty tubes. Get some baby powder to coat the tubes with. Also, some tire lube to make the beads easier to seat.

I carry CO2 cartridges. Plenty of psi to get you going, but you might need a small hand pump to partially inflate the tube while reinstalling.

Lots of videos on YouTube on tire replacement.

Well a couple of things may help.. Several ounces of preparation may equal many pounds of cure.

Right after I mount and balance a new set of tires and tubes I let all the air out of the tire and pull the valve core. Then I put in 8 oz of Slime in each tube. Put the core back in and inflate the tire.

Haven't had a flat since starting that.. but to be honest I haven't been doing that very long either.

I usually carry at least a spare 21" tube with me and many times I carry a front and rear tube. The tubes are stashed on my front fender bag and on the number plate bag. I carry three of the 8 inch tire irons, bead buddy, valve core tool, and a small bicycle hand pump. I actually have two small tool bags I carry (got them from Walmat). One of them is my tire tool kit and has those items plus a few other things (like a sealmate). The other one has some basic hand tools that make it easier to work on the bike - in fact I grab that kit and the tire one when ever I am servicing the bike at home. Doing this has allowed me to add tools that I may need and eliminate other ones.

I'd like to get one of these combination pumps.

Combination Pump

+1 on always carrying a tube. I carry a 21" tube and a patch kit. The patch kit is tiny, so I figure I could throw the punctured tube in my bag and attempt to patch it in camp that night.

Topeak Mini Morph Bike Pump
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FICCQC/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This was the pump suggested to me.  I believe it is the smallest pump that has the little hose, and it is quite small.  I just got it so I can't comment on longevity, but it works fast for its size, and seems to be decent quality.

When I was deciding on co2 vs pump, I chose pump because if you fail at the repair and have to air up more then once it is very easy to run out of cartridges.

That combo pump look neat, but what is the benefit over a regular pump like the one I mention above and also carrying a regular co2 cartridge system?

Try pumping up your rear tire someday with one of those dinky hand pumps. It can be done, but it's a long, sweaty process. The CO2 combo allows for the speed of CO2 and the peace of mind of a hand pump.

I don't have one. I currently have a small Slime electric pump that I attach directly to the battery via the battery tender cable. Obviously, the CO2 pump would be much more compact.

Rusty Shovel wrote:

Try pumping up your rear tire someday with one of those dinky hand pumps.  It can be done, but it's a long, sweaty process.  The CO2 combo allows for the speed of CO2 and the peace of mind of a hand pump.

I don't have one.  I currently have a small Slime electric pump that I attach directly to the battery via the battery tender cable.  Obviously, the CO2 pump would be much more compact.

I've done mine before and it wasn't bad at all. Can't remember the type of dinky pump I have offhand since I've been using it for some 10+ years now.

Really? Maybe my pump sucked. After 10 minutes I was pretty done with mini pumps. Perhaps I should look into a more reputable replacement.

+1 for the Topeak Mountain Morph. Pumps a good volume per stroke. Doesn't take long at all to blow up the WR's gumbands to riding pressure. The foot plate and hose make it the best pump I've ever used for moto use. I got the one with the built in gauge and it lives on its bracket tied to the right subframe tube above the muffler. Awesome little pump. The high pressure road bike pumps will not be nearly as handy due to the small volume per stroke needed to reach the high pressure required for cycles.

Just curious...would a can of Fix-a-Flat work as a temporary fix getting you back home or base camp?  Then, replace the tube once at a more convenient place and time.

DragonNester wrote:

Just curious...would a can of Fix-a-Flat work as a temporary fix getting you back home or base camp?  Then, replace the tube once at a more convenient place and time.

I used to do this when I was a kid.  What I found is that it rarely fixes a flat, but might get you closer to home if the hole is small enough.  Its a pretty big and heavy item to carry on every ride and there's better options out there - I like Ride-On.  I switched over to Tubeliss so flats are as simple as a 5 minute plug and pump.

For a pump I'm using a 8" long mountain bike pump. Pumps air into the tire on both strokes.

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I just ordered that Topeak Mini Morph Bike Pump mentioned above, as well as the Genuine Innovations Street Tire Repair and Inflation Kit.

Sounds like that should round out everything I ever need for another flat. Here's hoping I never get one, though!  

Actually one more potentially dumb question!

Where I got my flat there were no large rocks around, or a convenient berm on the side of the rode, or anything else I could see that would act as convenient "bike stand".

In those cases, do you just lay your bike on its side? Sounds like a bit of a pain with some switching around to get that tire off, huh?

I never thought about a flat way out in the boonies. Got me thinking about getting a repair kit & pump too. One small thing to remember on a flat is to also repair the tire with a patch-plug in addition to patching the tube. Reason being is that if you ride through mud or water and the hole is not plugged & sealed, the stuff will eventually get between the tube & tire and cause them to slip and between the plies of the tire case & cause separation of tread from the casing. More critical on street tires on the X.

granite4brains wrote:

Actually one more potentially dumb question!

Where I got my flat there were no large rocks around, or a convenient berm on the side of the rode, or anything else I could see that would act as convenient "bike stand".

In those cases, do you just lay your bike on its side?  Sounds like a bit of a pain with some switching around to get that tire off, huh?

I bought a trail stand that I keep in my flat repair kit. But since I usually travel with a hatchet, I've been using that to prop my bike up (in conjunction with the kick stand).

Found HERE

Rusty Shovel wrote:

Found HERE

Thanks Rusty, that's awesome! I'll definitely be ordering one of those.

Also, thanks sswrx on the advice to always plug tire too - hadn't thought of that!

I have this stand http://www.endurostar.com/


Enduro Star Trail Stand

Re: pumps, I have a cheap 12v pump I carry in a 4-wheeled support vehicle, and on the big street bike, but for the WRR, I have a hand pump.  Have tried it to make sure it works, but have not fixed a flat with it yet.


Blackburn Airstik pump

The pump and trail stand and some other tools store in the Tractor Supply tool tube on the rear rack:



Check out this link to an informal test:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=21630628&postcount=14

I carry a small double-action pump in my backpack, but it's very slow. Looks like the one mentioned above might be the go.
 
I used to carry CO2 bottles, but ever since I saw the damage that can be done if one explodes (ie if it can split a Staintune muffler, it will pretty much blow you in half), I don't carry them.
 
Admittedly, the circumstances causing the explosion were fairly extreme, but I'm not sure how extreme they need to be...
 
Anyway, it's only one man's opinion.
 
Re use of baby powder - I've found it's excellent for tyre and tube fitting, but it seems to prevent tube patches from holding, no matter how hard I buff the tube, or what I use to clean it. So now (and do this at your own risk), I don't use powder, I clean the puncture area with fuel on a rag (no roughing, scratching or f&%#ing about), wait till it dries and slap on some glue. Once that dries, on goes the patch with pressure, give it a minute or two and sprinkle some dust over it to prevent sticking to the inside of the tyre. Re-fit and hope like hell I don't pinch the tube... Inflating the tube just enough for it to hold its shape before starting on the tyre reduces the chances of this badness, I think.
 
No cleaning fluid or tube roughener required, and it works unless you have a two-stroke, as oil in the fuel will spoil everything. Premium unleaded seems to work fine. Maybe it will even remove powder, but buffing fluid that I've used does not.
 
                                                              *End of opinionated waffle*

bluzharp wrote:

+1 for the Topeak Mountain Morph. Pumps a good volume per stroke. Doesn't take long at all to blow up the WR's gumbands to riding pressure. The foot plate and hose make it the best pump I've ever used for moto use. I got the one with the built in gauge and it lives on its bracket tied to the right subframe tube above the muffler. Awesome little pump. The high pressure road bike pumps will not be nearly as handy due to the small volume per stroke needed to reach the high pressure required for cycles.

Plus 1, I carry mine in my hydration pack. The tiny hand pumps with no hose are cute until you need to use one.
I also carry 4 CO2 cartridges with a few plugs (I run tubliss) and patches.

Here in the uk i use my wrr mostly of road in mud rocks usually technical riding i use slime in both tyres and i carry a co2 inflater if you keep a 20psi pressure in both tyres you should be ok thats my two penneth

20psi is really high for offroad use. I generally like to run around 10 but with stock tubes you're probably better off running about 12-14psi.

tried that but when you hit a sharp rock at speed it just nips the tube on the rim thats why we use slime as well i run a mitas extreme on the rear and a maxxis serge on the front this way i never get a puncture and if i did id put more slime in the tyre and then top the air up with co2 mini cylinder now all our club riders do this way