How to fix a flat tire

It happened again, yes!

I'm thinking that maybe it is due to the hot weather. 

Bicycle tires are more prone to punctures when the weather is either too hot, or too cold, or even too wet. 

In a period of two weeks I had to repair a flat tire twice. However the first time it was entirely my fault! 

While I was taking pictures for a previous post, I accidentally dragged my bicycle into some thorns. I didn't realise it until much later, after finishing the photoshoot and walking towards a bench, where I wanted to sit down and eat my delicious herb-pie made by a local bakery while admiring the sea view. When I noticed the round shaped thorns, I kneeled and started to pull them out one at a time. I was doing a great job, but when I pulled the fifth I immediately heard a "ffff" sound. That was the first puncture!

So I packed my things and rode back to the city center, as I didn't want to walk the whole way back. Then I locked up my bike and sat on a bench right opposite of my workplace to eat my pie, as I had another 30 minutes before showing up to work.

The next day I bought the tools for fixing up my flat tire myself, as I already knew how it was done when I watched the bicycle shop owner do it in the past. 

However, after about 4-5 days my bicycle tire got another puncture. Needless to say everyone thought I didn't do a proper job when I fixed the first puncture, so I was so delighted to reply to them that this time the other tire was flat and not the one I repaired!

The cause of the second puncture was found after investigating the tire from the inside and the outside repeatedly! It was a tiny piece of debris pinned on the tire from the outside and in normal conditions this piece would never lead to a puncture. That is why I blame the weather and the bad timing for getting a flat tire, as the hot temperature might  have"soften" the tire and a certain bang gave that result!. 

Now let's proceed to the actual tutorial of how to fix a flat tire.

The Steps

Step 1: Gather all the tools together. 

You will need a pump, sandpaper, the special sticker for repairing an inner tube, glue and 2 small spoons (if you don't want to buy the special calliper for the bicycle tire) and a container filled with water.

Step 2: Open the tube's valve and let the remaining air to escape. Then with the help of the two spoons pull the tire out of the rim.

Notice the stcker from the previous flat!

Step 3: Carefully with your fingers grab the inner tube and pull it out of the tire. After removing it from the tire, inflate it a little bit using the pump and then dip it into the water every bit at a time moving it clockwise until finding the hole.

Step 4: After finding the hole, with a pen draw a circle around it.

Step 5: Rub the hole using the sandpaper so it will have more grip for holding the sticker.

Step 6: Apply glue all over, not only on top of the hole, but in the round area that surrounds the hole too. Wait for 10-20 seconds (depending the glue) and then put the special sticker on top and press with your finger firmly. 

Step 7: After waiting for 5-10 minutes for the glue to harden completely, slowly start to push the inner tube back into the tire with your fingers. When the inner tube is in place, grab the tire with your fists and squeeze it back into the rim. Inflate the tire completely using the pump and now you are done with fixing your flat tire!

Tips: 

1) If you just want to replace the inner tube with a new one, skip steps 4,5 and 6.
2) Don't forget to open your brake before attempting to pull out the inner tube.

3) For step 7, it is easier to have the bicycle upside down.

4) After step 6 and while waiting, inspect the inner side of the tire along with the outside  and remove any bits that are pinned to your bicycle tire.

Hope I've helped! 

Now you know how to fix a flat tire, too!

Broken Glass causes us Flats!

There is nothing like it! Everyone that rides a bicycle has come to face with a flat tire at least one time. Most of the times something like this happens is due to broken glass. 

The first time I got a flat tire was three and half months ago. I was returning home after work on a cloudy day. As my bicycle was rolling I was hearing a "fff" sound but is was discontinuous. At first I thought that my tire might had got water because there was a lot of rain previously in that day. But after a couple of kilometers I looked down at the front tire and saw that is was completely flat. 

Needless to say I walked my bicycle home that day. You should never ride your bicycle when you have a flat tire. The rim will either bend or broke and the replacement of one is pricey. 

The next day I got the flat tire fixed in a bicycle shop and paid 5 euros for a new inner tube. I asked them what was the cause, a nail or some other debris, but they said they didn't find anything. I thanked them and took my bicycle back. However, as I was walking my bicycle to get to the main road and looking my front tire while doing so, I saw a piece of broken glass still pinned on the tire. With the help of my key I managed to pulled it out. Immediately I thought that they didn't even bother to search the inside of the tire, they just replaced the old inner tube with a new one. That was the moment I've decided to never leave my bicycle unattended when even the slightest repair is being done to it.

Two weeks later I got a flat tire again. I then took it to an another place and asked for a patch and not a new inner tube. It costed me 3 euros, which was a really small difference in price, but I was frustrated and the particular bike shop didn't have an inner tube with the valve type that I wanted, so I went with the patch option. The bike shop owner warned me that this was only a temporary solution and that my bicycle tire sooner or later will get a flat again, especially because of the heat as summer was just in the corner. I said that I would take my chances and also I told him to inspect the inner side of the bicycle tire. He said OK and he later found a really small piece of broken glass. (My tire is still OK in case you're wondering. The heat didn't affect the patch at all.)

"So broken glass again" I thought. Furthermore, after discussing it with other people too, I reached in the conclusion that the number one caution for getting a flat tire is broken glass. In my case, it might have been the same piece from the beginning, as in the first bike shop they didn't search the inner side of the tire, or it could be a totally different piece. It doesn't matter. What it matters is that you see shattered glass all over the roads. Is something you cannot avoid from running into. On the roads, is the outcome of road accidents or car robberies. But in the bicycle paths is the outcome of what? 

I took a picture for all of you to see it. I think that someone is doing it on purpose. This is clearly a broken bottle that was left there by someone. Not the cause of an accident of any kind. Realising that makes me sad, because now I understand that there are still people out there who think bicycles are just toys and us (by us I mean people on bicycles) getting a flat tire is a joke to them. 

The good thing is that the majority of people don't share the same ideas as this particular person. More and more citizens every day choose the bicycle usage over the car in our little city and when I'm crossing paths with others also riding bikes, I just smile.