Screwed!

[Ozzie]

More than likely showing how much of a newbie I am, but anyhow!

Noticed on my commute home on Thursday afternoon that the rear of my bike was a little more unsettled than usual. Didn't think too much of it, aside from "ummm, better check that".

As I had to get my kids from school on Friday, I didn't take the bike, so again, no further investigation, until dusk on Friday night, gave my bike its usual fortnightly bath and polish and noticed a nice silvery spot on the tyre, a screw!

Panic stations, didn't know if you could patch a bike tyre, didn't know how to take the wheel off, knew tyres were expensive, didn't know quite how expensive, didn't know how the hell I was going to deal with it.

So, I made a few calls Saturday morning, one of which to Colemans, found out that a patch might be an option, that I could go either way and take the bike to them, or remove the wheel myself. Enlisted the help of KBer Patch to help me through the process of removal of my rear wheel, something I thought was going to be complicated, but in fact took all of 2 minutes. Anyway, wheel was off, had resigned myself to the fact I was going to miss next weeks coro loop, as even if I got the tyre fixed during the week, I wouldn't have the time to put it back on, and with the $70 odd to fix it, couldn't afford the ride (budget is a bit tight at the mo).

Saved again!

Patch told me of a place on the shore that is open Sundays, Cycle Treads on Barry's Point Rd. Quick trip there Sunday morning, tyre's patched ($25), back home, wheel on, all good.

While at cycle treads, noticed a patch kit, $35 comes with a roadside repair kit, plunger/spike to rough up the tyre, another one to put the patch in, and a couple of cylinders of compressed air to reinflate. Apparently safe as, and legal as an emergency repair (although not warrantable), so thinking might just get one of those just incase there is a screw on the coro loop!

So yeah, the points to make if you didn't already know:

1. You can patch a bike tyre.
2. Cycle Treads on the shore is open Sunday, patches, tyres, and heaps of other gear.
3. There is a kit you can get that will do the same thing on the side of the road to get you going again without completely stuffing your tyre (like that foam stuff).

Hope that helps someone.

[gijoe1313]

Cheers Ozzie, stuff like that is handy info to know. I went down to the Tron a week ago and I bought a $50 (damn! $35 you got a bargain!) puncture repair kit - for the tour down to Welly.

Screw in the tire...how long were you riding on it before you got home and checked it?

[Lord Derosso]

Just be careful Ozzie.....

I had this happen to me some years ago on a tour up through the East Coast and I was heading on my way when I noticed a nail. The tyre developed a slow leak but a taxi driver said to fill it up and the muck inside the tyre would seal it for a while. Got over the Rimatukus in pitch darkness and to Masterton where they put a patch on. Didn't tell me one very very important fact though.

DO NOT go over 80 kmph on a patched tyre until after 24 hours or more. Got to Gisborne, booked a motel and next morning tyre was almost flat again. Filled it up and had no further problems rest of the weeks travel but found out later regarding been cautious about speed on a patched tubeless tyre.