Roadside tire repair . . . suggestions?

Triathlon Forum
1

Finally happened this morning, big ass gash on the sidewall of my rear tire. Bam! on the rim like that.

So, roadside repair to make the 5 remaining miles to work. Calling the wife no longer an option. (“Don’t call me again. Call one of your training buddies to come get you or walk”) Best friend/training partner out of town.

Gash is about 1/2x1/4 inch rectangle, cut on 3 sides, still attached on one side, sort of like a nice flap. Like the way you’d fold the Land O’ Lakes butter carton so that the kneeling indian girl’s knees were up under her chest, open the flap and her bare knees looked like her breasts. A flap, fold down on one end. Get it?

Anyway, realized I needed an insert of some sort to make it anywhere. That expanding air is insidious stuff. It’ll just keep growing and growing until POW! Another tube down the drain.

Inventory of saddle bag revealed duct tape. Four strips inside tire covering flap turns out not to be nearly enough.

Inventory of roadside revealed the end of one of those flat garden hoses with holes in it, used to water an entire flower bed. Whip out the lockblade, cut off a 2" section, fit that in between the new tube and tire, covering the gash.

Inflate, looks good, off I go. The last mile I start feeling a gentle “bump, bump” and when I get to work, slight but firm bulging from the gash. Deflate, and figure I’ll ask the crew for suggestions.

So, the question to the crew is: what could I use from a general office environment to act as a patch to get me home tonight? I’m open to any suggestions, the more creative the better.

Everyone is welcome to play.

T

2

Gu or Powerbar wrapper, if that does not work, stuff grass between the tube and tire hole, or plastic of some sort

If you have no rememaining tubes, stuff grass into the tire and ride it back
.

3

A thick folder might do the trick… just cut it a little larger than the hole, then tape it so it doesnt move around when you start to inflate… the might be sturdy enough to hold it in.

4

I take it there’s no shop nearby that you could get a cheap tire? How about trying packing tape - tape it both vertically and horizontally

5

Gary,

What kind of office has Gu and powerbar wrappers lying around? You guys should hire a maid.

6

“Calling the wife no longer an option. (‘Don’t call me again. Call one of your training buddies to come get you or walk’)”

???

7

Her prior experiences with me blowing tires, breaking chains, playing bumper car with trucks etc.

She loves me, so she sets me free when I leave the house on the bike.

I love her for letting me go.

T

8

“Calling the wife no longer an option. (‘Don’t call me again. Call one of your training buddies to come get you or walk’)”

???
Yeah, what the hell is up with that? Maybe you should call your mistress, and let the wife know who brought you home.

9

A dollar bill. Then when you get home, cut the beads off the tire, and cut 1" cross-section pieces of the tire to use as boots. Put 'em in your saddle bag for future occurrences.

10

Tasty suggestion for recycling the tire! That’s my kind of thinking.

I’ve heard the $bill before, and I know that currency paper is pretty sturdy for a variety of reasons, but somehow it just seemed to flexy to me. I’ll likely give it a try.

My other thought was to hit the loading dock and see what I can scrounge up.

Thanks all for the thoughts.

T

11

second the dollar bill… use Canadian for 20-30% smaller patches… :slight_smile:

12

The fabric content in the dollar bill is what keeps it together. They work great. For a hole that large you might want to fold two bills into quarters (in half, and then half again) just to add a few extra layers. I’ve ridden 60+ miles with a 1" gash booted with a dollar bill. Oh, and don’t get too carried away on the air pressure.

13

If unrepairable tires is a common occurance on commutes to work, consider buying a clincher tire with a kevlar bead that can be folded and secured to the seat post with velcro straps for those rare moments when the damage to the tire is such that simply installing a new tube is probably not going to get where you need to go!

14

Another excellent suggestion. Only problem with that is that it’ll get stolen when my bike is locked outside. Nothing removable stays unlocked on the bike when I’m not with it.

I might be able to find a place for such a spare in my bag though.

Thanks…T

15

Besides some of the excellent suggestions (GU etc), why not just ride the flat the 5 miles, I have ridden up to 12 miles and was still able to use the rim and tire when I got back and repaired it. BTW it was a 4 flat ride… newly cut hedges in the wilds of WI.

16

I hit a piece of metal last night on a ride and used a dollar bill.For years I have carried a dollar bill in my repair kit.A few years back I was changing tires and found a dollar in the old tire.I forgot I had booted a cut sidewall and left it in there for a couple of years.

17

Reviving the thread, as I got 3 flats on one ride to work last week. Only carry 1 spare tube, so that meant patching one, waiting for it to dry/set, then patching it again! Sonofabitch!

So, in the interest of not having this problem again, I took the extreme route:

I run 700x28’s on my commuter, with a protective (by Slime I think) rubberized strip between the tube and tire. I took that out.

I cut the beads off of an old Kenda 700x20, and put that inside the 700x28. I put the tube inside the 20 inside the 28 (kinda like the “Turducken” - now backordered), installed it and inflated it. Now, I figure any situation that produces a flat is pretty serious, and anything that rips through two sidewalls will likely render me and/or the bike unrideable.

Weight is not an issue.

I’ll update again as necessary, but if this thread dies forever, you know it is working!

T

18

I’m a little disappointed in the failure of the duct tape. I always thought it could fix about anything. If the duct tape won’t hold I would not be real optimistic about the dollar bill.

19

Even with all of that protection, make sure you keep your tires properly inflated. Almost all of my commuter flats have been on mornings when I have been to lazy to make sure my tires are fully inflated. Even with 2 tires you could be prone to pinch flats if you don’t have enough air in the tires.

You might even want to try a tube with a self sealing liner.

20

I had another sidewall blowout this morning, 3rd of the summer so I have had some practice. I use the park tool pre glued patches. They are small, easy to carry and have worked every time.

Dave