I had a training brick I needed to do this morning. 90 minutes on the bike followed by a 45 minute run. After 25 minutes on the bike (riding solo), I got a rear flat tire. No biggie I thought. I proceed to veer off the road and start to take the bike apart. Well, what I come to find out is that my tire actually split which caused the tube to explode.
I had a patch kit in my bike bag which was supposed to be for the tube. I patched the inner tire as well as the outer tire and then I put a folded up dollar bill on the inside of the tire where the tube would lay. I obviously didn’t have a spare tire with me. I was able to ride another hour on the bike, and got home ok—and was happy I was still able to complete the brick workout.
In this case, how common is this? What would you have done… or done differently? I think the thing that saved me was I wasn’t pissed at all… I was actually more excited that it happened, as I am a hands on learner! Thoughts?
What would I do? Take the cell phone out of my rear pocket…call my wife to bring me a new wheel…finish the ride…finish the run…repair the tire later that evening…thank my wife… : )
Dollar bill seems to be one of the weapons of choice for a split in the tire. I try always to carry one. I wonder how a littttle piece of duct tape would work. Anyone? Anyone?
You did the right thing. Not many people carry a spare clincher tire on a training ride. I carry a small amount of “Gorilla Tape”, a very strong brand of duct tape. I carry it wraped around a tire lever for just such an emergency.
I also carry at least two spare innertubes along with a patch kit.
I blew a tubular, the first time in 2 years this morning, and just road it back on the rim back to camp 8 miles. I was out of the saddle the whole way to keep weight off the wheel.
Powerbar wrapper is also pretty tough. I also have some duct tape on my bike due to being a Missouri native with some redneck tendencies. Anyone know where I get a number 3 decal to put on my black bike?