How To Fix A Punctured Bike Tube

Download Article

All kinds of things can puncture your bicycle tire when you're out on a ride. A puncture hole is an inconvenience, only fortunately, information technology's easy to fix with the right tools and tricks. First, remove the tire and locate the hole in the tube. Use a patch kit to mucilage a patch onto the hole. Inflate the tube to check your piece of work, and so reattach the tire to the bicycle. You'll be dorsum riding in no fourth dimension.

1
Accept the tire and tube off the bike. Remove the wheel by unfastening the handle property the beam in identify. Then, employ a tire lever to go the tire off. Insert the lever between the tire and the rim and work it effectually. When the tire comes off, pull the tube out.^[one]
- It may be easier to remove the tube if you allow all of the air out.
2
Remove the object that punctured the tire if it'southward still in that location. If the object is still there, it could re-puncture the tube when you supervene upon it, wasting all your work. Sometimes finding the object is easy, like if a nail is sticking out of the tire. Other times, glass or small rocks get trapped inside the tire, so shake the tire out to become rid of any loose objects.^[two]
- Gently run your fingers along the within of the tire to free whatever embedded objects. If yous have gloves, put them on to protect your fingers from cuts.
- Check the surface of the tube too.
Advertisement
iii
Pump upward the tube and await for the pigsty. Finding the hole is difficult if the tube is deflated. Hook a pump to the tube and fill it with air. Then do a visual check for the hole. If the hole is large, it should be like shooting fish in a barrel to see. Check forth the unabridged surface of the tube for obvious holes.^[3]
- Don't cease looking when you find the first pigsty. If an object got inside the tire, information technology could get out multiple holes, so be sure to cheque the unabridged tube.
4
Mind for air escaping if you can't meet the hole. If the pigsty is also pocket-sized to come across with a visual bank check, bring the tube upwards to your ear. Requite information technology a light clasp to force the air out, and listen for a "seeping" sound to hear where it escapes from. And so, use these signs to locate the hole.^[4]
- You nonetheless might non be able to pinpoint the hole, even if you hear the seeping audio. Apply the water method to notice its exact location.
five
Dunk the tube into a filled sink to encounter where bubbling come upwards from. If you still can't discover the hole, fill a sink with water and place the tube within. Squeeze it and then air escapes, and and then check where bubbles ascent upwards from. When you see the bubbles, yous take an exact location for the hole.^[5]
- This trick is useful if you know roughly where the hole is merely can't pinpoint it. The bubbles requite you an exact location.
- This won't be possible if yous go a apartment tire while out biking, so endeavor your all-time to listen for escaping air in that case.
6
Mark the hole so you don't lose it. If you lot're dealing with a modest pigsty, it can be hard to see, so making a mark on the tube will make it easier to observe the area you need to repair once more. Some patch kits come with a piece of chalk, so utilise this and draw a circle around the hole. Otherwise, use a marker.^[vi]
- Don't utilize a pen or pencil. These could make some other pigsty in the tube.

ane
Sand the rubber around the pigsty to help the glue adhere. Almost patch kits come with a minor piece of sandpaper to crude up the safety and provide more expanse for the glue to bond to. Have the sandpaper and lightly rub it effectually the hole. Stop when the condom changes color slightly.^[7]
- If your patch kit doesn't come with sandpaper, and then apply a fibroid-grain sandpaper around 100-grit.
2
Apply patching glue with your finger. Clasp a dab of patching glue on your finger and rub it around the hole. Apply a section that's roughly the same size as the patch you're using.^[8]
- Don't use too much gum or the tube could stick to the inside of the tire when y'all put them both back on the wheel.
- The glue rubs off of skin when information technology dries. If it doesn't come off, wash your hands with soap and warm water.
3

Let the glue sit for 30-60 seconds. One time the gum hits the air, it gets tacky and stickier. It reaches its peak stickiness after virtually a minute, so let the gum sit down for that amount of fourth dimension before placing the patch down. Otherwise it won't stick as well.^[9]
four
Press the patch onto the hole. Remove the foil on the back of the patch like a sticker. Marshal the patch and then its heart is straight over the pigsty, then press it downwardly. Hold the patch for 1 minute and so it adheres to the glue.^[ten]
- Be careful not to get the back of the patch dingy. Whatsoever dirt or debris will prevent a tight seal.
v
Inflate the tube to make sure the seal is tight. Connect the tube to the pump and re-inflate information technology. Listen effectually the patch for whatsoever air escaping. If you don't hear whatever seeping sounds, and then the seal is tight enough.^[11]
- For another test, submerge the tube in a full sink and check if y'all come across any air bubbles. If non, and then the seal is tight.
half dozen
Place the tube and tire back onto the wheel. First, tuck the tube into the tire. And so bank check the tire for any arrows indicating which direction it should be installed in. Insert the valve plug straight through the pigsty on the wheel. Work around the bike and printing the tire into the chaplet on the bicycle. So put the bike back on the cycle.^[12]
- Check to make sure no parts of the tube are sticking out from under the tire. If it is, use a tire elver to button it back in.
- Make sure the valve plug points direct out of the tire. If it'south crooked, it could get damaged.

Advertizing

References

Add together New Question

Question

Tin you buy a new wheel?

Gabriel Galarza

Customs Answer

Yeah, yous can; it's also the merely solution when the puncture is too big, in or near some other patch, or when the tire has many punctures, or has been fixed lots of times.

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email accost to get a bulletin when this question is answered.

Submit

Things You'll Need

Tire patch kit
Tire lever
Fibroid sandpaper

Always first riding slowly afterward doing any wheel repairs. This will catch any problems, like the tire being installed incorrectly.

Advert

About This Article

Thanks to all authors for creating a folio that has been read 38,411 times.

Did this commodity aid you?