How to Prevent a Bike Flat ?

How to Prevent a Bike Flat ?

How to Prevent a Bike Flat ?

The obvious choice of any bike rider is to avoid flats. Although this might be impossible for any wheel system that uses tubes, prevention is the next best option. To help prevent flat tires, proper maintenance is key:

Keep your tires inflated to the proper pressure as indicated on the side of the tire.

Replace tires at the first sign of worn tread or deteriorating sidewalls.

Replace tubes that have already been patched more than a dozen times.

Inspect tire tread for objects stuck in the tread that may cause a puncture.

If you're willing to spend a little extra money to prevent punctures, consider investing in Kevlar-reinforced tires. The composite fibers that make up Kevlar are strong enough to resist punctures that would normally occur from contact with sharp objects. Kevlar tires typically run about $15 to $20 more than regular tires.

If Kevlar tires aren't in your budget, try tire liners, which are made of strong, lightweight fibers and line the inside of the tire to provide extra protection to the tube. Other options are thorn-resistant tubes and tubes with flat sealant that fills small holes from the inside without the rider even knowing he's had a puncture.

Even if you take all the preventive steps mentioned in this section, you're still likely to get an occasional flat. Once, on a trip from Ireland to Italy with a heavily loaded bike, Dennis went three months without a single flat. A few months later, on a trip in the United States, he was pulling his hair out on the side of the road after five flats in one week. Go figure!

If you keep a patch kit, tire levers, pump, and spare tube with you while you bike and you practice the steps described in this chapter, the chances are good that you'll be able to fix a flat and be back on your bike quicker than your partner can finish off a PowerBar. This will give you the confidence to take long, worry-free bike rides and save you from the embarrassment of having to ask another biker to show you how to change a flat or from walking your bike home.

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