tutorial on fixing a flat tyre?

[Victor]

where can i find one?

i know this must be a really common qs, but i cant find any. i know my bike has a presta valve. i bought a new bike today, i am not lying, and already the front tyre's flat. i hope i dont have to buy a new one.

What i want to know is: it actually punctured? are the tyres so fragile?

[sogood]

Have you tried YouTube.com yet?

[Kalgrm]

Victor,

If it's flat, you can lay good money down that it's punctured. They don't go flat without a hole in there somewhere.

You don't need to buy a new tyre, but at the very least you'll need to fix the tube. Follow (to the letter) the instructions on a puncture repair kit. I say "to the letter", because most people fail to let the glue dry before applying the patch, causing the repair to fail.

You'll need to buy a pump to suit your tubes' valve. Most pumps have the ability to fit on either style of valve. I love my Topeak Road Morph pump, but it's not the cheapest one out there. (Perversely, by spending so much on a pump, you're guaranteed to not get another puncture whenever you carry it .... )

Carry a spare tube from now on, since it's easier to fit that on the road than to patch your tube. However, you should still carry a kit with you because you may get more than one puncture on a ride.

Cheers,
Graeme

(PS - look for the cause of the puncture inside the tyre before you put the tube back in there. One little prick can ruin your day more than once!)

[nimm]

This was the guide I used to change my first tube: http://www.teamestrogen.com/articles/asa_levers.asp

[Victor]

hey thanks

Qs: my wheels are shimano R500. How fragile are they?

[mikesbytes]

hey thanks

Qs: my wheels are shimano R500. How fragile are they?

R500 are fine.

Victor, its quite easy to fix flats once you are use to doing it, however it can be quite difficult the first couple of times. So I'd recommend that you have a couple of practices at home.

[thomas_cho]

As other posters have pointed out, remove the tyre and inspect it for the cause of the puncture, could be glass, etc.

Replace the inner tube, or patch up leaking one.

Chances are you probably had a pinched tube.

I used to have a set of R500, never had any problems with them. As with all new factory wheels, get the shop to inspect them after a couple of rides on them.

Punctures are part of cycling,

[wayno]

Also check the rim tape, my first roadie had R500's and I had 6 punctures before I figured it was the dodgey rim tape.

Go to your LBS and get some Velox rim tape $4 each or so.

[vic]

I fix punctures on a regular basis, giving proceeds from donated bikes to charity, but I have to fix em first. Home made patches from an old tube works fine, and old tubes are free from bike repairers. I use metho to clean them. Make sure the cause of the puncture is removed from the outer tube. When I remove the tube, and the puncture is located, I lay the tube over the rim and probe the same area for the cause. Also, make sure the rim tape is robust and in place. I have seen electrical tape used, resulting in a hard to fix hole on the inside of the rim. Finally, rather than buying a rim tape, i cut an inner tube to required length and width. Rubber cement works a treat to secure the ends. hope this helps. I know the war is over, but no reason to spend money when there's a free way.

[ukalipt]

ken has a great article on how to fix a puncture. as well as a very inspirational site