Tires and Tubes and... Flats... Oh, My

• Posted on 30 August 2022
• By KW
• 0

What would you guess is the most popular repair that we do at MSBC?  Why do you suppose the author starts every post with a question?  There he goes again.  Doesn't he know any other form of opening paragraph?

Anyway, if you guessed (and given the post title, you better have guessed...) that it's flat tires, you'd be right!  In 2023 we installed nearly 700 new tubes!  Wow.  That's a lot.  And in spite of the fact that it might eat into our profits, we thought that maybe we'd offer a few tips about avoiding flats in the first place, and then even show you how to change one yourself.

Probably the number one cause of flat tires is under-inflation.  (*Narrator* he just totally made that up.)  No, really.  An under-inflated tire encourages a pinch flat, in which a sharp stone or a branch or a pothole can cause the tire to flex enough to allow the inner tube to puncture.  It gets pinched between the tire and the rim, for instance.  Hence "pinch flat."   So keep those tires fully pumped!

How much air goes into a tire?  Well, that depends.  But conveniently it is always stamped into the rubber sidewall on every tire.  It's not always easy to find, but it's there.  A road racing tire might go as high as 120-140 psi, while a fat bike tire might be as low as 6 psi.  Your psi (pounds per square inch, by the way) will depend mostly on your tire size.  The fat tire bikes are "low pressure, high volume" - lots and lots of room for air, but it's not under that much pressure.  A skinny little 120 psi road tire is under lots of it.  We like to go to about 90% of the maximum recommendation.  So if your tire says it takes 50 - 75 psi, aim for 65-70 to ensure it is fully inflated.

Oddly enough, an inner tube is not exactly air tight.  They lose pressure with the days and months - that's why your tires are low every sprng.  How often do they need to be refilled?  Again it goes back to how high the original pressure is, but it's not unusual to pump them up on a weekly basis.  Higher pressure tires will lose pressure more quickly.  The best thing you can do is get yourself a floor pump so you can keep your tires fully gassed.  (Hey, we sell pumps!  Coincidence?  Absolutely not.)

How about those valves where the air goes in?  "Mine looks funny."  Oh, that's a presta valve.  Those were originally invented to be used on high-pressure road tires with narrow rims.  It's a narrower valve, so it can take up less space on that narrow wheel.  They require an extra step to fill, but most of the pumps we sell can be made to fit on them.

Here's the other thing that's sometimes surprising, frequently disappointing, but always mostly true: you will get a flat tire.  Maybe frequently.  Maybe once every two years.  But the next year you might get one two days in a row.  There's no way of telling.  Sometimes it's the tiniest thorn that pokes through the tire (these aren't as thick as car tires, after all).  Sometimes, as mentioned, it's a low-pressure situation.  It's not really that often, oddly enough, that it's from glass.  That grinds up reasonably well when you run over it, but sure, it can also cause a puncture, so try to avoid that, too.  We've changed hundreds of tires, as mentioned.  And sometimes?  You get a flat the next day.  It's a bummer, but there it is.

OK, you've taken all the proper precautions, you practiced safe inflation, and still you end up out on the road with a flat tire.  What to do?  I have a friend who just calls his wife to pick him up (your mileage may vary on this method...). But you can buy enough gear to help you out in an emergency situation.  Some people buy a mini pump, while others opt for a CO2 cartridge to reinflate the tire.  They carry these items in a handy dandy frame bag or backpack, and guess what?  We sell all of that, too!  (It's almost like we're some sort of store.)

Check out the video below from our "Maintenance Monday" series last winter.  This will take you through the steps to succesfully change your own tire.  And remember: good inflation saves the day!

Also check out our e-com store, where you can peruse all of the accessories you need for flat prevention and repair!  

If this is all still too daunting, we are always happy to do it for you.  And we can almost always get it done that day; sometimes even while you wait.  Happy riding!