Try to take a spare inner tube with you out on your bike

It’s always worth carrying a spare tube when you go out for a ride, because it’s much easier to pop a spare tube in than to fix a puncture by the side of the trail or road. But it’s definitely worth backing the spare up with a patch kit. Punctures often come in batches and carrying more than one spare tube gets bulky. So, hold onto your punctured tube and fix the puncture at your next opportunity. The repaired tube can become your new spare.

Fixing punctures To repair a punctured tube, start by locating the hole. Pump up the tube to about twice the original diameter. You might be able to hear the air hissing out of the hole straight away, and locate the puncture that way. If not, lick the palm of your hand and move it along the tube, about a centimetre away; you’ll feel the cold air from the puncture on your hand. Roughen the area with the sandpaper from the patch kit; this helps the patch stick – and means you don’t lose the hole. Let all the air out of the tube again. Spread glue in a spiral out from the centre of the hole, making a glue patch that’s generously bigger than the patch. This next step is…

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Bike Maintenance Tips, Tricks & Techniques (Digital) - 1 Issue, Bike Maintenance Tips, Tricks & Techniques 3rd Edition

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