How to patch a bike tire. (CU Independent file/Alison Mesinger)
Boulder is one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in America, according to www.environmentalgraffiti.com.
They also say at least 75 percent of students bike or walk to school. One of the most common problems faced by any rider is a flat tire. However, a flat tire is no big deal and patching a leak on the go is easily done with the right equipment.
There are a few simple steps to patching a bicycle, but first you must make sure you have the right equipment: a pump, patch kit, rubber cement and tire levers, which are all used in the tips below. Riders should always carry these supplies on lengthy trips.
Josh Brown from Community Cycles demonstrated how to patch a bicycle once the tube has been removed from the bike. Before that step however, you must utilize your tire levers.
To remove a tire from its frame, you must first fully deflate your tube through the air valve. Then wedge one tire lever in between the tube and the bead, or metal frame, directly inline with the spoke opposite the valve. Repeat the process again two spokes down. Keep going until the tire is loose enough to slip off.
Once the tire is off, pull the tube out from the tire and inflate it to almost double its intended size. As Brown put it, this is now the time to “look, listen and feel.”
Squeeze the tube and spin it around slowly in your hands next to your ear. Look, listen and feel for where the leak is based on the air shooting out of the puncture. You can also submerge the rubber in water and look for air bubbles from the leak, but a tire must be completely dry to patch properly.
Once the hole is found, you must use sandpaper to buff out the area around it.
“It is important that you really rough it up,” Brown said. Buffing the tire removes any air channels from the patch and makes it easier for the patch to stick to the rubber cement.
After you have sanded down an area about twice the size of the hole, you are ready to apply the rubber cement. Quickly apply a thin layer of adhesive on and around the hole using either your finger or the tip of the container. Make sure to do this quickly and evenly so the glue will dry fast and level.
Before you apply a patch make sure that the glue is completely dry and that the patch you are using is clean. Then firmly press the patch down on the hole and hold it for two to three minutes. It’s better to hold it down for too long than not long enough. You can pull the clear plastic off but you may be making your patch less secure.
After the puncture is covered, inflate the tube and follow the “look, listen, feel” method once more to make sure there isn’t another leak and your patch is holding. Once the tube is ready for the road again it’s time to put it back on the bicycle.
Place the inflated tube back into the tire; the valve stem should line up with the hole in the rim. This should be done by hand to avoid damaging your tube. Once you have the tire completely set in the rim, make sure that everything is even and the tube isn’t bulging out anywhere. When your tire is completely back on your bike, inflate it to the recommended pressure and get back on the trail.
For more information check out Community Cycles at www.communitycycle.org.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Halie Noble at Halie.noble@colorado.edu.
