How To Fix A Puncture On Your Bike Tire

Bicycle repairing guide, How to Fix a Puncture

If you are out on a bike ride, miles away from a telephone or helpful people and have a puncture you need to have the correct tools, a spare inner tube (2 is probably safer) and the knowledge to do it, or it could be a long walk home.

Where to start

You don't need many tools to change an inner tube or tire, a pair of tire levers and a pump and if you are fitting new tires and tubes some talcum powder to put on the inner tube, this stops the inner tube sticking to the inside of the tire if water gets in.

First take the wheel out of the bike remembering to release the brake, so you can get the wheel out.

Undo the quick-release on the wheel, if it's the front wheel there maybe small on the ends to stop the wheel falling out accidentally, if you have these you'll have to loosen the quick-release a little bit more to get the wheel out.

If your taking the rear wheel out remember to put the chain on the smallest cog as this makes it easier to get the wheel in and out.

Getting the tire off

• Let the air out of the tire, if there is any left after a puncture, if you have two tire levers (plastic is best).

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• Lever one under the tire and over the rim, then with the other.
  Lever it under the tire either next to the other and then pull the lever round the rim taking the tire off away from the rim, or put the lever under the tire on the other side of the wheel from the first and run the lever back toward the other, both ways achieve the same, but some times its easier one way over the other.
  

• If you have three levers, put one lever under the tire and the other further round and then the third in between levering the tire off all round. Now you can take the inner tube out or take the tire and tube off together.

Putting it all back

With one side of the tire on the rim, put the valve through the hole in the rim, put a little air into the tube and then feed the inner tube into the tire round the rim, replace the other side of the tire on the rim with your hands.

Don't use the levers as they could damage the rim, then pump the tire up checking that the inner tube isn't trapped between the tire and the rim as this will either puncture the tube or push the tire off the rim.

Next put your wheel back into the frame and make sure the quick-release is holding the wheel in properly, and then get back on the road.