You’re breezing your way through town, ready for that important meeting at work, and, next thing you know, you sputter to the side of the road with a nail sticking out of your tire. Nothing can make you feel vulnerable faster than breaking down on your bike. Experienced bikers, however, are prepared for this eventuality, as it can happen to even the best electric bike thick tires on the market. Here’s what to do to get back on track.
1. Remove the Wheel and Detach Cables
To access your inner tube, you need to remove your wheel. Do this by unlatching or unscrewing nuts and latches keeping your wheel held fast. In some cases, you may have to detach your brake cables so you can access your wheel. Usually, this can be done by pinching both sides of the brake arm and freeing it from the linkage. This should let all of the tension off of the cable.
2. Mark the Tire at the Point of the Puncture
As you separate the tube and tire, you may lose the place where the puncture occurred. This can cause you to waste time and energy as you search for the perforation hole. There may also be sharp materials still trapped in the tire, so marking it will help you to remove them. At this point, you should let the air out of the tire if it hasn’t already leaked out.
3. Remove the Tire from Your Bike’s Rim
This part can get tricky, depending on your bike’s tires. Generally, beach cruiser tires are less anchored into their rims than mountain bike tires, but all tires can be removed. If you have a tire lever, use it to pry around the edges of the tire. Sometimes, other objects like credit cards or wedges can be used to remove your tire, but a metal lever usually works best.
4. Fix the Tube
Once you have removed the tire, the tube should be freely accessible. Use the area you marked on the tire to locate the puncture in the tube. Apply the solvent or glue in your patch kit to the punctured area and cover it with your patch. Before attempting to reinsert your tube, you should wait a few minutes to ensure that your patch is dry and firmly attached.
5. Put Everything Back Together and Inflate Your Tire
This is often the most difficult part of the entire tire-patch process, but it just takes a little perseverance. Place the tube back into the tire and inflate it slightly. Lay the rim on the ground and work the tire around it. Line the valve up with the valve hole on the rim and feed the tire all the way around the rim. When everything looks like it did, you’re done!
Patching your tire isn’t the easiest thing in the world, but it gets better with experience. The next time you take your 7 speed beach cruiser on the side of the highway, you won’t be taken off guard. If you continuously find yourself with flat tires, remember that a quality bike with good tires can make punctures less common and easier to deal with when they happen.
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