Avoiding Flats

Last month I talked about the types of flat tires you may encounter and how by being able to identify the cause will go a long way in a successful repair. This month I want to discuss how to prevent flats in the first place. The first two times I rode across the country I had a total of 2 flats on the road. One I could have prevented because I knew it would probably happen after I hit an animal bone in Montana. Had I stopped to inspect my tire, I would have discovered a cut…about a mile down the road my rear tire blew out. Was it by accident or luck that I didn’t have more flats? Well maybe, but some of our folks had flats almost every day. We rode the same roads. There are some things you can do to lesson your chances of having these delays…if you’re changing tires, you ain’t having fun riding! Let’s discuss 11 tips to prevent flats or at least help your chances of staying on the road.

1. Inflate your tires to the required pressure—Under inflated tires are subject to pinch flats. Also, there is more tire surface on the road to pick up wires and glass. A properly inflated tire rolls better and will last longer. Find the max pressure on the tire label and inflate you tires to that pressure every ride.
2. Avoid glass or rocks—DUH! Easy to say, sometimes hard to do. These foreign materials cause problems. If you see ’em, go around ‘em.
3. Avoid sandy piles or gravel—Little piles of sand and fine gravel usually wash there by rain. These areas collect little slivers of glass and may hide other foreign material that also wash there in downpours.
4. Brush off tires regularly, especially after riding through any of the above—Skilled riders can brush off their tires while riding, but it’s not something you should try if you don’t know how. If you ride through glass or other bad things, stop and spin your wheels and use your gloved hand to remove foreign material. This is a good practice anytime you stop for a break. Before you get back on your bike…brush off the wheels. Glass or other foreign material that’s stuck in the tire will eventually be driven into the tube after a few miles of pounding by the road. You may remove something before it pokes all the way into the tube.
5. Don’t ride in the gutter or trash—Same as number 3…bad things collect there!
6. Avoid Potholes and Grates—These cause pinch flats…if you decide to ride into these, you better have completed number 1. Besides causing flats, these can cause other problems that will bring the discussion about helmets into the picture.
7. Check tires regularly—Check for wear, deterioration, and foreign material while your bike is setting in your garage. If you find something wrong at home, it’s easier to fix there than on the road.
8. Line up the valve stem with the tire label—This is used as a reference. It may help you find a problem when you are fixing a flat that may otherwise be hard to find…a hole in the tube or the foreign material that may cause more problems if not found.
9. Check your rim tape—Every time you have your tire off you should check this. Rim tape can go bad anytime and you may catch it just before it goes bad. If there is an edge of a spoke hole starting to peek through you may be in trouble later.
10. Avoid using tire tools to replace tire on the rim—Sometimes it’s hard to get that last couple of inches of tire on the rim. Grab a tool!!! If you do, care should be taken not to pinch the tube with the tool. The only thing worse than having a flat is having another one before you get the first one completely fixed! If your hands are not strong enough to push the tire on the rim, either use the tool carefully or use Daria VanderVeer’s line, "I always rely on the kindness of strangers."
11. Point out hazards to other riders—When riding in a group, riders that are following you cannot see around you. You can really ruin a good cycling friendship by not pointing out a hazard that your buddy hits. The only good thing is that he will have the flat and you can get away…that’s probably the best move you can make…run for it!
12. Powder your tubes—This may not sound really like it’s very important, but it is! This will accomplish several things. It will allow easier installation of tube into the tire. It will allow the tire and the tube to work independently of one another which is the way it’s supposed to do. And finally, it will allow the tube to align correctly in the tire upon inflation without dragging the rim tape out of alignment. A sticky, clean rubber of the tube will cause the rim tape to slide sideways as the tube twists to correct itself inside the tire exposing the spoke holes, thus causing pinches in the tube. Oh, and there’s one other nice thing about powdering your tubes…it makes your hands smell nice after tube installation.

Back to Articles