My first flat happened 14 miles from home on a Sunday afternoon. I had no spare tube, no pump, and no idea what I was doing. Called my wife for a rescue pickup and sat on the curb for 45 minutes feeling like an absolute beginner. That was the last time I rode without a repair kit.
Now I can swap a tube in about 7 minutes. It’s not a talent — it’s just practice. Here’s the process.
What to Carry on Every Ride
Two tire levers (the plastic kind, not metal — metal ones can damage your rim), a spare inner tube that matches your wheel size and valve type, and either a mini pump or CO2 inflator. I carry both because CO2 is fast but you only get one shot per cartridge, and the mini pump is slow but unlimited. A patch kit as backup weighs almost nothing and has saved me when I flatted twice on the same ride.
Check your spare tube’s valve type before you need it. Presta valves are the skinny ones on road bikes. Schrader valves are the car-tire-style ones on most mountain and hybrid bikes. They’re not interchangeable without a drill and a prayer, so make sure you have the right one.
The Actual Repair
Flip the bike upside down (or lean it against something stable). If it’s the rear wheel, shift to the smallest cog first — makes removal and reinstallation much easier. Open the quick release or loosen the thru-axle and pull the wheel out.
Deflate the tube completely if it isn’t already. Hook a tire lever under the bead of the tire and clip it to a spoke. Hook the second lever a few inches away and slide it around the rim to unseat one side of the tire. Don’t try to remove the tire completely — just one side off the rim.
Pull the old tube out. Before putting the new one in, run your fingers slowly along the inside of the tire. Feel for the thorn, glass shard, or wire that caused the flat. I’ve skipped this step exactly once and immediately flatted the new tube on the same piece of glass. Lesson learned permanently.
Put a little air in the new tube — just enough so it holds its shape. Tuck the valve through the rim hole first, then work the tube into the tire all the way around. Now push the tire bead back onto the rim with your thumbs. This is the part where people reach for tire levers, but try thumbs first — levers can pinch the new tube and give you another flat before you even start riding.
Inflate to the pressure listed on the tire sidewall. Spin the wheel to check that the tire is seated evenly — if there’s a bulge or wobble, deflate and reseat that section. Reinstall the wheel, check the brake, and ride.
Preventing the Next One
Check tire pressure before every ride. Under-inflated tires are way more prone to pinch flats (where the tube gets pinched between rim and tire on a hard bump). I keep a floor pump by my front door so there’s zero excuse not to check.
Avoid riding through broken glass and debris when you can. Obvious advice, but I see people plow straight through road shoulders littered with glass because they don’t want to merge into traffic for 10 feet. That merge is faster than a roadside tube change.
If you flat constantly in your area, puncture-resistant tires like Continental Gatorskins or Schwalbe Marathon Plus are worth the extra weight and cost. They won’t prevent every flat, but they’ll stop the routine glass-and-thorn ones that account for most of them.
Practice at home before you need this skill at the side of a road with cars blowing past you. Set a timer and see how fast you can do it. It’s oddly satisfying once you get it down, and the confidence of knowing you can fix a flat anywhere means you’ll ride farther and worry less.
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