Puncture repair- chain v belt

[ourclarioncall]

Just wondering what a puncture repair would be like in a real life scenario for me

My current method of puncture repair would be just take the old tube off and put on a new one I have spare in my bag.

To do that I guess requires taking off the wheel . Let’s say we are talking about a back wheel puncture

And let’s say it’s dark , it’s in the middle of countryside , it’s windy , it’s cold and it’s raining . This would be a genuine scenario for me as I commute to or from work on a 10 mile journey .

The side of the road where I would have to fix the puncture would probably be very rough and not flat.

I would be prepared , like having good quality clothing and gloves etc

But how easy or difficult is it going to be ? Am I going to have to open up the chain to take it off? Or is there enough slack to take it off the sprocket ? Will I have to adjust the eccentric ? What about a belt ?

[PH]

With a chain and without a chainguilder (Because that's all I know) it's easier than it is with a derailleur bike.  Undo the thumbscrew on the ex box, loosen skewer, drop wheel out, fix, replace, do up skewer, reattach ex box (It just fits on a couple of pins) screw in thumb screw, job done.  There's no derailleur to knit the chain around, so it's also cleaner.

[ourclarioncall]

Cool, that does sound simple enough actually
I guess if there’s a chainglider involved you could just shove it in a bag and put it back on later if weather is wild

[JohnR]

Once you've got the wheel out of the drop-outs then it's easy to move it slightly towards the bottom bracket and get the chain (or belt) off the sprocket. If there's the risk of cycling at night then it would be prudent to pack a small torch, perhaps one which you can hold between your teeth or clip onto your clothes. A head torch is another option that's more practical to use but bulkier to carry.

The chainglider clips together. It's quite easy to pull apart and push together again. You  only need to unclip the rear part, which covers the sprocket, in order to remove the chain and free the wheel. The front part of the chainglider isn't opened. All maintenance is best practised at home before going on a long ride. You might discover that you need another tool or something has been fixed so tight that it can''t be undone by whatever tools are carried on the bike.

[martinf]

I actually find removing the rear wheel easier to do with a Chainglider than with an uncovered chain. But I think I have only done this at home, and nearly always to change tyres rather than for punctures (studded tyres on or off at start and end of icy season, replacing worn tyres)

The extra step of removing the rear of the Chainglider is compensated (for me) by the front parts keeping the chain on the chainring and stopping most of the chain flopping onto the ground.

If the weather was OK, for a rear wheel puncture away from home I would probably try the Dutch method and patch the tube without removing the wheel.

Not absolutely certain, but so far I don't think I have had to mend a rear wheel puncture by the roadside on a Chainglider-equipped bike. Though not supposed to be puncture proof the Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tyres I use on most Chainglider bikes have had very few punctures.

For the two visitor bikes I have fitted Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres on the rear, these are very puncture resistant, the idea being to avoid hassle with a visitor bodging rear wheel removal and messing up the gear cable adjustment, which is quite critical on these two bikes that have Shimano Nexus Premium hub gears.

Unlike the 700C x 28 version, which I found horrible to ride on my old visitor bikes, in the 50 mm width on the current two visitor bikes the Marathon Plus on the rear wheel doesn't feel too uncomfortable to ride, and doesn't seem to affect efficiency very much. So it might be a good option to reduce hassle on tour if mending a puncture is an issue for someone. Personally, on long rides I prefer the slight increase in efficiency and comfort of the Marathon Supreme at the cost of having to mend an occasional puncture.

[JohnR]

In theory there's also the tubeless option which should reduce the frequency of needing to remove the wheel. However, that convenience is more than offset by the big challenge of getting a tubeless tyre seated on the rim. A compromise is to put some sealant in the inner tubes. This should be sufficient to handle smaller punctures.

[ourclarioncall]

JohnR

Definitely a good idea to run through the process nearer to home at least once.

And prepare for worst case scenario

I got caught in heavy rain and wind one night on way home from work , my goretex jacket and trousers are really good , but still not up to the task in weather like that

[ourclarioncall]

Martinf

How do you repair puncture with tyre on ? I remember as a kid putting the tube under water looking for leaking air bubbles (well that was probably my dad not me. The bike had probably sat there for 6 month 😆)

[UKTony]

Just wondering what a puncture repair would be like in a real....

But how easy or difficult is it going to be ? Am I going to have to open up the chain to take it off? Or is there enough slack to take it off the sprocket ? Will I have to adjust the eccentric ? What about a belt ?

I make it easy by carrying not only a spare inner tube but also a spare  tyre (I use folding tyres which weigh about 440g and fold up quite neatly in the pannier.. So, I remove the tyre and inner tube and replace both then deal with the puncture in the warm, dry and calm at home (or that could be the B&B or campsite if you’re touring). I feel it’s worth it to carry these spares even on day rides.

[martinf]

Without removing the wheel, one bead of the tyre has to be levered off the rim.

This video shows the principle. It shows a front wheel, as it is easier to do the video without the chain and rear triangle getting in the way.

Front wheels are easy to remove, so I only bother to do this with a rear wheel, where removing the chain and hub gear cable, and sometimes the cable for a hub brake, can make it worth using this method. It won't work in very wet or cold weather.

 

[martinf]

I make it easy by carrying not only a spare inner tube but also a spare  tyre (I use folding tyres which weigh about 440g and fold up quite neatly in the pannier.. So, I remove the tyre and inner tube and replace both then deal with the puncture in the warm, dry and calm at home (or that could be the B&B or campsite if you’re touring). I feel it’s worth it to carry these spares even on day rides.

As destroying a tyre is a rare event in my experience I don't generally bother carrying a spare.

In about 48 years of cycling and about 266,000 kms I have only had 3 tyre failures that were bad enough to need immediate replacing or bodging a repair to limp to somewhere I could buy a new one. I have had the same number of frame/fork failures, and nobody would think of carrying spares for these.

The first, in the old narrow 26" size, could have been bodged with the tyre "boot" in my toolkit if necessary, but I was less than a mile from a bike shop when it failed, so I didn't bother and just bought a new one.

The second was a very cheap and inferior 27" tyre, and I got a replacement for that in less than an hour from another cyclist. Lesson learnt - get decent tyres.

And the third was a lightweight 16" tyre on my Brompton. But as I knew these were fragile and in a size that was hard to find I did have a spare with me that time. And with a folding bike I also had the option of finishing the trip by public transport.

I reckon that the reliability of good touring tyres has improved in recent decades. The first two failures were in the 1970's, and I haven't had a catastrophic tyre failure on a large-wheel bike since then.

I would still definitely take a spare if going somewhere really remote, but in most of Europe I reckon it is easy enough to find a 26" tyre.

And before I go on a tour if I think a tyre is a bit too worn I replace it with a new one, and generally put the part worn tyre on a utility bike to finish it off on local rides.

[UKTony]

I make it easy by carrying not only a spare inner tube but also a spare  tyre (I use folding tyres which weigh about 440g and fold up quite neatly in the pannier.. So, I remove the tyre and inner tube and replace both then deal with the puncture in the warm, dry and calm at home (or that could be the B&B or campsite if you’re touring). I feel it’s worth it to carry these spares even on day rides.

As destroying a tyre is a rare event in my experience I don't generally bother carrying a spare.

In about 48 years of cycling and about 266,000 kms I have only had 3 tyre failures that were bad enough to need immediate replacing or bodging a repair to limp to somewhere I could buy a new one. I have had the same number of frame/fork failures, and nobody would think of carrying spares for these.

The first, in the old narrow 26" size, could have been bodged with the tyre "boot" in my toolkit if necessary, but I was less than a mile from a bike shop when it failed, so I didn't bother and just bought a new one.

The second was a very cheap and inferior 27" tyre, and I got a replacement for that in less than an hour from another cyclist. Lesson learnt - get decent tyres.

And the third was a lightweight 16" tyre on my Brompton. But as I knew these were fragile and in a size that was hard to find I did have a spare with me that time. And with a folding bike I also had the option of finishing the trip by public transport.

I reckon that the reliability of good touring tyres has improved in recent decades. The first two failures were in the 1970's, and I haven't had a catastrophic tyre failure on a large-wheel bike since then.

I would still definitely take a spare if going somewhere really remote, but in most of Europe I reckon it is easy enough to find a 26" tyre.

And before I go on a tour if I think a tyre is a bit too worn I replace it with a new one, and generally put the part worn tyre on a utility bike to finish it off on local rides.

I don’t carry the spare tyre only as a precaution against destroyed tyres. If I get a flat unless the cause is very obvious and can be removed completely ,I don’t bother look too hard for the cause or locate the puncture in the tube, I just remove the wheel, take off the tyre and inner tube and replace with spares.

[ourclarioncall]

UKTony

Is your method a bit quicker or easier ?

I’m trying to understand why not just put on a new tube? Why the tyre and tube?

Do you partially inflate the tube so there is some air already in it? I haven’t changed many punctures but I’m sure when I watched a video some time ago it was easier to get tube and tyre on with it partially inflated

Cheers

I also never thought about carrying a spare tyre. Could certainly come to the rescue of your on tour

[ourclarioncall]

MartinF

I’m not seeing a link if you attached one

North east Scotland where I’m at can be very “dreich”, cold windy damp Misty , think I would rather just rip the thing off. Okay I’m summer I suppose which up here is a few weeks per year 😆

[UKTony]

UKTony

Is your method a bit quicker or easier ?

I’m trying to understand why not just put on a new tube? Why the tyre and tube?

Do you partially inflate the tube so there is some air already in it? I haven’t changed many punctures but I’m sure when I watched a video some time ago it was easier to get tube and tyre on with it partially inflated

Cheers

I also never thought about carrying a spare tyre. Could certainly come to the rescue of your on tour

Fitting a new inner tube saves time having to find and repair a puncture. However, there’s no point fitting a new inner tube unless the cause of the puncture, e.g. thorn, tiny sliver of grit, is found and removed completely. Otherwise there’s a possibility that the new tube will be punctured and flat in a couple of miles further down the road. In poor weather, (wet or cold) especially, I’d much rather replace the lot and deal with the punctured tube and it’s cause(s) at home.

I used to fit beaded tyres and position the inner tube without slightly inflating it. However with folding tyres I think fitting is probably made a bit easier with the inner tube slightly inflated as it helps give shape to the tyre to get it on the rim. Whichever, some care is needed to avoid pinching the inner tube twixt tyre lever and rim.