New puncture repair method? (safety pin method)

kitchenman
kitchenman Posts: 47
edited March 2011 in Workshop
Today I fixed one of those annoyingly hard to find slow punctures. This what I did: 1, Locate the puncture in the tyre in the usual way. 2. THis is the new bit (I think!) Used a safety pin to make a bigger hole in the tube (which at this point is hidden) 3. Deflate and reveal the affected part of the tube and see the hole immediately! (no need to re-inflate) 4. fix it! - QED
I get lots of punctures and those small ones can be a pain - not anymore.
:)
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Comments

  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    I've often thought that a white, waterproof marker pen would be useful for this, if such a thing existed. That or waterproof glue so you could patch it in the bath.
  • bompington
    bompington Posts: 7,674
    That's the reason for the little yellow crayon you used to get in repair kits.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    You mean the thing that wouldn't write on paper, let alone a wet inner tube? I have several of those in pristine condition.

    I always thought it wasn't a good idea to plaster the tube with flakes of wax before attempting to stick a patch on.
  • arlowood
    arlowood Posts: 2,561
    On a related issue - anyone out there have any tips to locate a puncture when you're out on the road and don't have a basin of water, brook, river, drinking trough, large puddle etc to hand to help locate the blighter.

    Have always aginised over this and as a result usually just replace with a new inner tube. But on a long ride you could. if you're really unlucky, get several punctures and exhaust your supply of replacements
  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    arlowood wrote:
    On a related issue - anyone out there have any tips to locate a puncture when you're out on the road and don't have a basin of water, brook, river, drinking trough, large puddle etc to hand to help locate the blighter.

    Have always aginised over this and as a result usually just replace with a new inner tube. But on a long ride you could. if you're really unlucky, get several punctures and exhaust your supply of replacements

    I usually inflate the tube and then pass it close to my lips. The stream of air will cause your lips to cool.

    You have to be prepared to look like a bit of a weirdo while you're doing it though.
    - - - - - - - - - -
    On Strava.{/url}
  • stigofthedump
    stigofthedump Posts: 331
    Inflate the tube then pass it over your top lip under your nose. This is very sensitive and you will feel the air blowing out of the puncture. Once you find it rough up the surface with sandpaper before it deflates. This is more effective and helps to mark the spot.
  • JohnnyAllez
    JohnnyAllez Posts: 785
    I usually just fit a new tube at the roadside,saves all that kissing the tube lark :) You can fix the puncture at home at your leisure. If unlucky enough to get 2 punctures on the same ride, then back to the above :(
    Jens says "Shut up legs !! "

    Specialized S-Works SaxoBank SL4 Tarmac Di2
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    If you're somewhere quiet, pump it up and listen while feeding it through your hands. No use trying that on the A1 though.

    Failing that, moisten your cheek (the one on your face, preferably) and pass the tube close to it. Escaping air has a cooling effect. Moist lips can be used similarly (stop sniggering at the back!)
  • kitchenman
    kitchenman Posts: 47
    Guys - I mean the TYRE! This is a on-bike quick method for finding those slow punctures that can be so hard to find. You simply use the safety pin to stab the tyre into the tube and make a bigger hole! .... WHen you defleate and reveal just the part of the tube that needs fixing you can see the hole easily without having to infalte again and ..patch it! ... NO WATER NEEDED!
  • kitchenman
    kitchenman Posts: 47
    keef66 wrote:
    You mean the thing that wouldn't write on paper, let alone a wet inner tube? I have several of those in pristine condition.

    I always thought it wasn't a good idea to plaster the tube with flakes of wax before attempting to stick a patch on.

    Good point. I have been thinking about using a syringe and filling it with something that could mark the tube without spoiling the sticking - although the size of the hole that my safety pin makes means I dont really need to make it any other way ...
  • plowmar
    plowmar Posts: 1,032
    Just a thought :roll: , but if you can find this small hole why not just put the glue around it, deflate the inner tube and put on the patch.?

    I've never done this as I usually repair at home. But as said just a thought.
  • kitchenman
    kitchenman Posts: 47
    plowmar wrote:
    Just a thought :roll: , but if you can find this small hole why not just put the glue around it, deflate the inner tube and put on the patch.?

    I've never done this as I usually repair at home. But as said just a thought.
    There are 2 holes. One in the tyre and one in the tube. The only way to get a substance on the tube (which is still in the tyre) would be to use a syringe or something similar. But I dont think you would want to fill it with glue! It goes off in about a minute and you'll end up sticking the tube to the tyre which would leave you with a clean up operation before you can fix it. Using a rubber friendly brightly coloured dye would be cool though ...
  • navrig
    navrig Posts: 1,352
    Don't use water:
    I usually inflate the tube and then pass it close to my lips. The stream of air will cause your lips to cool.

    then I hold my finger on the spot where the air is coming from and mark it with an indelible black marker pen. It shows up very well on the tube as a shiny black cross. Then inflate a bit more and check that the cross is on the right place.

    Obviously wont work on the side of the road where I usually replace the tube.

    The marker pen is part of the tool kit as it is useful for other tasks too.
  • plowmar
    plowmar Posts: 1,032
    Kitchenman wrote;
    There are 2 holes. One in the tyre and one in the tube. The only way to get a substance on the tube (which is still in the tyre) would be to use a syringe or something similar. But I dont think you would want to fill it with glue! It goes off in about a minute and you'll end up sticking the tube to the tyre which would leave you with a clean up operation before you can fix it. Using a rubber friendly brightly coloured dye would be cool though ...

    Sorry didn't realise you wanted to do both insitu.

    But wouldn't the hole in the inner tube be the most important one as it's unlikely the tube would come out of the hole in the tyre? My thought would work if you exposed the tube wouldn't it?
  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    I'm confused here. How do you find the hole in the tyre? Mine are always a) covered in crap from the road and b) full of tiny cuts, so how do you determine which is the real puncture? It's even harder if you're running CX tyres...
    - - - - - - - - - -
    On Strava.{/url}
  • navrig
    navrig Posts: 1,352
    DesWeller wrote:
    I'm confused here. How do you find the hole in the tyre? Mine are always a) covered in crap from the road and b) full of tiny cuts, so how do you determine which is the real puncture? It's even harder if you're running CX tyres...

    He doesn't find the real puncture he creates a new one which is significantly worse than the original and hence when he fixes the self created one it gives the impression that all is sorted. The problem is that he gets repeat punctures every 2 miles or so.
  • toontra
    toontra Posts: 1,160
    To find the hole in the tyre, remove the tube and locate the puncture using the lips method as above. Keep the tube and tyre the same way round as they were when you removed the tube. Put the tube against the tyre and that will tell you within a couple of cm's where to look for the flint/thorn/glass. Saves having to run your fingers round the whole mucky tyre.

    If you only have one spare tube then it's worth patching the tube straight away (takes a few seconds with self-adhesive patches) in case you get another puncture.

    a serious case of small cogs
  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    Navrig wrote:
    DesWeller wrote:
    I'm confused here. How do you find the hole in the tyre? Mine are always a) covered in crap from the road and b) full of tiny cuts, so how do you determine which is the real puncture? It's even harder if you're running CX tyres...

    He doesn't find the real puncture he creates a new one which is significantly worse than the original and hence when he fixes the self created one it gives the impression that all is sorted. The problem is that he gets repeat punctures every 2 miles or so.

    :lol::lol::lol:
    - - - - - - - - - -
    On Strava.{/url}
  • kitchenman
    kitchenman Posts: 47
    DesWeller wrote:
    I'm confused here. How do you find the hole in the tyre? Mine are always a) covered in crap from the road and b) full of tiny cuts, so how do you determine which is the real puncture? It's even harder if you're running CX tyres...
    Yes,. you have to be able to find the hole in the tyre. It works for me because I have a smooth tyre which is easy to clean and its still quite new (only done 1k miles)
  • kitchenman
    kitchenman Posts: 47
    Navrig wrote:
    Don't use water:
    I usually inflate the tube and then pass it close to my lips. The stream of air will cause your lips to cool.

    then I hold my finger on the spot where the air is coming from and mark it with an indelible black marker pen. It shows up very well on the tube as a shiny black cross. Then inflate a bit more and check that the cross is on the right place.

    Obviously wont work on the side of the road where I usually replace the tube.

    The marker pen is part of the tool kit as it is useful for other tasks too.

    Yes. IF you can get the nib of the pen through the hole in the tyre and mark the tube then there is no need to use the safety pin method. I'll adda marken pen to my tool kit! :D
  • kitchenman
    kitchenman Posts: 47
    Navrig wrote:
    DesWeller wrote:
    I'm confused here. How do you find the hole in the tyre? Mine are always a) covered in crap from the road and b) full of tiny cuts, so how do you determine which is the real puncture? It's even harder if you're running CX tyres...

    He doesn't find the real puncture he creates a new one which is significantly worse than the original and hence when he fixes the self created one it gives the impression that all is sorted. The problem is that he gets repeat punctures every 2 miles or so.
    :)
    My new hole must be very close to the existing hole because it works! I fixed the slowy on Thursday and have done 45 miles since on fully inflated tyres - oh joy ...
  • kitchenman
    kitchenman Posts: 47
    plowmar wrote:
    Kitchenman wrote;
    There are 2 holes. One in the tyre and one in the tube. The only way to get a substance on the tube (which is still in the tyre) would be to use a syringe or something similar. But I dont think you would want to fill it with glue! It goes off in about a minute and you'll end up sticking the tube to the tyre which would leave you with a clean up operation before you can fix it. Using a rubber friendly brightly coloured dye would be cool though ...

    Sorry didn't realise you wanted to do both insitu.

    But wouldn't the hole in the inner tube be the most important one as it's unlikely the tube would come out of the hole in the tyre? My thought would work if you exposed the tube wouldn't it?
    Yes, but your doing an unneccessary 2nd inflate.
  • Wamas
    Wamas Posts: 256
    To me, this just seems unecessary and over complicated.

    Fixing a puncture is easy, and locating the offending item once you find the hole in your tube is easy too. (I use the same methods already described by everyone else here).

    I just don't see what the point of this is to be honest, but everyone has their own methods.
  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    kitchenman wrote:
    DesWeller wrote:
    I'm confused here. How do you find the hole in the tyre? Mine are always a) covered in crap from the road and b) full of tiny cuts, so how do you determine which is the real puncture? It's even harder if you're running CX tyres...
    Yes,. you have to be able to find the hole in the tyre. It works for me because I have a smooth tyre which is easy to clean and its still quite new (only done 1k miles)

    I don't think I've ever located the hole in the tyre before locating it in the tube. I usually only find it if a) the foreign object that caused the failure is still in the tyre, or b) the tube failure suggests a tyre carcass failure.

    What tyres are you running, out of interest?
    - - - - - - - - - -
    On Strava.{/url}
  • apreading
    apreading Posts: 4,535
    I thought about just changing the tube the other day but was concerned if the offending item was still in the tyre it would immediately puncture the replacement - turns out I was right and there was a shard of glass - so glad I didnt waste a new tube...

    Tyre was covered in crud from the canal towpath so took the wheel off and ran it in the canal to clean it. Then inflated and listened - could hear the hiss near the valve, so pop the inner tube out and feel inside - could feel the glass still sticking out. prised it out, listened again to the inner tube, found leak, fixed it, all back together and back on my way. Feels like its going to be a pain when you start but usually simple if you just crack on with it.
  • kitchenman
    kitchenman Posts: 47
    DesWeller wrote:
    kitchenman wrote:
    DesWeller wrote:
    I'm confused here. How do you find the hole in the tyre? Mine are always a) covered in crap from the road and b) full of tiny cuts, so how do you determine which is the real puncture? It's even harder if you're running CX tyres...
    Yes,. you have to be able to find the hole in the tyre. It works for me because I have a smooth tyre which is easy to clean and its still quite new (only done 1k miles)

    I don't think I've ever located the hole in the tyre before locating it in the tube. I usually only find it if a) the foreign object that caused the failure is still in the tyre, or b) the tube failure suggests a tyre carcass failure.

    What tyres are you running, out of interest?
    Schwalbe Marathon Racer with their light weight 50g tubes. I'm inflating to 95 psi
  • kitchenman
    kitchenman Posts: 47
    apreading wrote:
    I thought about just changing the tube the other day but was concerned if the offending item was still in the tyre it would immediately puncture the replacement - turns out I was right and there was a shard of glass - so glad I didnt waste a new tube...

    Tyre was covered in crud from the canal towpath so took the wheel off and ran it in the canal to clean it. Then inflated and listened - could hear the hiss near the valve, so pop the inner tube out and feel inside - could feel the glass still sticking out. prised it out, listened again to the inner tube, found leak, fixed it, all back together and back on my way. Feels like its going to be a pain when you start but usually simple if you just crack on with it.
    I agree sometimes its not differcult. It just depends on where you are and whats around. I think in this case I would have used some of the canal water to help clean the tyre (I use a stiff nail brush) located the hiss and then inspected the tyre and hopefully removed the glass - perhaps you did this and simpy couldn't see because it was lodged so deep in the tyre? ( I also carry a small scapel knife for digging out)
  • navrig
    navrig Posts: 1,352
    I now understand what you do to fix your punctures. Took a couple of readinds of the various posts and I can see that there is some merit in taking that approach but I am not sure that the tyre cut would be that obvious. I have been running with some (cheap) Vittoria Rubinos and there are literally dozens of nicks in the running surface which have given me three punctures. None of the three were so obvious that I could locate without taking off the tyre.

    Sorry I couldn't resist
    kitchenman wrote:
    ( I also carry a small scapel knife for digging out)

    surgeon5bl8.jpg
  • turnerjohn
    turnerjohn Posts: 1,069
    [/quote]
    Schwalbe Marathon Racer with their light weight 50g tubes. I'm inflating to 95 psi[/quote]

    Marathons hardly ever puncture...mine have thousands of puncture free miles !
    Why are you using superlight tubes?....thats a lot of your problem...run thicker tubes and if your worried about weight get some Conti Gators :D
  • kitchenman
    kitchenman Posts: 47
    Navrig wrote:
    I now understand what you do to fix your punctures. Took a couple of readinds of the various posts and I can see that there is some merit in taking that approach but I am not sure that the tyre cut would be that obvious. I have been running with some (cheap) Vittoria Rubinos and there are literally dozens of nicks in the running surface which have given me three punctures. None of the three were so obvious that I could locate without taking off the tyre.

    Sorry I couldn't resist
    kitchenman wrote:
    ( I also carry a small scapel knife for digging out)

    surgeon5bl8.jpg
    Like the surgeon :) - For me and my set up and my bike usage being able to fix the puncture without taking the wheel of the bike is a big advantage. If my next hole is big enough I'll try using a marker pen like someone suggested, If its not then I'll be using my safety pin ... I am currently at home and have just made a bike water troff out of a old transparent map tube and am checking my bikes for slowys .. :)

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