Flat Tire Tip of the Day

It happened again recently. I was on my commute to work on a perfect early June summer morning. Sunny skies. Low traffic. On my bike....when I heard the sound of a tire losing air.

When I pulled over, I looked down and saw I had a flat. I took a closer look and found that I had run over a piece of glass that slashed into my tire. No chance of fixing the tube on the fly. Bummer.

I eventually got to work, and then later in the day I made it over to the great folks at the South Paw Cycle bike shop to get some input on my tire. I wanted to know if the tire was still usable or if I needed a new one. The folks at South Paw are really good at customer service, and I have found their expertise, advice and help indispensable.

I brought it in, and they gave me a quick, honest assessment. I my tire was still usable, but I'd have to a bit of repair work. Their suggestion? For tube, I could repatch and be on my way. For the tire, use duct tape. Yep. That's your Flat Tire Tip of the Day. If the hole in the tire is minor and on the tread (meaning the middle of the tire, and not the sidewalls), duct tape will do the trick. Duct tape is hard to penetrate, which makes it a good patching material for using on the inside of bike tires. It's also sticky, so it stays in place well. Double bonus.

Thanks to the assessment of the guys at the local bike shop, I fixed my flat, and was back on my bike in no time. And with their honest advice, I look forward to the next time I can patron their shop and continue to keep them a part of the local bike community.