Ok, well, I was being extremely careless yesterday at a friend’s house, and rode my Torker CX 24" on a fairly rough offroad path behind his house (at least fairly rough to me, meaning lots of little rocks, random hard weeds, hills and ditches every 2-3 feet, etc.). On my way back, after a fairly normal UPD, I tried to mount again, but when I got on, I felt 2-3 inches shorter than usual. I tried to ride and couldn’t even move. Being the dumb person that I now know myself to be, I tried a couple more times, before finally looking at my ti(y)re and realizing that it was as flat as a 5 year old. I carried it back to my friend’s garage, we aired it up to full capacity, and within minutes, it was back to being a flattened piece of junk. We did find one thorn stuck in the ti(y)re that we pulled out, but I’m not sure if there might be even more.
So now, I’m looking at several options;
Take it to the LBS, get a quote (no idea how much it would be), and get it fixed there.
Buy a new ti(y)re, either from the LBS or on UDC.
Patch it myself, either with a kit or through some homebrewed method that I’m sure one of you vets has tucked up their sleeve.
Wait it out and not ride at all for 3 weeks while I finish saving up for my Torker DX (I will only use this as an extreme last resort - I would miss unicycling so much).
So, what do you guys recommend to be the most efficient, cost-effective way to fix the problem?
i think the best idea is to buy a new tyre/tube combo…you probly could just do a thorogh search on the tyre to find anymore thorn and get by with just a new tube which shouldnt cost more than 5-6 dollars. if you have the money however i would also suggest a new tyre because you now kno the one you have has no tolerance for thorn punctures. hope that helps.
the tube is what give the tyre its shape …without the tube your tyre would be flat…it is a very nessesary part of the uni… and yes the repair is an option but if you dont already have a kit then i would just suggest a new tube…it will probably cost the same if not more for the patch kit.
the tire is the outer peice of rubber that contacts the ground. Your tire is reuseable. The tube is the $3.00 tube that fits inside you tire and holds the air and keeps the bead of the tire locked into the rim.
I suggest you go to your local bike shop and ask them to teach you how to change the tube. Also, buy a few spare tubes and some tire levers from them so that you can fix flats in the future.
Aight well, I found this post by MikeFule, so I’m gonna head out to buy a set or two of tire irons and a new tube (maybe another just in case) and do it myself for cheaper. Do I look for a specific measurement (my tire is a 24x1.75 Kenda)?
Sheldon Brown has a good web site on various bike repair topics, most of which are relevant to unis as well. This article will tell you everything you’d ever wanted to know about pneumatic bike/uni tires, and there’s a link to his article on how to fix a flat tire.
Flat tires happen; you should figure out how to fix them. It’s quite simple.
yeah changing tubes and tires will be a good skill to learn for riding…even more so muni which from your title line i can see that you are interested in.
I am suprised that you didnt already know how to fix a tube… But I am glad you now know and it willl be a very useful skill to practice (dont puncture a tYre for practice.
I agree with you that you should just patch it. It’s way cheaper and its easy to do, it isn’t a permanent salution but you will be getting your dx soon which once you get it, I doubt you will do much with your old uni.
I’ve never taken it completely down and I’ve never had a patch fail. Some seams are pretty noticable and I take em down to where they’re just a small bump, then I put on the patch. Just be sure to press it down really well.
I don’t know if somebody else has said this or not 'cuz I just skimmed this thread, be sure you run your hand around the inside of the tire to make sure there’s no thorn or nail or staple or little piece of wire sticking through or you’ll just get another hole in your tube. Also, be real careful when you’re levering your tire back onto the rim that you don’t pinch the tube.
Good luck. This is an important yet basic skill any cyclist should know. And don’t feel bad if you make a mistake and have to do it a second time. We’ve all done it.
Yes, sounds like you never dealt with a flat tire on your bike before. But some of us just didn’t get to ride bikes when we were kids I guess.
Cars don’t use innertubes any more, but they used to. Same for most motorcycles these days.
Hopefully you will read the Sheldon Brown stuff. I know it’s outside the world of Unicyclist.com, but you’ll notice he gets referred to an awful lot here. Unicycles are composed of a majority of bicycle parts.
Lastly, if you change out your tube, make sure to search the inside of your tire for any thorn or other protrusion that might be stuck in there. Feel around the inside of the tire (carefully) for anything that’s not smooth. If you forget this step, you may continue to get flats.
