Preventing Flat Bicycle Tires

Bike riding of any variety is meant to reduce your stress and improve your overall physical condition, not frustrate you to the point of throwing your bike over the edge of a cliff. Flat tires, especially the recurring variety, don't do anything but add to the negative, unhappy things that all of us hate about exercise: being stranded in the middle of nowhere without any recourse or help in sight.

Fortunately, you can prevent just about any flat tire with a little investment. It takes some time and money, but it beats sitting by the side of the road, beyond cell phone reception, waiting for help to happen along. Also: for the situations that you cannot prevent, there are a few quick repairs that can be done to get you back on the road in just a few minutes.

PREVENT AS MANY FLATS AS POSSIBLE

-Before you go riding, check the air pressure. Tires with too little pressure aren't properly supported, and will therefore go flat easier. If there is too much pressure in the tire, that extra air will go somewhere that you don't like - usually out of a hole it decides to make in your brand-new tube. You can check the pressure with a regular tire gauge and use a hand pump to inflate to the right amount.

Tip: don't use air machines at gas stations to put air in bicycle tires. These are designed to inflate car tires, which hold a lot more pressure than a bike's tube. Many people blow out tubes with these machines, so it is wise to invest a few dollars in a hand pump that is designed for your needs.

-Another thing that you should do before ever trip out of the garage is to inspect your tires carefully. You are looking for things like worn tread, foreign objects caught in the tire (glass, nails and screws are major culprits) and odd, bubbly shapes in the sidewalls. If any of these things are present, do not go for your morning ride. Instead, stay at home and fix the problem. At least you'll be stranded in a climate-controlled area.