Holy Tire Page
You don't (necessarily) have to replace a punctured tire... This is what happened to me!
Have you ever found a NAIL in your tire? Well look what I found in my tire one day...
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Look at this! I found this... *thing*... in my rear tire one day (the metal thing, not the ruler, duh). Luckily I had a tire patch kit. |
The stubby white part slipped off when I tried to remove it (aaarrrgghhh!), leaving the long metal part in the tire. With some effort I finally managed to pull the rest of it out with my pliers. IT WAS A DAMN FLAT-HEAD SCREWDRIVER!
BUT, I didn't replace the tire. I just patched it. I used a vulcanized rubber-coated filament patch for radial tires. I always keep a bunch with me, along with the necessary tools & lubricant/glue. It takes up almost no trunk space :).
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 My patch kit. (Click on image for full size &
description.) |
I sometimes come across people preaching NAIL = GET A NEW TIRE. That depends. Naturally, if there is a puncture on the sidewall, or if the hole is a tear, then replacement is the only option. If it is just a small puncture from a nail (or in my case, a screwdriver) in the tread area, patching (properly!) is a reasonable alternative. And guess what. 1/2 of all the patches I've done were on other people's bikes, even people who were until then skeptics of patches.
I agree that nothing is safer than a brand new tire... BUT... that's the whole point of this page; to show that you don't necessarily need a new tire every time you get a puncture. See below.
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Remember that screwdriver I found in my
tire? I pulled it out and plugged it. The plug is the large dark spot in the center of the yellow circle in this photo. You can also see the white arrow I drew on the tire with a tire lettering pen, marking the approximate location of the plug. By the way, this pic is after a combined 2 DAYS ON THE RACETRACK. |
The plugs I used are called "Monkey Grip" or something like that, you have to get the ones made specifically for radial tires. There may be similar products out there for more or less $, just make sure to get the ones with the vulcanized rubber or they won't make a good seal.
Disclaimer: I would not recommend doing BURNOUTS with any kind of plugs! Plugs do not fare well with burnouts... but neither do tires.
