Flat tyres

Flat tyres are a common and irritating problem for cyclists. Why do we put up with it? I have a friend who was once charged $50 by a bike shop to fix a puncture! I know of a bike shop that charges $40 for the operation. With these stinging prices and the annoyance of being stranded God-knows-where everytime you run over a piece of glass I wonder why things aren't different. Motorists certainly don't put up with such frequent flat tyres, perhaps it's a sign that Australians are still not taking bicycles as a serious transport option.

I think I understand the outrageous prices from those bicycle shops. We charge $20 which includes an $8 tube, and we hardly make any money on most jobs for the time it takes to get the wheel out and back in and realign brakes etc. So charging $40 a puncture could be seen as a good way of letting people know what they should have done in the first place: invest in tyres with puncture protection, and get a floor pump. We have a good range of tyres with kevlar lining and other types of puncture protection. These better-quality tyres tend to cost and weigh more than "regular" tyres. However, regular tyres clearly don't make sense for city riders. The savings are not worth the trouble of being late to meetings or being stranded far from home. I shudder to think of all the people who have been put off cycling because their bike kept having flats, and all the bicycles that have been ignored for years simply because of a punctured tube.

A lot of people don't understand the importance of keeping tyres at the right pressure (see Basic Bicycle Care). Buying a floor pump and regularly pumping your tyres to their recommended pressure will not only reduce the incidence of punctures, but reduce rolling resistance making for an easier ride as well as prolong the life of your tyres and wheels.

Tyres with puncture protection at the right pressure are still not an absolute guarantee against flats. It's worth carrying tools to fix punctures on the roadside. All that is needed is a mini pump, a patch kit, tyre levers and a spare tube for flats that can't be patched. A 15mm spanner is also needed if you don't have quick release wheels. Believe it or not, this can all weigh less than a kilogram and fit in a bag under your seat or in a container that sits in your bottle cage. Even if you're not confident in using them yet, if you get stranded on the road, a passing cyclist will be able to help you much more easily if you're equipped.

Here's to fewer punctures and more happy cyclists!