Which is best for puncture repairs / flat tires?

**oldsomeman** · #1 18th November 2008

For emergencies i want to buy a puncture kit for my tubeless tyres.I have been reading around a bit and it seems to come down to a -
-plug and inflate situation
-plug with say a 'slime solution' and then inflate using a CO2 pressue inflator.
If i go for the first which would be the best kit? plug and go.or standard tubeless repair kit.and if i use a compressor with this would i be able to attach this to the battery or will it work via say a cigarette style lighter connection, bearing in mind these are only 10 Amp?
OR do i plug and go with a CO2 inflater
Or do i use slime or similar and a CO2 inflater?
I would appreciate your comment as i always fear a puncture ...usually on a dark lane, piddling with rain and miles away from a garage!

**Frank Warner** · #2 18th November 2008

Tubeless ...
I use the string type. Electric air compressor thingy - use a bmw style plug/socket.

I don't like the CO2 things - you'll always run out .. and they could be hard to find. And you cannot carry them on to planes.

I don't like the slime type stuff .. leaves a mess when you change tyres or have to put a tube in ...

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If you're not going to be fixing it yourself .. then leave it all up to the person you pay.

**Threewheelbonnie** · #3 18th November 2008

Different trips and different punctures require different solutions IMHO.

Slime or Ultraseal work but are limited to holes under a couple of mm on bits of tyre that don't flex too much. If you are short of luggage space put the goo in the tyre before you leave and it'll help get you off the motorway nine times out of ten.

Plug kits with CO2 are small easy to use and fix most things. Add a compressor with either battery clips or a socket and plug and you are going to get out of 99% of problems. The cheap kits work just as well as the ones that come in fancy boxes BTW.

The near ultimate solution is a tube. You might need a tyre shop to get the tyre off, but a car place that won't touch your bike tyre with damage to the side wall and doesn't stock new tyres will fit the tube if you carry it.

For commuting I used Ultraseal. For European road trips the CO2. For further afield I carried a compressor. My outfit has tubed tyres and the space to carry a G-clamp, Levers, plug kit....... but that's a bit on the bulky side for most

Andy

**MikeS** · #4 18th November 2008

I've had to deal with a few punctures on my travels but had never had to deal with any before I set off so for me, it was all a learning curve. I've travelled with both tubeless and tubed tyres, and have to say after a couple of scary blow-outs on tubed tyres, I'm sticking with tubeless from now on.

To change a tubeless tyre:
After putting the bike on the centre stand and getting the wheel off, to break the bead just get as much air out of the tyre as you can then and (this is where the well balanced BMW is quite handy) break the bead using the side stand. Might take a bit off manoeuvering bit it does work.

To fit a new tubeless tyre: For that very last part where you haven't got the strength to lever the final bit of tyre onto the wheel, DON'T seat the bead on the rim just yet, keep it in the middle of the wheel. There's a shallow recess which gives you just enough extra to get the last bit on. I didn't know this the first time I changed a tyre and spent (literaly) hours trying to finish it off, finally giving in and paying a local guy 5 pesos to do it!

For tubed tyres (and bikes without centre stands), just use your boots and bounce around to break the bead (and to the amusement of the locals).

To fix a tubeless tyre puncture:
If its an easy nail in the tread, pull it out and use the stick repairs (look a bit like black, sticky pipe cleaners). Fold in half and jam it in using the tool and cut off the excess. It will vulcanise with the heat and be pretty much permanent. One of mine lasted from Peru till Costa Rica and that was only because the tyre eventuall started to split around the repair. Then I replaced that repair with a mushroom patch from the inside which fixed it again. Never used a bicycle pump, only a small electrical compressor from 'Motopumps' which has worked great for the last 2 years. Just fit a power socket on the bike. Get a decent pressure guage too, I found those cheap 'pen' style ones tended to break quite quickly.

To fix a tubed tyre puncture:
Unlike tubeless tyres, you have to go through all the hassle of taking off the wheel and then you can repair the tube much like a bicycle tube. I found on the very rough roads, my patches tended to eventually (and quite suddenly...) burst again.

Re those Co2 cartidges, they are actually quite handy at setting the bead quicker than if you're using an electric pump so its worth carrying a few for that if nothing else. I also only carried 2 standard sized tyre levers, nothing huge.