Riding a bike along the scenic Idaho-Wyoming border is one of life’s great pleasures until you experience a flat tire that stops you in your tracks. Although a flat tire can be extremely frustrating, it is a relatively simple obstacle to overcome. With this in mind, here is what to do when your bike gets a flat tire.
Remove the Wheel
Unfortunately, unlike cars, bikes don’t usually have spare tires on them. This means that when you get a flat tire while you’re out for a ride, there’s not much you can do to fix it unless you have sealant and a bike pump on you (which you most likely didn’t bring on the trip).
Therefore, you need to walk your bike back home and fix the flat tire. The first step in fixing it is to remove the wheel.
Start by putting your bike upside-down, balancing the handlebars with the bike seat. Then, unscrew the wheel and remove it from the frame. The back wheel might be more challenging to remove due to the chain and other mechanical objects being in the way.
Replace the Tire or Seal It Up
Once you determine the cause of the flat, it’s time to decide whether you want to seal it up or replace the whole tire. If your keys fell and cut your tire, you might be able to seal it up if there isn’t significant damage.
However, you should know that keys are one of the six things you should never keep on your bike. If a nail, screw, or some other sharp object got jammed into your tire, you might want to replace it.
You should also take into consideration whether your tire is tubed or tubeless. Depending on which one it is, you might have a harder or easier time removing the tire from the wheel.
Inflate Your Tire and Reinstall
After you seal up or purchase a new tire, put it back onto the wheel and pump it up. If it rolls around freely, then you can place the wheel back onto your bike and start riding again.
Overall, flat tires are the worst, but they shouldn’t keep you off the trails for too long. Now that you know what to do when your bike gets a flat tire, you should be back up and riding in no time.
