12-29-2014, 05:25 PM
I want to create a "tire-repair kit" for next summer. I'd like to ride on the Katy (MKT) trail that runs through town but I don't want to have a repeat of what happened a couple summers ago, so I'd like to create a tire-repair kit.
A couple summers ago I was riding along on the trail, and was a good ten miles from home, when I heard a "psst..." coming out of my rear tire. Within about 30 seconds the tire was completely flat. It was pretty late at that point in the summer day (6:30 or so) so I had to ride my bike on the rocky terrain, on a flat tire, about 10 miles back home. (I didn't have a patch kit.) Thankfully, it did no damage to the rim (even though the terrain was really rocky), but the tire was toast. The bike was a road bike (I know, not the right type of bike for a rocky trail like that) but...
Now I have a mountain bike with 26x1.95 tires on it. I am running new inner tubes in relatively new tires. So, no problem there. One problem is- I have no patch kit or frame pump.
I would like to buy a reliable, yet inexpensive (under $30) frame pump for my 26-inch mountain bike. My worry is- the inner tubes I'm running (Hutchinson-brand tubes) are notorious (at least in my experience) for failure at the valve stem, so I can't be "bending" the valve stem to get the pump on at an angle. I also inspected the rear inner tube a few weeks ago and the valve stem was showing signs of "weakness" (i.e. don't bend it or it'll break off) so I need a frame pump that has a right-angle valve connector.
Another thing I need is a patch kit. I looked at a few online, but the only ones I could find with good ratings and not a high price were at REI. Since we don't have an REI store anywhere near where I live, I obviously can't get something from REI. Is there a cheap, yet reliable solution at Wal-Mart? I obviously need something that will seal the leak in the tube.
Also, I'm 99% sure I won't need tire levers. The tires are loose on the rim when deflated - I can practically reach under the tire and peel the tire off the rim with my hands when the tire is fully deflated.
Any solutions? Any help would be appreciated.
~Garrett
A couple summers ago I was riding along on the trail, and was a good ten miles from home, when I heard a "psst..." coming out of my rear tire. Within about 30 seconds the tire was completely flat. It was pretty late at that point in the summer day (6:30 or so) so I had to ride my bike on the rocky terrain, on a flat tire, about 10 miles back home. (I didn't have a patch kit.) Thankfully, it did no damage to the rim (even though the terrain was really rocky), but the tire was toast. The bike was a road bike (I know, not the right type of bike for a rocky trail like that) but...
Now I have a mountain bike with 26x1.95 tires on it. I am running new inner tubes in relatively new tires. So, no problem there. One problem is- I have no patch kit or frame pump.
I would like to buy a reliable, yet inexpensive (under $30) frame pump for my 26-inch mountain bike. My worry is- the inner tubes I'm running (Hutchinson-brand tubes) are notorious (at least in my experience) for failure at the valve stem, so I can't be "bending" the valve stem to get the pump on at an angle. I also inspected the rear inner tube a few weeks ago and the valve stem was showing signs of "weakness" (i.e. don't bend it or it'll break off) so I need a frame pump that has a right-angle valve connector.
Another thing I need is a patch kit. I looked at a few online, but the only ones I could find with good ratings and not a high price were at REI. Since we don't have an REI store anywhere near where I live, I obviously can't get something from REI. Is there a cheap, yet reliable solution at Wal-Mart? I obviously need something that will seal the leak in the tube.
Also, I'm 99% sure I won't need tire levers. The tires are loose on the rim when deflated - I can practically reach under the tire and peel the tire off the rim with my hands when the tire is fully deflated.
Any solutions? Any help would be appreciated.
~Garrett
-Garrett, Boonville, MO