Forensic flatology part one

Posted at 03:39PM on Mar 18, 2008 by web

One sure way to end up deeply frustrated with your bike is to run into a series of flat tires. If you're like me, you're usually going somewhere when you get a flat — which means that all of a sudden you're late, pissed off, and perhaps stuck locking up your bike and walking to the nearest metro station. Ten out of ten cyclists agree: flat tires are a pain in the ass. I'm not going to talk here about how to change your flat, or how to successfully patch a tube or what tools you should carry with you so that you can rescue yourself from just about any flat-related situation. Those are topics for another post. Today, I want to take you on a quick tour of the fascinating world of forensic flatology.

One of the most masochistic things you can do as a cyclist is simply change your innertube after you've had a flat tire. Unless you figure out why you got that flat, you risk getting another one – sometimes within half a block of the first. Sparing an extra two minutes after a flat to diagnose its source will save you much pain and delay in the longterm. Trust me on this — as a bike messenger I'd sometimes rack up as many as eight flats per week. How to diagnose a flat? First, you need to find the leak. It's easy to find a big rip in your tube, and very hard to find a tiny pinprick. Inflating the tube and then holding it up to your lips as you rotate it past your face is a good technique, as is throwing your tube in a sink or bathtub (if one happens to be handy) and looking for bubbles. This can be the toughest part of the operation. Stick with it! Give up now and all you'll have for your trouble is that dank rubber smell up your nose. Once you've found it, identifying your problem will be a snap provided you're familiar with the bestiary of flats — the subject of tomorrow's post. Impatient for the full story? Sheldon Brown, preeminent and dearly-missed internet bike guru, has a great article on flats here:

www.sheldonbrown.com/flats.html

Courtesy of sxc.hu