Preventing a tyre puncture is very doable and there are many different preventative measures that you can take. Punctures always seem to occur at the worst possible time, whether you’re e running late for work, trying to get to an important event, or when you finally get the chance to ride your bicycle after a long time and you’re looking forward to it. Let’s take a look a how to prevent a puncture on your bicycle.
The two main types of tyre puncture that your bicycle can suffer.
One of these is penetration punctures, where a foreign object such as a nail or thorn enters your tyre and causes a small puncture and a small hole in the tyre starts leaking air or a sharp rock causes a large tear in your tyre and it deflates instantly.
The other type of puncture can be referred to as a pinched puncture. This is when you hit something like a pothole and the inner rim of the bicycle tire gets pinched and gets punctured.
Puncture Prevention Advice
Cycle Fix London advises on various different measures that you can take to reduce or even prevent punctures of all kinds on road or mountain bicycles. This will help you avoid needing to repeatedly repair your tyres and having to experience that hassle over and over again.
Tyre Pressure
Make sure to check your tire pressure regularly to ensure your bicycle has enough tyre pressure. If the pressure is too low or too high, then this will only increase the likelihood of your bicycle’s tyres getting punctures.
- Checking tyre pressure should be part of your pre-ride routine.
- This can be done using a track pump that has an accurate pressure gauge.
- Tyres have recommended inflation range printed on their sidewalls, so you can use that.
- Keep in mind that you shouldn’t just increase the pressure to the maximum value on the range given.
- The correct tyre pressure will depend on various factors such as the rider’s weight and the road/trail conditions.
- Finding the correct tyre pressure for you will take a little experimentation, you can also ask others who have more experience for advice.
An underinflated tyre is more susceptible to pinch flats and could make it harder to pedal your bicycle due to its impact on rolling resistance. On the other hand, an overinflated tyre will give you less traction on the road/trail and decrease the quality of your bicycle ride. Additionally, over-inflation will increase the likelihood of blowouts and damage by foreign objects as the tyre won’t deform over them.
Another thing to keep in mind is that most of your weight will fall onto the rear wheel, so it is normal for the tyre pressure for that tyre to be a little higher than the fronts. Asking for advice from other bicycle riders will prove to be a great help when figuring this out.
Good Quality Tyres
The quality of your bicycle’s tyres is an important factor when it comes to preventing tyre punctures. Tyre choice can make all the difference when trying to prevent tyre punctures and also improves the quality of your bicycle rides.
There are tyres available to use that have puncture protection technology, such as Kevlar reinforcement. These tyres aren’t very heavy, even though you will notice a difference compared to regular bicycle tyres. But if you are trying to prevent punctures and not need to repeatedly repair your bicycle tyres, then you will definitely want these on your bicycle.
The type of tyres you need to use depends on where you are riding your bicycle. If you live in a place that has a lot of snow, then you may consider more heavy-duty tyres that can hold up under the harsher conditions, but make sure they have enough grip to avoid slipping everywhere. Mountain bikes need to have tough tyres and you need to consider the sidewalls of the tyres as the rocky terrain can cause a lot of punctures and tears.
Cycle Fix London Offer A Puncture Repair Service
When selecting the right tyres for your bike, you need to consider all these factors and more. Asking Cycle Fix for advice will prove extremely useful and can help prevent so many potential tyre punctures and avoid needing to waste time and money having to make repairs.
If you already have a puncture please take a look at our Workshop Pricelist – we also offer servicing and repairs and courtesy bikes.