Emergency tire repair
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Club Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 2,697
Likes: 10
From: San Angelo, Texas
Emergency tire repair
I've carried a plug kit and either a 12 volt compressor or a small compressed air bottle for a long time and never had to used it...in the interest of space, has anyone ever used "fix a flat" or any of the other canned "flat repair" products?
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,898
From: Bedford UK
I have, although on my cars, not bikes. I have also used pre-loaded flat repairers on my bikes. Dealing with those in turn, on low profile car tyres I have found after-puncture repairers useless. The reason is simply that by the time you have stopped rolling and found somewhere safe to get out, the tyre sidewall is wrecked. That may be less of a problem on a bike tyre. The only time I carried one on a bike the bottle burst and made the most unbelievable mess!
Turning to the pre-installed stuff, the only time I have had a 'puncture' while it was installed, it proved to be the rubber valve stem that split, so the stuff was unable to do anything. These things will only work with tubeless tyres.
Turning to the pre-installed stuff, the only time I have had a 'puncture' while it was installed, it proved to be the rubber valve stem that split, so the stuff was unable to do anything. These things will only work with tubeless tyres.
Road Master
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,125
Likes: 23
From: Mishawaka,Indiana
fix a flat, besides making a huge mess inside the tire is only a one shot deal. if u get a huge hole you could repair it and keep filling as nec. to get home or safe. i have a small slime brand compressor from walmart that works good and does not take up a lot of space. saved my butt a couple of times. Mike
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 14,744
Likes: 402
From: Phoenix '53, '88, '09 Big Twins
I do carry fix a flat- it is meant to get you to the next town...carefully.
i also carry a plug kit and a compressor.
I have practiced the plug kit on a scrap tyre from my truck that got holed at the sidewall
I just drilled a couple of holes and plugged to get a feel for this.
in reality the last 2 blowouts were more than i could fix on the road- and the hog roadside took care of getting bike to shop.
and the one previous was on the cop bike...the run flat tyres got me to preferred tire shop which was only 4 miles away when this happened
in any case, I'm not gonna ride around on a repaired tyre...these are all temp fixes
mike
ps IF you DO use a fix a flat type substance- TELL the tire guy when you take it in, some of the fix a flat stuff is ultra flammable
i also carry a plug kit and a compressor.
I have practiced the plug kit on a scrap tyre from my truck that got holed at the sidewall
I just drilled a couple of holes and plugged to get a feel for this.
in reality the last 2 blowouts were more than i could fix on the road- and the hog roadside took care of getting bike to shop.
and the one previous was on the cop bike...the run flat tyres got me to preferred tire shop which was only 4 miles away when this happened
in any case, I'm not gonna ride around on a repaired tyre...these are all temp fixes
mike
ps IF you DO use a fix a flat type substance- TELL the tire guy when you take it in, some of the fix a flat stuff is ultra flammable
Last edited by mkguitar; Sep 20, 2013 at 04:57 PM.
Tourer
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 429
Likes: 0
From: Johnstown Co.
I had to use fix a flat this summer. I was up in the Mountains in New Mexico, and it's still in there. It was fricken smoking hot that day, I have a bigger than stock tire and believe the heat broke the seal. No puncture. What is it going to hurt? Should I get a new tire?
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Back in my 'broke' days I ran on several sportbike tires that were plugged with the sticky long plugs. Just jammed them in and rode until the tire was bald. Never once had a problem that way.
These days I carry a Stop and Go mushroom kit and a bicycle pump and would probably replace the tire at my earliest convenience.
These days I carry a Stop and Go mushroom kit and a bicycle pump and would probably replace the tire at my earliest convenience.
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Intermediate
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 37
Likes: 0
From: Kingsland GA
I had a nail in the tire a few years ago on a different bike. The only option I had was to try to use a can of fix-a-flat, but the hole was too big and the stuff just kept shooting out. I wound up getting a tire plug for a car (the long skinny sticky ones) and putting it in. Then I used the fix-a-flat to fill it up and get home. I removed that tire and replaced it, the bad thing is it had less than 200 miles on it. The dealership would not give me any kind of assistance with it, so I wound up spending close to $300 in less than a month on tires.
My current bike has tube tires and can not easily be repaired on the side of the road. I do have tire assistance and thankfully have not had to use it. If/when I swap over to mag wheels I will keep a repair kit in the saddle bag, probably one of the stop and go mushroom kits with the slime compressor.
My current bike has tube tires and can not easily be repaired on the side of the road. I do have tire assistance and thankfully have not had to use it. If/when I swap over to mag wheels I will keep a repair kit in the saddle bag, probably one of the stop and go mushroom kits with the slime compressor.
