AIDSRIDEDC FAQ Section 5: Equipment and Gear

This section contains these subjects:

5.1 Why Do I Get So Many Flats?

Flat tires are almost certainly the most common form of mechanical misery that cyclists experience. Anyone that is riding enough to train for an event like the Tour de Friends will have at least one or two flats, unless he or she is very lucky indeed. Riders are expected to be able to fix their own flats: you can learn how by participating in the organized Training Rides and by attending one of the Training Expos.

Sometimes, though, you may feel like you're getting an awful lot of flats. Here are some things you might look for:

  • Make sure your tires are inflated properly. Underinflation greatly increases the risk of your inner tube being pinched between the tire casing and the rim when you hit a bump, a pothole, or even rough pavement. These "pinch flats" are among the most common flats; they are somtimes called "snakebite" flats, because they typically exhibit two small punctures close together.

    The recommended inflation pressure will be shown on the sidewall of your tires.

  • Check your wheels. With the tire and tube off, look at the rim carefully for rough spots, metal burrs, protruding spoke ends, and deteriorating rim tape. (Run your finger -- carefully! -- around the well in the rim where tube sits.) Even a very small rough patch can wear a hole in your inner tube in surprisingly short order. Sometimes, a small piece of glass or grit can get stuck in the rim tape or in its adhesive. Small rough spots, burrs, and protruding spokes can be often be fixed easily. Bad rim tape can be replaced for ~ $3.

  • Check your tires. It's sometimes hard, when you have a flat, to find the cause, because it doesn't take a very big thorn, or piece of glass, to do the dirty deed. If you have recurring flats, check your tires carefully to make sure that they're free of imbedded objects.

  • Consider changing to different tires. Some riders (particularly those with road bikes) have reported that tires with Kevlar® or other puncture-resistant belts reduce their incidence of flats.

  • Watch where you're riding. This advice needs to be tempered with common sense: you should not become so fascinated by watching for glass and other road debris that you fail to see the 18-wheeler that is about to run over you. Just keeping your eyes open and trying to miss the big pieces will help a fair amount.
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5.2 Tips on Fixing Flats

There is a good set of basic directions on how to fix a flat on Jim Langley's site. And you can see a demonstration, given by one of our friendly Tour de Friends volunteers, by coming to one of the Training Expos. (Call the Ride Office for details.)

This section attempts to give you a few tips that go beyond the basics.

Perhaps the most important advice, especially for flat-tire virgins, is to be patient and take your time. Some people who have lots of experience fixing flats can make the process seem almost like magic, because they're so quick. It's tempting to try to do this as fast as possible (or even faster). But cutting corners can easily lead to your getting another chance to practice fixing a flat a few miles down the road.

  • Take the tire off of the rim; once it's off, look at the tire carefully. You want to find the object that caused the puncture, of course, but it's important for your safety that you check for cuts that go through the tire casing. Cuts in the casing can cause blowouts, which (especially on the front tire) can be dangerous. If the casing is cut, you can put in a tire boot as a temporary repair, but the tire should be replaced at the first opportunity. [And your FAQ editor recommends that you ride as if you were 140 years old until you do. --RG]

  • When you remount the tire on the rim, it is especially important to take the time to do the job right. In particular, try to avoid using any tools other than your hands, unless absolutely necessary. Most tires have a circular line molded into the casing just above the bead (the inside ridge that holds the tire on the rim). Check to see that the line is visible just above the edge of the rim, all the way around both sides of the wheel.

  • When you re-inflate the tire with your frame pump or mini-pump, take care to hold one end of the pump in each hand, and pump from one hand "into" the other. Don't hold the wheel with one hand and pump with the other: you run a significant risk of shearing off the tube's valve stem.

  • Make sure that, once you have repaired the flat, that you re-attach the wheel securely to your bicycle. If your bike uses quick-release "skewers" to hold the wheel on, take care that they are properly tightened. Some bikes, particularly older ones, use nuts to hold the axle in the frame. If your bike is like this, make sure that you have two wrenches of the appropriate size so that you can attach the wheel securely. Finally, make sure that, if you unhooked a brake straddle cable, or opened a brake quick release in order to remove the wheel, you put your brakes back in working order.
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You can carry either a spare tube or a patch kit, but a spare tube is better; here's an explanation of why:

Making sure you have a spare tube (and one that fits ;-) is a Very Good Idea. It makes fixing a flat a lot less of a pain, for sure. Patching a tube in the dark, when it's raining, is not great fun. But, having to use a freshly-patched tube immediately under any circumstances can be less than ideal.

Although conventional (glued) patches will stick to the tube right away, the bond between the patch and the tube takes a while to "cure". There is a certain amount of small-scale flexing of the tube inside the tire casing while you are rolling, and this can cause a new patch to leak or even (eventually) peel off. Put another way, it's pretty easy to peel a new patch off the tube after 10 minutes; after 24 hours, it's very difficult. So it's better to install a new spare tube, and keep the patched tube as a spare for the future.

Glueless patches, at least the ones that I've tried, don't ever adhere to the tube as well as a glued patch, so I wouldn't suggest using them for permanent repairs. Of course, if the alternative is walking, anything that gets you home counts as a success!

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5.3 Chain Maintenance

The chain transmits power from the pedals to the rear wheel to make you go. It is also very exposed to the elements, and to dirt and grit from the road, which tend to adhere to the chain because of the lubricant used on it. This combination on your chain works like liquid sandpaper on both the chain itself and your chainrings and cogs. Keep the chain clean, and these parts will last longer; as a bonus, working on your bike (for example, to fix a flat) will be a lot less messy.

Chains wear out primarily because of dirt. Industrial grinding paste is essentially a mixture of abrasive and grease, and that is just about what you get when grit from the road gets mixed with lubricant on the chain. So keeping the chain clean and lubricated properly will make it, and other drivetrain parts, last longer

I've had the best luck with cleaning the chain off the bike. Put it in a 2-liter soda bottle, or something similar, fill about half-way with degreasing solvent, and shake. (If the solvent is water-based, be sure to rinse it off with water and then dry the chain before lubricating and reinstalling it.) There are also cleaning devices (for example, from Finish Line, Pedro's, and Performance) that allow you to clean the chain on the bike. These do a fairly good job if used regularly.

The chain also needs to be lubricated regularly. Your bike shop has a variety of chain lubricants available; all of them work, although some are more suitable for certain types of riding conditions than others. As a rule of thumb, "dry" or waxy lubricants work better for dry conditions, and more oily lubricants last longer when it is wet. Be sure to follow the directions on the package.

Ordinary motor oil, or chainsaw oil, can also be used. These are cheaper alternatives; their only real drawback is that they may be messier in use and application.

A new chain measures exactly 0.5 inch between rivets, measured center to center, so 24 links are exactly one foot. Chains don't stretch, in the sense that a rubber band does, but become elongated due to wear around their rotating parts. The best way to check a chain for wear is to measure 24 links with a good ruler. If they measure between 12 and 12 1/16 inches, the chain is OK. At 12 1/16 inches, the chain should probably be replaced, to avoid excessive wear on other components. If the length gets to 12 1/8 inches, the chain is definitely worn out, and may also have worn out one or more cogs.

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5.4 What about Clipless Pedals?

Both clipless pedals and more traditional toe clips and straps have the same objective: to keep your foot from slipping off of the pedal accidentally. This helps you develop a smoother, more efficient pedal stroke, and is also a safety measure: if your foot slips, and you end up standing on one foot on the road without a bike beneath you, it is not a good thing.

Clipless pedals work in a very similar way to ski bindings. (In fact, the first successful clipless pedals were developed by Look, a French ski equipment company.) There is a cleat on the bottom of your shoe that mates with a binding on the pedal, and holds your foot securely in place. To release your foot, you rotate your heel outward (for some systems, inward rotation also works).

Compared to toe clips and straps, clipless pedals have some advantages:

  • They avoid the problem of numb toes resulting from tight straps.
  • Like ski bindings, they almost always release when you fall, potentially avoiding joint injuries.
  • They largely avoid the trade-off, inherent in clips and straps, between a foot-pedal connection that is too loose (leading to inefficient pedalling) and too tight (leading to inability to get out quickly if a sudden stop is necessary).
The major drawbacks of clipless pedals are that they are relatively expensive (in part, because they require cycling-specific shoes), and that they require some practice to get used to.

There is a more extensive article available here on Riders' experiences with clipless pedals. There is also an article on technical aspects of clipless pedals, including a discussion of compatibility issues and of "float".

Clipless pedals, on the whole, are a nice upgrade to your bike. (People who have switched from clips and straps to clipless, and then switched back, are very rare.) However, if you are just starting out, it might be wise to focus first on basic training and on getting used to your bike. And you definitely do not need clipless pedals in order to do the Tour de Friends, or to enjoy it. (After all, everyone, including pro racers, rode without them for many years, before they were developed.)

If you have clipless pedals, please make sure that you keep them clean and lubricated so that they will release properly.

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5.5 What about CamelBaks and other Hydration Systems?

Thanks to Dan Charney for contributing this section.

Several companies (such as Camelbak, Blackburn, and Nashbar) manufacture hydration systems that are carried on the back or around the waist. The name of these systems has been somewhat genericized (much like "Kleenex", "Xerox", "Rollerblade", etc. have been). For the purposes of this discussion, the term "Camelbak" will be used, with apologies to the various manufacturers.

Using a Camelbak is mostly a matter of personal preference. There are both advantages and disadvantages to using a Camelbak.

Advantages:

  1. Bike water bottles hold about 32 ounces, while a large Camelbak can hold up to 100 ounces. A Camelbak and two water bottles allow you to carry more than a gallon of water.
  2. Many Camelbaks have space for the carrying of extra food and gear (such as tubes, patch kits, first-aid kits, and pumps).
  3. It isn't necessary to keep one of your hands off of the handlebars while drinking from a Camelbak, thus reducing the potential for losing control of the bicycle.

Along with the advantages, there are several drawbacks:

  1. You may not like having that pack on your back (some people prefer the around-the-waist type for this reason).
  2. The bladders inside the packs can be annoying to fill with water and ice.
  3. Replacement bladders and other parts tend to be expensive.
  4. The bladders, drinking tubes, and mouth valves can be more challenging to clean than standard bike bottles. Regular rinsing and drying after use will prevent the spread of bacteria and mold, but the bladders and tubes require thorough cleaning periodically.

A good way to clean the bladder, tube, and mouth valve is by filling the bladder with a diluted chlorine bleach/water (1:5) solution, shaking and massaging the bladder to get the solution all over the inside of the bladder, and then running the solution through the tube. Rinse the bladder, tube, and valve repeatedly with clean water to flush the bleach away. Additionally, there are several different cleaning kits available in cycle shops.

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5.7 Checking Your Bike Before You Ride

Your fitness is, of course, important in getting ready to do the Tour de Friends. Perhaps, though, we don't emphasize enough that your bike needs to be ready, too.

You need to check, before every ride, that:

  • Your brakes work
  • Your wheels (quick releases) are attached solidly to your bike
  • Your tires are properly inflated, and are in good condition.
  • Your brake and derailleur (gear) cables are in good condition.
  • There are no "funny noises" when you ride around the block.
If something seems wrong with your bike, be sensible: don't take it out and try to do a 100 mile ride. Take it to a bike shop, or have another qualified person look at it.

There is a more comprehensive article on this subject available here.

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