How to reinflate a puncture during a race

paulksnn

Hi guys,
Basics are that I'm doing my first tri on Sunday.
My only major concern is how to re-inflate a road-bike wheel if I get a puncture.
I know how to fix one (well, on a MTB anyway) but I can't inflate the tyres enough at the moment with a hand pump, and I have a track one.

I know I could put a hand pump on the frame of the bike, but the tyres will still feel soft and squidgy.

How do the professionals handle this? Do marshals have a track pump in a car(or are there even Marshals cruising the track?)

TinyExplosions

I think the handiest way is one of the CO2 pumps -will get you inflated enough to finish anyway, and damn quickly. It's what I have (though haven't used!)

Chips Lovell

You put your hand up in the air to let your team car you know you have a puncture. Then stop and wait for your mechanic to replace the wheel. If you don't have a team car, you'll just have to do it yourself.;)

To be serious though, you'll never reinflate a tyre to full pressure with a hand pump. But you should be able to get it up high enough to finish. It does require a good bit of elbow grease and might be an idea to practice a bit at home. You'll also need to ride a bit more carefully to avoid pinch flats.

You could also consider CO2 cartridges or something like Pit Stop. I always carry a can of this now and it will seal a puncture and reinflate the tyre most of the way. I'd still give it a few blasts with the mini pump though to try and get the pressure up a bit more.

Caroline_ie

.... maybe get yourself a nice Girlfriend who would drive behind you with a couple of spare wheels ... I have done that a few times ... (... I was in the car with the wheels )

Chips Lovell

Caroline_ie wrote: »

.... maybe get yourself a nice Girlfriend who would drive behind you with a couple of spare wheels ... I have dont that a few times ... (... I was in the car with the wheels )

I wish my wife could drive!

ludzer

you can buy little cylinders with air and they come with a little screw on nosle to inflate the tyres. any bike shop will have em.

paulksnn

Thanks all - C02 canister - I'll have to look into that.
If my wife was driving behind me - she could bring the track pump.
I have used the hand pump before all right, it really doesn't do the job though.
I guess it's either hand pump pressure or pull out at that rate.

Anyway have any idea how much a support team would cost to hire for a day (and spare wheels to buy:rolleyes:)

kenmc

el tonto wrote: »

I wish my wife could drive!

She can cycle though, can't she?

Snapper1

Specialized Armadillos ftw

TinyExplosions

kenmc wrote: »

She can cycle though, can't she?

She does have a shiny new bike

blorg

Armadillos are great for puncture protection but they would most definately _not_ be good for racing. I would reckon el tonto's suggestion of the Pit Stop (maybe combined with a CO2 cartridge to top it up) would be the fastest way you are going to get back on the road, unless you have extremely well developed tube-changing abilities.

Regarding hand pumps, if you can do the swim you should be able to get your tyre back up to an acceptable, if not full, pressure. I've often had to go 50km+ after a puncture with only a hand pump to reinflate and I have never had trouble doing so.

You are probably very unlikely to puncture over the 40k in any case. Good luck!

E@gle.

what tyres are you running on??

Its only a Tri you will be very unlucky to get a puncture over that short of a distance (but it can happen)

iv cycled over 3000km this year with no punctures

paulksnn

Thanks for the info blorg and eagle.
I guess I'm just worrying about the things I have no control over at this stage.
The training and everything else, I've already done what I can.
The tyres are the standard that came with the BeOne Briza 1.0 - CST CZAR
Cheap bike, I know. If I stay doing tri's I'll upgrade it.

E@gle.

would be a good idea to change your tyres i recommend continental gp 4000 the best i have ever used, some else mentioned specialized armidildo's but i wouldn't use them for racing

ba

Oh man, dont spend money on CO2 cartridges or hand pumps, just get decent tyres.

how long have you had them anyways? its probably worth changing old tyres now.

paulksnn

I suppose I should consider it.
Problem is the race is on sunday and I can't get to a decent bike shop on sat.
I've only had the bike 3 months, so I'll look into that.
How much wouldn't the continentals be? - 20, 50 100 ????? - total newbie with road bikes and scared by how expensive some of the stuff is.

Chips Lovell

Don't buy tyres in a shop. You'll be €50 for tyres you can get online for €20.

blorg

el tonto wrote: »

Don't buy tyres in a shop. You'll be €50 for tyres you can get online for €20.

Generally this is true although it's worth checking as there can be exceptions. Joe Daly has Schwalbe Stelvios (a perfectly good racing tyre) for €17 each. Admittedly this was the rigid version but the folding version goes for GBP 24-25 online (CRC/Wiggle.)

I also have Ultremos on order from Cyclesuperstore for cheaper than they can be got online (from CRC, Wiggle and Probikekit anyway.)

If you need it for a race on Sunday I'd go to a local shop.

cantalach

ba wrote: »

Oh man, dont spend money on CO2 cartridges or hand pumps, just get decent tyres.

how long have you had them anyways? its probably worth changing old tyres now.

Buying decent tyres just changes the probabilities, that's all. No matter how many puncture-resistance technologies are used in the tyre design, you will puncture sooner or later. And when you do, having a copy of the manufacturer's buzzword-laden advertisement folded up in your jersey pocket isn't going to re-inflate the tyre and get you home (or indeed to the run, if you're into that sort of thing).

accensi0n

What type of pump would be good for home use and where would be the best place to get one?

I'm located in Dublin.

Have a hand pump but there is no way I can pump it up enough.

I've probably only done 150KM on my new road bike and have had a punture already.

Cheers.

tunney

E@gle. wrote: »

what tyres are you running on??

Its only a Tri you will be very unlucky to get a puncture over that short of a distance (but it can happen)

iv cycled over 3000km this year with no punctures

On what tyres?
Gatorskins or the like?

People puncture alot. Some times its bad luck, sometimes its people running TT tyres, sometimes its people running old tyres. but punctures happen in tris especially in ireland with the crappy roads.

tunney

accensi0n wrote: »

What type of pump would be good for home use and where would be the best place to get one?

I'm located in Dublin.

Have a hand pump but there is no way I can pump it up enough.

I've probably only done 150KM on my new road bike and have had a punture already.

Cheers.

Track pump.
Any bike shop.

cantalach

accensi0n wrote: »

What type of pump would be good for home use and where would be the best place to get one?

I'm located in Dublin.

Have a hand pump but there is no way I can pump it up enough.

I've probably only done 150KM on my new road bike and have had a punture already.

Cheers.

If your tyres are significantly under-inflated, as they are likely to be if you're using a hand pump, this will lead to pinch flats. So get yourself a decent floor pump (aka 'track pump') like this one:

http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=136&idproduct=21498

As noted by a previous poster, poor quality tyres will also increase your puncture count (this does not mean however that good quality tyres eliminate punctures), and very often the tyres fitted to new bikes are a little on the cheap side. You get what you pay for with tyres to a large extent, though I would stay away from the pure racing tyres like the Pro2/Pro3 Race from Michelin. These sacrifice puncture resilliance and durability in exchange for reduced rolling resistance and improved handling. A slightly tougher training tyre like the Michelin Krylion Carbon is a more sensible choice for Irish roads.

Also, if you're new to road cycling, be aware that your road position can have a bearing on your proneness to punctures. On roads with a hard shoulder, the further into the shoulder (i.e. away from the traffic) you ride the more crap your tyres will encounter. Cars, buses, trucks, etc. have the effect of sweeping all the bad stuff off the lanes proper and onto the shoulder. So stay as close to the broken yellow line as is safe. Avoid cycling over the hatched areas at exits/entrances to dual'ways, roundabouts, etc. as these tend to be strewn with stuff that is very unfriendly to your tyres.

accensi0n

Thanks a mill for the replies lads.

Great help.