During the regular monthly, Skills Session, held at Westpoint in Peterborough, Septembers session included a demonstration on how to repair a puncture roadside.
Mark Bearman had kindly offered to show any PECAM Members attending some of the different options of puncture repairs and with the assistance of my own bike (as I already had one puncture and was having new tyres fitted on Monday) attendees had the opportunity to have a hands-on practice at using repair kits to mend a puncture and get the tyre inflated.
Mark had sourced different types of repair kits and pumps, from the many available, which were kindly funded and donated by Mark and four other PECAM Members for the exercise.
Eighteen PECAM members attended the session, it was an opportunity for all to look at some of the different kits available online and make an informed decision regarding which option would work for them, the kits were of varying methods and prices.
The different options for repairing a puncture range from worms or glue strips to mushroom plugs, CO2 canisters and pumps, all have their own benefits, depending on your budget and the space on your bike, that is of course, if you don’t have a GS!
Tip One– carry a couple of cable ties with you, if you need to carry out a puncture repair roadside and you are on your own, cable tie the front brake on, this will secure the bike, so there will be no danger of the bike moving.
No one product was deemed to be the best option, all the demonstrated products worked well and did the job they are supposed to do, get you back up and running so you can get to your destination and follow up with a new tyre.
The exercise of the morning was to demonstrate how to repair a puncture and offer options available to do so, each Member can then hopefully make an informed decision on which kit would work for them moving forward.
The roadside puncture repair session was deemed a success, everyone who attended enjoyed the morning and those that had a practice said it was very informative and useful.
Tip Two – before you replace your bike tyre, have a practice at repairing a puncture on your old tyre before you have your new one fitted.
We do have enough equipment to carry out a further demonstration in a few months, we just need a tyre to practice on!
A big thank you to Mark B for his time this morning and for his research into which kits to purchase for the demonstration.
Thanks also, again to Mark B and to the other PECAM Members who financed the equipment purchased.