Took me 3 weeks to fix a flat tire that should have been 20 minutes

I always thought changing a bike tire was super simple. Then I got a puncture 4 miles from work and spent 45 minutes on the side of the road struggling with tire levers that kept snapping. Turned out my rim tape was shifted and the tube was pinching every time I tried to seat it. I finally bought a set of metal tire levers and some Gorilla Tape for $12 total. Has anyone else run into a simple repair that turned into an hours long nightmare?

3 comments

3 Comments

gavinhunt10d ago

Rant incoming: ditch those plastic levers and spend the $4 on metal ones. They're the difference between a 20 minute fix and a whole afternoon of cussing. Gorilla tape on the rim is the real pro tip, been doing that for years and never had a pinch flat since.

campbell.robin10d agoMost Upvoted

Gavin, I feel your pain on this one. I've been there with cheap plastic levers snapping mid fix and it's enough to make you want to throw the whole wheel across the garage. Metal levers are one of those small upgrades that just make sense, no reason to mess around with something that'll break when you're already frustrated. The gorilla tape trick is solid too, I've done the same thing on my commuter bike and it's saved me more than once from patching a tube on the side of the road. A few bucks and a little tape can turn a nightmare repair into something you can handle in the driveway. Keep spreading the good word, people need to hear this stuff.

nathan_barnes6d ago

Tried fixing a flat with a dollar store plastic lever once and ended up with a piece of it stuck in my thumb AND a pinch flat because I was too stubborn to buy the right tape. Learned that lesson the hard way while sitting in my driveway covered in dirt and sweat wondering why I thought a $1.50 tool would save me from a $4 headache. Now I buy metal levers in bulk and keep a roll of gorilla tape in every bag I own. Still manage to pinch my fingers somehow though, guess that part never gets easier.