DIY Bicycle Patch

Bicycling is an exhilarating activity whether you're straddling a mountain bike, smashing through trees on a single track or just lolling down the boardwalk on a cruiser. Riding a bicycle is pure enjoyment until an object pierces the tire and punctures the tube. You have two options--take it to a bike shop or fix it yourself.

Things You'll Need

  • Tire, wheel assembly, and punctured inner tube
  • Flat tire repair kit (sand paper, rubber cement glue, and patches)
  • Set of tire levers
  • Black felt pen (Sharpie)
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Instructions

  1. Patch a Bike Tube by Removing the Tire and Inner Tube

    • 1

      Disconnect your brake cable on the brakes to release the tire. Unscrew the quick-release system or use a crescent wrench to unscrew the nuts. Remove the wheel from the bike frame.

    • 2

      Deflate the tube completely by opening the valve. This will aid you in removing the tire and tube from the rim. If your tube has a Presta valve, you will have to unscrew the tip and press down with a finger to deflate the tube.

    • 3

      Pinch the tire around the edges to loosen it from the rim using a tire lever. Wedge it between the lip of the tire and the edge of the rim. Once it is beneath the tire lock, hook the opposite end of the tire lever onto a spoke, locking it into place.

    • 4

      Wedge the second tire lever beneath the lip of the tire a few inches away. Once it is beneath the tire, slowly move it away from the first tire lever while pulling the tire over the outside edge of the rim. This will give you access to the inner tube.

    • 5

      Remove the inner tube from the wheel and find the leak. There are two ways to locate the leak: depress the air from the tube and listen for the air leaking out, or place the tube in water and squeeze the tube to look for bubbles. Once you locate the leak, use a black felt marker to mark a circle around the leak.

    • 6

      Find a patch in your kit that will cover a leak 50-times its' size. Take a piece of sand paper and gently scruff the surface around the leak that is as big as the patch. Dab the area with rubber cement then press the patch on top of the rubber cement. Allow the rubber cement and patch five minutes to adhere together.

    • 7

      Use a tire pump to pump air into the inner tube to check your patchwork. Make sure there is no air leaking out from the patch or from another location around the inner tube.

    • 8

      Remove the object that caused the inner tube to leak air. It may be a piece of glass, a nail, or thorn. Spray the inside of the tire with a water hose to dislodge any foreign objects inside the tube. If you are not near a water hose, you can shake the tire instead.

    • 9

      Guide the inner tube back into the tire and push the tire back onto the rim. Once the tire is locked back to the rim, remove the tire levers and fill with air.

    • 10

      Reattach the bike wheel onto the frame by using the quick-release system or screwing down the nuts. Be sure the wheel is evenly placed between the two brake pads. Clip the brake cable back onto the brake housing. Spin the wheel to be sure the tire spins smoothly through the brake housing, leaving equal space between the rim and brake pads.