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tire repair gear on trips?
Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 10:30 am
by motorcycle_guy2004
Calling on the collective talent and intellect of the group...
What do you folks carry with you on trips for tire repair on the
road -- I'm new to this tires-with-tubes thing (I carry a stop-n-go
kit on my FJR).
tube patches? spare tubes? Tire Irons? etc.
Imagine a trip with 70% street, 30% dirt/gravel as an example, with
somewhat limited cargo space. What's the bare minimum I should take
(besides an "I'm stuck on the road, come rescue me" plan)?
Thanks in advance for your thoughtful and creative replies. They
need not be politically correct.
-Tom
'00 KLR 650
'04 FJR 1300
tire repair gear on trips?
Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 10:33 am
by nakedwaterskier
at min. slime your tires with that slime stuff(usually green) that
auto fixes small punctures.
tire repair gear on trips?
Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 12:00 pm
by dumbazz650
--- In
DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, "motorcycle_guy2004"
wrote:
> Calling on the collective talent and intellect of the group...
>
> What do you folks carry with you on trips for tire repair on the
> road -- I'm new to this tires-with-tubes thing (I carry a stop-n-go
> kit on my FJR).
>
> tube patches? spare tubes? Tire Irons? etc.
>
> Imagine a trip with 70% street, 30% dirt/gravel as an example, with
> somewhat limited cargo space. What's the bare minimum I should take
> (besides an "I'm stuck on the road, come rescue me" plan)?
>
I carry a mountain bike pump, a patch kit, and two 9in aluminum
tire irons. Also the necessary wrenches to remove either wheel.
Sometimes also include the MotionPro jack-stick, but that depends
on having the space and load available. I replace the patch kit
every year as the glue dries out in the tube, even if it's unopened.
I usually run the HD or ultra heavy duty tubes. They have more mass
and may change the bikes otherwise nimble behavior, but more than
once I've bounced through rock gardens at ridiculous speeds without
a flat. In fact never had a flat in about the last 30,000 miles,
knock on wood. As a kid who grew up fixing flats in bicycle tires and
later his own cycle tires, even stubborn TKCs and Gripsters will
eventually yield to persistence and ingenuity, as in balancing the
bike on the kickstand while using said kickstand to break the bead on
the back tire, after much sweating and cussing and dropping of the
bike.
Ah, the joys of solo travel.
HTH,
MarkB
tire repair gear on trips?
Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 12:14 pm
by Krgrife@aol.com
> --- In
DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, "motorcycle_guy2004"
> wrote:
> > Calling on the collective talent and intellect of the group...
> >
> > What do you folks carry with you on trips for tire repair on the
> > road -- I'm new to this tires-with-tubes thing (I carry a stop-n-go
> > kit on my FJR).
>
This is an area where I'm pretty conservative since I'm often in places where
I must be self sufficient. I carry three of the little tire irons, a spare
front tube in a Moose front fender pouch and a spare rear tube in my saddle bag
and a patch kit as well. I have a small 12 volt compressor (WalMart $10.00
one stripped of all the plastic) to get enough pressure to set the bead and
also have a small hand pump for back up. I also have a small bottle of tire lube
which can make the whole process much easier. It may seem a lot to carry but
I have learned the hard way that it having a flat and not being able to
repair it when you're 50 miles from nowhere can ruin your day.
Kurt Grife
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
tire repair gear on trips?
Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 12:27 pm
by monahanwb
--- In
DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, Krgrife@a... wrote:
It may seem a lot to carry but
> I have learned the hard way that it having a flat and not being
able to
> repair it when you're 50 miles from nowhere can ruin your day.
> Kurt Grife
True words Kurt.
I carry basically what tools Mark B listed. I carried a full set of
spare tubes around on every trip for years until one day while
pulling out of the Yuba River canyon I noticed the bike steering
oddly. Sure enough, a flat. I was down in the bottom of the
canyon. While it was quite hot there, and I had just gotten out of
the hospital and didn't feel full strength, it sure was a whole lot
better fixing the tire than being stuck down there and forced to walk
out. It was a long long way up the canyon to the nearest paved road,
then another 30 or 40 miles to any kind of populated area.
I was sure glad I had that rear tube with me that day.
tire repair gear on trips?
Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 2:50 pm
by motorcycle_guy2004
Thanks for the tips so far! Suggestions on a good online resource to
order-up tire irons & patch kits? (already have the wrenches, spare
tubes f&r, 12v pump, etc.)
Love the mental image of wrestling the bike around perform the side
stand-as-bead-breaker dance. I can just picture two hikers hanging
out up the trail getting a good laugh at my expense, lol.
-Tom
--- In
DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, "dumbazz650"
wrote:
> --- In
DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, "motorcycle_guy2004"
> wrote:
> > Calling on the collective talent and intellect of the group...
> >
> > What do you folks carry with you on trips for tire repair on the
> > road -- I'm new to this tires-with-tubes thing (I carry a stop-n-
go
> > kit on my FJR).
> >
> > tube patches? spare tubes? Tire Irons? etc.
> >
> > Imagine a trip with 70% street, 30% dirt/gravel as an example,
with
> > somewhat limited cargo space. What's the bare minimum I should
take
> > (besides an "I'm stuck on the road, come rescue me" plan)?
> >
>
> I carry a mountain bike pump, a patch kit, and two 9in aluminum
> tire irons. Also the necessary wrenches to remove either wheel.
> Sometimes also include the MotionPro jack-stick, but that depends
> on having the space and load available. I replace the patch kit
> every year as the glue dries out in the tube, even if it's unopened.
>
> I usually run the HD or ultra heavy duty tubes. They have more mass
> and may change the bikes otherwise nimble behavior, but more than
> once I've bounced through rock gardens at ridiculous speeds without
> a flat. In fact never had a flat in about the last 30,000 miles,
> knock on wood. As a kid who grew up fixing flats in bicycle tires
and
> later his own cycle tires, even stubborn TKCs and Gripsters will
> eventually yield to persistence and ingenuity, as in balancing the
> bike on the kickstand while using said kickstand to break the bead
on
> the back tire, after much sweating and cussing and dropping of the
> bike.
>
> Ah, the joys of solo travel.
>
> HTH,
> MarkB
tire repair gear on trips?
Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 3:46 pm
by rsanders30117
Tire maintenance on the road.
1. Preventative maintenance, I've up graded to ultra-heavy inner
tubes. The only way these babies are going down is by a puncture &
Slime can handle these beautifully.
2. I carry the following:
A. A good metal barrel bicycle tire pump & that's my total
inflation supply. It takes too many CO2 cartridges to reliably
inflate a tire. Why bother? One good bicycle pump does it all.
B. Always at least one bottle of Slime. If I'm going on a dual
sport ride, I carry an extra bottle to bail out the unprepared. This
stuff works remarkably well.
C. In my tool pouch I carry: spare stem innards in a pill
container, a valve stem tool & spare stem caps.
I've had a Slime repaired rear tire hold for thousands of miles until
the tire wore out. I then replaced the inner tube along with the
tire. It doesn't get more convenient than that. I replace my own
tires & have done so several times over. I shutter at the thought of
trying to do it in the field without my lift & full size tire irons.
--- In
DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, "motorcycle_guy2004"
wrote:
> Calling on the collective talent and intellect of the group...
>
> What do you folks carry with you on trips for tire repair on the
> road -- I'm new to this tires-with-tubes thing (I carry a stop-n-go
> kit on my FJR).
>
> tube patches? spare tubes? Tire Irons? etc.
>
> Imagine a trip with 70% street, 30% dirt/gravel as an example, with
> somewhat limited cargo space. What's the bare minimum I should take
> (besides an "I'm stuck on the road, come rescue me" plan)?
>
> Thanks in advance for your thoughtful and creative replies. They
> need not be politically correct.
>
> -Tom
> '00 KLR 650
> '04 FJR 1300
tire repair gear on trips?
Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 9:55 pm
by kdxkawboy@aol.com
In a message dated 2004-08-10 10:03:07 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
MBAKARICH@... writes:
>
> I carry a mountain bike pump, a patch kit, and two 9in aluminum
> tire irons. Also the necessary wrenches to remove either wheel.
> Sometimes also include the MotionPro jack-stick, but that depends
> on having the space and load available. I replace the patch kit
> every year as the glue dries out in the tube, even if it's unopened.
>
> I usually run the HD or ultra heavy duty tubes. They have more mass
> and may change the bikes otherwise nimble behavior, but more than
> once I've bounced through rock gardens at ridiculous speeds without
> a flat. In fact never had a flat in about the last 30,000 miles,
> knock on wood. As a kid who grew up fixing flats in bicycle tires and
> later his own cycle tires, even stubborn TKCs and Gripsters will
> eventually yield to persistence and ingenuity, as in balancing the
> bike on the kickstand while using said kickstand to break the bead on
> the back tire, after much sweating and cussing and dropping of the
> bike.
>
> Ah, the joys of solo travel.
>
> HTH,
> MarkB
>
>
The only difference with Mark is the Motion Pro Quik Jak always goes with me,
as do a good number of CO2 cartridges. I carry my tools in an Answer tool
pouch, including the Quik Jak. It has more than enough room for all my tools and
soft repair stuff, short of the bike pump. For tire irons I like the Motion
Pro style that has the spoon on one end and a loop at the other - I can slip one
iron through the loop to create a "t" shaped bead breaker to pry the bead off
the rim. I usually carry a small bath towel as well to serve as a portable
shop floor.
For day rides I just strap on the tool pouch and go, or put it in the bottom
of a back pack. For longer trips it goes in a pannier, along with a set of
spare tubes, Moose HD (though I got a set of Fly HDs to try). On tour I'll swap
the tubes and then patch the old tube at night in camp.
Pat
G'ville, Nv
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
tire repair gear on trips?
Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 10:01 pm
by matteeanne@yahoo.com
I carry a can of fix a flat. and a pump. In 33 years
of riding, I have never had a flat, but now with my
KLR i get 60-80 miles into the mountains and I worry.
My brother is a bike Guru and insists that changing a
tire is the worst job u can do, and said he would
rather ride on a flat than try to wrestle off a tire
in the boonies, I trust him.
--- kdxkawboy@... wrote:
> In a message dated 2004-08-10 10:03:07 AM Pacific
> Daylight Time,
> MBAKARICH@... writes:
>
> >
> > I carry a mountain bike pump, a patch kit, and two
> 9in aluminum
> > tire irons. Also the necessary wrenches to remove
> either wheel.
> > Sometimes also include the MotionPro jack-stick,
> but that depends
> > on having the space and load available. I replace
> the patch kit
> > every year as the glue dries out in the tube, even
> if it's unopened.
> >
> > I usually run the HD or ultra heavy duty tubes.
> They have more mass
> > and may change the bikes otherwise nimble
> behavior, but more than
> > once I've bounced through rock gardens at
> ridiculous speeds without
> > a flat. In fact never had a flat in about the last
> 30,000 miles,
> > knock on wood. As a kid who grew up fixing flats
> in bicycle tires and
> > later his own cycle tires, even stubborn TKCs and
> Gripsters will
> > eventually yield to persistence and ingenuity, as
> in balancing the
> > bike on the kickstand while using said kickstand
> to break the bead on
> > the back tire, after much sweating and cussing and
> dropping of the
>
> > bike.
> >
> > Ah, the joys of solo travel.
> >
> > HTH,
> > MarkB
> >
> >
>
> The only difference with Mark is the Motion Pro Quik
> Jak always goes with me,
> as do a good number of CO2 cartridges. I carry my
> tools in an Answer tool
> pouch, including the Quik Jak. It has more than
> enough room for all my tools and
> soft repair stuff, short of the bike pump. For tire
> irons I like the Motion
> Pro style that has the spoon on one end and a loop
> at the other - I can slip one
> iron through the loop to create a "t" shaped bead
> breaker to pry the bead off
> the rim. I usually carry a small bath towel as well
> to serve as a portable
> shop floor.
>
> For day rides I just strap on the tool pouch and go,
> or put it in the bottom
> of a back pack. For longer trips it goes in a
> pannier, along with a set of
> spare tubes, Moose HD (though I got a set of Fly HDs
> to try). On tour I'll swap
> the tubes and then patch the old tube at night in
> camp.
>
> Pat
> G'ville, Nv
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
>
>
>
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tire repair gear on trips?
Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 10:21 pm
by robert bowman
On Tuesday 10 August 2004 11:27,
DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com wrote:
> tube patches? spare tubes? Tire Irons? etc.
I carry two tire irons, patches, bicycle pump, fix-a-flat (slime), and CO2
cartridges with the holder. I use the stem caps that double as a core
remover.
Assuming you don't mount your own tires, regardless of what you carry, on a
nice cool day when you're in a good mood, in the privacy of your driveway
remove both wheels (one at a time) , break the bead, pull the tube out,
contemplate it, stuff it back in, lever the tire back on, reinflate and
reinstall with ONLY the tools in the toolkit or whatever else you are
planning to carry.
Life can suck if you have all the repair stuff and find you can't break the
axle loose, etc. It's much better to find this out when you can go get a
cold beverage or ten and give up in disgust until tomorrow.