How do I stop getting punctures on my bike?

People fit tougher tyres to solve punctures they are actually causing with soft tyres, or replace tubes repeatedly while the thorn that caused the first one is still embedded in the casing. Reading the failed tube first turns a recurring nuisance into a one-off.

What you'll need

• A track pump with a gauge
• Tyre levers
• Rim tape (optional)
• A tyre boot, or a piece of old tyre (optional)

Step by step

1. Find the hole and where it is on the tube.Inflate the removed tube slightly and pass it close to your cheek or ear — you will feel or hear the air. Then look at where it sits: outer face, inner face towards the rim, or at the valve.
2. Line the tube up against the tyre in the position it came out.The valve hole in the rim is your reference. Once aligned, the hole in the tube points at the exact spot on the casing to inspect. Nearly everyone skips this and then punctures again within a mile.
3. Run a hand carefully round the inside of the tyre.Slowly, with a rag or gloves, feeling for the point of a thorn, a flint or a sliver of glass. Sharp objects usually stay in the casing. If you find nothing, look at the tyre from the outside for a cut with something embedded.
4. Two small holes side by side means raise your pressure.A pinch flat happens when the tyre bottoms out on a kerb or a pothole and the rim crushes the tube. It is caused by pressure that is too low for the rider and the terrain, not by a sharp object. More pressure, or a wider tyre, is the answer.
5. Holes on the rim side mean check the rim tape.The tape covering the spoke holes has moved, split, or was never wide enough. Every spoke hole edge is a small cutting tool. Fit new rim tape of the correct width and make sure it lies flat and covers every hole.
6. A long clean slit means the tyre is finished.The casing has been cut through, and any tube fitted behind it will bulge into the cut and burst. On a ride, boot it from the inside with a tyre boot or a folded piece of packaging; at home, replace the tyre.
7. A tear at the valve base is a fitting fault.It cannot be repaired. It means the tube was twisted when fitted, or the tyre was ridden badly under-inflated so the tube moved inside it. Inflate slightly before fitting so the tube takes its shape, and check the valve sits square in the rim.
8. Set your pressure properly and check it weekly.This is the single biggest reduction in punctures for most riders. Soft tyres cause pinch flats and let sharp objects push through the casing more easily.
9. Fit tyres that suit where you actually ride.A puncture-resistant tyre has a belt of tough material under the tread. It is heavier and slower, and it genuinely works. For winter commuting on gritted roads it is usually worth the trade.
10. Consider tubeless if you ride off-road a lot.Sealant seals small punctures as they happen and pinch flats become rare. It brings its own maintenance — sealant dries out and needs topping up — and it is a poor fit for a bike that lives in a shed and gets ridden occasionally.
11. Check the tyres over regularly.Once a month, run a hand round each tyre and pick out anything embedded with a small screwdriver or a pin before it works its way through. Ten minutes prevents most roadside repairs.
12. Replace tyres before they are bald.A worn tyre has less rubber between the road and the tube. Many tyres have a wear indicator dimple; when it disappears, the tyre is done and punctures will multiply.

Tips

• Keep the failed tube rather than binning it at the roadside — reading it at home is what stops the next one.
• Glass fragments work in gradually over weeks. Monthly tyre inspection catches them before they reach the tube.
• Riding through the gutter is riding through everything that has been swept into it.

Common mistakes

• Fitting a new tube without finding the cause — A thorn or a glass sliver in the casing is still there. The new tube punctures on the same spot, often within a mile, and people conclude the tube was faulty.
• Treating pinch flats as bad luck — Two neat holes a centimetre apart is the rim crushing the tube against an obstacle, which is a pressure problem with a straightforward fix. Buying tougher tubes does not address it.

If it doesn't work

Questions people ask