Important Steps You Can Follow if You Have a Flat Bike Tyre

Modern bikes come with two types of tyres — tube and tubeless.

No matter what type of tyre you have, they both puncture in the same way. If a sharp object like a nail, a pin, or a sharp piece of rock pierces the tyre, the air inside it gets out and turns flat. So, there are two reasons behind flat tyres.

• Bad roads

• Not having enough tyre pressure

Bad roads have stone chips that can easily pierce through the rubber. And if you do not maintain appropriate tyre pressure, the chances of a bike flat tyre increase to a large extent.

If you are on a short commute, flat tyres can be less problematic compared to when you are on a long commute. Having a flat tyre on the highway or at night is a dreadful thought for bikers. Now, what to do if something of that sort happens to you?

Slow down the bike: Once you realise that one of your tyres has punctured. If a tyre rapidly starts losing air pressure, the bike will start wobbling. The rider will feel the handlebar pulling to the sides; if you are riding at speed, this reaction can have terrible consequences. Therefore, you may want to slow down the bike and avoid panic braking. With reduced control over the bike, applying strong braking can cause accidents. If you are in the middle of nowhere, keep riding at slow speeds until you find help.

Take it to a repair shop: Take your bike to a mechanic to fix its tyre. If your bike has tubes inside the tyre, you will not be able to ride for long without fixing your flat bike tyre. Tubeless tyres, in such cases, can go for a few kilometres without losing much air pressure. So, if you are planning to purchase a motorcycle, go for the one that offers tubeless tyres.

Inflate your tyre: In case it is not possible for you to fix the bike’s tyre, you can inflate your bike tyre to be able to go some distance. But continuing on long rides without fixing a bike flat tyre is impossible. For such happenstances, we recommend carrying a tyre inflator in your safety kit if you are going on a long road trip. Also, having a roadside assistance add-on to your comprehensive insurance for 2-wheelers can be a massive help.

There are 2 ways to fix your bike tyre — without removing the tyre and by removing the tyre — depending on the type of tyre you have.

Tubeless tyres are easy to repair, but the bike flat tyre repair cost for tubeless tyres is less than for tubed ones. The mechanic uses a piercing tool to insert a sticky string inside the tubeless tyre. The air pressure fixes the sticky substance and jams the leak when inflated. This is the outside process of fixing bike tyres.

On the other hand, traditional tyres with tubes need to be removed from the wheel and then fixed. Bike flat tire repair time, in such cases, is longer, and bike flat tyre repair cost is higher too. Just to mention, this is how to fix a flat tyre on a bike from within, and it does not affect the longevity of the tyre.

A Pro Tip:

Sometimes, particularly if you are riding a bike with tubeless tyres, it is hard to decipher whether you have a puncture. Many times, small punctures can not even be detected. That is when having a disciplined tyre pressure monitoring habit can help.

You can check your tyre pressure regularly before going out using a pressure gauge. You can also make a habit of inflating your tyre every week. If you feel the tyre is losing air pressure before time, check it for any leakage. It can help you mitigate the possibility of getting stuck in the middle of the road with a flat tyre.

A bike flat tyre can be a misery for daily commuters and tourers. As we mentioned before, small punctures can sometimes stay undetected for a long time and negatively impact the bike’s mileage. Therefore, we suggest you monitor tyre pressure every time you take your bike out for a ride. Also, getting a bike insurance policy is imperative as it will allow you to get roadside assistance in case you are stuck in the middle of a highway. When buying insurance for 2-wheelers, compare two-wheeler insurance on Tata AIG and save some money.