Fixing a Flat

[SkooterG]

Get rid of the "sticky strings" and get one of these. Stop & Go Not that the strings don't work some of the time but these plugs work all of the time.

What I was trying to say is that the strings may work for a little while but the plugs work permanently. I meant the comment to reflect the longevity of the repair not the ability of the plug to repair all punctures.

Dude. No disrespect intended but I would really like to know what planet you live on and how the laws of physics work there. I have fixed ohh...., 20 or so flats within the last few years and have found 100% success rate with the sticky string, and only about 60-70% success rate with the Stop & Go kit. In fact I no longer use the Stop & Go kit and highly recommend to folks that they don't either. Nor am I the only one to have had these experiences with regards to Stop & Go vs. sticky string. Go find some of the old flat repair threads.

I would like to see someone shove a repair plug into a hot, deflated bike tire. Stop and go plugs are the motorcycle tire alternative.

Well then, ride with me. I'll eventually get a flat again and I'll show you what I have done many a time - shove a sticky string into a hot, deflate m/c tire. Really, it ain't all that hard.

 

[Skully]

Oh yeah, flat tires suck !!

This is great, I'll bang a 100 in no time.

 

[wheatonFJR]

I've ruled out a compressor.https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053...5_200278_200408

I would think twice about that. I have a manual pump similar to the one in your link. It took almost an hour to pump up the tire, and that was only to 30psi so I could get to a place with a compressor. I bought the Slime pump, this one, last week, and used it Saturday as I flatted out on the way to the Barber Track. I was back on the road with 40psi in 15 minutes. I don't have an outlet on my bike, so I just connected the supplied power feed to the battery terminals and tie-wrapped it to the frame.

I have a basic $10 footpump, and it was getting griff's flat tire back up to proper pressure at a Hooterville ride faster than the compressor...and it didn't drain the battery either.

 

[glory racing]

...Not that the strings don't work some of the time but these plugs work all of the time. ...

Allow me to correct what I said. Poor word choice. What I was trying to say is that the strings may work for a little while but the plugs work permanently. I meant the comment to reflect the longevity of the repair not the ability of the plug to repair all punctures.

If the hole is too large for the plug to seal then I'm not sure I would want to keep that tire anyhow. I'm not extremely thrilled to have a plugged tire on my bike as is but since the tire had about 100 miles on it when it was punctured by the nail I have to make due.

JamesK, on those "irregular type punctures", are the sticky strings a permanent solution or do they just get you home in order to get a new tire? On the puncture that I had I couldn't get the strings to stay in for any reasonable amount of time.

Maybe it would be prudent to carry some strings along with the plug kit. It wouldn't take much room.

See post #15 and SkooterG post.

 

[Tyler]

Get rid of the "sticky strings" and get one of these. Stop & Go Not that the strings don't work some of the time but these plugs work all of the time.

In my experience the Stop & Go plugs work great, but only on "nice" punctures, like a nail or similar and you should use these whenever the puncture permits. However, any irregular type punctures are best plugged with sticky strings, as the S&T plugs will not be able to seal properly.

I have had the "good" fortune to have tried both. Both have worked in their situation to get me going again. The plugs worked on my PR2 on the Trophy to the tune of 9k miles. But then, when I got yet another industrial staple in the rear (so to speak) that punctured the tire twice in a small area, the plugs did not work but the sticky strings did. YMMV

As for a compressor/pump, check out the Cycle Pump Adventure Model in meosborn's link above. Not only is it great to have out on the road (i.e. in the middle of nowhere with a flat) but also nice to have to add a little bit of air in your own garage and not have to deal with gas station air pumps, etc. Doesn't take up a lot of room and has come in handy numerous times, both for me and other traveling companions!

(/hijack) - WTF is with the industrial staples?!? I've gotten FOUR of them in rear tires in the past 18 months... are the tire manufacturers going out and throwing them out in the road or am I just a staple magnet?? (/end hijack)

 

[JamesK]

JamesK, on those "irregular type punctures", are the sticky strings a permanent solution or do they just get you home in order to get a new tire? On the puncture that I had I couldn't get the strings to stay in for any reasonable amount of time.
Maybe it would be prudent to carry some strings along with the plug kit. It wouldn't take much room.

It really depends on whether or not the puncture hole is such that it can "rip". I once got a puncture from a small, sharp rock, which left one edge in the puncture hole that kept ripping. I was forced to replace this tire within a few days of the puncture/repair. Other times, when the puncture hole was just not "round" the strings stated in through the life of the tire.

 

[meosborn]

Dude. No disrespect intended but I would really like to know what planet you live on and how the laws of physics work there.

It's funny when the last part of a statement contradicts the first part. No big deal, it's just the internet.

I suppose there are plenty of stories that will tell me how horrible the Stop & Go kit is. Maybe I overstated my opinion but I thought I would add my experience to the pool. I (luckily) haven't had 20+ punctures in the last few years. Usually, I prefer to not repair a tire but this last one (puncture in an almost brand new tire) prompted me to venture into the world of tire patches. From this experience, Stop & Go was the one that lasted. The strings wouldn't last longer than about 10 miles. Maybe I was doing it wrong. Just one vote among many.

 

[johndaub]

Plus like Iggy says you can hook it to your battery tender feed for power.

I was looking at some parts at Whitehorse Gear and they have an SAE (battery tender lead connector) to cigarette lighter adapter. So, I can use it to convert my battery tender lead to a cigarette lighter so that I can use a compressor for the tires. Is a fuse required in the battery tender lead or do the typical small compressors not pull enough to worry about? I do know that they pull enough to blow fuses in the glovebox.

Along this line, is there a way to jump start the bike using the battery tender lead? My suspicion is that this would be too many amps for the small lead.

 

[101stpathfinder]

This is what's great about this forum! I'm getting ready for a 100CCC and you guys have unknowingly

taken care of my flat tire worry.

Slime power sport inflator & sticky strings Thanks