| Carefully check the outside and inside of the tire for the cause of the |
| puncture and remove the cause if it is still there. If the tire is cut, line |
| the inside of the tire in the area of the cut with something handy – tape, |
| a spare patch, a piece of inner tube, a dollar bill – whatever will keep |
| the cut from pinching the inner tube. |
| Either patch the tube (follow the instructions in your patch kit), or use a |
! | new one. |
WARNING: Patching a tube is an emergency repair. Careless patching | |
or applying several patches can seriously weaken the tube, resulting | |
in possible tube failure, which could cause you to loose control and | |
fall. Replace a patched tube as soon as possible. | |
| Reinstall the tire and tube. Slip one tire bead over the rim. Insert the |
| tube valve through its hole in the rim, but don’t secure it with the lock- |
| nut yet. Feed the tube carefully into the cavity of the tire. Inflate the |
| tube just enough to give it some shape. Starting at the valve stem and |
| working around both sides of the rim to the side opposite the valve stem, |
| use your thumbs to push and seat the other bead of the tire inside the |
| rim. Be careful not to pinch the tube between the tire bead and the |
| wheel rim. If you have trouble getting the last few inches of bead over |
| the edge of the rim with thumb pressure, use a tire lever and be careful |
74 | not to pinch the tube. |
|