Full guide to fixing flats
12 April 2026
Every week I ride 100+ km with dozens of people at a time. Year after year, I keep seeing how even advanced cyclists sometimes struggle with changing a tyre. Here’s your ultimate guide.
It’s quite lengthy, so you can jump around if you’re interested in a specific part only. But if you come to our rides not knowing any of this, we’ll just leave you behind (joking, but seriously).
It’s quite lengthy, so you can jump around if you’re interested in a specific part only. But if you come to our rides not knowing any of this, we’ll just leave you behind (joking, but seriously).
MINIMAP | Spares — Tubes — Carrying — Changing |
1. SPARES — what to carry with you
The most important, you should always have on you an inflating device:
• mini pump or
• electric pump or
• CO2 cartridge with an inflating head.
A mini pump is my choice any day of the week. The Airbone model I recommended before is still the best thing ever made inflation-wise — the new revision even shaved some weight and is now just 50 grams (I am not a weight weenie, but I like my jersey pockets not sagging).
1. SPARES — what to carry with you
The most important, you should always have on you an inflating device:
• mini pump or
• electric pump or
• CO2 cartridge with an inflating head.
A mini pump is my choice any day of the week. The Airbone model I recommended before is still the best thing ever made inflation-wise — the new revision even shaved some weight and is now just 50 grams (I am not a weight weenie, but I like my jersey pockets not sagging).
Why do I choose that instead of electric pumps or CO2? My testing shows that it takes me 4–5 minutes to pump up a 48 mm gravel tyre to 2 bar / 30 psi, or a 32 mm road tyre to 4 bar / 60 psi. No matter how much faster other types of inflators are, a couple of minutes doesn’t really matter in the real world.
And yes, I do need to workout a bit to pump up manually, but so do I to ride my bike — that’s actually the purpose. The many upsides of a mini pump will become apparent in further comparison, but now — a couple of important things to consider.
And yes, I do need to workout a bit to pump up manually, but so do I to ride my bike — that’s actually the purpose. The many upsides of a mini pump will become apparent in further comparison, but now — a couple of important things to consider.
First, a screwed-on pump head is a good thing, but many people do not like them, because they tend to unscrew valve cores. Well, just screw them in properly with any decent multitool, you’ll never have a problem.
Second, you need to firmly fixate the head/valve against the rim & spokes with the palm of your non-pumping head — otherwise, you risk to bend the valve core stem. Throughout the years I have never had a single issue here, so it’s perfectly doable.
Second, you need to firmly fixate the head/valve against the rim & spokes with the palm of your non-pumping head — otherwise, you risk to bend the valve core stem. Throughout the years I have never had a single issue here, so it’s perfectly doable.
To make this guide complete, there is a similar option to mini pumps that are frame pumps. I do not have personal experience with those, and in my opinion a faster inflation doesn’t outweigh the need to clean up another thing attached to your bike after every little rain.
An electric pump inflates a tyre in 1–2 minutes and doesn’t require any work, but that comes with quite a few drawbacks.
An electric pump inflates a tyre in 1–2 minutes and doesn’t require any work, but that comes with quite a few drawbacks.
First, battery anxiety — if I ride alone, I wouldn’t want to get stranded in the middle of nowhere because I had more than one puncture in a row, and my pump died. This can be solved with a front light having reverse-charging function or your phone acting as a powerbank but this means more cables to carry around.
Sidenote: I also found a power-bank light by Rockbros (on the picture, top) — it has a built-in cable that is so short it can only be used with the light detached, 5000 mAh battery, and what I expect to be the worst light beam ever. Personally I use iGPSport light that looks like the one on the bottom of the picture — it has the same 5000 mAh, reverse charging through USB-C that I use to juice up my GPS on the go, and an okay beam.
Sidenote: I also found a power-bank light by Rockbros (on the picture, top) — it has a built-in cable that is so short it can only be used with the light detached, 5000 mAh battery, and what I expect to be the worst light beam ever. Personally I use iGPSport light that looks like the one on the bottom of the picture — it has the same 5000 mAh, reverse charging through USB-C that I use to juice up my GPS on the go, and an okay beam.
Second, carrying the pump itself — even the smallest electric pumps weigh significantly more and are way larger in size than the Airbone. In a saddle bag, that adds up. You also wouldn’t want to carry one in your jersey as these pumps are not waterproof by design (as they have to suck in air). Also, keeping the battery charged between your rides is another thing to worry about.
Third, it’s consumerism at its worst: a device that costs ten times more than the everlasting Airbone, where the battery will inevitably degrade (and eventually end up in a field), by which time you would be eager to try a newer model — but first will need to waste some time on comparing the options… And for what? A couple of minutes saved once in a blue moon.
Third, it’s consumerism at its worst: a device that costs ten times more than the everlasting Airbone, where the battery will inevitably degrade (and eventually end up in a field), by which time you would be eager to try a newer model — but first will need to waste some time on comparing the options… And for what? A couple of minutes saved once in a blue moon.
Anyway, if you still want it, you should know that if you use inner tubes with plastic valve stems, you should have a separate little hose to connect an electric pump — otherwise it may melt the stem (they get hot!). Also, though personally I don’t care much, be warned that those things tend to be very loud, and many people can’t stand the noise.
A CO2 cartridge is a race day option, really. Even more so than electric pumps, CO2s can inflate only so much before they run out (roughly speaking, one full inflation consumes a full cartridge). Obviously, they are a single-use thing and need to be replaced, adding to the waste.
A CO2 cartridge is a race day option, really. Even more so than electric pumps, CO2s can inflate only so much before they run out (roughly speaking, one full inflation consumes a full cartridge). Obviously, they are a single-use thing and need to be replaced, adding to the waste.
They are a bit heavier than Airbones, and marginally bigger. They get too cold for bare hands when inflating, and you should use a rubber sleeve or something. The CO2 gas is not compatible with some tubeless sealants (tbh, not the best ones anyway), and also it’s better not to keep it in a tube either, as the gas escapes easier than oxygen.
The huge pro of the CO2 is their inflation speed — it’s almost instantaneous, which is valuable in a competition. Other than that, they are a hassle to travel with and are generally not the most sustainable option, so if you don’t race, I wouldn’t bother.
The huge pro of the CO2 is their inflation speed — it’s almost instantaneous, which is valuable in a competition. Other than that, they are a hassle to travel with and are generally not the most sustainable option, so if you don’t race, I wouldn’t bother.
As to other spares, I will try to keep it minimal here.
Unless you have quick-release wheels, you’ll absolutely need an allen key to unscrew axles — usually it’s a 5 mm one. Since you’ll most likely have that in a multitool, pay attention to what other tools are included. As far as punctures, I would recommend both a valve core tool, and a valve extender tool if you have deep rims (those are similar, but different). I use either Pro Performance 13F or Topeak Ninja 16+ — just 80–90 grams and all I need.
Unless you have quick-release wheels, you’ll absolutely need an allen key to unscrew axles — usually it’s a 5 mm one. Since you’ll most likely have that in a multitool, pay attention to what other tools are included. As far as punctures, I would recommend both a valve core tool, and a valve extender tool if you have deep rims (those are similar, but different). I use either Pro Performance 13F or Topeak Ninja 16+ — just 80–90 grams and all I need.
Next, even though I will teach you later on how to change a tyre with your bare hands, some tyres are a tight fit, and if you have those you’d want to have at least one tyre lever to save your fingers. These are cheap plastic thingies that work more or less the same.
And the consumables. We will dig deeper into tubes soon, but other than that I would recommend the following.
And the consumables. We will dig deeper into tubes soon, but other than that I would recommend the following.
For everyone, a patch kit — I always carry one when riding alone in case I puncture the spare tube. Self-adhesive patches take almost no space, but in my experience are a flimsy temporary solution. The ones that come with a small tube of rubber glue make your butyl tube as good as new. Your mileage may vary with other tube types (more on that below) and particular patch sets — there are so many on the market.
Finally, if you’re running tubeless, some sort of tyre plugs can occasionally save you the need to put in a tube, which may turn out a messy endeavor. There are countless options on the market, but in our group’s experience Dynaplug is what just works every single time regardless of how skillful or lucky you are. If that didn’t work, you needed a tube anyway.
Finally, if you’re running tubeless, some sort of tyre plugs can occasionally save you the need to put in a tube, which may turn out a messy endeavor. There are countless options on the market, but in our group’s experience Dynaplug is what just works every single time regardless of how skillful or lucky you are. If that didn’t work, you needed a tube anyway.
MINIMAP | Spares — Tubes — Carrying — Changing |
2. TUBES — choose the right one
A tube is another thing you should always carry — even if you run tubeless. Here I’m only focusing on tubes as a spare. There are three types:
• TPU tubes (left / top row on the pictures)
• latex tubes (teal, pink, and salmon colour on the pictures)
• butyl tubes (always black)
2. TUBES — choose the right one
A tube is another thing you should always carry — even if you run tubeless. Here I’m only focusing on tubes as a spare. There are three types:
• TPU tubes (left / top row on the pictures)
• latex tubes (teal, pink, and salmon colour on the pictures)
• butyl tubes (always black)
TPU tubes are very compact and lightweight which, in theory, makes them a perfect choice as a spare. However, I do not recommend them for that purpose.
First of all, they tend to be too fragile. A TPU is easily destroyed by just rubbing against other stuff if carried in a bag, or even in a pocket together with something else (and reserving a pocket for just a tube kinda defeats the purpose of having a small one). There exist thicker, more durable TPU tubes (blue on the picture), but then they are similar in size and performance to regular ones, only more expensive.
TPU tubes often have plastic valves, which often crack and leak air, and those usually have glued-in, not unscrewable, cores, which is not optimal in some scenarios. Some TPUs have metal valves, but still they tend to have problems around the stem, where it is attached to the tube itself — it’s not rare that they come with a leak there right from the factory.
First of all, they tend to be too fragile. A TPU is easily destroyed by just rubbing against other stuff if carried in a bag, or even in a pocket together with something else (and reserving a pocket for just a tube kinda defeats the purpose of having a small one). There exist thicker, more durable TPU tubes (blue on the picture), but then they are similar in size and performance to regular ones, only more expensive.
TPU tubes often have plastic valves, which often crack and leak air, and those usually have glued-in, not unscrewable, cores, which is not optimal in some scenarios. Some TPUs have metal valves, but still they tend to have problems around the stem, where it is attached to the tube itself — it’s not rare that they come with a leak there right from the factory.
Even if you store your TPU with utmost care, sometimes they have tiny little holes to begin with (leaking slowly). If by the time you need your TPU tube, it’s still intact, you can easily puncture it between the tyre cord and rim during installation. To repair a TPU tube so it wouldn’t leak again, often as soon as on the same ride, you need some luck or really-really know what you’re doing.
Also, TPU tubes are very limited in what size of tyres they can be used in — which makes them way less versatile if it’s not you but your friend who needs a spare. All in all, speaking from experience here — TPU tubes, no matter how good they seem on paper for that, are just an ever-problematic choice to carry with you as a spare.
Also, TPU tubes are very limited in what size of tyres they can be used in — which makes them way less versatile if it’s not you but your friend who needs a spare. All in all, speaking from experience here — TPU tubes, no matter how good they seem on paper for that, are just an ever-problematic choice to carry with you as a spare.
Latex tubes are expensive and leak air so fast that you sometimes need to pump them up closer to the end of a long ride. They are traditionally used for their performance qualities (low rolling resistance), but today they’re not better than good TPUs or tubeless setups in that regard. I never carried one as a spare, but even on paper they look no better than a regular butyl tube for that purpose.
Butyl tubes are the never-aging classic. They are so robust you can pinch them quite hard between the tyre and the rim or even ride on a flat tyre & tube without consequences. A butyl tube can leave forever in your saddle bag and will be as good as new when you need it. They just work and that’s what counts when you have a flat somewhere in the woods.
What to consider when choosing a spare tube.
Butyl tubes are the never-aging classic. They are so robust you can pinch them quite hard between the tyre and the rim or even ride on a flat tyre & tube without consequences. A butyl tube can leave forever in your saddle bag and will be as good as new when you need it. They just work and that’s what counts when you have a flat somewhere in the woods.
What to consider when choosing a spare tube.
First, make sure the valve stem is long enough for your rim depth. Personally, when I’m on my deep wheels I prefer a combination of a regular short stem with a screwed-on valve extender — that way if I need to borrow a tube, even a short-stemmed one will work provided it has an unscrewable core.
Obviously, your tube size better be matching your tyre, but if you use a butyl tube, you can get away with a lot. Not only it can inflate significantly wider than what it says on the tin (or squeeze inside a narrower tyre), but there’s even a lifehack where if you don’t have a patch and punctured twice, you can tie a knot around the hole to isolate it, and the tube will still be usable! Use a 700c butyl tube in a 650b wheel or vice versa? You bet.
Obviously, your tube size better be matching your tyre, but if you use a butyl tube, you can get away with a lot. Not only it can inflate significantly wider than what it says on the tin (or squeeze inside a narrower tyre), but there’s even a lifehack where if you don’t have a patch and punctured twice, you can tie a knot around the hole to isolate it, and the tube will still be usable! Use a 700c butyl tube in a 650b wheel or vice versa? You bet.
Butyl tubes come in lighter-than-regular weights, and I cannot recommend those enough. In my experience, they are practically as robust as the thicker ones, but are significantly lighter and smaller. Maxxis Ultralight are best for road tyres (officially up to 32 mm), weighing just 75 grams, and Continental Tour Light is an uber-versatile choice — at a still-decent 100 grams it fits anything from 28 mm road tyres up to 2+ inch mountain bike rubber.
To make this section complete, I couldn’t care less about all the click-type, fill-more, quick-fill, big-bore, high-flow and other proprietary valves — they do not solve any real problem, but only increase the amount of incompatible standards for pumps. Presta works just fine, but if you really want to have higher air flow, it means you must have wide enough rims to drill them for Schrader. Here you go.
To make this section complete, I couldn’t care less about all the click-type, fill-more, quick-fill, big-bore, high-flow and other proprietary valves — they do not solve any real problem, but only increase the amount of incompatible standards for pumps. Presta works just fine, but if you really want to have higher air flow, it means you must have wide enough rims to drill them for Schrader. Here you go.
MINIMAP | Spares — Tubes — Carrying — Changing |
3. CARRYING — how to take your spares with you
So, you have to carry a pump & tube, and maybe a multitool, plus various small items (listed above or whatever else turns your crank). Style is important for me, so I only consider the following options of where to keep all that — anything else is a faux-pas on a coffee ride :)
If you don’t care about cycling style, you could probably skip this section — although I do have some pragmatic considerations here as well.
Jersey pockets are a very traditional and purist option, but they get too heavy too fast, and especially if your jersey is not race-tight, the sagging pockets are not only ill-looking, but somewhat uncomfortable. For me, around 200 grams feels like the maximum a pocket can hold, which is just enough for an Airbone, light butyl tube, and a tiny multitool.
3. CARRYING — how to take your spares with you
So, you have to carry a pump & tube, and maybe a multitool, plus various small items (listed above or whatever else turns your crank). Style is important for me, so I only consider the following options of where to keep all that — anything else is a faux-pas on a coffee ride :)
If you don’t care about cycling style, you could probably skip this section — although I do have some pragmatic considerations here as well.
Jersey pockets are a very traditional and purist option, but they get too heavy too fast, and especially if your jersey is not race-tight, the sagging pockets are not only ill-looking, but somewhat uncomfortable. For me, around 200 grams feels like the maximum a pocket can hold, which is just enough for an Airbone, light butyl tube, and a tiny multitool.
A saddle bag is a popular choice among pro riders, as it doesn’t affect ride qualities and looks acceptable even on a road race bike — provided it’s compact enough to fit under the saddle, not behind it. I’d ridden a lot with various saddle bags, but not anymore as I hate how nasty they get in the wet, as the rear wheel sprays right across them. They’re a bit of a pain to clean.
Bar bags have been a fashionable accessory that adds nonchalant vibes to any bike. Yes, they are not aerodynamically optimal, and depending on the size, a bar bag may slow you down quite more than just marginally. But that’s exactly the message — I’m fast enough to not care about those couple dozen watts. And practicality is unbeatable: lots of space, easy to access.
Bar bags have been a fashionable accessory that adds nonchalant vibes to any bike. Yes, they are not aerodynamically optimal, and depending on the size, a bar bag may slow you down quite more than just marginally. But that’s exactly the message — I’m fast enough to not care about those couple dozen watts. And practicality is unbeatable: lots of space, easy to access.
One thing, if you run a headlight under your GPS mount, a small bar bag is still doable, but you should pay attention to how everything is interspaced to avoid geometrical incompatibility.
Frame bags. These are the trickiest of the four to pull off style-wise — a fueltank-style bag on the toptube or a bag underneath it may look good on a gravel bike. But most often don’t. Never ever did frame bags of any sort look well on a road bike. But from the practicality standpoint they’re good, so I see a lot of people using them. Again, whatever blows your hair back.
Frame bags. These are the trickiest of the four to pull off style-wise — a fueltank-style bag on the toptube or a bag underneath it may look good on a gravel bike. But most often don’t. Never ever did frame bags of any sort look well on a road bike. But from the practicality standpoint they’re good, so I see a lot of people using them. Again, whatever blows your hair back.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Why do I choose that instead of electric pumps or CO2? My testing shows that it takes me 4–5 minutes to pump up a 48 mm gravel tyre to 2 bar / 30 psi, or a 32 mm road tyre to 4 bar / 60 psi. No matter how much faster other types of inflators are, a couple of minutes doesn’t really matter in the real world.
And yes, I do need to workout a bit to pump up manually, but so do I to ride my bike — that’s actually the purpose. The many upsides of a mini pump will become apparent in further comparison, but now — a couple of important things to consider.
And yes, I do need to workout a bit to pump up manually, but so do I to ride my bike — that’s actually the purpose. The many upsides of a mini pump will become apparent in further comparison, but now — a couple of important things to consider.
© 2022–2026 Alexander Baranchikov · Evgeniia Zhidkova pr DBB Cycling Beograd · DBB™ is protected by law · No cookie analytics here · By submitting any data, you agree to the privacy policy · If you ride with us, you accept the rules
15-second Privacy Policy
When you submit any information via this website, the data that you have provided in Your name, Phone, Email, Address, City & postcode, Country, or any other field (hereinafter — the Personal Data) is transmitted by our Website Provider to a technical email address at our Email Provider, or our Newsletter Provider.
The data transmitted from you to the Website Provider is encrypted with TLS. Our Website Provider is:
Tilda Publishing Ltd. (Ireland)
Privacy Policy: tilda.cc/privacy
Terms of Service: tilda.cc/terms
The data delivered to us by the Email Provider is encrypted with PGP. Our Email Provider is:
Proton Technologies AG (Switzerland)
Privacy Policy: protonmail.com/privacy-policy
Terms of Service: protonmail.com/terms-and-conditions
The data stored for us by the Newsletter Provider is encrypted with SSL or other protocols. Our Newsletter Provider is:
SendPulse Inc. (USA)
Privacy Policy: sendpulse.com/legal/pp
Terms of Service: sendpulse.com/legal/terms
By providing the Personal Data to us you give us your consent for storing, processing, and using it for the purposes of:
• contacting you for the reason said in the submission form via email, phone, sms, messaging platforms where your details are recognised;
• delivering parcels to the street address you have provided via post, express mail, courier services operating in your location.
For those purposes we may have to transmit the Personal Data to third persons: telecommunication and email providers; messaging platform operators; postal, mailing, courier, delivery services. We will apply due diligence in doing so but cannot accept responsibility for the Personal Data out of our possession.
The data collected by us is only stored in an accessible way for as long as necessary for the respective purpose for which a particular piece of data has been collected. At the end of any non-individual email from us, we place a link to unsubscribe. In any case, you can write to a@dbb.rs that we must delete your Personal Data.
The data transmitted from you to the Website Provider is encrypted with TLS. Our Website Provider is:
Tilda Publishing Ltd. (Ireland)
Privacy Policy: tilda.cc/privacy
Terms of Service: tilda.cc/terms
The data delivered to us by the Email Provider is encrypted with PGP. Our Email Provider is:
Proton Technologies AG (Switzerland)
Privacy Policy: protonmail.com/privacy-policy
Terms of Service: protonmail.com/terms-and-conditions
The data stored for us by the Newsletter Provider is encrypted with SSL or other protocols. Our Newsletter Provider is:
SendPulse Inc. (USA)
Privacy Policy: sendpulse.com/legal/pp
Terms of Service: sendpulse.com/legal/terms
By providing the Personal Data to us you give us your consent for storing, processing, and using it for the purposes of:
• contacting you for the reason said in the submission form via email, phone, sms, messaging platforms where your details are recognised;
• delivering parcels to the street address you have provided via post, express mail, courier services operating in your location.
For those purposes we may have to transmit the Personal Data to third persons: telecommunication and email providers; messaging platform operators; postal, mailing, courier, delivery services. We will apply due diligence in doing so but cannot accept responsibility for the Personal Data out of our possession.
The data collected by us is only stored in an accessible way for as long as necessary for the respective purpose for which a particular piece of data has been collected. At the end of any non-individual email from us, we place a link to unsubscribe. In any case, you can write to a@dbb.rs that we must delete your Personal Data.