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We've had a few out on the road between us over the last few weeks - the wet winter taking it's toll! It is amazing though how we find a solution when faced with a long walk! Anybody want to share a few anecdotes/tricks here?

Claire punctured today only to discover her pump didn't work. There's not much to go wrong in a pump and it's usually either the bit that goes over the valve or the seal inside the barrel. If it's the latter then if you unscrew the barrel and pull the piston out you can sometimes massage the rubber seal back into life. If you "gob on it" it helps! Even a partial improvement may allow enough air into the tyre to get you home.

Any more useful tricks out there?

A few years ago two of us attempted a MTB ride around the wolds, having joined a bridleway and ridden for half an hour we came across a stretch running alongside a hawthorn hedge. The hedge had just been cut, the outcome was 4 punctures each ! there were thorns everywhere.

Id read in an MTB magazine that you could stuff your tyres with grass as an emergency repair so we started to pull up the grass!

You can't get the same PSI with grass although it was ok off road for a 100 yards once we hit the tarmac the grass did nt hold out.

We ended up walking.

How many tubes do you carry?

How many tubes do you carry?

I picked up a thorn yesterday at the furthest point in the ride then realised that my *one* spare tube wouldn't inflate. Probably a faulty valve but it was probably quite an old tube and made me wonder how fast rubber degrades over a few years with exposure to heat and cold? If I had managed to inflate it would it have popped straight away anyhow?

I'll be carrying 2 (tested) tubes on the road from now on in addition to a patch kit. I take 2-3 tubes on mtb rides.

I think we've all been there enough to know that the more pertinant question is "How many tubes do your mates carry?"

Like many I'm a 2 tubes plus spare tyre man at this time of year. And have you tried those Park Tools glueless patches? Only problem is the pack is so small you're likely to lose it!

I've managed to bodge a badly split tyre casing by putting a crisp packet between the tube and tyre then inflating to 75% pressure.

I'm also told that you can cut out the punctured bit of an inner tune, tie the two ends together in a granny knot and still stretch the shortened tube into place - would have thought that it would still go down slowly, but may get you home/ to civilisation.

I agree with Andy that the stuff with grass solution just produces silage.

Anybody got any good examples of uses for a zip tie? Of course before the "clipless revolution" a similar list could be generated for a toe-strap!