Rear tyre, slow puncture, which was surprising as we know the tyres run at 90PSI.
Wheel removal was not too bad, although the wheel nuts are a problem, two 10mm spanners on each nut and turn, one side slackened the other held fast. Used mole grips to hold wheel a for the other nut, protecting the wheel as best as I could with bits of paper folded between grips and actual wheel.
Had to remove brake band fixing screws first and movd the band out of the way, gently separated the sides of the 'gear box' so as the wheel axle dropped slightly in to it, and hooked off the final drive chain off the sprocket and over the end of the axle, then slotted out the wheel.
I used motorcycle tyre irons to get the tyre over the side of the wheel and worked out the tube. Trick is to pinch the tyre at the opposite side of to where you are going to insert the irons, this pushes that side into the wheel and lets the pressure off the side you are trying to work with the tyre irons. Found the smallest of pin pricks in the tube under the valve, in the inside of the tube, (next to the axle), I discovered a grain of sand had worked its way I assume past the valve and under the tube where it did its worst. A pin prick but enough!
Used a modern puncture repair kit to patch tube, holding well as the glue that came with the kit seems to be a rubber solvent a seemed to melt the surface of the tube and the patch, welding them together rather than gluing.
Tucked in the partial inflated tube, not much air needed just enough to give the tube some rigidity, this also forces the tube into the tyre and saves you nipping the dammed thing when trying to get the rest of the tyre back on the wheel. At this point the same nip the tyre the opposite side as the irons technique is employed and a little liquid soap on the tyre edge this helps the beading to slip over the wheels edge. Use talcum powder to coat the inside of the tyre, helps to avoid the tube sticking to the inside of the tyre. I put the valve through the hole and mad sure it was positioned before I tucked the rest of the tube in.
I fully inflated the tyre before I refitted the wheel to the bike.
So far so good, as they whee is staying up. I have to say the whole process takes a lot of time, and can be as frustrating as...
Not some thing I would wish to have to do very often, well at least the intervals would need to be say yearly. Not a road side job! Unlike a 'normal bike'. Although I dare say it could be done.
Interesting to see how it lasts.
How will you know you have a rear flat. Well you will start to huff and puff at the effort the nonexistent hill is taking, the rear of the bike will have a small wiggle from side to side and then the bike will come to a stop as the effort of peddling will be too great to actually do. Well it did with me
For a video on this follow this link:
http://abikesupport.ning.com/video/vide ... :Video:226
Mucklegipe.
