Hi guys. Hoping for some advice.
Got a flat today which I'm thinking could be a pinch flat. Rode over a bump and basically went flat instantly. Can't find a puncture site on the tread either so I guess it must be on the inner tube.
My question is, is it worth trying slime to repair or am I wasting my time if it's a pinch flat?
Thx in advance!
You'll want to check the tube first, if it's busted then no amount of slime will patch it up. Get a thick one, and put slime in at the very start if you want.
Replace the tube. 3 minute job.
Had to walk about 6kms the other night rear tube just split. Bikes under a year old but the tube I reckon was cheap crap from China. Noticed they have inner tubes with gooey stuff in them now, no idea what there like.
A pinch flat is likely to be two holes and they are likely to be larger than a normal puncture. Slime is really deigned to stop slow leaks as it needs to find the hole, seep through and seal it up. It is unlikely that slime will seal up a leak that is big enough to go instantly flat.
The best prevention for pinch flats is a properly inflated tyre and avoiding riding over bumps or ensuring you unweight the wheel when you ride over them.
Another alternative puncture protection is a tyre liner, a strip of plastic that fits between your tube and tyre and stops stuff poking through the tyre into the tube, but it won’t stop pinch flats either.
I’d use a tyre liner before using slime. I’ve had good success with Mr Tuffy liners in my commuter bike tyres. I also used slime and thicker tubes on our bikes when visiting Dubbo recently (lots of thorns) and it worked, but I’ll not use the thicker tubes again, they just add weight and didn’t seem to do much without the slime.
Snake oil.
Given that you're writing in the past tense I assume you got home safely so now have the benefit of time within the luxury of your own residence to replace the tube, investigate the puncture in the old tube and patch it up ready for continued service after your next flat.
Flats are an inevitable part of cycling and replacing a tube is a handy skill. Once you remove the inner tube it will usually be pretty obvious where the hole is. Make sure you check on the inside of the tyre corresponding to the area where the tube hole is to remove any offending material.
You could repair it but the repair will likely have a slow leak. An inner tube costs like $10 so it's probably easier to just buy a new tube.