This week I’m a bit short on ideas, so I’ll give you all a brief lesson in puncture repair.

It should be something that you should learn somewhere in between walking and talking.

For us at the bike shop, it’s the number one repair that we do. As we are expected to deliver a perfect result each and every time, we always fit a new tube.

We don’t go in for gluing on patches, it takes a while and depending on the rubber content of the tube in question, the patch may not stick sufficiently well. I will though, nonetheless, describe how to make a good job of glueing on a patch.

We’ll assume that you’ve just sustained a puncture. If you’re out on a ride, try to pump up the tyre so that you can cycle home if possible or at least some of the way before pumping again.

If you do notice what’s caused it, a thorn, nail or a piece of glass- Don’t remove it from the tyre yet! At present, it is going some way to plugging the hole.

When you get home, or decide to bite the bullet and mend it, remove what’s causing the puncture, making a careful mental note of where the hole is, in relation to the wheel.

This will help you find the hole faster, and eliminate one of the holes, if you have multiple punctures .It’s possible, believe me. Now I know you are thinking basins of water here, it’s something that comes up in connection with punctures every time.

I once let a group of four Cub Scouts spend 20 minutes telling me where they’d find water in a forest, desert, etc. etc.

Their ingenuity was laudable, but the time would have been better spent mending the puncture, rather than chasing buffalo to the water hole, or building a still to collect condensation. It’s very rare that you can’t find the hole, just blow up the inner tube and run it past your open mouth. You’ll soon feel the escaping air.

To stick a patch on effectively, you should very thoroughly rub down the area around the hole with the sandpaper in your puncture kit.

Then apply a thin layer of glue around the hole, make it a little bigger than the patch. Let it dry, blowing on it helps. Do this once or twice more, and just before the last lot of glue dries, put on the patch.

Make sure that it covers the hole, ideally it should be in the centre. Press it firmly on and allow the glue to dry. Sometimes there is chalk in the kit to dab on.

Here are some handy hints to help:
• If it’s a rear wheel puncture, it usually is, put the chain on the highest gear at the rear (the smallest cog) and the lowest at the front (again the smallest cog). This cuts down on the chain tension and makes taking the wheel out easier.
• Start with your tyre lever directly across from the valve. The tyre’s looser there.
• Check inside the tyre for any remaining bits of thorn or debris, and check that the rim band is correctly aligned.
• Before refitting the tube, put a little air into it, so that it just becomes circular, this makes refitting much easier.
• Never, ever use tyre levers to put the tyre back. Use your hands.
• Don’t tighten the valve stem retaining nut until you’ve pumped the tyre up fully, you’ll need to push it into the tyre to let the tyre settle into the rim before pumping hard.
• The correct tyre pressure is usually found on the side of the tyre wall.
• Always have the bike on its wheels before you tighten the axle nuts or quick release levers.
Unless you’ve undone the brakes, don’t pump the tyre until it’s in the frame.

Braking (hard) News
Land’s End to John O’Groats unicycle record
14 year old Samuel Farmer from Crawley hopes to break the Land’s End to John O’Groats unicycle record! By riding 80 miles a day, he hopes to cover the distance in 11 days and in doing so raise £5,000 for charity.

Rollapaluza goes international
Rollapaluza, you remember the guys that are bringing old time roller racing to the masses, are now offering custom made roller rigs as a franchise. Since they began manufacturing their own rigs, to their own specification and quality standards, it means that where ever you live around the world, you’ll be on an equal footing with other Rollapaluza riders. This opens the door to worldwide live competition.

German City offers cash for bike trade-ins
Mannheim, in Germany, is offering cash rebates to cyclists who trade in their old bikes for new ones. At present, bike buyers get a rebate worth £45, half of this money comes from the City Council, and half comes from a major retailer. It’s hoped that the bikes which are traded in will go to government workshops to be used in the training of long-term unemployed.

• Arthur Lamy is the manager of Boudins for Bikes, in Sand Street, and author of Jersey Cycles. He has spent 15 years as a tourist guide and writer, and is also a keen photographer. More information can be found on his website: www.arthurlamy.com