Spend enough time around bikes and you’re sure to have a few flat tires. Whether you are an avid cyclist or an occasional rider, it pays to know basic bike maintenance, including how to patch a bike tire.

By keeping a patch kit on hand, you may be able to save the cost of replacing a bike tube—and spare yourself a long walk home. 3Birds Template is here to make sure you now who to use your patch kit if circumstances require it. 

Remove the Wheel

Before you can patch your bike’s tire, you have to remove the wheel. This is typically easier if you turn the bike upside down. To remove the wheel, you will have to release the brakes and then remove it from the axle. Your wheel axles may use quick-release levers or bolts. When removing the back wheel, be careful not to tangle it in the chain.

Check for Tire Damage

Before reaching for your patch kit, take a minute to look for signs of tire damage. If you ran over something sharp it may have punctured the tire and the inner tube then simply fallen out. But if there is something sharp still embedded in the tire, it could damage your patched bike tube all over again.

Remove the Tire

When you patch a bike tire, you actually need to repair the tube that runs inside of the tire itself. To get to the inner bike tube, you have to remove the tire from the wheel rim. Deflate the tire and use a plastic lever (or two) to carefully separate the tire from the rim. It’s best to use tire levers on a part of the wheel away from the valve.

Find the Source of the Flat

Once the tube is out of the tire, you can pump it up to find the leak. It should be pretty easy to spot where the air is leaking out. If the hole is very big, or the valve has torn away from the tube, you will need to replace the whole tube instead of patching the hole.

Patch the Tube

If the hole is small enough to patch, open up your patch kit and follow the included instructions. Typically, the steps will start with prepping the area by cleaning it, drying it, and roughing it up with some sandpaper. Next, you apply the glue and wait a few minutes so it will be tacky and have a better grip on the patch. Finally, press the patch in place and cover the area with talc after the patch has set.

Attach the Tube and Tire

Inflate your patched bike tube just a little to give it shape (and make sure it has stopped leaking). Then, slip it inside the tire. Put the tire and inner tube back on to the wheel rim, starting with the valve. Make sure the valve stem is straight and work your way around both sides of the tire until it is back on the wheel. Check that the tube is not caught between the tire and rim, then slowly inflate the tire.

Reattach the Wheel

After your tube is patched and back in place under the tire, it’s time to reattach the wheel to your bike. All you have to do is reverse the steps you used to take the wheel off the bike before the repair. Make sure the axle bolts or quick-release levers are securely replaced, and don’t forget to reattach the brakes as well. Now that your bike is back in one piece, you are ready to flip it over and get back on the road.