Emergency tire boot ideas

"Michael Press" wrote ...

Quoted message said:

I'll definitely buy a real tire boot tonight when I get a replacement
tire, but I was wondering what else I could have used as an emergency
tire boot. Today was recycling day (I was riding through a
residential neighborhood) so I had quite an array of products from
which to choose.

I'm curious what creative solutions people have come up with in the
past. I might actually need to use one of these ideas on my ride home
tonight. This is a Continental Sport 1000 700x23c tire with about
half its tread life left, though of course it's trash as soon as I get
home.

Thanks,
Michael

I carried a roll of duct tape and a few Park tire boots on my last tour. The
Park boots took up less room, the duct tape worked a lot better (and I could
have used it for other stuff had the need arisen).

I've also used dollar bills, which made for a good story later on when I
spent the dollar bills.
--
mark

Michael Press <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I'm curious what creative solutions people have come up with in the
past. I might actually need to use one of these ideas on my ride home
tonight. This is a Continental Sport 1000 700x23c tire with about
half its tread life left, though of course it's trash as soon as I get
home.

Dollar bills work well, especially when crisp. Also, mylar wrappers from
energy bars work well (eat the bar first).

"Michael Press" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Got my first flat today in over 5 years (don't actually remember the
last flat I got on the road, might even be 10 years). That ends my
streak of 10 or 15,000 miles without a flat on the road.

I rode through some finely ground glass on a fast downhill. After
carefully inspecting the tire, changing the tube and pumping up the
new tube I noticed that the tire sidewall had been slashed (it closed
up when the tube was uninflated so I didn't notice it on my
inspection). I didn't have a tire boot, so I used a Park glueless
patch. It held enough to get me the last 5 miles to work.

I'll definitely buy a real tire boot tonight when I get a replacement
tire, but I was wondering what else I could have used as an emergency
tire boot. Today was recycling day (I was riding through a
residential neighborhood) so I had quite an array of products from
which to choose.

I'm curious what creative solutions people have come up with in the
past. I might actually need to use one of these ideas on my ride home
tonight. This is a Continental Sport 1000 700x23c tire with about
half its tread life left, though of course it's trash as soon as I get
home.

Thanks,

Tyvek. Cut the flap off a Tyvek envelope with the adhesive still protected.
Cut into several pieces. The adhesive helps you position it. Put on a couple
of layers and depending on size of the cut and location it may be good for
the balance of tread life. A Fed Ex shipping envelope will get you one no
charge.
Bill

Quoted message said:

Michael

"Michael Press" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
Snippage..

Quoted message said:

I'm curious what creative solutions people have come up with in the
past. I might actually need to use one of these ideas on my ride home
tonight. This is a Continental Sport 1000 700x23c tire with about
half its tread life left, though of course it's trash as soon as I get
home.

Thanks,
Michael

Michael-

A dollar bill was the old emergency standby, but with the advent of Tyvek I
find wiser ways to spend my dollars. I use the stuff now for permanent boots
because it's so tough - better than the conventional boots in my estimation.
For big splits it's advisable to double or triple fold the boot.

Tyvek seems to come in many forms - USPS envelopes, fishing/hunting
licenses, the numbers you pin to your jersey during a ride or race, and
gen-u-wine Tyvek scraps pilfered from a construction site.

Some use duct tape, but I think it's overkill for most slits and splits. No
adhesive is necessary as the pressure will hold the boot in place.

Don't be too hasty to throw the tire away.....

Regards,

Tom

p.s. - don't try using a business card for a boot ;^)......

"mark" wrote: (clip) Park boots took up less room, the duct tape worked a
lot better (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Wrap a length of duct tape around the handlebar or bike frame somewhere.

Michael Press said:

Got my first flat today in over 5 years (don't actually remember the
last flat I got on the road, might even be 10 years). That ends my
streak of 10 or 15,000 miles without a flat on the road.
I rode through some finely ground glass on a fast downhill. After
carefully inspecting the tire, changing the tube and pumping up the new
tube I noticed that the tire sidewall had been slashed (it closed up
when the tube was uninflated so I didn't notice it on my inspection). I
didn't have a tire boot, so I used a Park glueless patch. It held enough
to get me the last 5 miles to work.
I'll definitely buy a real tire boot tonight when I get a replacement
tire, but I was wondering what else I could have used as an emergency
tire boot. Today was recycling day (I was riding through a residential
neighborhood) so I had quite an array of products from which to choose.
I'm curious what creative solutions people have come up with in the
past. I might actually need to use one of these ideas on my ride home
tonight. This is a Continental Sport 1000 700x23c tire with about half
its tread life left, though of course it's trash as soon as I get home.
Thanks, Michael

I have improvised boots out of scrap material I found on the side of
the road. One was some sort of rubber coated fabric, about 1/16" thick
(1.5 mm). Another was a scrap of denim. Anything that is tough to rip
works well.

Tires with monir cuts can be repaired for training by using bits of old
tire casing. Cut the beads off and buff the tread away, trimming a boot
2-3" long (5-8 cm). Prepare the tire by buffing an area a bit larger
than the boot.Coat mating surfaces with contact cement and carefully
glue the parts together. Dust with talc powder and train away. I have
repaired 1/4-3/8" (6-9 mm)cuts with great success. This works best on
sidewall cuts since the rolling squirm tends to open tread cuts.

--

Michael Press said:

I'll definitely buy a real tire boot tonight when I get a replacement
tire, but I was wondering what else I could have used as an emergency
tire boot.
This is a Continental Sport 1000 700x23c tire with about
half its tread life left, though of course it's trash as soon as I get
home.

Save a short piece of it with the beads cut off; now you have a free tire
boot.
--
David Damerell <[email hidden]> Kill the tomato!

Michael Press said:

I'll definitely buy a real tire boot tonight when I get a replacement
tire, but I was wondering what else I could have used as an emergency
tire boot. Today was recycling day (I was riding through a
residential neighborhood) so I had quite an array of products from
which to choose.

The classic is a banknote; the paper tends to be quite a bit stronger
than you might expect. I've seen leather, part of an old tire
sidewall, a piece of the netting from the back of a summer-weight golf
cap, a piece of stiff canvas, and a piece of a plastic milk jug used,
with varying degrees of success.

I've also seen a sidewall gash that was sewn shut and taped over with
twill fabric tape similar to tubular base, and the tape coated with
silicone rubber, which was still holding and functional some 8 months
after the fact. It was on a 26" smooth-tread cruiser tire, where
there's more room for such surgery.

--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Surrealism is a pectinated ranzel.

Keep an extra loop or two of electrical tape at the end of your
handlebars to keep the cork from unwrapping. When you have tire
problems, or any other problems, just unroll some of your extra
electrical tape and fix whatever needs fixing. I've patched several
tire sidewalls this year using my extra electrical tape. And fixed a
hole in the rim tape too.

Michael Press <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Got my first flat today in over 5 years (don't actually remember the
last flat I got on the road, might even be 10 years). That ends my
streak of 10 or 15,000 miles without a flat on the road.

I rode through some finely ground glass on a fast downhill. After
carefully inspecting the tire, changing the tube and pumping up the
new tube I noticed that the tire sidewall had been slashed (it closed
up when the tube was uninflated so I didn't notice it on my
inspection). I didn't have a tire boot, so I used a Park glueless
patch. It held enough to get me the last 5 miles to work.

I'll definitely buy a real tire boot tonight when I get a replacement
tire, but I was wondering what else I could have used as an emergency
tire boot. Today was recycling day (I was riding through a
residential neighborhood) so I had quite an array of products from
which to choose.

I'm curious what creative solutions people have come up with in the
past. I might actually need to use one of these ideas on my ride home
tonight. This is a Continental Sport 1000 700x23c tire with about
half its tread life left, though of course it's trash as soon as I get
home.

Thanks,
Michael

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Got my first flat today in over 5 years (don't actually remember the
last flat I got on the road, might even be 10 years). That ends my
streak of 10 or 15,000 miles without a flat on the road.

I rode through some finely ground glass on a fast downhill. After
carefully inspecting the tire, changing the tube and pumping up the
new tube I noticed that the tire sidewall had been slashed (it closed
up when the tube was uninflated so I didn't notice it on my
inspection). I didn't have a tire boot, so I used a Park glueless
patch. It held enough to get me the last 5 miles to work.

I'll definitely buy a real tire boot tonight when I get a replacement
tire, but I was wondering what else I could have used as an emergency
tire boot. Today was recycling day (I was riding through a
residential neighborhood) so I had quite an array of products from
which to choose.

I'm curious what creative solutions people have come up with in the
past. I might actually need to use one of these ideas on my ride home
tonight. This is a Continental Sport 1000 700x23c tire with about
half its tread life left, though of course it's trash as soon as I get
home.

dollar bill. Tyvek envelope, like fedex and other carriers use. Duct
tape. You can usually get one of these items to get you back on the road.
------------
Alex

The standard boot is a folded dollar bill, because there is always
someone who carries one, or any other bill that you want to use as
boot. You should not use anything that stretches or flexes too much.
Candy wrappings work well too. I have used pieces of plastic cups,
candy wrapping, bills and pieces of folded deming or other cloth with
great success. Once I put on a boot I'll leave it there forever. I
sometimes tape them with duct tape and forget about them.

Andres

Michael Press <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Got my first flat today in over 5 years (don't actually remember the
last flat I got on the road, might even be 10 years). That ends my
streak of 10 or 15,000 miles without a flat on the road.

I rode through some finely ground glass on a fast downhill. After
carefully inspecting the tire, changing the tube and pumping up the
new tube I noticed that the tire sidewall had been slashed (it closed
up when the tube was uninflated so I didn't notice it on my
inspection). I didn't have a tire boot, so I used a Park glueless
patch. It held enough to get me the last 5 miles to work.

I'll definitely buy a real tire boot tonight when I get a replacement
tire, but I was wondering what else I could have used as an emergency
tire boot. Today was recycling day (I was riding through a
residential neighborhood) so I had quite an array of products from
which to choose.

I'm curious what creative solutions people have come up with in the
past. I might actually need to use one of these ideas on my ride home
tonight. This is a Continental Sport 1000 700x23c tire with about
half its tread life left, though of course it's trash as soon as I get
home.

Thanks,
Michael

Michael Press <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...
SNIP> >> > I'll definitely buy a real tire boot tonight when I get a
replacement tire, but I was wondering what else I could have used as an
emergency tire boot.>>>

I use the USPS Priority Mail envelopes that are made of Tyvek material. They
are free, very durable, and one envelope makes more than enough boots for
you and your fellow riders to all have one in their bike bag in case of
emergency.

Plus, having a USPS article on your bike may help you ride like Lance ;-)

Frank

Leo Lichtman said:

"mark" wrote: (clip) Park boots took up less room, the duct tape worked a
lot better (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Wrap a length of duct tape around the handlebar or bike frame somewhere.

Hi, I stick a piece of duct tape and a piece of masking tape, on the
underside of my seat bag. Just recently, I used the duct tape to boot a
tire and a small piece of the masking tape to mark the spot, on the
wheel. It was just for ease, to inspect a small gouge that was made to
braking surface, when tire was destroyed. I don't know what I hit, but
it opened up my sidewall on a Conti Force tire, with 400 miles on it.

Life is Good!
Jeff

"frank121" wrote: (clip) Plus, having a USPS article on your bike may help
you ride like Lance ;-)
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Only if it's a Trek.

Use a piece of a Tyvek envelope. Any Post Office. Many office dumpsters, If
yer not proud. Sometimes you'll see a piece of "non-woven" or "engineered"
filter fabric Trade name "typar"sticking out of a fresh embankment or around
new construction, where it's called Dupont Housewrap. Both materials almost as
strong as the native tire carcass, very thin and light. I have used the first,
and have known others to use the second

"Michael Press" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Got my first flat today in over 5 years (don't actually remember the
last flat I got on the road, might even be 10 years). That ends my
streak of 10 or 15,000 miles without a flat on the road.

Five years without a flat tire??? You must lead a charmed life! Butfor an
emergency boot, carry a section from a worn out lightweight tire, preferably
a tubular, rather than a clincher tire. An emergency boot can be a folded
dollar bill, or almost any non-stretchable material.

Clarke--
Clarke and Leslie Stanley
San Luis Obispo, California

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]
says...

Quoted message said:

"Michael Press" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Got my first flat today in over 5 years (don't actually remember the
last flat I got on the road, might even be 10 years). That ends my
streak of 10 or 15,000 miles without a flat on the road.

Five years without a flat tire??? You must lead a charmed life! Butfor an
emergency boot, carry a section from a worn out lightweight tire, preferably
a tubular, rather than a clincher tire. An emergency boot can be a folded
dollar bill, or almost any non-stretchable material.

currency makes an even better emergency boot when it is plastic like in
Australia.

For tire boot material-

If you're not carrying anything with you (no powerbar wrappers, no dollar
bills, etc), then

#1: Handlebar tape. Just remove a section (this assumes you're on a road
bike) from your bars.

#2: The box the tube came in. This came in handy for me once; I had to
ride out a flat at high speed on a twisty descent, and by the time I was
able to stop, the sidewall was shredded in quite a few places. I probably
tore the box up into 20 pieces in order to plug the holes enough to get
home.

To prepare ahead of time-

Slap a piece of duct tape underneath your saddle. It will stay there nicely
for a long time.

Keep your tube in its cardboard box, in case you run into a problem where
you need a *lot* of boot material! Just keep in mind that you can't boot a
large area with something as insubstantial as cardboard.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

Michael Press said:

I was wondering what else I could have used as an emergency
tire boot.

Nearly any roofing company, or roofing supplier, will have scraps of
EPDM and/or other rubber/plastic sheet roofing materials, or "ice
and water shield" which is an adhesive-backed rubber/asphalt sheet
product that should work well (mostly available with sand on the
non-adhesive side, which is no good, but the smooth ones are fine).
I gave my .060 EPDM boot material to a rider last night who rode 35
miles on it without any problem.

I must remember to replace that in my patch kit.
--
Rick Onanian