All tips
Tyre loses air
Suddenly flat or slowly soft – causes and quick help.
1. Problem
The tyre is suddenly flat or slowly loses air over several days. With too little pressure, riding is hard work, the tyre squirms and the tube can pinch on the next kerb.
2. Cause
- Puncture from glass, thorns or wire – the object is often still stuck in the tyre
- Pinch flat (“snakebite”): two slits side by side caused by low pressure
- Leaking or loose valve (e.g. the valve insert on a Dunlop valve)
- Worn, cracked tyre or a shifted rim tape exposing a spoke hole
3. Solution
- Pump up the tyre and check the valve with a little water for bubbles
- Remove the tube, inflate it and find the hole (listen, feel or use a bowl of water)
- Important: carefully feel the inside of the tyre and remove the object
- Patch or replace the tube; replace a worn tyre too. Then inflate to the pressure printed on the sidewall
4. Workshop tip
The right tyre pressure prevents most flats – check it once a week. A puncture-resistant tyre (with a protective layer) saves a lot of hassle in city traffic. We usually change tubes and tyres while you wait.
— Bike Haus Freiburg
Matching spare parts
Rather have it repaired?
Come to our workshop at Heckerstraße 27 without an appointment – small repairs are often done right away while you wait.