{"id":309216,"date":"2025-11-27T01:07:20","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T01:07:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/309216\/"},"modified":"2025-11-27T01:07:20","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T01:07:20","slug":"ef-pro-cycling-mechanics-simple-drill-for-roadside-flat-fixes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/309216\/","title":{"rendered":"EF Pro Cycling Mechanic\u2019s Simple Drill for Roadside Flat Fixes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Estimated3 min read<\/p>\n

Flat tires happen; it\u2019s a universal of cycling life. Whether you\u2019re a longtime cyclist or a new rider<\/a>, there is a near one-hundred percent chance you will experience one\u2014and it will probably happen to you sooner rather than later. I can\u2019t even count how many times I\u2019ve punctured while riding roads and trails; surely it must be in the hundreds of flats by now.<\/p>\n

Bottom line: It\u2019s not a question of if you will get flats, but when. (And it\u2019s almost certainly \u201cflats\u201d plural, not singular.) Therefore, knowing how to install a tube<\/a> on the side of the road or trail is a fundamental skill every cyclist should possess. It will save you a long walk to the car, a pricey Uber ride home, or a frantic call to a friend to pick you up.<\/p>\n

\"nearTara Seplavy<\/p>\n

My view from the road about 20 miles after I flatted.<\/p>\n

My most recent puncture happened only ten days ago while riding about an hour outside Girona, Catalonia. After a fun, two-mile descent\u2014on some of the smoothest and best-maintained roads I have ever ridden\u2014I felt my rear tire squirm from lack of pressure as I made a right-hand turn onto a main road. I do not recall riding over glass or thorns, and I was using practically brand-new tires. It\u2019s a prime example that flat tires happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time, and on any equipment.<\/p>\n

I took about ten minutes to calmly replace my tube, eat a snack, and recheck my route on Google Maps before getting back to my ride. However, some riders panic in similar situations. Maybe you\u2019re unsure of your flat-fix skills, or don\u2019t have the right tools on hand. Or perhaps you\u2019ve never changed a tube before or don\u2019t even have a flat kit<\/a>?
<\/p>\n

While in Girona, I dropped by the EF Pro Cycling Team headquarters and met with team mechanics and staff. Each season, EF\u2019s mechanics build and maintain over 400 bikes for the athletes on its WorldTour, ProTour, and development programs. These mechanics swap out thousands of tires across all of the race bikes, training bikes, and spare wheelsets. So, rest assured, they have the process absolutely dialed. <\/p>\n

\"benTara Seplavy<\/p>\n

EF Education Pro Team mechanics assemble and maintain bikes for some of cycling\u2019s top pros.<\/p>\n

I asked EF Pro Cycling Team mechanic Jeff Crombie for his number one flat fix tip. And his answer was surprisingly simple: Practice.<\/p>\n

Crombie recommends setting aside dedicated time to learn the process. He explained that you should \u201ctake a weekend, buy a coffee, buy some chocolate, wash your bike, figure out where everything is, take your tires off, put them back on, take your tires off, put them back on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learning the process at home, when you\u2019re not stressed, is key to mastering flat fixes because punctures have a sneaky way of happening under less-than-ideal circumstances. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be five degrees [41 degrees Fahrenheit], raining, traffic, almost dark. That\u2019s not when you want to learn to do this stuff,\u201d Crombie said.<\/p>\n

\"jeffTara Seplavy<\/p>\n

EF Education Team mechanic Jeff Crombie.<\/p>\n

\"jeffTara Seplavy<\/p>\n

You know you\u2019re pro when you have name decals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He explained, \u201cFind some time. Practice at home when things are calm. And then when it does happen, at least you\u2019re not like, totally freaking out.\u201d Crombie added, \u201cDo that stuff when it\u2019s calm or with a friend. And just don\u2019t try and learn on the road.\u201d<\/p>\n

And why is practicing this seemingly simple skill so important? Crombie had some excellent context: \u201cWell, next time you go on a plane, and ask your pilot, \u2018Is this your first time? Have you done this before?\u2019 Same principle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read the stories below for details on replacing a tube, building the perfect flat fix kit, and more.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udede \u201cHow to Change a Bike Tire and Fix a Flat<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd27 \u201cBuilding a Perfect, Fully-Stocked Flat Kit is Easier than You Think<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udede \u201cHow to Fix a Tubeless Tire Puncture with a Plug in 5 Minutes<\/a>\u201d <\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd27 \u201cA Super Simple Guide on How to Use Tire Levers<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udede \u201cHow to Achieve the Perfect Bike Tire Pressure<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

Member Exclusive: Check Out Our Top Cycling Stories\"Chevron\"Chevron\"Headshot<\/p>\n

As Deputy Editor, Tara Seplavy leads Bicycling\u2019s product test team; after having previously led product development and sourcing for multiple bike brands, run World Championship winning mountain bike teams, wrenched at renowned bicycle shops in Brooklyn, raced everything from criteriums to downhill, and ridden bikes on six different continents (landing herself in hospital emergency rooms in four countries and counting). Based in Easton, Pennsylvania, Tara spends tons of time on the road and trail testing products. A familiar face at cyclocross races, crits, and bike parks in the Mid Atlantic and New England, on weekends she can often be found racing for the New York City-based CRCA\/KruisCX team. When not riding a bike, or talking about them, Tara listens to a lot of ska, punk, and emo music, and consumes too much social media. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"3 min read Flat tires happen; it\u2019s a universal of cycling life. Whether you\u2019re a longtime cyclist or…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":309217,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[138179,138173,138155,138154,138182,49,48,134178,138156,138163,635,138184,138172,28886,138174,58562,112300,138171,138158,138178,138159,138153,413,12207,46286,138183,138157,138175,138162,24879,138185,138164,138177,138167,138169,138160,138180,89331,138170,7413,138165,82,4452,53202,211,138181,138161,138168,138166,138176],"class_list":["post-309216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-avoid-pinch-flats","tag-beginner-cycling","tag-bicycle-puncture","tag-bike-flats","tag-bike-tools","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-catalonia","tag-change-bike-tire","tag-co2-inflator","tag-cycling","tag-cycling-how-to","tag-cycling-maintenance","tag-cycling-tips","tag-ef-education-pro-team","tag-ef-education-easypost","tag-ef-pro-cycling","tag-emergency-bike-repair","tag-fix-flat-bike-tire","tag-flat-kit-checklist","tag-flat-repair","tag-flat-tires","tag-gear","tag-girona","tag-gravel-cycling","tag-how-to-fix-a-flat","tag-install-inner-tube","tag-jeff-crombie","tag-mini-pump","tag-mountain-biking","tag-on-the-road-repair","tag-patch-kit","tag-practice-tire-changes","tag-presta-valve","tag-psi","tag-puncture-repair","tag-rim-tape","tag-road-cycling","tag-roadside-repair","tag-spain","tag-spare-tube","tag-sports","tag-super","tag-superenthusiast","tag-test","tag-tire-casing","tag-tire-levers","tag-tire-pressure","tag-tubeless-tire-plug","tag-worldtour-mechanics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=309216"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309216\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/309217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=309216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=309216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=309216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}