What do you do with a punctured inner tube after replacing it at the roadside?
Most cyclists would bring it home and either bin it or patch the tube for future use. They would chuck the inner tube in their back pocket and deal with it later at home. But what if your back pocket is already (almost) full?
Well, there’s a way to fold your used inner tube and store it back in the saddlebag.
Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to do it.
Step-by-step instructions
Estimated time : 1 minute
Step 1. Open up the valve
- Make sure to loosen the small lockring fully to allow every single bit of air to be released.
Step 2. Release all the air
- Give the inner tube a quick roll down towards the valve (similar to how you squeeze the last bits of toothpaste out), pushing all the remaining air out.
- By the end, the inner tube should look flat.
Step 3. Repeat if needed
- It will take more than a single attempt for some, especially if you’re still new to the process.
Step 4. Flip the tube
- You want the valve to be facing outward, towards you.
- Fold the tube in half with the valve near the end.
- Depending on the valve length, add around 20mm to it.
- For example, if the valve is 40mm long, you want it to be approximately 60mm away from the end.
Step 5. Start folding the tube
- Starting from the opposite end of the valve, make sure it’s as compact as possible. You may notice that there is still some air left in the tube.
- As you fold, the air will be pushed towards the valve and released.
Step 6. Tie the inner tube
- Once done, use a rubber band (which usually comes with the new tube) to hold the inner tube together.
- Cover the valve with the valve cover if you still have it to avoid the valve from puncturing the tube.
Step 7 . Replace at home
- If it’s a punctured tube, remember to replace them when you’re home.
- You don’t want to be left with a punctured spare inner tube the next time you puncture.
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