There is nothing worse when you burst your inner tube and do not have any patches with you fix it. Here is an emergency fix for a punctured inner tube, when you do not have any patches and you need to get home this is your last resort. That last point needs to be stressed, as this is an alternative method to the more classic ‘stuff your tyres full of grass emergency method.’ This repair also requires a pair of cable ties. We believe it is always handy to have a couple of these in your bike repair kit, which should always be with you anyway. 

Step 1:

As you would normally, using tyre levers, remove one side of the tyre. 

Step 2:

Carefully remove the inner tube and find the hole. 

Step 3:

Using small cable ties, fasten them tightly on either side of the hole in the inner tube and pull them as tightly as possible. However, be careful not to break the cable ties though. 

Step 4:

Now that the hole is isolated, open it out and stuff the inner tube with anything damp and malleable, some grass or moss would work well. This will not make the inner tube totally airtight, but it will slow the air's escape from the tube as much as possible, which is the aim. 

Step 5:

With the hole in the inner tube tied off and packed with damp, malleable material, we can now re-mount the tyre and inner tube.

Step 6:

It is important you have all your things ready to go before you inflate the tyre, so you can get on your journey as quickly as possible. 

Step 7:

Inflate your tyre, although bear in mind that the more pressure you get into the tube, the faster the air will escape. Therefore, it might be advisable to reach a ‘happy’ medium to get you as far as possible. Get as far as you can with this and then inflate the tube again.

It is possible to ride many miles using this method of inflating the tube, riding on the tyre until the tube deflates too much, inflating the tube again and riding on again as far as you can. It is not perfect but will save you. And with all these roadside fixes, the idea is to get you to a point of safety and then when you get home and need help fixing the puncture please do get in contact with us, we are happy to help.