Why we don't use fix o flat

  We just had a bike, that was recently brought in for leaking rims. No fault of the customer; he had bought a nice bike, but the previous owner had used some sort of aerosol tire sealant goop. This stuff should ONLY be used as a last resort; there are many better ways to fix a flat on the side of the road than a corrosive can of snot.
      Let us show you why this isn't a good idea. THIS is the inside of the rim once the tire was removed.
                                                                           

    This was left rolling around inside the tire.
                                                                               

As you may imagine this is not cheap or easy to repair, but we think we salvaged the rims on this bike. We have seen it completely destroy a rim by perforating the aluminum in several dozen spots.

                                                                       
      Is there a better way? We recommend a tire plug gun to fix the hole. We sell and use these, they make for a very good roadside repair with a little practice. You can buy more plugs and use this gun with success for years!
                                                               

There are several ways to get air back in the tire. If a bike has a spare spark plug hole the engine can be used as a compressor to air things back up. The older twin cylinder and four cylinder bikes are especially useful for this. The plugs are easy to get to, and you can start the bike while using the "dead" cylinder as an air pump. Be careful not to over inflate the tire this way. That cylinder makes 150 P.S.I.

If you don't have the old school bike and the mechanic gene; you can easily inflate tires with a CO2 type inflation device. It is safe and easy to use but requires carrying more parts. We recommend the type that uses air gun sized cartridges, though smaller they can be purchased anywhere when replacements are needed.

We stock ALL of these devices and know which ones work best. Stop by to see us and avoid this expensive destructive mess. And, if you MUST use the canned snot as a way to get home. Get the wheel to us ASAP to pull it apart and clean that rim before it begins to corrode.

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