When everything goes flat and flaccid we need some assistance, whether it’s your unit or your inner tube.  I keep a couple of valve extenders in my ride pouch so when no one has an 80mm valve we can still fix Freddie’s flat. Some valve stems have removable valve cores [figs. 1 & 5].  To [...]

Bicycle Tire Boots:  When your tire is slashed clean through, the inner tube will poke out and burst [1].  When you get a flat from a cut like this you’ll need a “boot” to keep the tube contained when it’s inflated [2]. You can buy pre-manufactured boots [I've seen pre-manufactured boots fail easily] or you [...]

7 flats/28 riders on the Tour d’ FredDiego.  The Mexican had 3. L’UberFred insisted the flats were patch failures. In defense of one of the principles of the Zen of Cycling [i.e., tube patching] and based on sound, scientific observation [i.e., the Mexican takes notes], properly patched tubes experience fewer failures than new tube failures [...]