Puncture Repair Tips
The valve and instructions in this article is the Schaeder valve, or what most of us know as the common car tyre valve. There are other types of valve common to bikes and these are the Presta valve (common on race bikes).
First step might be to remove the wheel from the bike or trike, taking care to remember to disconnect your breaks. However if it is a front wheel of a trike that has internal drum or disk breaks, you might just need to "jack the wheel up".
Next, before deflating the tyre fully, if it hasn't done so it self, you could put a bit of water/spit on the valve, if it starts to bubble you might not have a puncuture, but a valve problem. Keep in mind you can actually have both concurrently.
So if you get bubbles in the valve then either tighten the valve or replace it
This is a valve removal tool.
If it is not the valve then the next step is to deflate the tyre by pressing the valve in.
Carefully insert your tyre leaver between rim and tyre, being aware that you can easily pinch or damage the tube if lever is inserted too far.
Working around the tyre with two leavers, ease the tyre off on one side and extract the tube.
Once you have the tube out you should check the inside of the tyre to see if anything is protruding inwards and for any grit or dirt.
You should also check for holes/nicks in tyre, and to see if anything is imbeded in the tyre.
You may want to consider putting a patch on any holes or nicks in your tyre, because grit can enter the tyre and then wear on the tube creating a kind of abrasion puncture.
I found this particularly helpful when I had three punctures within a three week period and was certain I had not run over any object that would penitrate the tyre, punctures stopped after a patch on the inside of the tyre not the tube!
Checking the inside of the rim is important as the puncture could be from this side also. Check rim tape or rubber is covering spoke nipples.
Once you have the tyre out you probably have two things you can do.
One, check the tube by pumping it with air again and listen for where the air is hissing out or hold the tube in water to identify where bubbles are coming from. Both these options I find hard to do on the road, hence the second option.
The second option is to pull out the spare tube you always carry. (Here's one I prepared earlier!!!)
Going with the first option it is often helpful to mark the hole with some chalk. Next, repair the hole according to the patch manufactures instructions. Usually this means you have the tyre dry and clean, then lightly sand paper/metal rasp over the area to be patched, before applying glue and, or patch.
Currently there are glue patches and glueless patches on the market. The glueless do tend to be a bit more expensive, however in my experience they also tend to be a lot quicker to use and with less mess.
To refit the tube into the tyre have one side of the tyre on the rim and push the valve through the hole in the rim, until the tube is snugly up against the rim. The valve should be sticking out straight. Then tuck the tube into the tyre, being careful to keep the valve straight.
Some air (a small amount) in the tube will help it hold shape and will help remove twists and align it. If it seems like hard work when trying to push the tube in, you might need to deflate it a little. An over inflated tube will get pinched as you try to put the tyre back on the rim.
Refit the tyre back into the rim, pushing with your thumbs and being careful not to pinch the tube.
You will get to a point where it is "too hard on the thumbs", start with your tyre levers working towards each other(watch out for the pinching of the tube!)and gently sliding the last section on to the rim.
Well all that sounds like a lot of work, but in practice a tyre change can be done in less than five minutes, and by taking a step by step approach, where you check for what might have caused the flat tyre you can be on the road problem free again.