Talc Those Tires

To ease the process of changing a flat, put talcum powder inside your tire casings and on your inner tubes. The talc acts as a lubricant that makes the tire slide off and onto the rim much easier. It also prevents the tire from sticking to the tube, which can make it difficult to get the tube out of the tire. The cheapest baby powder on the market will do.

Here's the trick

When you buy a new tire, put some talc inside before mounting it on the rim, and turn the tire round and round to distribute the talc. Use enough powder to generously coat the inside of the tire. About two to three tablespoons should do the trick.

When you buy new tubes, immediately take them out of the box and unroll them. Place them inside a paper sack, add a liberal amount of talc and shake vigorously. Then take the tubes out of the sack, roll them back up and put them in heavy-duty plastic food storage bags. They are now ready to go into your seat pack when needed.

Every time you patch a tube, (still patch them if they're not badly damaged), repeat the “tube in the sack” procedure. You’ll need to re-talc the tube after handling, and heavily powder the patched area to keep it from sticking to the inside of the tire.

Using talcum powder on your tires may sound a little strange to you at first, but I've been doing it for years. The truth is, it works. The small amount of time it takes is paid back several fold when you have to change a flat on the road, or even in your driveway.

This tip was submitted by John Wente - a member of the RoadbikeReview.com online community.