Bicycle Tyre - Halfords

KatieDee

Hello everybody,

I bought my partner a new bike for his birthday, purchased on the 28th of June. I didn't give him the bike until the 5th of July and he went on his first bike ride on the 28th of July.

Half way through the journey, he noticed the tyre was deflating. Fortunately, he was near the university which had a pump, so he pumped it up and set off on his way.

On the way back, the tyre had completely deflated and as he didn't have a pump, he had to walk back pushing the bike. Silly boy for forgetting a pump!

I called them today and they said I could take the tyre down, they would source the problem and fix it for me, but would charge for the replacement inner tube (if necessary) and the time taken to fix it.

My question is...does this just fall into (very unlucky) wear and tear? This was his first journey, it wasn't a particular bad route and he took care. If he punctured the tyre himself then I wouldn't imagine that Halfords would have any responsibility in replacing it, but I thought I would ask the experts.

Unless clearly running over glass or a nail, I wouldn't expect a bicycle tyre to be deflating after one journey!

Bike cost £220, paid via Credit Card.

Thank you

visidigi

Wear and tear - been out on my bike recently, three punctures out of 6 rides. Lots of people dropping stuff they shouldn't last two were nails of all things...

keyser666

Nope, I would be claiming from them the cost of the inner tube and loss of time and enjoyment

Oh and get some Schwalbe Marathon Plus

KatieDee

keyser666 wrote: »

Nope, I would be claiming from them the cost of the inner tube and loss of time and enjoyment

Oh and get some Schwalbe Marathon Plus

He's a lazy sod anyway...I doubt he would have gone on it more than a couple of times since last Monday, so I wouldn't claim for loss of enjoyment. Just a bit unfortunate that it happened on his first ride!

When I called them, the advisor suggested I bought some "slime", which I assume is the same thing as you're suggesting. I'll definitely look into it!

They said it will cost around £13 to fix the tyre...it's not much but it's still frustrating!

visidigi wrote: »

Wear and tear - been out on my bike recently, three punctures out of 6 rides. Lots of people dropping stuff they shouldn't last two were nails of all things...

Sorry to hear this...three times in six rides is awful! Makes you wonder how they end up on the road...

dandelionclock30

£13.00 to fix a puncture!!! thats way too much.
Never mind slime its crap get some puncture protection tyres on the bike. I've got continental touring plus on my mountain bike. Theres loads of different ones, but they are miles better than standard tyres.

visidigi

KatieDee wrote: »

Sorry to hear this...three times in six rides is awful! Makes you wonder how they end up on the road...

My point was...it happens, nothing major and if its just a puncture hole it'll cost you a few pence for a patch from a kit...

Nowadays any biker should have a spare tube and a patch kit.

I'd recommend chainreactioncycles.com for bits and tool, very very good service.

Retrogamer

It's unlikely the tube has / had a fault but it does happen from time to time.
I usually check the valve first, as they can come loose. It sounds gross, but if you put a bit of spit on the tip of your finger after pumping the tyre up and wipe it onto the valve, you can see if the valve is leaking as it forms a bubble.
Quick tighten up and all is ok if that's the case.

I've done over 1000 miles cycling on 2 different bikes i have the last year but not had a puncture yet.
I always keep a spare tube with me rather than a repair kit though just in case

If it happens again remove the tyre yourself or ask him to and feel inside it for any sharp objects. If the tyre is too soft then hitting bumps or kerbs can cause the rim of the wheel to nip the tube and cause a puncture.

unholyangel

Retrogamer wrote: »

It's unlikely the tube has / had a fault but it does happen from time to time.
I usually check the valve first, as they can come loose. It sounds gross, but if you put a bit of spit on the tip of your finger after pumping the tyre up and wipe it onto the valve, you can see if the valve is leaking as it forms a bubble.
Quick tighten up and all is ok if that's the case.

I've done over 1000 miles cycling on 2 different bikes i have the last year but not had a puncture yet.
I always keep a spare tube with me rather than a repair kit though just in case

If it happens again remove the tyre yourself or ask him to and feel inside it for any sharp objects. If the tyre is too soft then hitting bumps or kerbs can cause the rim of the wheel to nip the tube and cause a puncture.

Can also put it in a bucket/basin/bowl of water and it will show exactly where the puncture is. Mark it with chalk and you know where to put the patch for the repair.

photome

OP
punctures happen, why didnt you repair it yourselves for pennies.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bicycle-Bike-tyre-puncture-repair/dp/B007SJH1IA/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1407218993&sr=8-6&keywords=tyre+repair+kit

other kits are available

as an aside, I had a windscreen replaced (well have at least one every year) not so long back, got to the top of my road with brand new windscreen and got a chip in it. it happens

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

Always carry a spare tube. We only hit difficulty when we have two punctures on a run. And a pump, they are ten a penny!

Retrogamer

unholyangel wrote: »

Can also put it in a bucket/basin/bowl of water and it will show exactly where the puncture is. Mark it with chalk and you know where to put the patch for the repair.

Yeah, i was meaning you can use the saliva method to check the valve when the tyre , tube and wheel are all still fitted to the bike.

I do it every time i inflate my tyres because sometimes the pump attachment will cause the valve to loosen.