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Puncture Prevention
If you are getting more and more punctures it is worth considering why. If you have switched to flinty trails or are riding at the edge of the road in the flints, glass and thorns then this may increase frequency of punctures. Hedge cutting can trigger thorns on the roads or canal tow paths and in your tyres. Put simply, avoid riding through flints, glass, thorns and other crud if it is safe to do so.
Perhaps your tyres are worn out and visibly thin so less puncture resistant or maybe they are in good condition apart from multiple cuts from picking up flints.
Maybe you are riding on lightweight less puncture resistant tyres when reliability is your priority and a heavier less performant but more puncture resistant tyre is better suited to your needs. Your bike shop can advise.
Replacing worn tyres is an easy remedy but you can also check your tyres for flints, glass and thorns on a regular basis and remove any offending items. I say this as the puncture you get today may be from a flint picked up last week that has finally worked its way through the inner tube. Removal of flints from an inflated tyre is hard and the tyre may need to be deflated to facilitate removal of foreign objects.
Tyre pressure is important. Too low is slow, and you are at risk of a pinch puncture when you hit a pothole; pinch punctures occur when the tyre gets squashed onto the wheel rim and the inner tube gets sharply pinched. The resulting hole is a small slit and the tyre deflates very quickly.
Tyre pressure is important. Too high is uncomfortable, and you create a firm platform for flints and thorns to penetrate; an over-inflated balloon is easier to pop than an under-deflated one.
Tyre pressure is a function of your total weight (you, the bike and luggage) and your bike's tyre size and varies considerably so use a tool (https://silca.cc/en-gb/pages/pro-tire-pressure-calculator) to calculate your pressures. If you have a number of bikes or simply want to be able to calculate pressures for others then try one of the many apps such as the one by Wolf Tooth. Try entering different weights in the calculators to see how this affects recommended pressure. It is not unusual for these tools to suggest a pressure that is lower than the minimum pressure value stated on the tyre sidewall.
https://www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/bike-tyre-pressure has some good background if you want to drill deeper. https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/demystifying-tyre-pressure-calculators-how-to-get-the-right-psi-every-time has similar discussion of the considerations.
If you have punctured then make sure you locate and remove the offending item; finding the hole on the inner tube will let you know where the hole in the tyre is as you can use the valve position as a reference; though to do this keep tyre and inner tube oriented as they where when on the bike. If the valve is 12 O'clock and your inner tube hole is 3 O'clock you need to know the tyre punctured at 3 O'clock and not 9 O'clock.
If you don't have a pressure gauge then a track pump is very useful. https://www.cyclist.co.uk/buying-guides/best-track-pumps
Preparation
I assume you are on a solo or group ride in the middle of the countryside, a village green or a town centre, and that you didn't bring your bike stand.
The club rider with an £8k bike won't typically turn their bike upside down. They will lay it lovingly on it's side on soft grass with the derailleur side up then remove the wheel and proceed. Here I'll assume you are happy to turn the bike upside down to rest on saddle and handlebars.
If the rear wheel has punctured then you can optionally start by putting the chain on the smallest outermost cog on the rear wheel which makes wheel removal and replacement slightly easier as the chain will be less of an obstruction to wheel removal. To do this click down a gear or two, lift the back of the bike up and turn the pedals to change up, repeating until the chain is on the outermost rear cog.
To turn a bike upside down start by finding a safe place with a firm but soft base such as a village cricket ground. Yeah, I know. Remove anything attached to the handlebars or the bike including the tools you will use. Reach over the bike and use both hands to grip the bike on two frame tubes just below the centre of gravity with palms facing you. Lift up and the bike will rotate with the dirty wheels away from you ready to be positioned on saddle and handlebars. If you are doing this on rough tarmac and happen to have a saddle cover then you could use that to protect your lovely Brookes leather saddle. To prevent the front wheel and handlebars turning and trapping you lift the bike so the rear is higher than the front; this isn't natural as the rear is heavier but doing so will help keep the front wheel straight.
Dismantle
If your wheel doesn't have a disc brake rotor, or quick release mechanism it might not be obvious which way round the wheel should be replaced; this can be relevant as tyres can be designed to roll in a particular direction and this may be marked on the tyre sidewalls. If in doubt refit the wheel so the tyre tred or directional arrows match the wheel still fitted to the bike.
Loosen the mechanism that retains the wheel. Quick Release, allen key, 15mm spanner, or a security key are all options so have the tool required. Don't go on a group ride with a spare inner tube assuming someone will have the five-sided security key needed to get your wheel off.
Ease the wheel out of the dropouts; you may need to pull back the derailleur if it's the rear wheel. If you have disc brakes it is at this point that you need to make sure no one starts pulling on the brake levers as if they do the brake pads will pop out and it is likely a bike shop job to get them back in. Work in a manner that keeps the rotor of you disc brakes clean and not prone to scratching or bending.
Remove any dust cap and valve nut.
Inspect the tyre to find the cause of the puncture removing any flints as you go. Note the position of any likely causes relative to the valve.
Deflate the tyre then run your fingers round the sides of the tyre pinching as you go to release the tyre bead from the hook of the wheel rim. To create slack and make tyre removal easier use your hands to push the tyre down into the well or valley of the wheel rim and work/pull round the tyre with both hands to create slack at the other side. You start opposite the valve to create slack at the valve. This is where YouTube helps.
At the slack point use one tyre lever to prise the tyre off being careful not to pinch the inner tube. If it is a loose fitting tyre you can use yours fingers to slide the tyre bead off on one side of the wheel. If it's a tight fitting tyre such as Schwalbe Marathon Plus or a skinnier tyre then either try getting more slack or use a second and maybe a third tyre lever. At this point the tyre is still half on the wheel rim and can stay that way.
Pull the inner tube out being careful with the valve; you will need to peel back the tyre at the valve to enable the valve to be removed.
Keeping the tyre and tube aligned, inflate the tube and work your hands around the tube; you will feel the release of air on your hands. For a slower puncture you can rotate the tube close to your cheek or lips which are more sensitive. Having located the puncture lay the tube over the tyre with valve and valve hole aligned and check the tyre removing the offending flint. Be confident you have identified the point of puncture as you will just puncture again. You can run your hands carefully around the inside of the tyre or totally remove the tyre and turn it inside out for closer examination if necessary.
Reassemble
Take your spare puncture-free inner tube and inflate until it just holds it's shape. This makes insertion back on the wheel easier and helps ensure no twists on the inner tube. Take care to put the valve in first then push the rest of the tube inside the tyre ensuring the valve is straight and not being pulled either way. It is easy and understandable to try and insert the valve from the side where the tyre bead is still on the tyre; you will need to pull back the tyre from the side that is off the wheel rim to get the valve in. At this point check that the partially inflated tube is nestled in the tyre with nothing twisted or pinched. Starting opposite the valve use your hands to slide the tyre back on working round both ways simultaneously; the tube in the tyre will naturally roll into the wheel rim valley for larger tyres. I try and finish about a hand span to one side of the valve. You should be able to use your thumbs to roll a loose fitting tyre on doing half an inch at a time. If tight, try creating slack by working the tyre round then as a last resort use tyre levers to finish the job being careful not to pinch the inner tube. Tyre levers are used one way up for removal and the opposite way up for replacement though in theory you shouldn't need them for replacement.
With the tyre on work round the tyre ensuring that it fits consistently with no dips or bulges. Tyres often have lines you can use to help with this. You physically push, bang, slap the tyre down where you see the bulge and pull it out where there is a dip. Inflate a little and go round the tyre on both sides checking the inner tube isn't pinched between tyre and rim. Fully inflate and spin the wheel to check the tyre is on evenly. Correct any irregularities.
Refitting the wheel is a reverse process and if it is the rear wheel you will need to pull back the derailleur and allow the outside cog to snug into the chain. Guide the disc brake rotor between the brake pads which is a narrow gap. The wheel retention mechanism needs to be suitably tight with Quick Release being as tight as you can reasonably make them. Spin the wheel to ensure no irregularities.
Get the bike back on it's wheels by turning it over but starting with hands palm out gripping tge bike frame where you finished when first inverting; so again with the muddy wheels going over away from your body. Get the bike back into a gear you can set off in.
Comments
A soft front tyre will be noticed when turning as the handling will change. A soft rear tyre will feel softer as you hit minor irregularities on the road surface.
Punctured but no tool to remove your wheel? This can easily happen if you took your old bike with the 15mm nuts, or the one with the security key and you forgot to pickup the right tool. If you have a repair kit you can extract the punctured section of tube, repair it and replace without needing to take the wheel out.
When touring I usually fit new tyres before heading out and/or I take a tyre boot to repair a split tyre.
Good positioning as you work on the bike and the wheel can make a job much easier. Watch YouTube videos or look at how your cycle companions manage the various tasks though different positions will work for different bikes and people.
Practice helps as does getting to know your bike. I have heard of someone who set a 2am alarm so she could practice inner tube replacement in the cold when tired all in preparation for a long distance race. Yes, you always puncture towards the end of a tiring ride when it's cold; the fact that it will be raining also is a given.
If in a group it can be difficult dealing with the audience that will gather and the varied helping hands and advice. It is worth having an action plan in place beforehand. If you feel unsure then doing the preparatory parts yourself, having the right tools, then asking for help when it's needed can make it a better experience and people will appreciate you did what you could.
