Roadside breakdowns - The most common problems [How-To]

Having a breakdown somewhere along the way on your road bike? You are certainly not the only one. Every cyclist will sooner or later encounter technical failure along the road. That is why it is important that you always have spare parts and the right tools with you. In this blog, we explain what you can do and what you need for the most common problems on the road. That way, you can get back on the road for a lot of miles quickly!

Travel essentials

In addition to sufficient food and drink, of course, it is wise to carry the following items and tools with you by default during your bike rides:

• Hand pump or CO2 pump
• Multi tool with chain breaker
• Inner tube (consider the right valve length)
• Bandenlichters
• Tyre patches
• Derailleur hangers
• Chain link

What can you do in case of the most common problems on the road?

• What can you do in case of a flat tyre?
• How do you inflate your bike tyre?
• What can you do in case of a broken chain?
• In the case of a broken derailleur pad, what can you do?

What can you do in case of a flat tyre?

Unfortunately, punctures are simply a part of cycling. When you get a puncture, replacing the inner tube is the easiest and most logical option.

What do you need to replace your inner tube?

• An inner tube in the right size
• Tyre levers
• Tyre patches (optional)

How do I replace my inner tube?

First, you will need to remove the flat tyre from the rim. How to do this is shown in the pictures below. Once you've done this, you can choose to patch your old inner tube or fit a new one.

How do you repair a flat inner tube?

Going to patch your inner tube? Then you can follow the instructions below.

How do I fit my new or patched inner tube?

Once your inner tube is patched or if you have opted for a new tyre, you can refit the inner tube. You can see how to do this in the photos below.

How do you inflate your bike tyre?

There are two ways to inflate your tyre, either with a mini pump or a CO2 pump.

Inflating your tyre with a hand pump

The most common way to inflate your road bike tyres on the road is with a mini pump. These pumps are simple to use and easy to take with you in, for example, your back pocket or saddle bag. You can also attach them to your bike with a clip that comes with the pump. A mini pump is user-friendly and most mini pumps work the same way.

First, you open the valve and attach the mini pump. Mini pumps can have two types of connections to the valve, either via a pump tube or with a direct connection. Next, you can start manually inflating your tyre.

Inflating your tyre with a CO2 pump

How do you use a CO2 pump?

Besides your CO2 pump, you will also need a CO2 cartridge (usually 12 or 16 grams for road bikes).

1. Screw the cartridge onto the pump so that it pokes through the membrane of the cartridge.
2. Then turn or press the pump on the open valve.
3. Now open the tap to let the air out.
4. Do this gently first if you want to inflate the inner tube only slightly. Then you can remove the pump from the valve (with the valve closed).

What can you do in case of a broken chain?

It is always possible that your chain breaks or your chain link snaps. On road bikes, this is very uncommon. Still, it can happen that in a full sprint you just overload one of the links. Don't worry, you can easily fix this yourself.

How do I repair my broken chain?

1. Grab your chain breaker tool.
2. Move the pin on the link you want to remove. You need to punch off the outer plates.
3. Now screw the chain breaker until you cannot go any further. If all goes well, the pin falls out. Screw the pin back. Now the two outer plates will also fall off.
4. Before fitting the new chain link, make sure the chain properly passes through the front derailleur.
5. Now put the two parts of the chain link through the chain and pull the chain apart. This will close the link.

Want more information on replacing your bike chain? Then read our blog.

In the case of a broken derailleur pad, what can you do?

In case of a fall, there is a chance that your derailleur hanger breaks of bends. The advice of bringing a spare hanger with you is therefore perhaps going a bit far. But are you a real control freak or going on a cycling holiday? Then it is no superfluous luxury. It allows you to reallign the derailleur after a crash.

In case your derailleur hanger breaks on the way, as a last resort, you can shorten the chain so that it is tight enough for one gear. That way you can still cycle home.

Some more useful tips in the event of roadside incidents

• You can always use the wrapper of an energy bar or a banknote to temporarily repair a crack in your outer tyre. Put the wrapper between your inner and outer tyre, this will keep air from escaping your inner tyre.
• Has your bike been damaged in a crash? Never immediately screw or bend everything back into place. Always do this by using an Allen key (from your multi-tool) to loosen everything and then put it back in place properly. This will prevent damage to your expensive (carbon) frame or parts.

Do you have any tips of your own for road bike breakdowns? Leave them in the comments!