The Handcycling Association of the United Kingdom

_ There is nothing worse than getting a puncture when your hands are wet or cold and there are a range of tools which can make your life easier and get you back on your bike more quickly.

Most cyclists don’t bother to try and patch a tube when out on a ride but just insert a new one. Before doing so, you have to be careful and ensure that whatever caused the puncture, a piece of flint, glass or a thorn, has been removed from the tyre tread or casing. Unfortunately I haven’t found a tool that will do that for you! If you can’t see or feel what caused the puncture, then inflate the tyre before removing the tube and listen or feel for the escaping air – that can help you locate whatever has penetrated the tyre.

To get a clincher off, you need a good set of robust tyre levers. The best have a clip which attaches to a spoke to keep the first lever in place while you use both hands to get the second one in under the tyre bead. The levers need to be long enough to give you some leverage when you come to remove the tyre and tough enough not to break under the strain of a tight fit. My preference is the Topeak Shuttle

_ Then when your fingers are wet or if you are like me and getting older and losing strength in your thumbs, then something to help get the last few inches of the tyre bead back over the rim is more than useful and here I use a VAR tyre lever. When you use it, it seems like it is going to snap but don’t worry, I have been using the same one for over two years and that hasn’t happened.

_ Once the tyre is seated then you have to inflate it and you can use a pump or a CO2 inflater and I prefer the later, as it is much quicker.  You can buy mini pumps that also act as an inflater but I have found that the pump is generally poor and that you are better off with a basic inflater and a good mini pump.

_ When at home there are tools which can do the same job but are generally larger and heavier. Tools such as Park tyre levers, Simpson Tyre Jack and Park Shop Tyre Tool but there are many more you can choose from.

_ In the garage I use a track pump but if you don’t have the balance or abbs for one of them, then you could try the cyclaire where you get your footplate over the device and pull rather than push or a portable car tyre compressor.

There are other devices which can be used to either help prevent or repair punctures but as I have no experience of using them I cannot comment on their effectiveness. They are tyre liners, products such as "slime" or aerosols which purport to repair the hole and also inflate the tyre. If you use any of these types of products and have comment you wish to share, please let me know.