On the road, when your bike tire gets flattened due to rolling and you don’t have the necessary tools for patching, using electrical tape proves to be an effective makeshift solution.
Here’s the scenario: I enjoy cycling every morning, and one day while riding to the East District, my tire suddenly went completely flat, and I was still six or seven kilometers away from home. Unfortunately, I hadn’t brought any repair tools with me. A kind passerby informed me about a nearby bike repair shop, but to my dismay, upon reaching there, I found the shop closed with no one around. I tried calling the number listed on the shop’s window, but it was turned off.
It was around 6:30 in the morning, and there were no other repair shops nearby. I felt quite helpless. It was then that I noticed some electrical tape on the ground, and it triggered a memory from over a decade ago when I faced a similar situation in a rural area. Back then, I managed to get some plastic bags from an auto repair shop and used them as a makeshift solution to continue my journey.
Recalling that experience, I decided to use electrical tape to seal the flattened area. Surprisingly, it worked well and allowed me to resume cycling after inflating the tire. As I continued riding for over a month, the tape eventually lost its adhesiveness due to the hot weather, leading to another slow leak.
While this emergency solution proved effective for a temporary fix, it has its limitations. After over a month of use, attempting to remove the tape for a proper patch became inconvenient as the adhesive had degraded. Nonetheless, in urgent situations, this method can be a quick and practical way to address a flat tire issue.