First-ever flat

[MamaBear]

After 4.5 years of strolling, almost always with an air-tire stroller, I had my first flat today. My husband went into his office to work uninterrupted, and I took the kids out with the Mutsy. At one point, I spotted some broken glass (it was green) and went well around it. Later, I heard a tinkling sound and when I looked back I saw clear glass. Uh-oh.

A while later, after going through a garden, stopping for lunch, etc., I noticed the back right tire was flat. Fortunately, by then we weren't far from my husband's office, and he's got a pump there for his bike, so he re-inflated it for me.

Now we'll have to see if it's gone flat again...

Ah, well. For all the thousands of kms I've strolled with my air tires, I've done well to have not had one before now.

[Bootsie]

Good thing you were near your husband's office!

I've always wondered what I'd do if I got a flat in my sbs double with my twins on one of our far-away-from-the-house walks.

Has anyone ever had flat and been left in a bind away from home?

Does it help to carry an air pump in the stroller basket? Or a patch kit or something?

[arivecchi]

You had a good run! LOL.

[liamsmom]

You had a good run! LOL.

:yeahthat: First flat in 4.5 years? I see this more as a recommendation for air tires than a disadvantage. I am curious to hear if people bring along a pump for outings though.

[MamaBear]

When we travel with our Cam, I pack the maintenance kit in our suitcase, but I never take it along on an outing. I've never carried a tire pump along.

I've been really happy with my air tires, and with this much use and no flat before now, I've no reason to complain. We live near a university, and between partying students and never-ending construction, I've just learnt to watch for sharp objects.

Oh, and it's definitely flat. Gotta get the tire to a bike shop. I'm glad my husband was able to rescue us, but at least the baby is light enough that we wouldn't have been totally stranded. The preschooler just would've had to walk rather than go on the step-up board - that adds a lot of weight to the rear axle.

[ijopint]

:yeahthat: First flat in 4.5 years? I see this more as a recommendation for air tires than a disadvantage. I am curious to hear if people bring along a pump for outings though.


Liamsmom,

Yes, I do bring my air pump, the Icandy Apple basket has a hidden compartment for air pump storage(velco closure). does your Rad has one too?

[liamsmom]

Nope! I just checked.

[sweetsoul99]

I always carry a tiny maintenance kit and small airpump in my Duallie. We get flats frequently in the fall thanks to some nasty thorns that are impossible to see.

Once I had to make DD1 get out and walk home, another time we had a major flat while running with DH, so he ran home and got the car and picked us up.

After that we had "Stop Flat" installed in both the Duallie and Explorer.

[soontobe]

what is "stop flat"?

[MamaBear]

Looks like I'm on a roll.

My husband got the tube replaced on the weekend, so I decided to use the Mutsy for the walk to preschool today. Got just a short way before I realised the other rear tire looked wonky. Took a closer look, but couldn't see what was wrong. Walked a few metres further, then discovered that the edge of the tire facing the chassis was bursting. As in, I could see the tube. I had my eldest get off the step-up board ASAP and brought the UR back home and switched to the Cam.

My guess is that, when I was using the UR before realising that the tire had gone flat, it put some odd pressure on the other rear tire and caused the damage.

{sigh}

But I still love my air tire strollers!

[it's me]

this thread makes me nervous. i've never had a flat. i own 4 strollers and only doesn't have AT.

[MommyAllison]

Our MBUD rear tires go flat on a fairly regular basis, but never from punctures, just from use. When we were using it a lot (daily, or multiple times daily) we'd have to add air once a month. We recently took the MBUD out for the first time since October and didn't realize til we got to our destination and pulled it out of the car that the tires were *really* flat. So thankful for the dinky little hand pump MB includes - and that we had it in the basket! :) It took a few minutes, but made the stroller usable again.