Prevent a flat tire -- before you ride!

No one wants a puncture. But sure as tires contain air, they lose it sooner or later. You can help make it later by doing two things before leaving your driveway.

First, pump tires to proper pressure.

Uncle Al has ranted about this several times. He's concerned about comfort, bike handling and tire life, but proper pressure also prevents pinch flats (known as "snakebite" flats).

These flats happen when you bang into something hard, such as a rock, lip of a pothole or railroad track. The sharp impact mashes the tire against the rim. The tube gets pinched, causing two small side-by-side holes that look like fang marks.

Prevent this type of flat by airing 700x23C tires to 90 psi front and 95 psi rear, slightly more if your tires are narrower or you're heavy.

Second, inspect the tread before every ride.

Most punctures don't happen instantaneously. Instead, something sharp sticks to the tread and works through to the tube during numerous wheel revolutions.

Find those bad boys before they do you in. Before riding, spin each wheel and use your gloved palm to brush the tire. Watch for anything in the tread -- glass, gravel, a thorn tip, etc. Pop it out with your fingernail or the corner of a small screwdriver blade.

For the same reason, it's smart to spin the wheels and brush the tires after a rest stop -- especially if you rolled your bike across an unpaved area.

Tip! When servicing your bike in a repair stand, get close and use a flashlight to inspect each tire all the way around. You'll find shards in the tread and anything else that's a potential problem. This is extra important in winter if you live where they spread gritty stuff on the roads. Do it often to limit ice-cold episodes of fixing flats with freezing fingers.