My Helmz H10 Got a Flat! Changing Tubes on a Bike for the First Time

2016-10-07 Ken

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Bikes, skateboards

What’s that sound coming from the ground?

Sounded like a powerful vacuum cleaner, sort of.

“Oops I did it”

It was the first time I got a flat tire while I was riding but I knew immediately what happened.

There weren’t any bike shops around so I pushed my Helmz H10 home, a nice 30 minute walk.
Lucky I wasn’t that far off.

You don’t want to be riding your bike with a flat cause it’s going to mess up your wheels for good.

On my way home, Hemlz H10 with TT (Tokyo Tower).

What you’ll need to change the tire tubes on the Helmz H10

I thought about taking the Helmz H10 to a bike shop to get it fixed.
But I’ve been riding the bike a lot recently so I thought it would be a good opportunity to learn how to change tubes on my own.

The things you’ll need are:

new set of tire tubes
tire levers
pump

Tire Tubes

I couldn’t tell what tubes came with the Helmz H10 so I got tubes that fit size 700 x 32c tires.
I wanted to fix the flat tire as soon as possible so I got it from Amazon (they deliver the next day).

There were many tubes to choose from on Amazon
I ended up getting the CONTITUBE RACE Race 28 (700C) Wide Presta Valve 42 mm from Continental.

I chose Continentals because one of my favorite sneakers, the Adidas Ultra Boost Uncaged has Continental soles and they grip really good.

Doesn’t slip on wet surfaces and doesn’t make any squeaking sounds.
I’m hoping I get similar quality with the tire tubes.

Tire Levers

I got tire levers from Schwalbe that had good reviews.

Tire Pump

I got the SERFAS FP-200 which also had good reviews.

It’s compatible with Presta, Schrader and Dunlop valves.

I could’ve gone with a cheaper alternative, but because it’s going to be something that I’ll be using for a long time, I decided it was worthy of a decent investment.

The meter is large and easy to read.
I’m liking it so far!

Changing the tire tubes on the Helmz H10

First, find and remove what caused the flat.
I imaged that I had run over a nail or something so I was surprised to find out the true culprit.

A blade of a cutter knife.

It had cut deep into the tube.

The stock tunes on the Helmz H10 were Kenda 700ｘ28/32C.

The valves on these were a little longer than the ones on the Continental.

I persume they’re 48㎜.

The Continentals at 42mm are a little short when installed on the rim and it was a little tight when trying to pump air into them.

If you’re looking for something with the same dimensions as the stock tire tubes, the Panaracers Super Tube should be a perfect match.

Once the tubes are swapped out and the tires are put back on, it’s time to fill it up with air.

I pump it up to 80 psi.

Changed the brake pads on the Helmz H10

I had read somewhere that the Shimano RR5C3 Brake Pads were awesome so I replaced the stock ones while I was at it.

I got the ones that come with the cartridge and the brake shoe “Shimano Brake Shoe set BR-6700 Glossy Cartridge R55C3 Y8G698130“.

The color matches that of the Helmz.

It was easy to install and the only tool that I needed was the TOPEAK Mini 6.

How does it perform?

The difference is subtle, but I do think they work better than the stock ones.

I’ll be carrying a spare tire tube in my saddle bag from now on

I recently got a new saddle bag, the Cannondale Speedster2 M size.

Go see post: “Cannondale Speedster 2 – Perfect Saddle Bad for the Minimalist – A Review”

It’s larger compared to what I was using before so I can now fit a spare tube.
I also have in the bag a canister to inflate the tube.

Other than that I have inside the bag: