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Zen and the art of bicycle puncture repair
March 20, 2025
There is, in our contemporary existence, a distinct unease in finding oneself stranded - the cancelled Uber, the buffering screen, the forgotten password. It is the horror of enforced helplessness, the creeping suspicion that self-sufficiency has been quietly abolished.
The puncture, then, is a test. A kind of initiation. A small act of resistance against the prevailing notion that a human being should be unable to function without an app and a direct debit.
That’s not to say a puncture is ever welcome; a perishing sigh from the rubber, the tell-tale instability...the sense of deflation is instantaneous.
In such a situation, those with ETA Cycle Rescue may call on us day or night for recovery. Others will reach for their tyre levers with a quiet resolve.
The puncture fixing ritual is ancient, practised in draughty sheds and windswept roadsides - in the kitchens of the unashamedly practical. Remove the wheel, unseat the tyre, extract the tube - these are the steps, performed with the solemnity of a watchmaker disassembling a timepiece (albeit with more cursing). Submerge in water if available, or, failing that, bring your face close - feeling and listening for the hiss of escaping air.
The repair glue stinks, fingers may blacken, but within minutes you will be back on the road.
Fixing your own puncture is a reminder: Autonomy still exists. Not everything must be outsourced. Not everything must be automated. Not everything must be locked behind a paywall. In an era of captive audiences and frictionless transactions, the bicycle and its small demands - this tactile, mechanical intimacy - remain gloriously, defiantly free.
Win a puncture repair kit
We have a puncture repair kit including patches, a Mini Dual pump, Folding X-Tool+ and Shuttle Levers to give away. To be in with a chance of winning, simply leave a comment at the bottom of the page and we will pick a winner next week.
Get Cycle Rescue for free with ETA bicycle insurance
If you suffer a breakdown (including punctures, or even a flat e-bike battery) while out cycling, our 24-hour Cycle Rescue team is on hand to arrange transport for you and your bicycle to a safe location. The service is included for free with ETA cycle insurance, along with:
• Theft, accidental damage & vandalism
• E-bike battery theft cover
• Cycle Rescue
• No devaluation of your bike over time
• £2m third party PLUS £20,000 personal accident cover
• Shed and garage storage
• Low standard excess of 5% (£50 minimum)
The ethical choice
The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Over 30 years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance , breakdown cover and mobility scooter insurance while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.
The Good Shopping Guide judges us to be the UK's most ethical provider.
Information correct at time of publication.
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