How to Perform an Emergency Bicycle Tire Repair with a Dollar Bill

How a Dollar Bill Saved My Ride (And How It Can Save Yours Too)

Last Updated: December 19, 2025

Quick Take: If your tire blows out and leaves a hole in the sidewall, a simple dollar bill can act as an emergency tire boot. It won’t be perfect, but it can hold a tube long enough to limp home—if you know how to use it and don’t overinflate.

If you ride long distances, something is eventually going to go wrong at the worst possible time. That’s not negative thinking—it’s just what happens when you spend years on two wheels.

I’ve had my share of flats and mechanicals over 150,000+ miles, but one day really stands out. I was about forty miles from home, out in the middle of nowhere. No houses, no traffic, no phone signal. Just me, the road, and then a sudden, violent BANG.

My tire exploded. Not a slow leak, not a pinhole, but a full-blown sidewall blowout with a decent-sized hole right through the casing. I knew I could put a spare tube in, but there was a problem: the new tube would simply balloon right through that hole and blow again. I’d be stranded.

Then I remembered a little tip I’d read months earlier: “Keep a dollar bill in your bike bag—one day it might save your ride.”

It sounded a little crazy at the time. That day, it didn’t sound crazy at all.

I pulled out the dollar, used it as an emergency tire boot, and it actually worked. The tire wasn’t as tight as normal and I couldn’t run full pressure, but I was able to air it up enough to ride carefully back home, swap the tire, and live to ride another day.

If you’re going to ride long distances, you need to be ready for these kinds of ugly surprises. Here’s exactly how to use a dollar bill to fix a blown tire in an emergency—and what gear I recommend carrying so you’re not stuck walking ten miles in cycling shoes.

How to Fix a Blown Tire with a Dollar Bill

This is a get-you-home repair, not a permanent fix. The goal is to keep the tube from bulging out through the hole in your tire just long enough to reach safety.

1. Remove the Damaged Tube

• Flip the bike upside down or hang it on a stand if you have one.
• Use tire levers to pry one side of the tire off the rim. Work slowly to avoid damaging the bead.
• Pull the tube out, starting opposite the valve and finishing by pushing the valve through the rim.
• Run your fingers carefully inside the tire to check for glass, wire, or sharp debris that may have caused the blowout.

Gear I trust: I always carry a set of decent tire levers and at least one spare tube. Cheap levers can snap when you need them most, so it’s worth getting a reliable pair.
Shop quality tire levers on Amazon | See recommended spare tubes

2. Fold and Position the Dollar Bill

• Take a dollar bill (any local banknote works, but US bills are especially tough) and fold it in half lengthwise.
• Press it inside the tire so it completely covers the hole or torn area in the sidewall.
• Make sure the bill lies flat with no big wrinkles. The smoother it sits, the less chance it has to shift.

The bill acts as a temporary inner “wall,” stopping the tube from bulging through the tear. It’s surprisingly strong because paper money is made from cotton fiber, not normal paper.

3. Reinstall the Tube

• Lightly inflate your spare tube so it has some shape but is still soft.
• Insert the valve through the rim and tuck the tube evenly inside the tire, all the way around.
• Keep one hand holding the dollar bill in place as you start to seat the tire bead back on the rim.
• Work the tire onto the rim with your thumbs if possible. Use tire levers only for the final hard section and be careful not to pinch the new tube.

4. Inflate to Safe (Not Maximum) Pressure

• Begin pumping slowly and watch the sidewall where the damage is. Make sure the tire is seating correctly and the tube isn’t bulging out.
• Stop well below your normal riding pressure. In an emergency like this, I’ll often keep it around 50–60 PSI on a tire I normally run higher.
• Check again that the dollar bill is still in place and the tire looks round and stable.

Important: Overinflating is how you turn a successful emergency fix into another blowout. Err on the side of “soft but rideable.”

Gear I carry:
CO₂ inflator and cartridges

5. Ride Home Carefully

• Avoid hard cornering, high speeds, and potholes. This is not the time to bomb descents.
• Stay seated and spin. No aggressive out-of-the-saddle sprints or sharp moves.
• Head for home or the nearest safe pickup point, not “just a few more bonus miles.”

Once you’re home, that tire goes in the trash or the “emergency only” pile. A blown sidewall is living on borrowed time.

A Better Plan A: Real Tire Boots

The dollar bill trick works, but if you’re serious about long-distance riding, I recommend carrying a purpose-built tire boot. They weigh almost nothing and do the same job even better.

Emergency Tire Repair Kit I Recommend

Here’s the kind of kit I like to keep in my saddle bag. Small, light, and proven on the road.

• Tire Boots: Pre-cut tire boot patches designed for sidewall cuts.
  Shop tire boots on Amazon
• Spare Tubes: At least one, sometimes two on longer rides.
  See compatible tubes for your tire size
• Mini Pump or CO₂: Enough air to handle more than one repair.
  Browse mini bike pumps
• Multi-Tool with Chain Breaker: Because flats aren’t the only thing that can ruin your day.
  See cyclist multi-tools

And yes, I still keep a dollar bill tucked in there too. Cheap insurance.

Other Things You Can Use in a Pinch

If you don’t have a dollar bill, cyclists have limped home on all sorts of improvised tire boots:

• Energy bar wrapper or gel packet (folded several times)
• A small section of old tire cut and carried as a boot
• Strong duct tape (wrapped around the outside and inside)
• Tyvek mailing envelope or race number (tough and tear-resistant)

None of these are perfect. They’re all just meant to get you back to safety, not to replace a proper tire.

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• What 7 Cycling Essentials Do Most Riders Overlook?
• Your First Multi-Day Bicycle Tour: FAQs for New Cyclists

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe to ride on a tire that’s been repaired with a dollar bill?

It’s safe enough to get you home if you keep the pressure lower, ride conservatively, and the damage isn’t huge. It is not a long-term fix. Replace the tire as soon as you can.

How long will a dollar bill tire boot last?

In my experience, it’s good for one careful ride home, not weeks of riding. Some people stretch it longer, but I wouldn’t trust it beyond that emergency trip back.

Can I use regular paper instead of money?

Regular paper tears more easily and doesn’t hold up as well to moisture and pressure. Paper money or Tyvek-type material is much stronger and far more reliable.

What pressure should I use after a sidewall fix?

There’s no exact number because every tire and rider is different, but I typically stay 20–30 PSI below my normal pressure and focus on “rideable and stable” rather than “fast and firm.”

What should every long-distance cyclist carry for emergencies?

At a minimum: one or two spare tubes, tire levers, a pump or CO₂ inflator, a multi-tool, a tire boot (or at least a dollar bill), and your ID. Those few items can turn a disaster into just another story you tell later.

Bottom line: a dollar bill won’t turn a ruined tire into a new one—but on the right day, it can turn a long, miserable walk into a slow but successful ride back home. Pack one now, forget about it, and one day you might be glad you did.