My dad is a modern-day MacGyver, always fixing things around the house and, since the beginning of all my crazy bicycle adventures, fixing all of our family's bicycles.

Through the years, one of my dad's ingenious ideas was to use Slime Green in our road bike tubes to prevent flat tires, or at least slow them down when they occurred. The popular tire sealant had worked wonders on our Walmart mountain bikes growing up so it was a genius idea from the word "Slime".

The process to use Slime Green in road bicycle tubes with Presta valves is not as straightforward as other non-road bikes so my dad took the time to show me how to get the secret sauce into my tubes.

Step 1: Identify Valve Type

Look at your valve stem to see what kind of Presta valve you have. Hopefully, your valve has a flat side meaning it can be unscrewed.

Step 2: Unscrew the Valve

Use a pair of pliers to grip the valve and unscrew it from the stem.

Step 3: Prepare for Slime Green

With the valve out of the tube stem, we can now weigh our Slime Green bottle to get a baseline measurement. We'll gradually squeeze in 3 ounces.

Step 4: Squeeze in the Slime Green

The next step is the most fun: Squeeze in the Slime Green!! Be careful to only squeeze in a small amount at a time, measuring in-between, to ensure you only fill up your tube with around 3 ounces of the slime or as otherwise instructed on your bottle of Slime Green.

Step 5: Clean up the mess!

This is definitely a dirty job so make sure you have some rags or napkins handy to clean up the mess afterwards.

As a competitive bicyclist, one of my biggest frustrations is having to stop. So I'm really thankful for this light-weight, flat-tire prevention solution that keeps me on the bike pedaling forward. Thanks dad - easy as one Too!

P.S. I know someone out there is going to complain about the "extra weight" slowing them down, but I personally believe the trade-off is worthwhile. The added weight is negligible anyway. During a race, I'd rather not puncture. During a workout, I'd rather train with some extra weight to build my strength. Besides, we probably add more weight to our ride during breakfast than we do with a few ounces of flat preventing Slime Green!