Bicycle Mechanics - First time fixing flat rear tire...

Wish me luck on not messing up my derailleur! I'm going off the Park Tools website instructions, so it should be pretty reliable... I'll let y'all know how it goes!

its not that hard, just trust yourself, i had a rear flat, and got through it ok! you want the most chain slack possible, so put it on 1-higest (in rear). undo the quick release, if you have one, or whatever to get the rear off. with one hand pull the derailer back so the cogs on the cassette cant catch the chain, and lift up the rear rim. it seems harder than it is, i almost took it to a bike shop but i decided not to. if you have any more questions about it just ask, ill help you through it if you like

Just in case you are putting on a new tube, put some baby power on the inner tube before installing it. This would avoid the inner tube from sticking to the rubber walls of the tire, it also makes the whole tube-changing process much easier. :)

Well, I had a pretty sharp shard of something or other piercing my tire... I didn't get a chance to try to put the wheel back on, because this gives me a great excuse to get rid of my awesomely fantastic Bontrager Select tires. They've lasted me 356 miles in about 7 weeks, with only 2 flats, which i guess is pretty good for these crappy tires.

Now... what kind should I buy at the LBS tomorrow?:)

Removing the rear wheel shouldn't affect the derailleur. Follow Rider77's instructions and it should drop right out. Depending on tire width, you may also need to release the brake tension to clear the tire. It can be a little fiddly to re-install, but it's pretty hard to really mess up anything. If you don't hit the correct cog with the chain just spin the crank with no load and it will alighn itself. Don't be afraid of it. Practice a few times and you will see how easy it is to R&R the wheel.

They've lasted me 356 miles in about 7 weeks, with only 2 flats, which i guess is pretty good for these crappy tires.

Now... what kind should I buy at the LBS tomorrow?:)

Why don't you just take whatever is in the tire out and keep using it? Is the tire cut too deeply or something? 356 miles is pretty crappy for a tire. It should be more along the lines of a few thousand. I've got near 5k kms on one set of tires I'm running and they're still doing well.

Why don't you just take whatever is in the tire out and keep using it? Is the tire cut too deeply or something? 356 miles is pretty crappy for a tire. It should be more along the lines of a few thousand. I've got near 5k kms on one set of tires I'm running and they're still doing well.

Every review I've read about the tires I have has been horrible, everyone talking about how they get flats all the time... I'm a big guy (245 lbs), want to do 50+ mile rides each weekend, and the roads here in Houston are pretty crappy... I see glass everywhere I go, and you're basically guaranteed to pass construction sites when riding here. I guess I just want to feel more confident that I won't get a flat if I venture out past the 50 mile range...

Is 2 flats in 356 miles above or below average?

ya, as lurch said you might have to loosen ur brakes. i have mechanicle disc so i dont have anything to worry about

I've had 0 flats in 4 MS150s, the training rides leading to them, and the 900 miles since I started riding again recently. Also riding in Houston, but only the latest 1k miles have been rock and glass strewn city streets. I'd say I've been lucky. In fact, the only reason I'm changing tires is cause I had to lock the rear wheel for a second, and now have skidded to the threads. Old tires were continentals.... guess I should check what tire exactly and give them an awesome review.
BTW, I do bunny-hop cracks, debri if needed, so thats one thing i have over some other riders.

Sidenote, did you get the flat at the Katy flatland? One of the guys in my group got one towards the end. Pumped it up, and rode hard till it went flat within the Katy Mills parking lot... then sagged :D His was a shard of glass.

I've had 0 flats in 4 MS150s, the training rides leading to them, and the 900 miles since I started riding again recently. Also riding in Houston, but only the latest 1k miles have been rock and glass strewn city streets. I'd say I've been lucky. In fact, the only reason I'm changing tires is cause I had to lock the rear wheel for a second, and now have skidded to the threads. Old tires were continentals.... guess I should check what tire exactly and give them an awesome review.
BTW, I do bunny-hop cracks, debri if needed, so thats one thing i have over some other riders.

Sidenote, did you get the flat at the Katy flatland? One of the guys in my group got one towards the end. Pumped it up, and rode hard till it went flat within the Katy Mills parking lot... then sagged :D His was a shard of glass.

I bought a set of Continental Gatorskins yesterday. I did get the flat at Katy, but it was a slow leak and I only noticed it on Monday.

I tried to buy the tires at Bikesport, but they had almost nothing in stock for 25's. So I went to REI and got the Gatorskins there. I was not impressed with the selection of accessories at REI, and I like the people at Bikesport a lot.... but they didn't have any tires for me, unfortunately.

Is 2 flats in 356 miles above or below average?

depends on the day....my record was 3 flats in one 8 mile commute....I was not in a good mood when I got in :D a couple more days of 2 flats then months of no flats.... ymmv