Originally Posted by
cyccommute
Patching a tube is a simple task that can be taught so that a 10 year old to do it reliably and easily in about 10 minutes. And the only reason it take 10 minutes is because that's how long the glue takes to dry. And that's even on seams. No "superhuman precision" is required.
Indeed, I've taught two kids to do it, and of course I learned to do it when I was a kid. At my house, the kids do all of their own bike maintenance, plus I involve them in other repair jobs around the house. For kids there's an added benefit, which is that learning one skill teaches them to be more handy in general.