Originally Posted by
trich
When replacing a flat, or just putting a tire together, rubbing talc powder in the tire will help prevent pinch flats.
And if you don't have talk, you can use cocoa powder- tested, and it works. Be it talk, or cocoa powder, I'd recommend rubbing it onto the tube. It's just simpler to do it evenly.
Originally Posted by
trich
When tightening pedals, you can use the crank arm and the wrench to make a fulcrum - this gives you great leverage.
To increase the torx on the wrench (sometimes necessary when removing pedals that are stuck (in which case some WD-40 or teflon oil will help, too)), you can use a much bigger (about 24 mm or more) box-end wrench (USA) or ring spanner (UK) - put the end of the first wrench into the ring of the bigger.