Practice helps, I can usually get the wheel out in a few seconds and then it's just a matter of getting the tire off, an exercise ranging from ridiculously easy (Conti Speed King) to epically hard (Hutchinson Bulldog with CF bead).
The best tip for getting a rear wheel out is to shift to the smallest cog, open the rim brake (where applicable) and then pull the derailleur cage back. Usually the wheel will drop right out and you can reverse the technique to reinstall. Catch the chain on the small cog, pull back the cage and work the wheel back in. For cleanliness, throw a rubber glove or cleaning wipe in the bag.
I carry a tube, tire levers, some glueless patches (for a second flat) and a CO2 on the commuter and a pump on the road bike. A genuine Innovations Big Air propane can is a possible alternative to a CO2 since it can do 2 flats or one high volume tire and is aluminum.

I keep the following on me when riding:

• 1 pair of nitrile gloves
• 1 mini hand pump
• 1 spare tube
• 1 pair of tire levers
• 1 patch kit
• 1 mini tool

In general, I just swap the tube and go. Patch the tube when I get to work, or home. I also have flat resistant tires. End up swapping a tube about twice a year on the road.

Lay the NDS down on someone's lawn if available, pull the wheel off, unseat tire, pull the tube out, inspect tire for thorn/nail/glass/whatever, put new tube in, reseat tire, replace wheel and go. Takes 5-6 minutes for me, usually.

My sag bag contains the same kit, plus a small crescent wrench for the IGH nutted axle. The wrench also serves as a hook for grabbing the chain, so I never have to touch the chain. And my bikes have swept bars, so I can flip them upside down with no damage to anything. All of my attachments -- light and bell -- go below the bar so they don't get damaged by using the bike as its own repair stand.

I try to judge the cause and seriousness of the leak before doing anything, and have three "levels" of repairs depending on the situation:

1. Pump it back up and keep riding, repeat as needed, for the remainder of the trip, or until I find a more convenient place to stop.

2. If I can see what punctured the tire, then I can patch it without removing the entire wheel, but honestly it's a toss up whether doing so is actually quicker than just replacing the tube and saving the patching job for later.

3. Replacing the tube and finding the source of the leak in the tire before reassembling.

If you want practice, just follow me on my commuting route. You'll get plenty of practice.

To pull a rear wheel- stand on the left side of the bike. Release the quick release. Bending over the bike, hold the seat tube with your left hand and pull the wheel down until it hits the rear derailleur. Pull the derailleur back. The wheel will fall onto the chain. Grab the wheel and wiggle it free from the chain. Putting the wheel back is roughly the opposite. It is easy to lay the bike down on its left side as soon as the wheel is out with no further hand changes. I never set my bikes upside down. All have brake levers set below the tops and quill stems. All would rock on the stem and fall over if you weren't looking. Every stem would get scratched.

For the tire repair - I always identify the cause. Sometimes I know before I have stopped, sometimes it takes me many minutes. When I haven't, I have had multiple flats from very small pieces of wire or glass embedded deep in the tire. I then usually patch the tube because it is easy and saves me $6 each time. Every time I toss a tube with 4 or more patches, I shake my head at the idea of the tubes I could have paid for.

Ben

There's a price aspect too. A can of that sealant inflator costs about the same as two tubes or five patch kits.

I'm nerving up to try a tubeless conversion or a "ghetto" tubeless setup and home-brewed sealant. I think then the strategy would change to carrying a bottle of fresh sealant.

Also - some frames have a nice feature, a chain hanger. Put the bike in top gear, pull the chain up onto the hanger, and then getting the wheel out and back in is so much easier. I don't know why all derailleur bikes don't have them. It certainly decreases the fuss.

Practice at home. With a little practice,you can just push on the tab on the derailleur with your thumb and you won't get your hands dirty.


I always carry a pair of non-latex gloves(also good to have if helping someone who's injured) and a 1oz squeeze bottle of GoJo hand cleaner(most camping shops carry the bottles) wrapped in paper towels in a baggie. I keep them in a baggie so if there's no place to throw the dirty stuff out,I just put it in the baggie until I get home.

Pull off your gloves,flip the bike upside down,lay it down on the saddle first,then put the gloves under(for drops) or over(flats) the bars. At my clinic I carry an old pair of socks to put over customers' bars so I don't scratch anything. Also a good idea to put the bike on grass rather than concrete/blacktop.

I cant say i have ever scratched kr ruined anything flipping my bike to deal with a flat. Practice practice practice. I've done enough futzing with tires and other things (amd changing other ppls tubes) whete it isn't really a problem. If you are having trouble, extend the RD to make the chain easier to deal with. I have even accomplished taking the rear wheel off, changing the tire to a different one, put everything back and inflate in khakis and a nice shirt and not a smudge of grease soiled them.
I always change the tube. The first time i flattee i messed around with a patch kit and said never again for roadside repair.

One strange bit of bike culture. When I'm at the side of the road fixing a flat or making some other adjustment, it's always the geezers like me on crappy old bikes who stop and offer assistance / advice / conversation. The young studs in spandex just race on past me. Also, the typical salutation seems to be: "Do you have everything you need?" That's a polite way of asking if you need help, without questioning your repair skills.

I think I need to practice holding the bike upright to remove and replace the rear wheel. Adding a chain hanger might help getting the wheel back on. Columbine makes a clamp on one that doesn't look to cheesie. That way I won't risk moving the bike when it is laying down.

I've just accepted that it takes me 10-15 minutes to fix a flat. After too much practice, I can swap the tube and get running again in a bit over 5 minutes -- if I don't take the time to find what caused that flat. Better to take a few minutes longer and get it fixed for good than to stop again 10 minutes down the road to stop another flat caused by the same thing, and this time wait for the glue to dry on the patch, since I already used up my spare tube.

Also, if you don't want to get your hands dirty, as mentioned above, a pair of disposable gloves work great. I keep all my flat repair stuff in a mesh bag in an outside pocket on my panniers so it is easy to pull out everything at once.

If you're really fast at changing tires then you probably suck at choosing a good one, assuming that changing tires is not your idea of fun. I prefer to suck at it

I really prefer two-legged kickstands on commuters for a lot of reasons, but one of their best features is the ability to prop up the rear end of the bike off the ground while you remove the wheel and change the tire.

I got to do this Saturday afternoon after running through some gray colored broken glass. All that practice at home and teaching a friend helped, and I was done in 5 minutes without even getting my hands dirty. It really helped that it was the front tire that went flat, it was light out and I could have walked the rest of the way instead of changing the tube.

I don't suck at it, but I can't do it in 4 minutes either. Drum brakes, IGH, dynohub, bolt on wheels, they all add a few minutes. That said, I agree choosing the right tire for the job is more important to me, an ounce of prevention to save a pound of cure.

And a +1 for the double leg kickstand on a commuter for many reasons.

Or you spent any amount of time working at a bike shop...hehe. The #1 thing I had to do was fix flat tires for people.

love the 1st clip, old guys know stuff

I'm still trying to figure out how you replace the (rear) tire without at least partly removing it from the bike. At the bare minimum you'd need to get it out of the dropouts, and once you've got it that far, it's essentially free of the drivetrain anyway. Or am I missing something?

No, you didn't miss anything. I was just thinking of lifting the rear wheel an inch out of the dropouts, with the rear cogs still engaged with the chain, and slide the tube and tire out between the dropouts (ND side) and axle.

A cotton ball swabbed on the inside of the tire will often find the pesky little poker you can't see or feel.

Definitely. The gloves that I carry in my sag bag are those cheap brown cotton work gloves that come by the dozen. They are also just right for fall weather riding. But I found that feeling the inside of the tire with those gloves on will reveal all sorts of surprises.

Don't forget that single, all-important step: Before you install the new tube, carefully inspect the outside, then the inside of the tire casing for the source of the flat. And the rim tape. And look for any protruding spoke nipples while you're at it. (I've never found any.)

A few weeks ago, I found the world's tiniest thorn in the rear tire casing . . . . but only after my second flat. I should have taken more time on the first go-round. Someone here said you need to be able to fix a flat in 4 minutes? Maybe not. I've done it in as little as six, but that was when the puncture source was clearly evident.

Searching for a small thorn or wire or whatever will - SHOULD - take a bit of time. It's often time well spent. Best. DB

I did it that way once. It seemed to work fine. But it was a bit inconvenient, hovering over the upside-down bike like that. Gave me a back ache. So the next time I just took the tire off and took a knee.

I have had a couple bikes with flats because of spoke or nipple punctures. I hauled out my wife's hardly-used bike from the shed last fall to donate. The rear flat was caused by the spoke threaded a good 1/16th inch too far. No idea how that could have happened because I don't recall anyone ever working it it. Also I have seen sharp edges on spoke nipple heads from a screwdriver slipping and damaging the slot. Now on my bikes I smooth out those nipple heads when I get a new-used bike.

Gresp15c - snaggie gloves to find stuff in the tire? Sounds a little easier to cover more area than with a cotton ball. I carry a spare tire on the commute so I don't have to search out the offending sharp thingies causing a flat until I get home.