And you actually paid it?? Wow I hope you have onside assistance for when you get a flat on the road.

Talc acts as a lubricant. Makes it easier to mount without a pinch. Some of the tires that I use are hard to mount and talc helps. If I don't use talc, the tubes pretty much get welded to the tire after lots of braking.

I always tell people to carry a spare inner tube even if they don't know how to change it. If you have a spare tube and you're riding in an area with very much bicycle traffic, somebody will come along and offer you help.

Thanks, I'll have to coat the spare tube I carry in my bag and it won't be as hard to remove next time I have a flat.

How to fix a flat with no hands.

Good advice for the lazy types who plan for and depend on the kindness of strangers to get them out of a jam for which they choose to be unequipped/unprepared to handle.

Without reading other replies I for one wouldn't even think of asking someone else to change/fix my flat.
And no I do not think you were dissed by the LBS. had it been my shop I would have said "sure! Just bring in the wheel and tire and well fill out a work order and it should be ready to pick up next Wednesday. Be about thirty bucks including tube."

My usual LBS will repair (for a fee, of course) a flat for anyone who rolls their bike in, without waiting. It only takes five minutes including customer interaction, is good service, the customer might buy a beer or accessory while waiting, and it gives the mechanic an opportunity to quickly check the bike for other needed service that the customer might choose to come back for. There is usually an open stand and if not, they don't need a stand to do this. I think the OP's LBS isn't very good on customer service. If they are the only bike shop in town, maybe they don't have to be; but maybe they just aren't a good shop or the guy was having a bad day.

Plenty of cyclists can't change a tube. They make great customers!

Go ahead and use it if you want - won't hurt anything.

Some people think it's useless: Talcum Powder for Tubes and Tires by Jobst Brandt

Walk this way.

If I could walk that way I wouldn't need talcum powder.

Nope. That's the middle ground. The MAJORITY of bike riders don't carry anything.

Most recreational bike riders don't worry enough to take the effort that's required to learn to fix their own flats. For a person who has that mind set to think far enough ahead to pack a spare inner tube that fits their bike is a big commitment.

Your LBS is also a Pub?
That is awesome......

Before I read the replies I would've judged this a 1 out of 10 on the troll-o-meter. Now after seeing all the replies it's a 7/10. Well played...

Lets the tube settle into the tire without wrinkles.

settle down vermal,, the hahahahahas I posted were just to give it a little humor I wasn't laughing at you! and I'm just a couple of states over from you , in Cajun country,,,,,,

I am amazed at all the cyclists with high end bikes that carry no tool/repair kit.
I usually ride my MTB and always carry a 700c tube (never know when someone may need help, especially a pretty girl or even roadies that tell me carrying a tool kit ruins the look of the bike and adds weight...lol
whatever).

I always use talcum powder, which really makes a difference, and mount the stem by the label which tells me the tire pressure.
Simple things make my life easier on the road.
I love it when roadies on their expensive bikes look down on me for riding an old Peugeot but when they need help getting their bike back on the road I am their best friend...its all good though.

Agreed,most of the folks I see around here are 'flying slick'. My friends usually don't carry anything either;they know I always do.

It's a real trick to change a flat with no hands.

Some options.

- Call the spouse, get ride home

- Walk to bike store and have them do it.

- Watch as some kind fellow cyclist does it for you

Velo Cult Bike Shop, Portland, OR | Velocult in Portland?

If I was too busy to help a customer (in any industry), I would say "I'm helping someone else right now. Give me a few minutes and I'll be right back." Or something along those lines. However if you just say "no" and walks away, you're practically saying that customer is not important and go help yourself. The task may have been as easy as changing a tube but customer service was at stake and the guy blew it.

Or so we are told by the OP.

We have no way of knowing what really happened, and of course, the story is missing details.


That's the trouble with these rant/whine threads ... we only get one side of the story from a negative perspective.

I understand the not wanting to "barge right into the store" but, when he said he was unable to leave the store, that would have been an excellent opportunity to ask whether he could help you if you brought the bike into the shop. My guess is that, unless the place was full of customers or he had a number of projects on tap, the answer would be "yes" if you bought the tube from him and paid whatever the shop rate is for such a service. It's good to be able to do it yourself; supporting the economy is also a good thing.

One of my all-time favorite jokes. It even ranks higher than the one about the nun in the taxicab. And it's much shorter.

Yes.

Velo Cult is badass. They serve coffee in the morning, too.

For a long time bike nut like me, their museum is epically drool-worthy. How many people have heard of a Victor Vincente Topanga? How many people can name the movie that Victor Vincente appeared in?