Hipcycler

On a hot and muggy Sunday afternoon in the middle of nowhere (actually, near some town called Millard I think) surrounded by corn fields, I felt the bike go a little soft. I looked down to check and sure enough, the rear tire looked low. Crap. A flat here? Yup.

I stopped and there was no sound except for the corn moving in a slight breeze under the muggy, hazy sun beating down on me. Now what? I know I have no faith at all in my ability to change a flat. I also know that is going to change this week, because I am going to my local bike shop and getting another lesson. But this being a rear tire, which is more involved, well, I didn't even want to try it.

No cell phone with me because we only have one, and I left that one back at the lake house, telling my wife I'd flag down someone and use their phone to call her if I needed help. I needed help. Or did I?

The small pump attached to my cage...yeah...lets test that out. It worked. The tire was flat, but it wasn't a blow out. I could put a little air in and ride slow for about a mile before stopping to repeat the process. And so it went for about five miles.

I didn't even know where I was because I had experimented and taken a new route. But I knew I was close to getting back to the road that would take me to the La Grange General Store Bike shop, where I could get some help. I pulled over and flagged down a driver to ask directions. I tell him I'm having trouble, but all he does is offer directions....quote...."A few miles down this road then left..." He gave me no offer of a ride there.

So instead I played the limp and pump game the rest of the way. It worked. I made it there, then the guys there changed my tube out for me. I met a nice couple resting there on their Sunday ride through the country. You always seem to meet nice people when you are at a bike shop.

With no money on me of course, the owner simply said that's fine, come on back and pay me later. I did. Boy was glad I made it to the bike shop. Now on to practicing changing a flat...even on the back tire!

galen_52657

I cannot believe you would ride more than a few minutes from home without the tools and ability to repair a flat tire. Come on. If you forgot a tube, sure. Got 2 or more flats and used up all your tubes and patches, it can happen.

But to go for a bike ride far from home knowing full well you don't know how to take off your wheel or tire and replace the tube? Hip, thats just dumb and an imposition on your family. You need some tuff luv - a long, long walk.

Hipcycler

galen....it's only because I'm just the fun-loving knucklehead kind of guy I am that I will even admit this tidbit of info to you now, as long as you are handing out tough love....

I had a spare tube in my saddle bag!
Never even went to it to try. I just know I would only screw things up worse. I figured my best shot was to try to limp back to that bike shop some how.

And like I said, this week I have an appointment with myself to take the time to go to my LBS for another lesson in getting my hands dirty.

Longhorn

I took a road course last weekend and learned how to change a tube. The instructor had us take off the rear wheel simply because it IS harder. The only trouble I had was with the men in the class who kept trying to take over -- are they going to be there when I have a flat on the road?

The good thing is I finally learned how to use my rack pump. I had created my own roadside emergency one day trying to add air to my tires and ended up deflating them. Turns out, my pump has a pull-out head attached with a tube and a nifty lever to stand on to make pumping easier. It also turns out my rack makes it difficult to release the rear brakes but at least I'll be prepared for that.

TheKillerPenguin

The rear wheel may look intimidating, but after you get used to it you can change that tube as quickly as the front. Flip your bike over and rest it on the seat and handlebars, then shift into your 53-11 or whatever is your largest gear. Undo the skewer and pull the wheel off, and the chain should come off pretty easily. The rest is easy. Pull the tire off, take out the tube, put the new tube inside the tire and pump it up slightly, then remount, check to see everything is all good (no pinch flats, the tire is clinched all around), and fill it up. Putting the wheel back on is gonna make your hands greasy with chain oil until you get the hang of it, but it's simple enough.

galen_52657

You flip your bike over????

NOOBS every one...

Rear flat:

1. Shift rear derailuer to smallest cog.
2. Shift front derailuer to smalles cog. this gives the most chain slack to get the wheel back on. Big front chain ring will not kill you, but might make it harder on some bikes.
3. Release brake quick release
4. Release rear wheel skewer quick release
5. Push wheel down and out of dropout while holding back of saddle with other hand. Wheel may have to go forward to clear chain.
6. Set bike aside, leaned up against something if you can so chain stays on chainring. Bike CAN rest on rear derailuer.
7. Inspect outside of tire for obvious penatration - glass shard - nail, small sharp stone, wire. Remove if you find it. You can also inflat the tire a little and listen for leak
8. with 2 tire levers, pry bead off of rim away from valve. Hook one lever on spoke to hold bead as you work tire off with second lever. Once you get tire loose, run one lever all the way around to unseat one entire bead. Other side can stay on rim.
9. Unthread tube retaining nut (if any) off valve stem.
10. Pull out valve stem and tube from inside of tire/rim.
11. Run fingers GENTLY around inside of tire feeling for sharp objects. Try not to cut fingers! Remove if found.
12. - optional - inflat tube to look for leaks. If you have a pinch flat, there will not be anything in through the tire.
13. Install new tube once you are sure there is nothing through the tire.
14. Use levers starting away from valve to re-seat tire.
15. After finishing at the valve, press the valve in toward hub to make sure tube is not under bead (common at valve)
16. Pinch tire all the way around to make sure tube is not under the bead or between rim and bead.
17. Inflate the tire. Stop part way to check bead seating, then inflate to full amount, or as high as dinky pump will go.
18. Pick up bike by the back of the saddle.
19. Lower bike onto rearwheel. You will have to wiggle bike sideways to get chain around skewer.
20. Chain should fall on smallest cog as wheel slides up and into dropouts.
21. Pull wheel back in droppouts with bike weight on wheel, line up wheel (horizontal dropouts) and tighten quick release skewer.
22. Tighten brake quick release
23. Shift into easier gear.
24. Ride off into the sunset - take your old tube with you.

EDIT:

For big sidewall cuts, you can stuff something - a dollar bill works well - inside the tire to hold tube in. Just inflate to 30-40 pounds or so and limp home... don't go flying down any hills like this!

TheKillerPenguin

Haha yeah, it takes like 2 seconds that way and you don't have to hold the bike up while you shift and remove the wheel. What do I care if my seat and hoods get a little dirty?

galen_52657

well...if you get some dirt and crap in your STI or Ergo levers... you will be sorry at some point...

TheKillerPenguin

The rubber bumps are higher than the shifters, so the bike rests on the rubber bumps without actually making the shifters touch the ground. As long as you brush em off before you start squeezing the shifters it's all good.

galen_52657

It's your bike so do as you wish.

My bike remains upright unless I have crashed or it is in a work stand.

baj32161

Hey galen...what got into your Cheerios today?

Wanting to help is one thing...coming across like a know-it-all jerk is something else.

Being this heavy handed isn't your normal MO.

Hey Hip....I ran into a very bad stretch of bad luck a few weeks ago...4 flats in 10 days, I was forced to learn how to change a rear tire flat ....make that appointment as soon as you can. Beleive me, changing a flat is a very useful skill and, as you have seen, you will need it. It really isn't that difficult.

Hang in there,

Brian

galen_52657

Well, I don't know everything... but I do know this.

I like Hip and his posting. Hip is a grown man. Hip likes to bike as do we all. Hip owns a fairly expensive bike. Anybody and everybody unless they are infirmed should know how to fix a flat on a bike. If you are some yahoo with a $50 toy store bike with bolt on wheels, you may get a pass...but otherwise, there is no excuse for any self-respecting cyclist to be incapable of fixing a flat! None! How can one expect to be taken as a cyclist when you can't do the most basic repair?

Cell phones and other communication devices have 'enabled' those who are to lazy to go through the necessary learning process to get away with calling family members to fetch them. This just builds on itself so that the lazy somebody never learns to fend for theselves.

It's like dip$hits that go out into the wilderness on a whim without the proper equipment or background information and then call the rangers to come fetch them when they get lost/run out of food/run out of water/name your basic screwup.

Anybody can have a misshap. But knowingly being unprepared for a common accurance is just lazy.

baj32161

It wasn't only your reply to Hipcycler, but also your reply to Penguin about flipping the bike over...I agreed pretty much with the flat and preparedness issue. Your reply to Penguin about turning the bike over to change a flat is what, in my opinion made you come across as a know-it-all..I see many cyclists on the road change their flats in this manner. As you said, yourself...it's your bike.

Are you having a bad day today?
If so...I'm sorry.

Hipcycler

galen....
I'm not lazy, just slow!

I really have some sort of technical freeze-out on that side of my brain. That's why I make my living with the other side of my brain...the creative part. I can write and talk up a creative storm in a flash, but reason as to how to change that damn tire...man...I struggle.

But indeed, I know that I should know how to do this myself, and this Wed. or Thursday I am taking time out to visit my LBS for a lesson.

clfjmpr44

I thought part of the OCP credo was to be completely wrench deficient on all things mechanical, hence Hip's inability to even try replacing his tube. Hmmm, if this is the case, can Patriot actually be the president since he built his bike from the bare frame up?
A

squeegy200

I have a small saddle bag on all of my road bikes. Inside I keep tire levers, patch kit, spare house keys, spoke wrench, and a spare tube. I've ridden enough to have experienced more than one occassion when one of those items was necessary to keep riding.

On a similar note:
I did an 18 mile mountain Bike loop yesterday thru a sage brush/alluvial Fan recreation area close to my house. I was pressed for time and decided I could get in an hour and a half in this park area. I did the loop and when I got home, rinsed the dust off of my bike and then put it back on the rack.

As I turn to walk away--I hear whistling noises. I look at my tires which were still moist from the rinse. I had at least 20 tiny pinhole punctures raising bubbles in the film of water on each tire. I assume these were caused by the numerous cactus needles strewn about the trail. I've done this ride numerous times without similar incident. Glad the tires didn't loose adequete pressure until I got home. No amount of spare tubes or patch kits could have repaired all of the holes. I'll probably have to replace the tire carcasses too considering the thorns may still be embedded in the casings. They would just repuncture any new tubes. Expensive little bike ride.

squeegy200

Whenever I invite newcomers to the sport to ride with me, I teach them first how to change a flat. That brings independence and control to the new rider. Too often new cyclists will invest in a bike then experience a flat. The helplessness often discourages them from ever riding again.

I've encountered a few new cyclists in my years that were disabled along the side of the road/trail. Often never having ever replaced a flat. I once encountered a woman on a bike trail who was riding a brand new bike. The LBS gave her a patchkit and a CO2 cartridge with no instruction on how to use it. I showed her how to change a flat, used my frame pump to inflate the new tire, and told her to save the CO2 cartridge for her next occurance. She didn't even know the Cartridges were one time use only. Bad place for a woman riding alone to be stranded. And her LBS did her a disservice for not demonstrating the equipment sold to her.

woodboy

There was a really lame, boring TV show back in the late 70's or early 80's called Apples Way. It took place in Wisconson too. It was really boring and lame. I couldn't believe that any place could really be that lame and boring. It now appears that it was an accurate depiction of life in Wisconsin.

galen_52657

I have stopped and helped my fair share of unprepared cyclist with mechanical issues - flats, broken chains, can't figure out a quick release... just your regular screwups. I once helped a female tri-athlete at the beach who had a flat. She had put so much chain lube on that the entire rear wheel was covered in grease. My hands were black before I even go the tire off. She looked like a seasoned rider, but still had no clue how to get the wheel off the bike.

But...I think if I happened upon a middle-aged guy with a nice bike in full biking gear who could not fix his own flat... I may just keep going!

I have had things go wrong and had to limp in - had a bunch of 'glueless' patches that would not hold after getting 2 flats and using up my tubes. Had to pump the tire up every 10 minutes and it would only hold about 30 lbs. Did the last 6 miles on a flat tire. Things can happen.

But.... at least put out the effort to learn to fix a flat for crying out loud.....

joeprim

Before i put the patched or new ube back in I put just a ittle air in it. Seems to work easier. I then try to get in installed with out the use of the levers - I've heard they can cause a pinch flat. On my road bike this works on my MTB I have to use them for the last inch. then add a little more air and feel all around to insure the tube is not caught. Then fill it.

Hip yes you can do the stuff I have trouble with. But you can learn enough mechanics to get home most of the time. Hell I finially pased freshman english - in time for grad school.

I pumped and road the other day. the first two got me 4 miles each the next two and the last the last ½ mile.

Joe

Longhorn

The instructor of the road course I took this weekend said to push the tire back into the rims with your palms because they are stronger than your thumbs and then use the tire levers for the last section, if necessary.

He also said to always line up the valve with the tire name; that way, if you note a puncture on the tire, you have a reference for finding the puncture on the tube.

cc_rider

You use tire levers????

Hipcycler

This is an excellent question!

Hipcycler

and woodboy....dropped in Vermont.
Come on out to boring Wisconsin and then you can change that to Dropped in Wisconsin!

I can make fun of my sister...not you.
If that's a shot at Wisconsin you're out of line baby. I'll defend my home state to the bitter end.

kerny

tip of the day: keep a couple pair of those surgical exam gloves in your bag....they take up zero room...weight next to nothing and keep your mits clean.