Hub gears and punctures

[silversurfer]

I need a bit of help ladies - do any of you know how to fix a back wheel puncture on a bike with hub gears? Can you explain it to me please?

I'm probably going to have to help out if anything goes wrong on a short trip and one of my friends rides a folder with hub gears. I've googled this and watched one or two videos but I'm still having difficulty wrapping my head around it. Removing and replacing the gear change cable is the part that seems complicated to my feeble brain. I'm not sure they're all the same either. Hers is a shimano. Do I need to carry extra tools? Maybe I should persuade her to ride one of my bikes instead? Thanks.

[laura*]

Removing and replacing the gear change cable is the part that seems complicated to my feeble brain.

My foldie has a SRAM hub with internal gears and a cassette. The instructions to remove the "click box" seemed a bit intimidating, but in reality it is really simple. I suggest following the instructions for your friend's bike's hub to unhook and rehook the cable just for practice.

As for tools, make sure to bring a wrench that fits the axle nuts! (Probably a 15mm.) The internal gears means there is no quick release. For my bike, I managed to find a short stubby wrench made by Snap-On. It's the best quality while only half as long as a regular wrench.

[nuliajuk]

What kind of hub gear is it? I've got an Alfine on my commuter, and the first thing I do is shift into the lowest gear to loosen the cable. Then I slide the cable out sideways with the little nut attached to it, taking note of how the cable wrapped around the groove. Then it's just a matter of undoing the bolt that holds the wheel on. If hers is a Nexus, it should be very similar.
If you know exactly where the puncture is, sometimes you can just remove the tire in that spot, pull the tube out, and patch it.

[silversurfer]

Thanks laura* and nuliajuk. I'll see if she still has the manual or I'll probably be able to find it through a web search. It's a Nexus hub I think. I'm just going to have to get over this mental block about the cable.

nuliajuk, if I get really unlucky and have to fix a puncture, I definitely intend to try fixing it without removing the wheel first. And I'm hoping one of those flat lightweight multispanner tools will do the job for the axle nuts. I'm going to have to practice during my lbs's business hours just in case.