Lost my Tire Virginity!!

[hibiscus09]

Thank you, Dogmama!!

[Adventure Girl]

That was a great run-through, Dogmama. I have just one little tip to add. Before you put the new tube on, look to see if there is anything embedded in the tire that caused the flat in the first place. I always carry a small rag with me and I rub the inside of the tire looking for anything sharp. (Remember that there can be more than one!).

When you take the old tube out, try to remember which way it was oriented. Blow it up a little and see if you can see where the hole is. Picture your tire like a clock. Put the stem in the 12:00 position. If you see that the hole is at the 4:00 position on the tube, look at the 4:00 position on the inside of the tire. Be careful because that sharp object could cut your hand. I flatted once while mountain biking, and the culprit was a tooth from something like a rabbit!!

Sometimes whatever flatted you doesn’t stay in the tire. But if it does and you don’t find it, it’ll flat your new tube, too. Oh, and I can't stress enough how important it is to practice at home before you need this skill out on the road/trail! You can practice, pray it never happens or walk home!

[togarider]

I lost mine last summer on a bike shop ride...twice in one ride! I felt like such a moocher 'cause I didn't have ANY tubes, so I had to scam from other riders. They were really great about it, but I sure learned my lesson. Never ride without a spare or two!

By the way, BOTH flats were on the *@%! back tire! Oh well, gave me a chance to flirt with the helpful tire changing guys.

[betagirl]

Must be in the air....Lost my virginity last weekend on my back tire. Thankfully I was about 1/8 of a mile from my house because I had no spare tubes. Apparently hit a curb a bit too hard, though I have yet to inspect the tube closer to see what the culprit was. I did have a couple in my garage though, got some "thorn resistant" tubes which make the stock Trek tubes look incredibly thin. Thank god for the internet so I could look up how to get the tire off. The rest was relatively easy. But come on, couldn't it be the front tire? My hands were black from chain grease by the time I got everything back on.

Speaking of that, I highly recommend Fast Orange hand cleaner to get that stuff off. Worked like a charm!

[ACG]

So I'm all ready to ride on my trainer, while watching the Laker game, dilly dallied a little bit. Went to go get my bike in garage and rats! Back tire flat. We have an air compressor, so I fill the tire to try to find the hole, hear the hissing, can't find the hole.
Went out and bought a bike rack, yes I don't have one. I have one now. Plan to go home on my lunch today, pick up bike, go to bike shop and discuss tire changing. I have nothing. No spare tubes, no repair kits, nothing. Guess what I'm buying.

Why is it always the back tire? It seemsthat I've had 4 flats in the back tire, in the last 4 months!

[fasteryet]

My LBS had a great idea over the winter - they held a ladies night tea and tire changing clinic. We all brought a wheel in and took the tire on and off.
Another good place to learn things may be if you have adult ed in your community. We have a different bike shop that gives a two hour "basic" class. We didn't do anything hands on, but he showed us how to change a tire, how and where to lube parts, stuff like that. Very worthwhile, I thought.

[cyclingnewbie]

I just joined this group! I had the dreaded first flat back tire this weekend. Fortunately, the group I was with had a certified bike mechanic in the group (these people serve as volunteer bikepath patrols). The tire had barely started to hiss and they were calling for the mechanic, who came rushing back with a mission to perform! They whipped out a camera to document an "incident" on the trail and everything. I tried to look like I was helping, but he had a new tube in before I even knew what hit me. I at least had the tube and the right equipment with me. But that's the way to get a flat on the trail! Since I didn't actually change it myself, am I still technically a tire virgin?? Or is a flat a flat, no matter how I got it fixed?

[wavedancer]

My boyfriend helped me change my first flat at home over the weekend and I rode the same trail again tonight and got a thorn in the tire again. (Front tire, luckily) Managed to ride it back to the car and brought it home to change and patch. All went pretty well until trying to get the last 8 inches of the tire back on the rim (knobby mtb tire). I just can't seem to be able to push the @#^$ thing in! Any tricks? I have a little arthritis in my thumbs and not a lot of hand strength. Help!!

[cyclingnewbie]

I have lost my tire changing virignity for real now! As I was riding the bike path, I was thinking that I would post a warning on our local website about all the plant debris from the trees overhead (thank you for the shade though!). While I'm thinking about it, to my heart and soul's fear and terror, I hear the dreaded hissing, from the rear tire no less. Dang! No bike mechanic with me this time. What a pain. A flat on the front feels like a gift compared to the back. I managed to get it almost completed and had to ask someone to help me get the wheel back on. I just didn't have enough hands to manipulate the bike, the wheel, the chain and the derailleur. I guess I need to practice in the comfort of my own garage so I can do it completely by myself next time. Because I'm thinkin' there will be more than a few next times!

[pedalfaster]

For getting stubborn tires on rims: Not 100% recommended, because it can cause a pinch-flat if you are not careful, you can use your tire lever in "reverse" to help pop the tire back on the rim. Have your trusty (in-home or LBS) mechanic show you how to do it.

Another trick is to use your stomach as leverage. Push the already- on-the-rim side of the tire/wheel against your abdomen and use both of your hands to go around the bead and get that last little bit under the rim. I find this makes the best use of my limited hand-strength.


For changing rear flats: Be sure to shift into your smallest cog on the rear before you begin. Many women find it easier to change a rear flat if they flip the bike upside down first (guys just roll their eyes at this ). It seems to make it easier to re-insert the rear wheel. After the wheel is inserted in the drop-outs, flip the bike right-side-up and open the quick release lever. Let gravity do it's thing so the axle is properly seated in the dropouts, then tighten and flip the lever closed and off you go!

[annie]

I ALWAYS flip my bike over to change a flat. It's much easier. One thing to remember - if you have a computer mounted on the handlebars, take the computer head off before flipping the bike or you risk scratches to the face of the computer, making it harder to read.

annie

[cyclingnewbie]

Thanks for the tips. I am definitely going to practice this back wheel thing, with the bike flipped over, at home a few times.

[JDom226]

I lost mine this past weekend. I was heading out on a long ride. About 2 mile from home, I wondered who was throwing firecrackers at me. I felt something hit the back of my leg and started to look around for kids having fun. Very quickly, I realized my back tire had blown out. I managed to unclip and dismount without falling. I proceeded to chage the tire per lbs instructions. I gues I had it kinda easy because the blow out took the tire half way off the rim. Changed everything out and then couldn't close my quick release to keep the tire in place. Talk about frustration.
After bumming a ride home from a friend, I called the lbs for an explanation as to what I was doing wrong. Turns out that I had overtighted the release. It closed easily when I loosened it up. Just something to keep in mind when you're changing out your first flat.
I took the bike and tube into the lbs on Monday. They told me it was the best blow out they'd ever seen. There was an 18" rip in the tube. They also gave me an A+ for my tire changing efforts. I was quite proud of myself.

[cyclingnewbie]

Congratulations on your first tire change! I'm glad to hear you didn't crash and burn when it blew. Fortunately, both of my flats this year have been leaks and not blow outs.

I did practice the back tire at home a few times so it isn't so difficult the next time. I got the quick release thing ok, but I have a little trouble getting the wheel aligned properly when I put it back on the bike. I'm sure practice will make perfect for all of us not-so-skilled-tire-changers.