Quote Originally Posted by GodivaGirl View Post
I am a complete newbie here. My husband is the "cyclist" and I will sometimes tag along with him. The problem is, he is currently deployed and I miss riding. I am a very independent person and love the idea of going out on my own, but for safety reasons, I need some guidance and knowledge before I go. My biggest concern is mechanical issues. I have no idea what I need to pack or even how to change a tire/tube. I know I am capable of handling emergencies, I just don't know where to go to learn how. I live in a very small town and our local bike store doesn't offer classes or anything.

I'll take all the advice you guys want to give me!

Thanks!
You might just want to ask the head mechanic at your LBS if he or she would mind teaching you? Some stores don't charge for that, others do. There are also videos on line that show the process - but you can't ask questions of a video...

Here is one that will show you how to remove and replace a tire. She has other videos on other basic bike topics here. These are by the woman who owns Terry Bicycles

Welcome to TE - and I just learned how to ride this winter so I know what it is like to look at all of this