Can you change a rear flat?

[soprano]

I can fix most of my rear flats in about 10 minutes. I taught myself out of one of the Zinn maintenance books. Usually the part that takes the longest is finding the cause of the flat. My vision is not so hot, so I usually have to seek out really good light in order to find the gravel/glass/thorn/whatever, although sometimes I haul out my headlight for help.

Every so often I see someone walking a bike with a flat, with a devastated/lost look on his or her face. When I offer to help with the flat, they always act very surprised that it is a repair that can easily be done on the spot, with simple, cheap tools. I'm of the opinion that a big barrier here is ignorance - if you don't know that it can be done, you aren't going to learn.

I tend to get a little excited whenever something goes wrong with my bike, because then I get to learn how to fix it. Last week I got to adjust the headset

[alice]

I tend to get a little excited whenever something goes wrong with my bike, because then I get to learn how to fix it.

Me too!

I learned how to fix a rear flat (okay, admittedly how to fix a flat altogether) when I got my first one; I took it to the Bike Garage, and a bike-handy girl with a very bad attitude taught me how, without getting my hands too dirty, and without using tire levers. It was a good first lesson (minus the attitude).

Getting a rear wheel out/in isn't an issue for me at all, but getting the tires off/on my 16" wheels is killer; I don't have the brute strength to do it without help, though I can do it on 700 cc wheels no problem.

I'm all for people learning how to do repairs on their own, but I don't feel right judging people who simply choose not to do those repairs on the road. If you have a phone and a friend with a car, and that's the way you want to take care of it, it doesn't bother me at all.

[Bluetree]

I won't turn my bike over for 2 reasons. One, I don't want to damage the bike, especially the handlebars

Poppycock. I guarantee you my handlebars cost way more than yours and I'm not afraid of hurting my bike(s). Sounds like you're grasping for an excuse.

two, that would be death for someone like me, because then everything is in a different place. I would have to visually learn and memorize where all of the parts are again and I would be very confused.

So what's wrong with learning where everything is again? Obviously what you've been doing before doesn't work.


Crankin, I don't want to sound unsympathetic, but you seem to have a lot of "can'ts" and "won'ts" in your vocabulary and quite frankly, nothing will change if you keep that attitude. You CAN do it, especially if you decide to stop acting like a sulky child and be the person you want to be, and the person we know you can be.

[Velocivixen]

I forgot to mention that during my class with the hands on the bike was upside down and that made it very easy because the bike supported itself. I stood behind the bike and used my left hand to pull the derailleur back toward me and used my right hand to grab the wheel and pull it up out of the dropouts.

[Susan]

I can change a rear tire and fix a flat. I think I learned a lot this stuff, like finding the hole in a flat tire and putting it on or oiling or cleaning things, from my grandpa when I was 3 or 4. My family still laughs about how I always wanted to "operate" my scooter and my first bike when I was small.

Still, I always have to find out how to put the chain in the right spot again if I have to change it or the tire or the jockey wheels, it's a bit confusing.

[OakLeaf]

Glove or no glove, how do you do it without getting your handlebar tape dirty? Once the new tube is in, you still need to pick the bike up to put the wheel back in, and touch the chain afterward. Having a clean rag between hand and handlebar is probably the way to go, but it just seems like an extra level of hassle. Anyone?

[Crankin]

Good morning everyone.
I was surprised to see this thread continuing.
I don't think it's a flame war. I feel like I've done some education, on something that is mostly invisible. Maybe I spoke a little more loudly than Bicciclista, but she also said the same thing!
I do carry a cell phone, Cataboo, but I think I have a better chance of just practicing more with my hands than the picture. Looking at pictures and diagrams is notoriously worthless for me, or I would have done it long ago. Funny, I am good with directions and finding my way around; my issues are pretty specific. And I had a great female role model for being mechanical: my mom. She could do everything. She once fixed my garbage disposal after she had mistakenly put artichoke leaves down there and green ooze was escaping from under the sink. I get this from my dad, who I have seen hit his hand with a hammer while putting in a nail, shut his hand in the car door, as well as perpetually winning the last place prize at a golf tournament every year. My older son inherited some of it and had occupational therapy for a year, to help him, when he was little. He is much better than me at this kind of stuff, but then, he also inherited DH's super mechanical genes.

[tulip]

Oakleaf: black handlebar tape.

[Susan Otcenas]

Glove or no glove, how do you do it without getting your handlebar tape dirty? Once the new tube is in, you still need to pick the bike up to put the wheel back in, and touch the chain afterward. Having a clean rag between hand and handlebar is probably the way to go, but it just seems like an extra level of hassle. Anyone?

That's why black bike shorts were invented.

[GLC1968]

That's why black bike shorts were invented.

Or socks. I've been known to remove my shoes and socks, wipe my hands with my socks and then redress my feet before continuing. And I have white bar tape and it is still bee-you-ti-ful!

I haven't clicked on all the links included here because I can change flats on bikes or cars faster than most people, but if you are flipping your bike over and putting the rear wheel back on, please make sure to put it right side up and THEN tighten (or release and then retighten) the skewer lever. It is possible (and easy) to put a tire on slightly uneven when it's upside down that that makes riding really difficult (speaking from experience here!). If the bike is right-side-up, the weight of it will straigten it out with little effort.