Can you change a rear flat?

[Crankin]

Bluetree, the fact is that some of us have a hard time learning or doing this. It's not that we "won't." I can do every part of the tube/tire thing, but I cannot get the rear wheel back on. I know what gear to put the derailleur in before taking it off, but by the time I do that and lay the bike down, I am lucky if the chain isn't totally disengaged from everything. If I manage to not do that, it is almost impossible for me to hold the rear end of the bike up, position the chain over the ring, pull the derailleur back, and get the bike into the drop outs at the same time. It's like I need 3 hands. I have actually pulled my back out, twice, from trying to do this. And my bike weighs less than 15 pounds. I am totally uncoordinated, have really bad fine motor and spatial skills, and while I want to be independent, if there's someone else there to do this, at this point, it's fine with me. Of course, I have only had 3 flats in 10 years. Two were at home, thankfully. My DH can change a flat in like 2 minutes, and I am not exaggerating. He can also do it without tools, if need be. So, believe me, it's extremely frustrating to not be able to do this. And when I've tried to practice at home, I just end up with my bike in pieces and me crying, pretty much. Frankly, I don't want to break my bike by bending something while "practicing." I am not kidding when I say that sometimes, I can barely zip a zipper. For me to be riding 3,000 miles a year is a miracle in itself.
I hope this gives you a perspective on why some of us have trouble.

[Susan Otcenas]

but I cannot get the rear wheel back on. I know what gear to put the derailleur in before taking it off, but by the time I do that and lay the bike down, I am lucky if the chain isn't totally disengaged from everything. If I manage to not do that, it is almost impossible for me to hold the rear end of the bike up, position the chain over the ring, pull the derailleur back, and get the bike into the drop outs at the same time.

Turn your bike upside down and rest it on the handlebars and saddle. (You make need to take your computer off. I do.) This is my strategy for not having to balance anything. Plus, gravity is your friend - it helps the rear wheel slip into the drop outs correctly.

With the miles I ride, flats are inevitable. I had one just this weekend in the middle of nowhere. I carry TWO tubes, a spare TIRE and a patch kit (which I check regularly for glue consistency.)

I ride alone a lot, especially at night on long brevets, so knowing how to change a flat is critical. And knowing how to do it well enough when I'm tired, hungry, it's cold or dark (or all 4 of those things at once! ) is really important.

I've trained myself to change my tires without the aid of tire levers. You can to. It does NOT require great strength (I'm a wimp.). It requires technique. We have a very good " how to" on the TE website. I've had gals print it off and then practice in their living rooms until they get it down. Doing it at home when you don't NEED to is way less stressful than when you are out on the road and HAVE to.

http://www.teamestrogen.com/content/asa_levers

Try it!

[Crankin]

Thanks for trying to help, Susan, but I won't turn my bike over for 2 reasons. One, I don't want to damage the bike, especially the handlebars, but 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. I can't even put air in my tires when the valve is not on the bottom of the tire, because then the action of the lever on the pump/latch thing is backwards and I can't figure out what to do....

[ultraviolet]

...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.

I have this same problem. Luckily, I've never struggled too much with getting the rear wheel back on, but when someone was first trying to teach me how to do it, they suggested turning the bike over. I tried, but I spent so long staring at it trying to reassemble the order of the parts in my head that I just ended up frustrated and annoyed. It just didn't work with the way my brain works.

Brains are weird.

[azfiddle]

Yes, I can change a rear flat by myself

Actually, what worried me most the one time I had to do it alone was remembering exactly how to use the CO2 inflater. I can't take off a tire w/o levers, but I can put it back on without levers.

Usually I am with someone else when I get a flat, and it is easier with two people. I prefer to set the bike upside down as well.

[Bike Writer]

Yes I can change a rear flat. (I am so proud to be able to say that). And it has made me interested in other repairs so much so, that I took bike repair 101 and 102 this winter at the LBS.

I ride alone about 80% of the time and want to be self-sufficient. Knowning how to do fix-its on the road gives me enormous confidence.

I change it with the bike upside down and could not imagine doing it rightside up. I also lube my chain that way and would not be able to lube it any other way. The first time I dropped a chain I struggled with it and needed help. By the third time I learned how easy it was to flip the bike over instead of fighting it while I was upside down.

[PamNY]

Yes, I can fix a rear flat. I like cycling alone, so I have no choice.

I may look a little klutzy, but it gets done. And I do turn the bike upside down. I thought everyone did?

[Triskeliongirl]

Wow, I didn't know this was a problem for anyone. It is easier if you shift into small/small rings, and flip your bike over, but come on gals..........it's just not that hard. JUST look at it! I mean that. That's how I do all my bike maintenance. Just look at it and you can figure out what you are supposed to do.

If you are careful flipping your bike upside will not damage anything. But its not that hard to do it upright either. I just don't understand what the problem is.

[Crankin]

Bluetree, I am not a cranky child. The op of this thread is my riding buddy and I will be getting a "private lesson" soon. She certainly isn't judgmental. I hesitated to respond to this, because I knew I would get this type of remark. It's OK, though, because I know how hard I have tried... 3-4 workshops (the last one by a woman mechanic), classes, innumerable lessons from my DH, who is very patient. Generally, I am am a pretty strident, independent person, but I will give you a comparison that maybe will help you understand. Do you know anyone with dyslexia or some other kind of learning disability? Would you tell them "just to try" when they kept misreading words, losing their place, or unable to decode a word? Non-verbal learning disabilities are pretty much hidden, and poor spatial relations and fine motor problems are learning disabilities, or at the least "learning styles." I have overcome a lot of what I faced as a kid, but there's a lot of stuff I just don't do. My good verbal skills have pretty much helped me out in life.
It's not that I "won't" learn things in a new way. I have difficulty learning spatial things any way; I have to over learn and memorize, because it doesn't stay in my brain and become intuitive, ever.
It's not like I have stopped trying, but frankly, I deal with it by riding with people most of the time. I mean, my learning issues affect every part of my life and the advent of technology has only made it worse, because unless something is verbally mediated, it is very, very difficult for me.

[Crankin]

It's clear that what I am trying to explain is not understandable to a lot of people. I can't "just look at it" because I don't remember anything about it after a second. I don't see how parts work or are situated in relation to other parts. I don't see how things work together.
Mechanical aptitude is a skill like anything else. Most people can learn some of it, and others are very good at it.
You might not believe the list of things that are extremely difficult for me, or down right impossible. I have overcompensated all of my life with my speaking, writing, organizational, and social skills.