No! No! It cannot be!

[bike4ever]

Lise -

Congratulations on your tire effort. If you don't have a stand, just flip your bike upside down. I find it considerably easier to drop the rear wheel into the correct position. I do use the smallest cog, and that is how I teach my fix a flat classes.

[CorsairMac]

one guy at my LBS took my valve covers off and pitched em, one guy told me to Always cover my valve stems. He said it protects them from the every day bumps and grinds of the road not to mention the bike falling over into bushes, hitting a pothole - you know - the things we would NEVER do to our bikes. Just call me Goofy but I think it helps to keep the valve stem screwed in also, I know...sounds weird but I had a big problem with a valve stem that kept coming loose (Specialized tubes) until I started using the caps.

Lise: congrats on your very quick and successful tire change. Bikemom is right - even with the front tire I just flip my bike upside down to work on the tires. Then I don't have to deal with figuring out what to do with the bike while I"m changing my flat - again! (6 tubes and 3 tires in 4 days...oh yeah...my life rocks right now! ROFL)

[Lise]

Then I don't have to deal with figuring out what to do with the bike while I"m changing my flat - again! (6 tubes and 3 tires in 4 days...oh yeah...my life rocks right now! ROFL)

Good Lord, woman! Care to tell that story, or are you too traumatized? Yeah, holding the bike up with one hand and removing the wheel with the other was an awkward experience, to say the least. I'll flip it over to put it back on. tomorrow. L.

[CorsairMac]

Remember the story about the Ironwoman and her partner that didn't know how to change a flat? That was Sat last and that's when things starting going all wrong:

I gave them my spare tube and 1 block from the finish of the 108 mile ride, my front tube blows. Since I didn't have another spare I just sat on the curb and my buddy got the car and picked me up. It was very late and I was tired and didn't have any more tubes at home so she gave me one of hers.

Sunday while acting as a corner marshal for the Crits, my back tire went flat (still don't know what caused that one). Since I hadn't had time to get to the LBS or anything else for a tube, another riding buddy gave me her spare tube. Flat #2

Monday with the full intention of hopping over to my LBS for 2 spare tubes, one of my co-workers told me I wasn't riding anywhere with a flat front tire! Again???? Flat #3 I pulled the tube and there was a hole in the tube. Since my buddy wasn't sure how old that tube was I just figured it was dry rot and had just blown out. So I patched it (4 xs I might add ROFL) so I could limp 1.1 miles to REI, and bought 2 tubes. Stood in the shade and checked my tire Very Carefully for the 3rd time and found nothing so I put the new tube in. As I was cleaning up: pop/psssssssssssstttttttttt - my new tube blew. (would that count as Flat #4....or is it still the original #3? LOL)

Ok...note to self, when pulling a tube off, do so Very Carefully checking for the damage as you remove it. That way you KNOW where the problem is occurring - which in this case was a very small slice in the sidewall of my front tire, probably from glass from Sats ride. The tube was blowing out through that slice. So.......thanks to all you fine ladies here I knew about putting a "boot" in the tire, put my now Only tube in, bought Another tube from REI and rode home. (that would be 3 tubes in less than 1 hour in case anyones counting - and 5 tubes since Sat )

So - now I've changed the front tire tubes 3xs and the back tire once. I had some spare tires at home so I came home and replaced the front tire and went on my merry way.

Today while riding at noon pop/pssssssssssssssssttttttttt the front tire blew another tube! Holy Cow! Read note to self: I pulled the tube and found the problem was the new/used tire had worn away on the sidewall to the point that the tube could get through! (Flat #5)

So.......once again I patched the tube, put in another boot and limped to work. On my evening ride home, I told my commter buddy we needed to stop at the LBS to buy a new tire since I wasn't jacking with any more used tires and she asked me if I needed it to replace the front tire that was flat - AGAIN!!! (Flat #6)

Since I work in a machine shop - I can cuss with the best of them and let me tell you I wasn't just cussing in English either! LOL

So.......once again I had to replace the tube...once again I was using my only spare, and once again I had to put a boot in the tire.

I now have a brand new lightweight Kevlar tire on the front, a brand new tube, a spare tube in my pack, and a less than 1 month old Flat Protection Tire on the back, and crossed fingers! ROFL

just as a footnote: the guys at my LBS were impressed as all get-out at my "boot"..........most of them had never heard nor seen anything like that and the one guy that Did know, wanted to know where I had learned that from. They were asking me all kinds of questions but how it worked, how I learned about it, how come They didn't know about it! I told them I learned it on the All-Female cycling board I belong to!

Oh Yeah!!! Girl Power at it's best!!