I certainly don’t have a very strong mechanical background, but there are a couple of things that I need to know how to do on my own bike:

  • Change the oil
  • Fix a flat

The other week when I wanted to go riding, I discovered that I had a flat front tire.  This was a perfect opportunity to test my tire changing skills.

The first thing I noticed was that I did not have the right tools in my road kit to actually change a tire.  Oops.  This is why I needed to change my own tire BEFORE hitting the road.   Not only that, but my roadtools had actually vibrated into many pieces.  So much for Autozone’s finest.

I went to Sears and bought a set of appropriate tools that hopefully will hold up better to the vibrations.

Now to changing the tire:

Look! No Wheel!

First attempt — As fast as I was putting air, it was coming out.  Crap.  I had somewhere between 6 and 7 holes and no more spare tubes.

Second: I’m getting good at taking off the tire.   Instead of screaming profanity trying to remove the tire from the rim, it just took a couple of minutes and I was just sweating a little bit.  I was very deliberate and careful when putting on the tire.  I started filling the tire with air and all looked good.  That was until I got to about 20 PSI when I went to check tire pressure, I could hear a highpitched hissing noise.  ARHg.  2nd failed

3rd attempt:  SUCCESS!!!  No comment other than success. :)