I have yet to get a flat while riding my little Bianchi Brava.
However, after the hands-on Sunday morning bike clinic I feel amply
prepared to sit on the side of the road, wheel between legs, extracting
and replacing one of those darned tire tubes. Bring it on you pesky
piece of rubber...
I have to thank the lovely TNT mentor Willow for showing me the
ropes the first time around – demonstrating a simple system for
removing and replacing my front tube.
And I need to thank Captain Eric for helping me replace my back tire
after I filled it with air, then accidentally broke the valve stem as I
removed the pump. Oops.
I realize that every little hurdle during practice results in a
wealth of education. Somehow my clumsiness keeps resulting in something
positive. Luckily, I now know how to remove my back tire (which is just
slightly more complicated because of the gears), change the tube, and
replace it just a little off-center, so it rubs along the frame only to
find that the bike won't move. And when this happens, it's time to
straighten out the tire again to avoid what could be a messy spill
right out of the gates. Good to know this now, and not on race day.
According to Captain Eric, I'll be able to change a tire in 3-4
minutes one day. Hmmm....that might be getting a little ahead of
myself, I'm happy to take it one baby tire step at a time for now.
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