Changing a Bike Tire

When I was twelve I used to change my bicycle tires, put in new tubes, fix the brakes, and clean the bike. Once I even took apart the gears and put everything back together with no parts missing and the bike still worked.

Now I'm much older and apparently less wiser. I purchased two tires for my mt. bike that are less for backcountry riding and more for the street and canal path riding I do. Figuring 10-15 minutes at the most and I would be flying down the street with the bike all set for my commute home on Friday. The front tire came off the bike fairly easily and I removed the old tire using the my usual tool, a screwdriver. Not the smartest tool to use, but it really sped up the process. After installing the new tire and putting it on the bike, getting the brakes adjusted and making sure the tire spun correctly, I heard a noise. Pssst. Pssst. Not a good sound. Pssst. Damn.

Okay, one tube gone, but not one to give up easily I began working on the rear tire. This was more difficult with the gears and no quick release. One bolt came off easily. One. After thirty minutes trying every gdamn wrench, lock wrench, crescent wrench, and socket wrench I had the second bolt wouldn't budge. What the hell?

I sprayed the bolt with w-d 40 and tried a few minutes later. Jan came home to the mess of a bike spread across the garage. She bravely asked, "Can I help". "Well of course not, if I can't move it how are you going to?" "I think you are turning it the wrong way." "What, no I'm not, look at this."
"You are stripping the bolt".
"I'm well aware of that."
I sprayed it again, more w-d has to work, right?
"I really think you are turning it the wrong way".
"Look, I'll do it your way, but it won't budge, I've tried both ways numerous times."

"Hmmm, works better that way, huh?"

Damn. Damn. Really, I tried both ways.
"Uhuh, sure".

So, now, with my manhood gone, again, my bike is still spread across the garage, but at least I have one tire off and I only need to buy one tube to replace the one I punctured.

Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 28, 2008 at 8:23 AM

    for future reference. It takes 5 minutes to drive to the bike store and 90 seconds for the kid with the squeaky voice and over sized adam's apple to change a tire.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousApril 28, 2008 at 9:46 AM

    I've never had to change a flat on a running shoe. This is just more proof that man was not meant to do triathlons!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousApril 28, 2008 at 10:20 AM

    First, use a spoon or tire changing tool instead of screwdriver. Second, the flat running shoe note sounds like something I should have said. MW.

    ReplyDelete

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