Poor maintenance

[reohn2]

I've watched a certain female member of this forum repair a puncture on what appeared to be a tight fitting 23mm tyre without even chipping her nail varnish .
And brush off another member of the group in no uncertain terms which ended in, OFF*,who thought he would insist helping a lady in distress


*it wasn't me,I wouldn't have even dared

[Flinders]

This has been covered in an earlier thread.
I've got quite strong hands and can usually put a tyre back on without levers.
However I have been beaten on occasion. The first time being a cold wet day when I gave up and used the tyre levers.
Subsequently I've used tyre levers on a number of occasions. With the inner tube slightly inflated and taking care it isn't at all difficult to replace the tyre without damaging anything.
IMO the conception that tyres MUST be put on using only ones hands is erroneous.
My tyre levers are very thin Michelin yellow plastic. I don't know what they are made of but they seem almost indestructible - I've had them at least 15years (free with a magazine
There is also a gadget for exactly the task of replacing the tyre - not sure of the name.
If you have always been able to get home with a slow puncture you have been very lucky.
BTW I've found myself doing a roadside chain repair for a number of individuals over the years - even a temporary re-riveting of a 10sp chain when the individual wasn't carrying the
required "strong link?" - that is another relatively simple task I would encourage cyclists to learn.

Maybe 'not at all difficult' for you. Maybe your wheels-tyres are different to mine. But when the very strong mechanic at the LBS tells me he struggled to do them on this particular combination (and I'm sure he's heard of tyre levers) then I think that suggests it is not me being lazy or weedy. Like I said, I used to do them on my old bike, (and I did sometimes use levers) but I can't do them on this one.

[Flinders]

...............
I can understand that some folk don't want to do regular maintenance but they must suffer the consequences of that,or expect others to pull them out of the mire.
Either can be extremely an disappointing situation to find one's self in.

Claiming not to be able to do the basics,unless it's because of physical disability,is an excuse frankly.

No it is not an 'excuse'. I have no disability, and my hands are strong for my size and sex and a lot more than average when it comes to dexterity. I used to do my own punctures when I had different tyres/wheels. Which bit of 'I can't get those tyres back on however hard I try' is difficult to understand? When it comes to something anyone can do, like cleaning and lubrication, I do think it is a bit silly not to do it yourself, and even sillier not to at least ask someone to do it for you, but some things require more strength than I have.
Another example.
Modern car wheels are put on at the garage with set torques, and are pretty tight. With an ordinary lever, even if I jump on the lever with all my weight, I can't get the wheel nuts off. In that case, I bought an extension bar to give me more leverage, and so I can do it myself again (and I have). But with bike tyres/rims if tyre levers aren't enough, and for me they aren't, there is nothing more you can do. Oddly enough, I do several thousands of miles between puntures, and have never once yet had to get anyone out to get me home. I either rode home on them because they weren't too bad, or in the one case that wasn't posible, walked (as it was only a few hundred yards). I have no idea why some people get so many, or such bad ones.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

A 10 mile walk is no more physically onerous than a 10 mile bike ride.

Not all walks and bike rides are born equal.

Power walking, to me is unpathed moorland and add bad weather if you want. I track Ten Tors as I did it in my youth on the net and you will see fit 18 year olds and marines drop to 2mph when its bad weather.
I have run 15 miles in 1h25 but my training for such was 8.4 miles in 2.5hrs..............running through a forrest every sunday.
Cycling is a doddle compared to hill or moorland walking, running is a young mans sport and swimming is hard based on how hard it is to keep it up for hours, its all about weight bearing which cycling is very low.

Probably the same ones who think that a CF bike will make them go faster think preparation is what you do on an old or second hand bike.

[Flinders]

I too had a lot of difficulty putting tyres back on sometimes - so now I keep one of these in each of my seatbags -

http://www.cyclebasket.com/m23b0s281p92 ... yre_Levers

It puts the tyre back on reasonably easily - but can be difficult to disengage from the tyre afterwards!

--Jatinder

Thanks for that, I'll look into it. It's more helpful than saying people are lazy because they can't do something.

[Flinders]

A 10 mile walk is no more physically onerous than a 10 mile bike ride.

It really is. Most people who didn't cycle regularly but could actually ride would be able to manage 10 miles, albeit slowly, but if they weren't used to walking, 10 miles is a big ask. 10m on the bike for a novice would be what- an hour and a half at most? For a newbie walker, even on the flat 10 miles is going to be at least 2 1/2 hours according to Naismith, and much more tiring. I'd rather cycle 10 miles than walk 10 miles, and I'm a keen and very experienced walker.

[meic]

I've watched a certain female member of this forum repair a puncture on what appeared to be a tight fitting 23mm tyre without even chipping her nail varnish .
And brush off another member of the group in no uncertain terms which ended in, OFF*,who thought he would insist helping a lady in distress


*it wasn't me,I wouldn't have even dared

If I ever get a puncture in her presence, I think I may try fluttering my eyelids at her and saying "could anybody help me, there appears to be no air in my tyre and I have a small child to look after". As I really dont like getting my hands (or silk shirts) dirty while out on a ride.
Somehow I suspect that I will get the same polite refusal. Though if I just look at it for a few minutes she will crack as I am pretty sure that patience is the one (and only) aspect of life where I can beat her.

[Vorpal]

Claiming not to be able to do the basics,unless it's because of physical disability,is an excuse frankly.

What makes you say that? Just like some people can sing, and other can't, some people can do mechanical things and other can't. It might be a little easier to learn to repair a puncture than learn to sing, but that doesn't mean that everyone can do it.

When I learned, as a child, it was because my mother simply couldn't manage it. She tried a few times and utterly failed, then took my bike to a shop or a friend to have punctures fixed. If it only needed pumping up, she could just about manage that. After the first few such experiences, I learned to do it myself, or I wouldn't have had a bike to ride most of the time. The same goes for maintenance. I did learn a lot from a couple kids down the street who were few years older than me and very keen for BMX.

I clearly recall fixing things about the house when I was 8 and 9 years old that my mother had given up on because she couldn't afford to have them repaired and didn't have the slightest idea how to go about it herself. I may have had an unusual knack for it, but some of the things that my mother didn't know how to fix, seemed blatantly obvious to me, even as a child.

I'm not entirely sure why my mother couldn't do such things, or sometimes couldn't even see that they needed doing. She had many other skills and capabilities, but nothing vaguely technical nor mechanical was among them.

[reohn2]

......... Though if I just look at it for a few minutes she will crack as I am pretty sure that patience is the one (and only) aspect of life where I can beat her.

I think your right.but I'd wear a h*lm*t just in case

[meic]

When my bikes are nicely cleaned and maintained it is a sure sign that I havent been riding enough.

[Vorpal]

When my bikes are nicely cleaned and maintained it is a sure sign that I havent been riding enough.

On my bikes, it's probably a sign I've been neglecting my children.

[reohn2]

What makes you say that?.....

I fully understand some people aren't mechanically minded,or in the case of punctures,don't have the hand strength of others,or some tyre/rim combinations are disgracefully tight such as Flinders mentions.

In the first instance unless someone has learning difficulties,in which case M+ is the answer.
People without mechanical inclination can be taught and if they're willing enough,after a few goes(like learning your multiplication tables) will get the hang of taking a wheel out and mending a puncture if needs be,even if they don't like to(like tables ).
In the second instance,'give me a lever and I can lift the world',as someone once said.
The third is more difficult but isn't insurmountable with either a change of rim or tyre or both,if it's the difference between a long walk or an expensive taxi fare.

In the case of diagnosing other mechanical faults I can understand even more but TBH if the bike's serviced regularly and checked over weekly for faults(the owner/user may need to take a short course in bike maintenance)they're rare.
If someone is clueless they IMHO needn't remain in that state if they don't wish to,if only for the basics.

TBH I'm a real numpty when it comes to computers and smartphones,I know what I know about them which really ain't much,but I get by.
I do so because I've realised that if I want to use them I need to know at least a leettle bit.

It's the same with bikes for people who know nowt about them,they can at least learn enough to get by .

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
When I was waiting on parts to fix a customers bike (Motorcycle), I suggested to the mother that the son ride the bike hanging up in the garage......................I got a blank look.................

That was about twenty five years ago.

My missus works in a high tech international firm and you would be surprised in the numptys they employ.
Mind you quite a lot it appears are on happy pills for the stress of life not work.
My missus failed to get a job there on merit, but was invited back by friends to have another go

She is now a very valued well thought after employee, having to sweep up after the long term employees, they need her to keep things moving.

I think modern takeaway life exposes us practical lot as being gods.
Some cant..........wont even attempt to even cut a loaf of bread......................

All this vagueness Should be corrected Before they leave school and make it mandatory to do the basics, cooking, sewing, washing clothes, bike maintenance, putting up a tent and spending a night at it.
Its not rocket science.

[mjr]

Frankly, even with tyre levers, someone who isn't accustomed to that type of task, would struggle to get some tyres on and off.

My hands aren't strong and I struggle with most tyres, so I've used plastic levers to replace them for as long as I can remember, with the exception of the occasional floppy MTB balloons. Levers with a specific "INSTALL" end are a bit better (Crank Brothers, for example). Even then, I still wear goggles because there's a fair chance that at some point I'll lose my grip on one of the levers and launch it at speed!

[LollyKat]

I now have a bit of arthritis in my thumbs and now find it harder than I used to to fit tyres. In any case modern hooked rims make it more difficult than when I was young.

I now have one of these at home:



It wasn't immediately obvious how to use it but I found a youtube video somewhere. It's particularly good for new tyres, which haven't been stretched at all. My husband thought I was being a bit of a wimp until he was defeated by one of his own tyres and had to come cap in hand to borrow it . It's a bit bulky but light enough to take with you.

I find that once the tyre has gone on once, I can refit it using 531Colin's method using toestraps to help, though I still use ordinary plastic levers rather than my thumbs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XUFVrl0UT4