Tales of a Novice Mountain Biker: Fixing a Flat

You would think that I would have fixed a flat on my own before today, but I haven't. I'd helped my husband do so ... but I had never had a flat while alone. That changed today. I went to get my bike down, and the tire was flat. I was home alone, so I set forth on changing that tire. I wasn't going to let a flat tire keep me from getting out on the trail today.


For my anniversary gift last year, my husband got me a new Camelbak pack and supplies for my bike. Before that, he had carried a lot of the equipment needed for things like, well, changing a tire. Since then, this is what I always carry with me.

Extra tube, headlamp, tools, tire lever, air pump, rain jacket (from experience getting caught in a downpour),
first aid kit, bite & sting kit (rattlesnakes sometimes seen...), & whistle. Of course I always carry an energy bar, as well.

I used the blue bike lever above to (eventually) get my tire ready to change the tube. That took a little trial and error, I have to admit.

The rest of the experience continued to be a comedy of errors. To wit, I didn't realize you don't want to fill the tube too full before putting it in the tire. You just want to do enough to make it easier. See my first attempt below. I had no idea the tube was designed to be larger than the wheel itself.

And the above tube wasn't even the right one ... apparently I had been carrying around an extra tube that would have been useless on the trail. Nice lesson learned. I'm glad I've never had a flat on the trail. The valves on the tubes from my old bike were too big for the hole on the wheel for my new bike. Who knew? I guess I should have. I had to go buy new tubes.

The correct tube with the correct valve ...

It took me much longer than it should have to fix a flat. But I'm happy that I had to fumble my way through the experience because now I am confident I could do this on my own on the trail. Perhaps not quickly, but more quickly than I did today. I have to say I'm a little bit proud of myself.

Proof of success!

Despite high winds, and some iffy clouds in the north, I was determined to ride to make my effort worth the time. I headed for the trails south of Boulder. Here are some shots from my quick ride today on the Greenbelt and High Plains trails.