Generally, most children will try a two-wheeler with training wheels at around age 3. When picking a bike, your child should be able to sit on the seat and touch the ground, not on the toes, but with their flat feet. Not only does this size them for safety, but also to gives them a positive experience, building their confidence to eventually transition from training wheels.

Learning to Peddle

For the first timers, they may have trouble with the mechanics of pedaling. To help, put the training wheel on two catalogs or phone books so that the back tire spin freely. Help your child on the bike and placing your hands on their feet, help them pedal. In a very short time, they should be able to peddle without your help. Once you and they feel confortable with pedaling, remove the bike from books and have them try pedaling on a flat surface.

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1) Remove the wheel

Losen the nuts or quick release mechanism that holds the wheel until it is able to slide out. With a quick-release, simply open the quick-release lever to release the tension holding the wheel in place. Assuming your brakes are disengaged, your front wheel will probably drop straight out.

You may need to loosen your brakes to get the wheel off. These often have a quick release mechanism too. With older bikes, you’ll have the loosen the brake cable, using a screw driver or wrench.

If it’s the rear wheel, you’ll want to shift your chain the smallest gear. With the bike upside down, pull back the derailleur and lift the wheel out.

2) Removing the bike tire and tube

Find the damage – it’s important to try and find how or why the tire is flat. Sometimes a foreign object is visible just from looking at the tire, but many times it’s not that obvious. See if you can spot the damage before removing tire. If not, try finding the damage after you remove tire (details later).

Bike tires are held inside the bike rim mostly by air pressure and being seated in the bead. the “bead” is the tire interlocking with the edge of the rim In some cases you can unseat your tire by pushing one edge of the tire towards the center of the rim. if that doesn’t work, insert a tire lever and pry the tire up and over the edge of the rim. Run the tire lever around the tire. Now you can easily access the tube and pull it out.

Tip: it’s best if you can leave tire on wheel and not fully remove it, perserving the seated bead on one side of the tire.

Find the damage – Part 2 - Finding the cause of the flat can be difficult if you don’t see any obvious punctures or blowouts. If not obvious, try inflating the tube and listen for a leaking sound. For smaller leaks, put tube in water and look for bubbles. Also check the tire valve stem area. On the tire, carefully run your hand around the inside of the tire, feeling for any foreign objects.

Tip: You’ll want to check for tire damage once the tube leak is discovered, so take note of the tube position so that you can match up the tube leak with the post on the tire.

3) Repair or replace tube

Repair – Most patching kits contain everything you need, including instructions, on patching a tube. It’s best to use a patch for small or emergency repairs. For maximum reliability and safety, replace a patched tube as soon as possible. Repair steps include (also follow the patch repair instructions):

• Find the tube puncture or damaged area.
• Make sure that area is dry and clean, especially if your using Slime.
• Using sandpaper, rough up the surface around damaged area to give the glue adhere to the tube.
• Spread the glue and allow it to set until tacky.
• Put the patch on damaged area, and while applying pressure, hold it in place for a couple of minutes.
• If you have some Talc, you can put a little in the tire and the affected area. This will make it a little easier to install tire.
• Put tube back on wheel, by inflating tube slightly. Start with the valve by putting it in the valve hole in rim and and inserting the tube under the tire.

Replace – Replacing a tube is pretty straight forward. Tube size information is available on the tube itself or on the sidewall of your tire. Once your sure you removed any foreign objects from the tire, insert the valve first and fit the tube in under that tire.

4) Putting tire on

Now that you have your new tube in please, put the tire back on the rim. If you completely removed the tire, check for rotation direction on tire.

Complete putting the tire on the rim with using your hands, but in some cases you may need to use your tire level. Be careful not to pinch the tube, or you’ll ruin your tube and have to start over.

Inflate your tire. Pump up your tire and check both sides of the rim to make sure that the tire bead stays firmly seated. Make sure the valve is straight as you pump up the tire. Also, check to make sure your tube doesn’t get caught between your tire and the rim. Pump up tube to the recommended tire pressure, which is be labeled on the site of the tire.

5) Putting the wheel back on

You’re almost done and just have place the wheel back on the bike. With a quick-release, make sure the quick-release lever is open before reinstalling the tire. Turn the adjusting nut on the opposite side of the quick-release lever to tighten it.  Close the quick-release lever. If there’s too much resistance, you may have to loosen the nut slightly. Keep adjusting so that resistance begins when the lever is sticking out perpendicular to the bicycle frame.

Tips for being prepared

Always bring a spare tube. Make sure you’re careful to check tire size and type of valve (Schraeder or Presta valve)

Pack a patch kit. Even with spare tube, patch kits are compact and economical. Also, you may pinch your spare tube when installing and a patch kit is good backup plan.

Pack tire levers: These are small and can easily be back anywhere.

Carry a pump: Of course you can’t fix a flat without of pump. Also good to have on hand if you’re tire get low.

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