Check at some of your local bike shops and see if they have any classes on bike repair. What I have done is take my bike in for a tune up and just hang out and watch what they do. As long as you can change a flat you should be okay. If anything else breaks during a race your day is pretty much over anyway.

yeah TriTim is pretty much right,

I carry an inflator (CO2 type), and intertube, tire levers, and a multitool ANYTIME I ride my bike...

I haven't had to use any of it yet but I know how to use it if the problem ever presents itself...

Worst case scenerio: if you get a flat, you can always just push your bike the rest of the way...

Like TT said, if you have any problems other than a flat tire you're pretty much out of the race (unless you can still push the bike)...

rr

Yea yea, thanks redding for that suggestion. I so did that on my ealry mornin' training on Saturday. Went around a corner, hit a nice bump that stupid me couldn't avoid and POOF, flat tire. Jogged with my bike a mile and a half home.

Now to be honest, I have no idea either about bikes. I'm trying to get off my tire (well before I got onto the site) and I feel as if I'm going to break it. I have to go today to get some "tips" as well as a new tube b/c I have a race on Sunday and need to get a riding ASAP. So to answer the question of knowing about your bike-YES!! (LOL)

You MUST learn how to change a flat.
THough it seems difficult at first, it is very easy once you learn.
Story to prove my point

My first triathlon - NYC 2003
2 miles into the bike I get a flat
I have no clue how to fix it - i try several times but have no luck
I pick up my bike and run barefoot back to the transition area
once there i get someone to help me with the flat
(which was apparently against the rules and i was later disqualified)
however, i still wanted to finish, but i forgot my wheelpin back where i got the flat
i ran 2 miles to get the pin
and ran 2 miles back

wasted 90 min, 6 miles of running, and extra 2 miles of biking - just bc i didnt know how to change a flat

Park Tools (one of the best bicycle tool manufacturers in the world) has a great website for anyone looking to work on their bike...

[url]http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQtires.shtml[/url]
here is the link for changing tires/tubes..

(you dont have to buy all the fancy tools to change a flat) all you will need is:

TIRE LEVERS (help you remove and re-install the rubber tire on the metal rim) i like the kind with a hook on the end.
NEW INTERTUBE (to replace the damaged intertube)
COMPRESSOR/PUMP/ETC. (to pump up the tire after the new intertube and tire are mounted on the bike)

Flats do suck. :eek:

But only for a few minutes if you know how to fix them.

Check with your bike shop if they have some basic bike maintenance class.

Or get a bike maintenance book.

'Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance' by Lennard Zinn is quite good.

I took a class at my local REI (if you have one near you) on basic bike maintenance. They showed us how to change a tire(already knew) fix a chain and some other stuff. Class was free and was about 2 hours.

Hi Trimenow,

Learning how to fix your own bike is (i believe) and essentail skill. Yes, there are some very technical jobs that should be left to a professional bike mechanic, but for the most part you should be able to do most of the everyday maintence work yourself. Bicycles are very simple machines, and what each part does is quite easy to work-out when you look at what it is used for.

As everyone has already mentioned, learning to fix a flat tire, and removing your wheels is essential. It can be a bit tricky to start with, but is easily practiced in front of the T.V. one night. Just get a good book from the library or your local book shop with clear simple pictures, a spare tube, a punture kit, some tire leavers and your bike pump and try it a couple of times. Riders generally carry a spare tube which can be used to replace a flat quickely as you don't need to fix the hole in the old tube, a patch kit in case they are unluckey enough to puncture twice and need to plug up a hole, some tire leavers to get the tire off the rim (this part is which takes practice), and some way to get air back into your tires (a pump is the most simple, but some people carry fancy CO2 thingies for super-fast inflation - as a newbe to tire changes i'd recommend starting with a basic pump).

Out on the race course you'll need to know how to fix a flat tire - any other mechanicals any your probably walking anyway. If you're mountain biking i'd recommend learning how to fix a broken chain, but i've never seen this happen on the road, so its an optional roadie skill.

Some other basic home bike mechanic skill's you'll want to master are tuning your gears and breaks, replacing cables and break pads, not to mention cleaning your bike. Cleaning your bike properly is often overlooked by many people and is much more that soaking it with the hose and wiping of the mud and dust. All these skills can easily be learnt from a book or a basic course that many LBS's often run in the evenings.

Don't be afraid to experiment with your bike (provided it's not in the few days before racing) as you can always take it to the bike shop to be fixed if you stuff it up. But on that note; i used to work in a bike shop and the mechanics hated getting jobs that people had [U]really [/U] stuffed up when they'd tried to do really techinical fix-it jobs at home (e.g. bearing replacements in their wheels) with the wrong tools and no knowledge what-so-ever. If you're not confident with the hard stuff leave it for the mechanics, they can fix a fault faster (cheaper for you) if you haven't already made it worse.

Remember, knowing the basics of how to fix your bike will make you feel more confident out on long rides, self sufficent in races, and save you heaps of money in mechanics bills. I hope this helps :o ,

M a t t

in theory i agree w/ matt. rredding has it right too. i've always been mechanically inclined, but not everyone is. if you are, a book , the tools and some time and practice is all you need to learn how to do any repair yourself. if you are not, the tools and books are just a waste of time - you need hands on instructions or preferably someone to do it for you.

now that said, the one skill you really do need is how to fix a flat. there are just a handful of skills to master in order to do this quickly and succesfully and they are easy to practice. there are mainly two ways to fix a flat - replace the tube or patch the tube. you should learn both. there are just a few pieces of equipment you need: new tube and patch kit, tire levers, inflation device (co2 and/or pump). i carry one tube, patch kit, tire levers and co2 inflator w2 cartirdges. i have a floor pump for use at home. i have used all of this equipment (more often then i'd have liked). if you buy it at your LBS they should be happy to show you how it all works on your bike. if they don't, buy it from the shop that does.

Learn at least the basics of how to repair your bike. And learn the last ditch repairs for broken derailleur hangers, broken spokes, things like that. Dont let something minor and repairable turn a training ride into a LONG hike... or a long wait if your carry your phone to call your friends so they can laugh when you dont know how to fix your bike.

Its not rocket science. Read the books, and go to a classs offered by a shop. The shop I go to has em fro free once a month.

Well - I hope that your sprint went well and you made it out of everything in NO, before Katrina.