The Excellent Wife (TEW) is trying to build up her bicycle skills to the point that she can do a group ride (I've promised her that when she is able to do a "D" ride of about 20 miles, I'll lead at least one so she gets the opportunity). Her rear tire has gone flat a couple of times in the past week, and, with some reluctance, she offered that she wanted to learn how to change it herself.
We set last evening for the time. We had the replacement tube on hand, as well as her mini-pump and bike toolkit. We went through all the procedures: putting the chain on the smallest cog and chainring, opening the brake, removing the rear wheel, removing the tire and tube. She blew up the tube a bit to give it some shape, and was able to get the tire back on, one bead at a time, without using her tire levers.
The mini-pump almost stopped her. She pinched a finger in a poorly-designed handle, and then couldn't get much pressure in (because she doesn't have the arm strength). When I talked to her about CO2 cartridges, she acted as if I were holding out the secret of eternal youth: d-mn the expense, it's still way better than the mini-pump! (I've got to get her a better system than the screw-on one she now has, though).
She's going to have some difficulty with the chain routing when putting the rear wheel back on (which is, admittedly, confusing; it took me a while to catch on, too). But it did seem like she got the hang of the quick release, and about how much resistance it should have when closing. I'm sure she feels more competent, and, with some patience, she'll be able to do it when she has to. And perhaps she'll be a little more confident about riding with others.
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