I stumbled across a great video on how to change a flat tire…
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5K-DXt9djA]
Luckily, I have never gotten a flat in a race (knock on wood). I have had flats several times while out riding and each time looked at it as an opportunity to practice my tire changing skills. It took me 20 minutes the first time.There’s another video on YouTube (see link below) where the guy puts baby powder on the inner tube before installing it. I notice that when I change my tubes, they are sticking to the inside wall of the tire. Baby powder seems like a good idea. I googled “baby powder bike tire” and found lots of articles that talk about doing this. I think I’ll take my tires off and do this.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAa0iN4wrhU]
Also, a video at beginnertriathlete on changing a flat:
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1223
I sprinkle baby powder inside my tires and rub it on my inner tubes so that they slide into place easily. This helps to prevent pinches and leaks when they are pressured it up.
I rub baby powder on my spare inner tubes, put them in baggy, sprinkle some more baby powder in, and seal the bag. That way they are pre-lubricated and ready to go.
When I have a flat, I take a spare tube out of the bag and either blow it up slightly by mouth or hit it with a quick shot of CO2 so that it is loosely inflated. This makes it so much quicker and easier to slip it into the tire, as opposed to a tube with no air pressure at all.