Helped a kid fix his first flat tire last Saturday

A young guy maybe 12 years old rode up to the shop with his dad, rear tire completely flat. He looked nervous so I asked if he wanted to learn how to patch it himself instead of me just swapping the tube. We spent about 20 minutes pulling the tire, finding the tiny thorn, and doing the patch right. His face lit up when we pumped it back up and it held air. Anyone else get more satisfaction teaching someone than just doing the repair quick?

3 comments

3 Comments

dakota_patel9815d ago

Actually that thing about the kid coming back with the same flat is a little off. You can't patch a tube more than once or twice before it starts leaking at the old patch spots. Most shop guys will tell you to just replace the tube after the second patch because the rubber gets weak. I've seen kids try to patch a tube four or five times and it never holds right after that. Teaching is great but you gotta be real about when a tube is done.

wadem8926d ago

Last summer I actually avoided teaching my neighbor's kid how to change his bike chain because I thought it would take too long. Figured it was faster to just do it myself and send him on his way. But after reading stories like yours I tried a different approach last month with a kid who had a busted spoke on his BMX. We spent about 30 minutes walking through each step and when he finally got the wheel trued up and rode off with a huge grin, it hit me that I had been missing the whole point. The time spent teaching is way more valuable than just cranking out the repair fast. That little moment when everything clicks for them is honestly better than getting paid for the job.

john65026d ago

Heard this from a buddy of mine who runs a shop. He told me about some kid who kept coming in with the same flat tire until he finally showed him how to patch it himself. Kid ended up fixing his whole family's bikes that summer.