Getting the wheel off without a fight
Okay. New module. We're fixing a flat, and the first honest hurdle for most people isn't the tube, it's the wheel. Getting it off the bike without swearing at it.
Front wheel first, because it's the easy one and it'll build your confidence before we deal with the back, which has the derailleur and chain to worry about.
Front wheel
Flip the bike so it's resting on the seat and handlebars, like we practiced. If you've got rim brakes, open the brake first. There's usually a little lever on the caliper itself, or on the brake lever up at the handlebar, that releases the tension so the pads spread wide enough for the tire to slide through. Skip this step and you'll be yanking on a wheel that physically can't come out, wondering what's wrong with you. Nothing's wrong with you. You just forgot the brake.
If you've got disc brakes, no lever to flip, you're fine, just be careful not to squeeze the brake lever at all once the wheel's off. Squeeze it with no wheel in there and the pads can clamp shut on each other, and that's a whole annoying process to pry back open. Don't ask me how I know.
Then it's the axle. Quick release lever, or two nuts if it's a bolt-on axle. Quick release, you flip the lever open, might need to loosen the little nut on the other side a turn or two if it's snug. Bolt-on, you need the right wrench, usually 15mm, and this is one of those "right tool, gentle first" situations again. Loosen both sides evenly. Don't crank on one side like it owes you money.
Wheel should now lift straight out of the fork. If it's fighting you, check the brake again. Nine times out of ten that's the issue.
Back wheel
Same brake situation if you've got rim brakes. Then here's the part that trips people up: the derailleur.
Shift the chain to the smallest cog, the one closest to the frame, before you take the wheel off. Do this while the wheel's still on the ground and you can pedal by hand to make the shift happen. This matters because it puts the derailleur in the position with the least tension, which makes getting the wheel back in later about ten times easier. Skip it and you'll be wrestling the chain onto a cog that's under way more spring tension than it needs to be, cursing at a bicycle in your garage.
Loosen the axle same as the front. Pull the derailleur back with one hand, kind of swing it out of the way, and the wheel drops free. It feels a little awkward the first time. That's normal. Everybody's face does the same confused thing the first time they do this.
The barrel adjuster detour
This is low key a good spot to mention something that comes up a lot once people start pulling wheels off regularly, which is brake rub after you put the wheel back. Little bit of drag, one side of the pad kissing the rim.
I walked Jocelyn through the whole barrel adjuster explanation once, the little knob near where the cable housing meets the lever, twist it to fine-tune the cable tension without touching the main bolt. Explained the whole thing, she nodded along. Next time her brake was rubbing she just fixed it herself, didn't ask me, didn't wait for me to come look. I was quietly proud of that for a couple days, not gonna lie. That's kind of the whole point of this class, honestly. You shouldn't need me standing over your shoulder for stuff like this.
A word on the axle nuts
If you've got the bolt-on style, not quick release, don't lose track of which side goes where and don't strip those nuts. This is a place where forcing it costs you. If a nut feels stuck, back off, check you've got the right size wrench, make sure it's fully seated before you lean into it. A rounded-off axle nut is a genuinely annoying repair for something that should've been a thirty-second job.
Getting it back in
Reverse of taking it out. Front wheel's straightforward, just line the axle into the dropouts and snug it down evenly on both sides. Back wheel, chain goes onto that smallest cog you shifted to earlier, and this is where doing that step ahead of time pays off. Line up the axle, let the derailleur guide the chain into place, snug the axle down.
Spin the wheel before you tighten all the way. Make sure it's centered, not rubbing one side of the brake. That'll get you most of the way there.
Close the brake lever back up if you opened it. Squeeze the brake lever a couple times before you ride anywhere, just to confirm you've got stopping power. Cheap insurance.
Before next time
Practice pulling both wheels on your own bike a couple times this week, front and back, until it stops feeling like a negotiation. Next lesson we're actually getting into the tube itself.