Flat Tire Workshop: Remove, Patch and Refit as a Team

In teams, students fix a real flat tire from start to finish. It gives them the independence to deal with the most common breakdown on the way to school.

How to play

1. Teacher demo: release the wheel, lever off the tire with two tire levers and pull out the tube (5 min).
2. Teams of four with rotating roles (mechanic, helper, instruction reader, quality check): remove the tube (8 min).
3. Find the hole by inflating the tube a bit and dipping it in water until bubbles appear (7 min).
4. Sand, apply glue, wait for it to dry and press the patch on firmly (8 min).
5. Check inside the tire for whatever caused the flat, refit tube and tire, and inflate (8 min).
6. Teams quality-check each other's wheels and put tools away (4 min).

Rules

• Tire levers are used with the tip pointing away from your body.
• No screwdrivers to pry tires: they puncture the tube.
• Water stays in the bucket and the workshop area.
• Everyone takes every role.

Variations

Adaptations

• Students with low vision: find the hole by feeling the bubbles or listening for air near the ear.
• Students with weak hand strength: handle a floor pump and the quality check.
• Deaf or hard-of-hearing students: a sheet with numbered photos for each step.

Learning goals

• Fix a flat tire independently.
• Cooperate in a team with clear roles.
• Prevent new flats by checking the tire.

Equipment for a class of 25

• bike wheels: 6
• tire levers: 12
• patch kits: 6
• water buckets: 3
• bike pumps: 6
• rags: 6

Teacher tip

Ask a bike shop or families for old wheels and tubes, and poke a small hole with a needle the day before. The glue needs a couple of minutes to dry: the classic mistake is putting the patch on right away.

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