Here I am, all excited because we finally have a wheelchair that I think I can get my head around and adjust/repair, so we don’t need to rely on others.

I’ve read the manual umpteen times, checked out all the CAD drawings, swapped notes with knowledgeable people on forums, ordered and received my SAE hex wrenches (US size allen wrenches) and was all ready to begin.

I thought I should start simple, and was expecting a no brainer of removing the handrim from the wheel that Rob does not use (will make it easier to get through doorways). Here is how far I got:
1. Remove the rear wheel from the chair. — check
2. Remove all air from the inner tube. — Oh shit, where is the valve

One of the reasons we chose this chair was because an excellent forum of people willing to help. They have been great, and within minutes I had my answer.

Here is the post I made:

Help — Removing a TiLite airless insert?
Okay, this is probably a really stupid question, but how does one remove an airless insert out on a TiLite? I am trying to take a handrim off, which requires taking the airless insert out. I’ve checked the parts store but it only shows a picture of the CP101847 24″ x 1-3/8″ AIRLESS INSERT and the manual says nothing that I can find.

I’m a bit bummed, because this was going to be my first try at tinkering with the new chair, and I’ve failed at step one — ugh!

Here was the response:

This may be the hardest thing to do on a wheel chair. It requires steel tire irons, hammer and a lot of muscle and swearing. Take it to a bike shop.

And my reply:

Frick! We got this chair used, and I thought the insert was more like a Schwalbe kevlar insert. Actually, I’m not really sure I even thought about it much.

Living in Holland we have good bike shops on just about every corner. I’ll definitely take your advice @baldfatdad and get to the bike shop. We’ve got a nice old local guy that I hope never retires.

I guess the good news is that I don’t have to pump up tires every week;-)

Here I was with grand ideas of changing the seat height and center of gravity (COG) and I did not even get so far as taking the tube out to remove a handrim (yeah, we have exciting Saturday nights).

I’m convinced that we made the right decision to get a used chair to start out with understanding this world of ultralight wheelchairs. We definitely will hold off making buying decisions on the new custom fit chair until we know what every possible option is and what the ramifications are for adjustment/repair.