mendozer

i have a repair book, but i wanted a typical person's view on this. should i replace my own tires (is it that easy?) or should i go with the safe bet and get it installed by someone else? it doesnt look TOO bad in the book, but i dont have like one of those tools (to take the tire off. but i could just use a flathead screwdriver yeah?)

what do you think?

mizzel

Changing tires is definitely something you can handle. Don't use a screwdriver though. Metal tools can damage tires and tubes, and a screwdriver has sharp corners. You can get a plastic tool to remove the tire at your bike shop for about $1.

Other than that it should be pretty simple. Some tires need to be mounted so they rotate a certain direction when riding forward. If so, it should be written on the sidewall. When you are putting the new tire on, be careful when you get around to the part of the tube with the valve. You dont want to damage it.

Good luck!

capwater

You gotta be kidding.......... Learn to change your own tire, a skill that comes in handy when you get a flat 30 miles from home. Jeeeez..... Keep the screwdriver in the toolbox, get a platic tire lever.

Bikewer

I maintain our fleet of 15 police bikes, plus my own (5 at present) so I'm fixing flats and changing tires several times a week. It's second nature to me, takes only a few minutes.
The first time can be intimidating, though.

If you're fixing a flat, you want to try to find the cause first. look for that tack, nail, piece of wire or glass that's sticking into your tire. Take note of the position, it'll be easier to find the hole in the tube.

Pop the wheel off (you can manage that, right?) and make sure the tire is fully deflated. Push the valve stem in a little, and break the bead loose from the rim by hand. Just push in on it. Sometimes, tires that have been on for a long time get sort of "glued" to the rim.
Push the bead of the tire in towards the center of the rim near the valve stem, to give a little slack, and insert one tire tool under the bead. Be very careful to only catch the bead, and not the tube. It's quite easy to pinch the tube, and then you'll have another hole to fix.
Pry the bead over the edge of the rim, and try to slide it sideways. Often, you can just run the tool around the entire bead that way, especially on tires that have been taken off a few times. If it absolutely won't budge, use a second tool. Again, be very careful of the tube.
With the tire loose on one side, you can pull the tube, find the hole, and apply a patch. (or a new tube)

Don't put it back in just yet, run a rag (something fuzzy like an old sock) around the inside of the tire to make sure the object is gone. Anything sharp will catch on the rag. When you're satisfied the object is gone, put enough air in the tube (just a little) to stretch the wrinkles out a bit, and work the valve stem through the rim, then work the tube back into the tire.
Now, the object is to work the tire back on without using any tools. If you can do it (it's easy on some tires, hard on others) you have much less chance of pinching the tube. If you absolutely must use the tool to get the last bit on, be very careful not to pinch that tube.
Now, inflate, making sure the tire is lined up squarely on the rim. Most have a little line cast into the sidewall you can use for a guage.
Pump up to proper pressure and slap 'er back on the bike!

TehEskimoHunter

Well Park sells metal tire levers.

mizzel

Good for them. Why dont you go buy one?

Wogster

From what I heard, if you have Al rims, you need to use the plastic ones, as they are less likely to damage the rim, if your rims are made of a harder metal, your probably okay with the metal levers.....

becnal

Changing a tire should be a basic skill for any adult bicyclist.

ThatWhichRolls

Hey, easy. At least this person bothered to ask a question about something they didn't know much about. They could've just headed down to a schmaltzy showroom-style bike shop, paid a crazy amount of money for it, and waited days to get their ride back. Give them credit for at least considering learning how.

ThatWhichRolls

As all others have pointed out, you should learn how to do this yourself, and there's no better way than to get yourself a set of tire levers, break out the repair book, and go nuts. But, uh...just...don't go nuts.

Really, the challenging part for you as a first-timer will probably be getting the new tire "stretched" around the rim. Depending on the size of the rim and the type of tire, it can be easy or a bit of a hassle, but just stick with it, you will get it worked out (providing the tire's the right size for the rim). Also, when you're putting it on, check the side of the tire for any sort of marking indicating a direction of rotation. Not all tires have directional tread, but you'll have a much easier time if you put one that's got it on the right way 'round. Good luck.

grahny

first time i changed a tube (have to remove the tire first obviously, hence the skill to change tires too) I did it on a trail out in the middle of nowhere with no practice... took about 20 minutes with zero experience and a quick read online several days before on how to do it with a set of $3 plastic tire levers...

I will say though that putting brand new road tires on some rims can be difficult... I broke 2 tire levers putting a set of michelin carbon's on a set of Ritchey Pro rims... man did my hands hurt putting those suckers on there... still got it done though (had to get some new levers afterwards ).

masiman

The levers are easiest but you can do it with other tools. You'll just have to be more careful about damaging the tire, tube and/or rim. For years I changed tires with my moms dinner knives. The near-toothless kind. The have a nice round edge and are very unlikely to do any sort of puncture damage.

Bikewer had some good tips on doing the procedure. When you get a little more experience, you can pull the tube off the rim but leave just the valve in the rim. Pump the tire up slightly to localize the puncture(s). Check out what kind of puncture you have. Leaving the valve lets you determine where on the tire/rim the puncture occurred.

- Two holes in a snake bite pattern is indicative of a pinch flat from hitting something too hard and pinching the tube against the tips of your sidewalls. Check for damage to the rim sidewalls at the point of impact.
- If a single hole, check the tire at that point for something that went through the tire. You should find the piece of debris embedded in the tire. Pull it out. I you cannot find debris, visually look for a piece of debris sliding freely around inside your tire.
- Check the underside of the tire for how bad the damage is. If very bad you may need a new tire. You can patch some cuts and punctures. Different people have different methods. The purpose of patching a tire is to keep more debris from getting in and to keep the tube from bubbling out of the hole. Although if it can bubble out, you probably really need a new tire.
- Visually check the bead of the tire for any wires poking out.
- Resist the temptation to run your hand on the inside of the tire checking for debris. Running some the wire bead through your finger will reinforce the idea that you should not do this. Wear gloves if you decide to do this, although the gloves take away alot of the sensation making this less effective than a visual inspection. However it can still find that little piece of wire sticking out that may hide like an ingrown hair. Don't be afraid to bend the tire around suspect/damaged area to look for/inspect damage.

It is satisfying to do your own. You can make do until you can get tools.

Have fun with it.

RIP Syd

capwater

Extra credit on the final exam given for taking the time to ask, but even more extra credit for the course could have been gained by doing a quick search on "how to change a bike tire." Only person I heard of taking their bike in for a tire change was John "Big Dig" Kerry whilst cycling on Nantucket Island.

It's like changing flat car tites, I have taught both my girls how to do it. This is a required skill.

To get back on topic, use a plastic lever to remove the tire. No lever needed to re-install. Just practice it a few times to get comfortable. I'm no speedster, but even I can have a wheel off, change a tire and reinstall within 5 minutes.

reverborama

I'm trying to change the tires on a bike that sat for literally 15 years. The 27-inch gum-walled road tires left a lot of dried rubber stuck to the inside of the rim. It's like really old rubber band material. I tried half-heartedly to remove it with a Scotch-brite pad but I'm afraid of damaging the rims. I've never seen anything like this before. How do I clean the inside of the rims so I can put new skins on it?

becnal

I'd use steel wool.

lrzipris

mendozer, do you ride with a club? If so, a more experienced member of the club might be willing to give you a quick lesson. Some clubs often do this as part of the program during a club meeting, and I'm doing a brief tire changing "clinic" before an entry-level ride I'm leading this weekend.

Tire/tube/flat repair is one skill that every cyclist can (and probably should) learn, as it's pretty simple. It's also the most frequent repair you'll face on rides, and with that knowledge, you can finish your ride and not have to call someone to drive you home.

ThatWhichRolls

Ha, good one. I had two housemates years back who'd worked on Natucket for a few seasons and told me all about it. It is indeed a topsy-turvy land of insanity and innanity. Unfortunately, it's not the only place in the world where people pay money for services they could easily handle themselves.

If I didn't hate the place so much, I'd go to Village Cycle Center in Lincoln Park here in Chicago and snap you lots of photos of yuppies paying dearly for said service. People do in fact let shops do this work for them. Village even has a sign posted - "tire inflation - $10" or some similar amount (it may have been $15; I went in there once and never again!). Yes, it's stupid, but these are folks who would never dream of being capable of changing their bike tires in a million years.

ThatWhichRolls

In addition to masiman's guidelines for puncture situations: if you find a puncture on the part of the tube which sits against the rim rather than the tire, you'll also want to check the rim strip, which is a peice of thick gauze-looking material (or sometimes rubber) that runs around the inside of your rim and sits between the rim and the tube. It should be flat and take up the majority of the inside of the rim. If it's shifted slightly out of place, move it back into place - if the adhesive's worn out, consider picking up a new one (shouldn't cost you more than $3 or so). Even though the inside of the rim appears not to be jagged, any non-rounded off surface can slowly stress your tube and will eventually result in a puncture.

mendozer

thanks for all the input. since its my spare bike, im just gunna buy lame Bell universal tires. ill look for that tire lever at my bike store tomorrow. and yeah take it easy on me i just learned how to ride like in March and I'm 18 so im not your typical "adult cyclist"

Lameness

Here ya go.....no tire levers needed.

https://video.google.com/videoplay?do...q=bicycle+tire
https://video.google.com/videoplay?do...q=bicycle+tire

Just so ya know, my tire didn't come off quite as easily as he makes it look in the video. I think he had a tire that was really pre-stretched. My tire was new, so it was a tight fit. However, I still managed to do it using nothing but my fingers!

mendozer

thanks, but i did it yesterday. not hard.

Garfield Cat

How about some horror stories about flat tires? Changing tires on a nice warm day is easy, but how about when your fingers are icy cold and you're in the middle of nowhere to rest your bike down. The road is wet and its getting dark. You took the skewer apart and the nut rolled down somewhere and now you can't find it. You go to inflate the tire with the mini-pump and it breaks off the presta valve end.

Ny Cykel

When you got a gallon of milk and other cold grocieries tied to the rack, you change it "FAST".
Bummer dude, I just come out, got the grocieries in place and saw the front flat, I had to "P" real bad too, I have never fixed a flat so fast.