netdog

I have a Bianchi Mega Pro XL and it has developed a slow leak. In NYC, I always had the guy around the corner fix my flats, but now there is nobody nearby.

Is doing this easy if I order a tire online? What else will I need? Glue? Tools? Anything else?

I know this sounds lame, but there it is.

Also, any recommendations in terms of tires? I use this bike almost entirely in the dry in Regent's Park where the pavement is excellent. I want to strike the right balance, however, between performance and durability.

Thanks for your help!

HillRider

The tire isn't leaking, the inner tube is. You remove the wheel, remove the tire, inspect the inside of the tire for what ever caused the flat, repair or replace the tube, install the tube and tire on the rim, inflate, reinstall the wheel on the bike. It's very easy once you know how. Can you get someone to "walk" you through it the first time?

As to tires, I assume you have a road bike (Bianchi's web site doesn't show any model named "Mega Pro"). Any decent quality 700-23 tire should meet your needs. Avoid very expensive tires, above $40 or so each, as these are pure racing tires and have poor durability. Also avoid cheap tires, below ~$20, as the quality can be suspect. Look at Michelin, IRC, Vittoria, Vredestein, etc.

sch

Tubulars or clinchers? 650 or 700c? For brands Vittoria is the only tire if the bike is full Campy. No Dutch, German or French branded tires on this steed. If Shimano then you can be eclectic. In general the sweet spot for bike tires is in the $18-30 range. As prices go above 25 the payoff is less and less. As tires are just as likely to fail from carcass cuts as wearing out and rear tires wear about twice as fast as front tires you gain very little from higher priced tires in longevity, hazard protection and performance variances are swamped out by motor considerations for most people. Pros use all kinds of tires (all expensive $50 and up types) and they don't notice a whole lot of difference apart from considerations of tread traction related to road surfaces and weather. Neither will you. Clinchers come in wire and kevlar bead, the later being 30-50gr lighter and $5-10 more expensive in the few brands that make the 'same' tire in both versions. Kevlar beads allow the tire to be folded up and shipping is less expensive, although it is possible to partly fold wire bead tires into a package 1/3 the diameter. Size: match what you have altho 23mm or 25mm are better choices than 20mm for novices from an install POV. Park tire tool set or clone works well. Some like the tire tool that folds up, one end of the expanded tool fits over the axle and the other under the tire bead and by pulling in the tool the bead is popped out. Be aware that this can require considerable (a LOT) of pull for the first 3-4" of bead but then the force goes way down to nothing by the time you have 12" of bead loose. The park type levers work similarly but can be used to lever the bead off or on the rim, again the most challenging being from the 4-10" range of bead. Small handed types challenged with upper body tasks may require some practice and pointers from experienced types initially. Liquid soap on the rim facilitates install/removal, the bead slides more easily. Beware of pinching the tube between the rim and bead- it will cut the tube. Ditto between bead/ rim and tire tool.
Most adults should be able to do this, it is straight forward, but helps to have a demonstrator handy.
Be aware that rims and tires vary a mm or two around the nominal size and a rim 1mm too large and tire 2mm too small can be a bear to get on. Vice versa gives a tire you may not even need tools to install.
Wire beads are usually harder to put on than kevlar beads. Kevlar belts on tires are $5-10 more but worth it in general for increased protection against puncture. Kevlar BELT is not same as Kevlar BEAD.
Steve

netdog

The bike is all Campagnolo Record and weighs 16 lbs. if that helps. Are there any tools I need to get the tires on and off?

The Rob

Do a search here: https://www.parktool.com/repair/index.asp

Road tires can be difficult to get back on the rims, so be prepared to sweat a bit, and don't let yourself get frustrated. Patience!

jagerk

If your wheel has developed that hiss of death, it's probably not a complete loss for your tire. You just have to know how to patch the tube, once it's patched most people think the affected area is more resilient to further damage.

From Sheldon Brown, https://www.sheldonbrown.com/flats.html:
Make sure to release as much air as possible from the tube as possible before proceeding. And, nobody quite stressed this enough to me before I changed my first set of tires; your thumbs are going to be a hurtin' something fierce.

About the only thing I can add to those directions are, since the tire lever is actually shaped kind of like a crowbar, you insert the "L" to hook under the tire and pry INTO the wheel to get leverage.

I found that putting the tire back on was even more craziness (and the thumbs! the thumbs! they hurts us..) I'm not so sure whether it's OK for the tube/tire, but I then reversed the direction of the lever in order to carefully put the tires back on (1.0" Slicks on a 26" mountain bike I would assume is about as difficult as the narrow tires on road bikes).

A trick to save time; instead of removing the whole tire to remove the patch, as long as one of the edges is off the wheel rim, there's sufficient slack to remove the tube, carefully, starting away from the valve. Grab it and slowly peel away from the rim, and at the valve you push it away from the wheel, and the tub'es off with the tire half on the wheel. Saves half the effort, if you don't need to change the whole tire. With the tube out, find the offending piece of glass/caltrop/tube-puncturer and inspect the damage. Exactly what qualifies as tire-changing damage, I don't know, but maybe you'll know when you see it?

Once you have the tube off, get a cheap dollar-repair kit. They're the ones which have the rubber cement, which is what you'd rather have than glueless kits. Follow the directions on the kit, and make sure to let the cement dry completely before affixing the tube patch.

Reverse the directions on getting the tube and wheel off, and you'll have your wheel good as new.

sch

The Vittoria comment was TIC of course, but Nashbar has 4 different Vittorias between $15 and 30 right now. A look at the tools shows the Crank Bros Speedbar, but you also need a set of tire levers just in case and the Park type have been impervious to damage in my experience. One essay on tire/tube R&R
is at www.parktool.com and punch the repair button and click on the bike tire. Haven't looked explicitly but www.sheldonbrown.com has essays on everything else, so tire R&R might be there as well. Of course a tire pump is assumed, and floor pump is a lot better than frame mount.

Edit: faster typers already covered some of this. Nashbar is www.nashbar.com
Steve

HillRider

Excuse what is sure to sound like a snide comment but I find it incredible that you have a 16 pound, all Campy Record bike but don't know how to fix a flat tire.

netdog

Like I said, I always had the guy around the corner fix it. Sorry if you look down on that. It's just how I did things. I really don't work on my bike at all. I just try to keep it maintained well.

AndrewP

All the explanations above are for clincher tires. If you have a tubular sew-up tire, which is a distinct possibility with a 16 lb bike, just roll off the leaking one, clean the rim, glue on a new tire, inflate.

netdog

Right, these are definitely not clinchers.

FWIW, when I was a kid I had an old PX10 and used to change the tires all the time. Then I used a mountain bike for years in New York, but finally broke down and bought the Bianchi because, as we all know, there is nothing like the joy of riding a great road bike. Central Park was ideal for that, as is Regents Park here. But no, since I bought the Bianchi, I have never changed my own tire.

netdog

No, indeed they are clinchers. I've got the tube out, and will either find the leak and patch it or replace and get the tools to put it back on. The shells still seem to be in good shape, so I might as well keep running on them I think.

Thanks to all for their help.

mowog

Add a little air to the tube when you put it in! just enough to give it some shape- this will help to prevent pinch flats. This will keep the tube up in the tire and away from the rim.

LastPlace

Three things to add to the good things aleady mentioned.

As 'mowog' says, put a little air into the tube but then try to push the tube up into the tire as much as possible. This will make it marginally easier to get the tire back onto the rim and will reduce the odds of pinching the tube with any tools you use to get the tire back onto the rim.

Tools. In addition to those mentioned you can use a 'Tire Bead Jack'. It weighs about three ounces and costs about ten dollars. It will make all tires easier to get back onto the rim but really helps with tires with wire beads.

Third, practice changing tires and tubes at home and the flats you will inevitably get on the road will be that much easier to deal with.

On a personal note, I feel that tires like Specialized with 'Flak Jackets' are a bit heavier but have fewer flats, and as such, offset their weight penalty. In my case, I'm goning to 700 x 32 tires so weight is clearly not a concern for me but it sounds like it might be an issue for you.

netdog

I can't believe how easy that was. Thanks to all of you!