Hi Scott,

Since you posted your question back in 2005, it's pretty likely that you've probably changed your tire by now, but I am adding this post for the benefit of others that may have to change the rear tire on an Electra Amsterdam.

I own the Electra Amsterdam Royal 8 and have changed out the factory tires and replaced them with Continental's Top Contact tires. Although I could have stuck with the original width, I chose to go with a thinner road tire since I use it for commuting back and forth to work. The ride quality has not been affected by the swap.

The first step: disassemble the chain case. On my bike there are four screws that hold the chain case on. Slide the large portion of the chain case forward once the screws are off. You will need to rotate the right crank arm so it points forward. Little clips hold the large part of the chain case to the small part that is held in place by the rear hub. Tug the chain case forward and it will clear the clips. During reassembly, you could take the opportunity to lubricate the clean and lubricate the chain.

This step does not apply to the three speed. Then you disconnect the brake cable that is on the left side of hub. The brake cable is mated to a connector near the rear hub. Loosen the connector and release the tension on the cable. Then you can disconnect it. You also need to disconnect the braking arm from the frame. There is a clip there. You need to remove the bolt that attaches the brake arm to the clip.

I'm not sure how this step is done on the three speed. Then you get a 4mm hex wrench. There is a hole that you put the long end of the wrench into and use it to pivot counter clockwise the portion of the hub that holds the cable to the hub. Once rotated 60 to 90 degrees, the end of the cable has a cam on it and the cam can be removed from the hub by lifting up on the cable, causing the cam to rotate out of the housing.

Loosen and remove the nuts from the axle that attaches the hub to the frame.

This step doesn't exist on the three speed. Only on the eight speed because it has internal roller brakes. Then you will want to wiggle the wheel to loosen the bond of the two special washers that prevent the axle from twisting when you use the internal brake. IMPORTANT: note the orientation of these two washers. There is a little tab and one washer is for the right side of the bike and one is for the left side. Write this information down if you have to. Once you wiggle the tire they will unbind from the bike frame. Slide them off the axle. If you keep all your parts well organized as they are coming off the bike, it is easier to put them back on.

To removing the rear wheel, you must deflate the rear tire (if it is not already flat). Otherwise it will not be able to slide rearward, off of the frame.

Slide the wheel forward to loosen the chain. Remove the chain from the chain wheel (the crank). Now you can slide the wheel all the way back and off of the bike. Remove the chain from the hub.

Service the tire. I put in a Presta adapter as well at this time and along with the TopContact tires, I added inner tubes that were pre-filled with Slime. Some may consider this to be an over-the-top combination, but I hate changing tires on the side of the road. I was getting flats almost ever day or every other day early in my tour in Iraq. The roads on base were full of tire hazards. After fixing the tires for the umpteenth time in the first month of the bike, I order the Continentals and the tubes. Never, ever had a flat again for the remainder of the tour. Yes, the TopContacts were spendy, but never having to change a flat tire again... the peace of mine was priceless.

Don't inflate your tire until it is back on the bike. Reverse the steps from above and you will be on your way again. Don't forget to lube the chain once the wheel is back on and chain is reconnected to the chain wheel (crank) and the freewheel cog (rear hub).

When I got back from Iraq, I knew that I wanted to keep up my bike riding. I looked at A LOT of bikes. I loved the looks of the the Electra Amsterdam series but did not like the three speed. The eight speed includes a lot of nice upgrades. I made a few lighting/reflector/bell safety changes to the bike, but overall the bike has the right stuff built into its design to make is a nice commuter. I have a few good sized hills to climb and the eight speed does a really nice job of knocking them down to size.

Good Luck!
Butch M.