vvashed

is there any thing special about taking the rear wheel out of your fixie bike to change the tube?? my dad tells me i have to have a tool or something to get the tension right in the chain ??

GoodEyeCycler

As long as you have horizontal drop outs, which you most likely do on a fixed gear, you'll be fine. You'll most likely need a 15mm wrench to loosen the nuts.

You'll definitely spend a little time you're first time dealing with getting the wheel straight and the tension correct. But it's really rather simple.

I hadn't really ever worked on a bike much, just got my first fixed gear a week ago and was able to relax the chain tension quite easily.

nahh

yeah, you just need to get the chain tension right again, and make sure the axle is straight in the drop out. Nothing too special...

ZiP0082

sometimes it can help to "walk" it back, pull the non-drivetrain side back a little in the track end, tighten, then pull the drivetrain side back a little, tighten, then back and forth until the chain feels pretty snug. And then also confirm that it looks centered in the seat stay area, from behind.

Hobartlemagne 

+1. That's how I do it.

The only tool you need is a wrench for the axle nuts.

HandsomeRyan

A racquetball = the tool you need.

Shoving a racquetball between the seat tube and the rear wheel is the fastest and easiest method I've found for getting the rear wheel straight and the chain tensioned on my fixie. As mentioned above, there are many other ways to do it without any tools (other than the 15mm wrench) but I like this method.

lollerskatez

lulz

jlin

heh, i like the racquetball idea. i've also heard of using a wooden doorstop in the same way to get the tensioning right.

bigbris1

A racquetball? What kind of clearance are you guys running? I can barely squeeze a pinky finger between my tire & seat tube, and that's with 22cm tires.

ZiP0082

it wouldn't have to be wedged into the tightest point between your tire and seat tube in order to do the trick.

elTwitcho

Sounds pretty slack. You should be able to get it a bit closer if you file down your brake stays

HandsomeRyan

(A) A racquestball is squishy and will compress to fit into a very small gap.

(B) You don't have to get the racquetball all the way down to the tightest point between the tire and seat tube (3 o'clock position), just wedge the in the gap at the top of the wheel/seat tube and spin the wheel slowly to wedge the ball down far enough that it creates correct chain tension. On my bike this occurs at about the 1:45-2:15 area; assuming 3 o'clock is the tightest point between the tire and the seat tube.

bigbris1

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

vvashed

thanks every one i ended up just tugging and pushing the wheel into place.

i got pretty good at this method because i ended up having to do it two more times.

what happened was the person that i bot my fixie from gave me kinda cheep wheels and even more cheep liners for those wheels so when i finally got my wheel into place and got on my bike i guess the rim just cut a fat whole in my tube i didn't figure this out till i went through two more tubes.(i didn't have a patch kit) talk about a noob move lol.

to solve the problem of having bad liners what i ended up doing with one of the tubes i wasted was cutting it in half then making a vertical cut down the middle of it creating a quick but effective tire liner. it worked great and hopefully will last me till i ride to the bike shop and get some new liners and tubes

fgk23n

Don't use tire irons to put the tire back on the rim, that's the easiest way to waste tubes. Some tires with stiff sidewalls will be a pain to get on with just your hands, but it's better than pinching new tubes.

operator

Sigh.

Tire levers are tools. And tools help you get the job done. Assuming you learn and use them correctly. If you raced anyone to take a tire on/off the guy who knows how to use the levers wins, every single damn time.

Unless the tire is so loose it wouldn't have required one, in which case you'd know before you inserted the first lever.

bboysubhuman

You have to understand that some people have road bike conversions which don't have the tight clearances that track bikes have. Also, 22cm?

calf man

you can also patch the tube without taking the wheel off and no need to carry a 15mm wrench.

fixedude

true dat.

Sangetsu

This is the only correct way to install tires, I spent enough time working in a shop to know. If you can't fit a tire with your hands, then the tube or beads aren't set correctly (tube under bead/s at some point of the wheel's circumference). Some beads are tighter than others, but unless you are a girly-man, you'll be able to get them on.

You can use levers to install tires, but your risk of damage to the tube is about 5 times greater. Use your hands, don't be a girly man.

vvashed

"use your hands don't be a girl y man" so epic HAHHA

cbfight

+1 I use levers to take on and put back on tires all the time. I've never had a flat as a result of this but I have saved tons of time and cuss words.

alaska

ah, so no one has mentioned that you don't need to take your wheel off to fix a flat? i had two rear flats today and i didn't touch my axle bolts or worry about chain tension for either.

tire levers for installing = pinch flat

kemmer

You guys that can't use a tire lever without wrecking a tube need some lessons. Sometimes it's not possible to get a tire on without a tire lever. Some tire/rim combos make it near impossible even with levers.

And rofl @ the OP. WTF dude? Never had a BMX as a kid? I guess your dad always fixed your tires with his "special tool".

whalesalad

I use my shoe to tension my wheel. Works every time. Shove the shoe in there and slide it down or fold it in half if you need more push. Helps to have your tire pumped up too... depending on the thickness of your shoe.

(replace shoe with your third leg and this is a funny paragraph heh)