Topic: Anyone change their own tires?

[Inigo Montoya]

Well moto, you need to learn how to read. Never did I say it was the best way. Merely that it can be done with screwdrivers. And you can call bull#$%* all you want but until you do it yourself, you cant say anything. I have done it that way and my tube was fine, my rim was also fine. I was careful. It is kinda like having a knife in a drawer. If you are careful and watch what you are doing, you will be fine.

But please, tell me where I said using screwdrivers was the best way to do it. 

Broshi, hate to tell you this, but EVERY cycle and bike tire I have changed, I have used screwdrivers! I did slice a tube once. I was 12, then I proceeded to use a vulcanizing rubber patch that you put the adhesive on the tube and then put the patch on and use a roller tool to work it all over. That tube held for years! Comes from living on a farm and learning to make with what you got.

[fastbroshi]

   Just goes to show you there can be more than one "right" tool for the job.  I'll stick to the irons though when I give it a try, I've already sliced my bicycle tires a couple times.

[spitcrazy]

mmmmmmmm..... screwdrivers.........................

[dave500]

we always did our own dirt bike ones,now im older if im buying new ones the shop mounts and balances them as part off the price,ive still got decent tyre levers,as kids we even did our own bicycle ones.,now if a kid gets a puncture they get a new bike!

[Grnrngr]

I bought tire irons after having to patch my tube more than I wanted from using screwdrivers. Crescent wrench handles are good tho...but I've pinched tubes with them and the irons as well, so ......just gotta be careful.  and since no one has asked..

tell us why you don't lock down the air valve 754...

[754]

The valve stem..
 You need the nut on it so that the tube dies not fall in on install of tire. Then the nut has no real purpose.

 Now if the tube is not positioned right, the valve stem will tilt & indicate this and you can drop the air, break bead and correct.
 Also when riding, if you do a lot of burnouts, or tire fit is less than ideal, tire could slip on the rim.. then the cocked stem will indicate this and you can correct it.

 Tighten up your valvestem, and if tube fails from the above conditions, the first indicator will be when the valvestem gets torn out, or starts leaking..too late then..

 So my theory is, if its in the right place, no tightened nut needed. i run a double nut about 1/4 inch above the rim.

[chippyfive50]

The valve stem..
 You need the nut on it so that the tube dies not fall in on install of tire. Then the nut has no real purpose.

 Now if the tube is not positioned right, the valve stem will tilt & indicate this and you can drop the air, break bead and correct.
 Also when riding, if you do a lot of burnouts, or tire fit is less than ideal, tire could slip on the rim.. then the cocked stem will indicate this and you can correct it.

 Tighten up your valvestem, and if tube fails from the above conditions, the first indicator will be when the valvestem gets torn out, or starts leaking..too late then..

 So my theory is, if its in the right place, no tightened nut needed. i run a double nut about 1/4 inch above the rim.

right on 754, especially if you dont ride alot, the tires can harden up before the tread wears out and can cause the bead to slip under heavy breaking or acceleration and cause a blowout if the stem nut is tightend. I back mine out and countertighten against the stem cap.

I just installed Bridgestone spirfires and am very pleased, soapy spray bottle is the key to an easy install.
I also am trying the DYNABEADS, and so far (500+miles)  everything is rock solid.
It is a bonus to polish the rims with no lead weights on them.

[sangyo soichiro]

I ordered two tires from the local shop and picked them up. The usual scenerio is I bring my wheels up and pay 25 bucks each for a mount. This time I took the tires home and stopped on the way to buy two irons.

I was mighty proud of myself when, after about 4 hours, I had both tires swapped. Went to the gas station, aired them up and was livid when they both started hissing. Neither tube holds air. I was as careful as I could be not to pinch them. Is anyone here doing this successfully themselves? I think 50$ for about five minutes of work isn't fair. Of course now I'm out probably 40$ for tubes...

I'm batting 500.  Front seems okay (although I'll double check the tire pressure in the morning), but I'll be ordering another rear tube.  I was pissed too.   

[754]

If you got time, check pressure, then wait 20 min and check again.. then install..

[IHWillys]

...a medium metal drum, that is smaller than the inside of the rim, pad it with heavy rag or blanket...

Yes, and a good "pad" for the drum lip is a length of garden hose split length-wise.

Also, I didn't notice if this was mentioned.  Due to the thickness of the tube around the stem and the stem itself, it can be more difficult to get both beads of the tire to seat down in the drop center of the rim right next to the stem.  Thus, start opposite of the stem and work your way around to the stem.  The last bit of bead to get pulled over the rim will be right next to the stem of the tube.

Ken

[sangyo soichiro]

I ordered two tires from the local shop and picked them up. The usual scenerio is I bring my wheels up and pay 25 bucks each for a mount. This time I took the tires home and stopped on the way to buy two irons.

I was mighty proud of myself when, after about 4 hours, I had both tires swapped. Went to the gas station, aired them up and was livid when they both started hissing. Neither tube holds air. I was as careful as I could be not to pinch them. Is anyone here doing this successfully themselves? I think 50$ for about five minutes of work isn't fair. Of course now I'm out probably 40$ for tubes...

I'm batting 500.  Front seems okay (although I'll double check the tire pressure in the morning), but I'll be ordering another rear tube.  I was pissed too.   

Two #$%*ing tubes, two #$%*ing leaks.  And I was as #$%*ing careful as I could #$%*ing be.   

Another $25 shot in the ass.


I guess I'll be taking it to the cycle shop for a tube and install.  I hate admitting defeat.

[madmtnmotors]

What sort of tire lube does anybody use on the beads? I used to pinch/tear the tubes pretty regular (dry), started using vegetable oil to lube the beads and my tire changing skill improved dramatically.

[754]

 Ru-Glyde..
 failing that, dish soap & water mix..

[spitcrazy]

What sort of tire lube does anybody use on the beads? I used to pinch/tear the tubes pretty regular (dry), started using vegetable oil to lube the beads and my tire changing skill improved dramatically.

Problem with oil is it hangs on and the tire may slip on the rim, when you replace the tire in a couple years or whatever I bet the bead will still be oily. Windex works great and totally evaporates leaving no residue.

Baby powder on the tube really helps, the spoons don't seem to get a grip on it and it allows the tube to slip and find it's home when you inflate.

[sangyo soichiro]

I ordered two tires from the local shop and picked them up. The usual scenerio is I bring my wheels up and pay 25 bucks each for a mount. This time I took the tires home and stopped on the way to buy two irons.

I was mighty proud of myself when, after about 4 hours, I had both tires swapped. Went to the gas station, aired them up and was livid when they both started hissing. Neither tube holds air. I was as careful as I could be not to pinch them. Is anyone here doing this successfully themselves? I think 50$ for about five minutes of work isn't fair. Of course now I'm out probably 40$ for tubes...

I'm batting 500.  Front seems okay (although I'll double check the tire pressure in the morning), but I'll be ordering another rear tube.  I was pissed too.   

Two #$%*ing tubes, two #$%*ing leaks.  And I was as #$%*ing careful as I could #$%*ing be.   

Another $25 shot in the ass.


I guess I'll be taking it to the cycle shop for a tube and install.  I hate admitting defeat.

I took it to a bike shop this morning.  $20 for labor, and $15 for the new tube.  The guy took me to the back and showed me how to do it, giving me pointers for the next time I try.  There were a couple things I was doing not quite right.  So part of that $20 for labor included an education from the tire guy.  I greatly appreciate it.  He's a good guy.



Also, sorry for the language in the previous post.     But I was upset.

[crazypj]

Used to ride a lot of enduros once.

Had to be able change a tyre/tube in 3 mins (engine-off to engine-on and back in gear) to remain compettitive, so I used to practice in the driveway, fully decked out in riding gear etc.

Sidestand only. Hot engine and exhaust. Use only the tools you carry. 6" tyre irons. Hand pump.

4.50x18 Trellborg knobby. Rimlocks to prevent tyre spinning inside rim. Inner tube.

Got down to just under 4 mins but then I didn't have a quick release wheel.

Family and career interrupted all that so I never did make it to the ISDT. 

I did Enduro's in 80's, Pirelli's would rip your hands to shreds tying for a fast tyre change (blood makes a pretty good lubricant  )
 Best I could do was about 3:40, adrenalin makes you fast 
Always liked Metzler fronts, better for hard pack/road sections.
Still amazes me how few people can change their own tyres 

[gnarlycharlie4u]

Ru-Glyde..
 failing that, dish soap & water mix..

nufinish or something like that, baby powder is good for the tube too.
soap & water is alright but generally it's best to keep as much moisture out of the tire as possible so it doesn't rust your rim.

My question to the "take it to the shop guys" is:
What happens when you get a flat? Would you rather wait 2 hours for a tow truck and another day to get your bike back from the shop?
Or would you rather have a friend bring you a new tube (better yet, have a spare) and be home within the hour?
Just my $.02

Anyone here ever use Nitrogen to fill your tire?
Anyone here go tubeless? I hear that you can run tubeless on wire wheels if you seal the spokes properly.

[Brown Bomber]

Anyone here ever use Nitrogen to fill your tire?
Anyone here go tubeless? I hear that you can run tubeless on wire wheels if you seal the spokes properly.

I use Nitrogen to fill my tires, so do you, and everybody else. Even the air you breathe is 72% Nitrogen, so any air a compressor takes in will be 72% Nitrogen when it pumps it into your tires. No need to pay extra for it. (Probably why I've never heard a tire manufacturer recommend it, because they know we get it anyway.)

I've seen some that have sealed the spokes, and run tubeless, but the rim on a standard spoked wheel is not made to seal on a tubeless tire, and if you've ever seen how easy a tubeless tire slips onto a spoke rim, you'd lean into the next curve a lot more comfortably knowing you have a tube in there

[Inigo Montoya]

I thought about this too. The only thing that a tubeless rim has is just a ridge that holds on each side of the tire in place. My thought was to take a rim and weld a bead in to take the place of this ridge. but then you have to rechrome or paint the rim as it would have heat discoloration. OR if you could find a place to make a rim, but that would be pretty expensive.

[sangyo soichiro]

As far as I know, the pure nitrogen is used by racers more for ridding the tire of water vapor, and less for the properties of nitrogen.  I guess the water vapor does funky things to the pressure at high temperatures.

[gnarlycharlie4u]

Edit: Ah damn soichiro beat me to it ^^^^^^^^^^^

I thought that air was somewhere in the 76-78% range :smug: haha
The only real difference is that processed nitrogen doesn't have the moisture that air does, although it's <1% of air.
The idea is that it won't rust the inside of your rims.
Just curious if anyone has actually had experience with using nitrogen filled tires, scientific, anecdotal or whatever...

[spitcrazy]

was in my used car when I bought it. Never lost a pound of pressure in two years until I put new rubber on. Here in sunny Manitoba Canada where the winter days can hit a high of -25 celcius, air loss is a problem. The literature states that Nitrogen is a larger atom than 02. The compressed 02 is more likely to work its way out of tiny imperfections in the tire at the bead as well that rubber is still porous and 02 can get through, nitro can't. They also claim that being inert which 02 is not, tires run cooler and oxidation of steel and alloys is reduced. I thought it worked well but it could have been the expensive Continental tires on the car. My new Toyo's with plain air seem good, haven't added air in a year.

[IHWillys]

For tubeless on tube type rims checkout Tubliss. 

http://www.tubliss.com

Ken

[Brown Bomber]

Edit: Ah damn soichiro beat me to it ^^^^^^^^^^^

I thought that air was somewhere in the 76-78% range :smug: haha
The only real difference is that processed nitrogen doesn't have the moisture that air does, although it's <1% of air.
The idea is that it won't rust the inside of your rims.
Just curious if anyone has actually had experience with using nitrogen filled tires, scientific, anecdotal or whatever...

I stand corrected, 78.09% per Wikipedia. Not 72% as I said.  Soo

[Brown Bomber]

I guess if your a real racer, then nitrogen might have some benefits, but if your just putting new sneakers on a street bike (or car) plain old air works fine.

I really don't care either way about the contents of a tire, I just can't stand the look of those little green caps on a valve stem.