How To Change A Bike Tyre In Few Easy Steps!

Some jobs are meant to be handled by professionals only. But what if you want to do it yourself for saving some bucks and precious time going out searching for an expert? Changing bike tyre is a standard maintenance task, which should be performed at recommended time intervals. Although, when it comes to wheel balancing and mounting, it’s a job for which you need a well-equipped workspace. Bike tyre change needs a bit of an effort, so you have to be well-prepared to get weary before starting off.

Bike tyre changing tools like lubricant spray, tyre iron, valve tool, bead breaker tool, etc. are good enough to complete this task. Here we explain in easy steps on how to change a bike tyre:

1) Wheels up in the air

The first step is to get the wheels off the ground. You can do it by simply placing the bike on the wheel stand or it’s better to use a swing-arm spool stand that comes with most of the modern bikes.

2) Detaching the wheel

Remove the wheel from the bike carefully by sliding the axle and removing the brake callipers. Now figure out the order of the components attached to the rear axle such as nuts, washers, chain tension indicators, bushings and alignment collars before detaching the wheel from the rim. Once you are done, slowly remove the valve core with the help of the valve core tool. This will deflate the tyre but make sure you hold the tool tightly as the force of the air will be quite strong.

3) Breaking the beads

Now it’s time to break the beads. It simply means you need to get the tyre loosened on the rim. For this, you have to use the bead breaker tool. You might find it tough to do so, if you do, then try to pump out more air from the tyre. Use the lubricant spray to pull off the tyre easily and prevent the tyre bead from re-sticking to the rim.

Now, insert the tyre iron to lever one side of the rim and then repeat the same step on the other side to take the wheel out completely.

4) Fixing the new tyre

Puff, pant! Feeling drained. Take a sigh, as installing the new tyre would be quite easy in comparison to detaching. Before going for new bike tyre replacement, ensure you smoothen the rim by spraying lubricant. Make sure you note the rotational direction before you begin popping up the tyre. Place the new tyre on the rim and attach one side of the tyre to the rim using tyre irons. Repeat the step on the other side. Once you have snooped in the tyre, pump some air into it but do not inflate it fully until you hear a ‘click’ sound, which means the bead has been positioned correctly. Finally, use the valve stem tool to fix the valve. Inflate the tyre up to the recommended level and you are good to go.

Usually, tyre replacement is not a tough task, but it is better to have an instruction manual at hand so that you do not end up damaging your tyre/bike.