Every biker has to know how to change a tyre. Understanding how to repair an old tire or deal with a flat tire while riding will help you save time, money, and ease your irritation. Regardless of whether you’re riding a road cycle, mountain bike or hybrid, we’ll show you how to change a bike tire in this guide.
Tools You’ll Need: Depending on the problem, a new tyre or inner tube
Usually two or three tire levers
Pump (for the new tire’s inflation)
Depending on the tire arrangement on your bike, a wrench or a quick-release lever
Patch kit (if you’re fixing a tube, optional)
Although they are optional, work gloves keep your hands cleaner.
1. Take off the wheel
Removing the wheel from the bike frame is the first step in replacing a tyre. Depending on whether your bike has bolts holding the wheel in place or a quick-release skewer, this procedure differs.
Open the quick-release lever, which is the thin metal arm on the side of the wheel, if your bike has a quick-release skewer.
Turn the nut on the other side of the lever to loosen the skewer.
After loosening, remove the wheel from the dropouts, which are the frame holes that hold the wheel in place.
If your bike has bolts, take off the bolts holding the wheel to the frame with a wrench or spanner. Two bolts are usually present, one on each side of the wheel.
Slide the wheel out of the frame after loosening both bolts.
2. Inflate the tyre
The inner tube must be completely deflated before the tire is removed from the rim. Press on the valve stem to completely deflate the tire after using a valve tool (if required) to release the valve nut.
You can skip this step if your tire is entirely flat, but it’s a good idea to make sure the tire is completely deflated before continuing.
3. Take off the tyre
It’s time to remove the tyre from the rim after removing the wheel and releasing the air.
Step 1: Use tyre levers to loosen the tyre
Underneath the tire bead—the tire’s edge that rests on the rim—place the tire lever, a little, flat instrument.
To secure the tyre lever, hook its other end into a spoke.
Place the second tyre lever two to three inches from the first one. To remove the tyre from the rim, work your way around the wheel with the second lever.
Until one side of the tire is totally off the rim, keep doing this. The inner tube ought to be visible at this stage.
Second, take out the inner tube.
You can remove the inner tube from the tire after it is partially detached from the rim.
Make sure you carefully pull the valve stem through the rim to extract it from the hole in the rim.
Check the tube for damage or punctures if you’re replacing it.
4. Examine the tyre and rim.
Look for any sharp things (such as glass, nails, or dirt) that could puncture the tire and rim before putting the new tire or inner tube on. To make sure nothing is stuck that could pierce the new tube, run your fingers over the rim and around the interior of the tire.
Verify the integrity of the rim tape, which is the small strip of tape covering the spoke holes inside the rim. If necessary, the rim tape should be replaced because damage to it could result in punctures in the tube.
5. If necessary, install the new inner tube.
To replace the inner tube, follow these steps:
Just enough air should be pumped into the new tube to give it form. By doing this, you can lessen the chance of pinching the tube during tire installation.
Through the rim’s opening, insert the valve stem. Verify that the tube is evenly seated around the tire’s inside.
Be careful not to twist or pinch the tube as you work it inside the tire.
Beginning on the side opposite the valve stem and working your way around, carefully press the tyre back into the rim.
6. Put the new tyre on (or put the old one back on).
You may reinstall the tyre on the rim now that the inner tube is in position.
First, position one side of the tire bead—the tire’s edge—over the rim.
Make sure the tube is not squeezed as you work the remaining tire bead over the rim with your hands.
Make sure the tube is tucked within the tire and out of sight once the tire is fully mounted.
7. Pump air into the tyre
Make sure the tire bead is correctly positioned around the entire rim before pumping air into the tire. The tyre may blow off while you’re riding, therefore you don’t want any parts of it to be misaligned.
Inflate the tyre using a bicycle pump. Inflate the tire until the necessary PSI (pounds per square inch) is reached after checking the recommended pressure, which is typically shown on the tire’s side.
As you inflate the tire, make sure it is correctly seated and free of any bulges or misalignments.
8. Put the wheel back in place
You can now reattach the wheel to the bike after the tyre has been correctly mounted and inflated.
Reinstall the wheel in the bike frame’s dropouts if your bike has a quick-release skewer.
Turn the nut on the other side of the quick-release lever to tighten it.
Securely close the quick-release lever.
Slide the wheel back into position if your bike has bolts.
Make sure the wheel is centred and secure by using a tool to tighten the bolts.
9. Examine the tyre
After everything has been put back together, test ride the bike briefly to ensure there are no problems and the tyre is correctly inflated. After a few minutes of riding, check the tyre once more to make sure the pressure is maintained and it is seated appropriately.
In conclusion
Every biker should know how to change a bike tyre since, once you get the hang of it, it’s a rather easy task. You can install a new tire, replace a flat tire, and maintain the smooth operation of your bike by following these procedures. When you go on a ride, make sure you always have tyre levers and a spare tube with you so you’re ready for anything.