Practice practice practice, including with the exact tools you carry on your ride. Also practice inflating using a CO2 cartridge at least once or twice, even though it means wasting a few cartridges.

As for getting the tire back on the rim, this is very easy once you have the right technique. You don't need a tire lever either. Find a youtube video, but the technique is basically to push the tire into the center channel of the rim as best you can, on both sides. Push more of the tire onto the rim. Then repeat the process of pushing the tire into the center channel and pushing more of the tire onto the rim. You will eventually be able to push the tire completely onto the rim using just your fingers, without a lot of strain.

To echo the above, you need to practice everything at home. Make sure you're dialed because it's not intuitive to do.
Personally, I get a lot of practice because I change my tires often. Between Road, Mountain, CX bikes etc. something is always worn out or there's a different tread to try.

It's also important that you vet all the tools at home before you need to use them:Pump, Tire Levers, Plugs, multi-tool, etc.

Additionally, I've all but given up on CO2 cartridges. I strap a mini-pump, inside a plastic bag, to my saddle bag. This gives you multiple shots to get it right.

If you friend seems dialed, have them give you a quick lesson. While it's potentially embarrassing to ask, it's much less so than being stuck on the side of the road.

---

I talk a lot - Give it a listen: http://www.fasttalklabs.com/category/fast-talk
I also give Training Advice via http://www.ForeverEndurance.com

The above poster has eschewed traditional employment and is currently undertaking the ill-conceived task of launching his own hardgoods company. Statements are not made on behalf of nor reflective of anything in any manner... unless they're good, then they count.
http://www.AGNCYINNOVATION.com

Are the rims tubeless capable also? Recently, I've replaced a couple tires on rims that were for tubeless also. It appeared to be way friggin harder than a standard rim. B.S!

Practice a good bit to build your thumb strength to push those last couple of inches over the wheel. I also use the base of my palm a good
bit as well. Once you get the process down, you’ll be good to go.

Also, not all tires and wheels are the same. My race wheels and race tires are super easy to install. However, getting gatorskins on my training wheels can be a nightmare.

If you put the tire beads in the middle of the channel in the rim, the tire should go on fairly easily.

 Aside from practice at home:

1. Tubes are like 5x harder to change on the road than at home. Seriously. I can change a inner tube at home in well under 5mins, but on the road, I think I'm close to 20 minutes per change. And that's with no major mistakes! The CO2 canister is something that you will likely not practice but then pay for it as you stumble with it. It is worths sacrificiing 1-2 of the canisters to practice at home.

2. New tires (not tubes) can suck for changing because they are stiff. They get easier to change as they stretch.

3. Cool/cold conditions also make tires suck to change. They stiffen a lot.

4. Very old tires are super hard to change as well. The rubber hardens and they can become near impossible to change even with tools.

5. A good hand pump is super helpful - even if you use CO2, as the hand pump can really help prefill the tires to identify any catching spots and bulges. The pumps with the small hose that screw on to the valve work the best and are remarkably efficient.

6. The best tool for getting a tough tire back onto a tough rim is the Kool Stop Tire bead jack. It works great, but you def have to get the hang of it and it's not 'magic' in that it will make your life effortless (it's still hard.) But if you have new tires and it's thorn season, it's small enough to stuff in your back jersey pocket in case you do flat out, until at least your tires stretch out over a few weeks.

7. Key trick with CO2 canisters (no pump available): you can prefill the tube with small amount of air using your mouth by pushing down on the valve core with your tongue and blowing. This will make the CO2 go in a lot more smoothly and help mount the tube much more easily compared to when it's all floppy.

But honestly, I've changed probably at least 12 tubes on the road from flats in the past decade, and I don't think a single one of them I was like "dang - I'm good now!" It's always "How the F did that take 20 minutes....?!??"

Ditto everyone... practice. I have just replaced a lot of tires and flats over the years. It probably takes a dozen or so cycles to get highly proficient.

One big contrast to the above... You will probably not be able to seat the final few inches of a tire bare-handed. If your hands are sweaty during a ride, it is all but impossible. So, just plan to use your tires levers to seat the tire.

My friend told me that he uses two tire levers, not one, to help with the last part of the tire that is opposite from the valve. Does that help you?

I bought the tool mentioned by Lightheir but it is big to carry on a ride. I will practice with that tool this week.

I think I have to just suck it up and practice doing it for an hour until I get it right. But it is a lot harder on the road compared to home and using a bike stand.

At least next time I know to turn the bike upside down to avoid the chain touching the ground. And I can see myself giving up on the CO2 and just using the mini pump. I am not racing anymore, and if I did it would be only sprint tris, so I don't really need CO2.

This x 100.

Until I figured this out, it was REALLY frustrating replacing tubes and tires even in my garage. This technique even works with tubeless tires. Try it and it'll be one of the best "Ah-ha!" moments of your life.

8. Some combinations of rims and tires are a P I T A. Other combinations combine effortless.

^^^This. I just did this method (based on a previous ST thread) last week when putting a new set of tires on and it was nice to not have to fight with it and swear my head off anymore. Just kept working it along to the center and onto the rim as I went along and both made it on stress-free.

---

"You can never win or lose if you don't run the race." - Richard Butler

buy these and never change a tube again!! no need to pump your bike up before a ride... just go!

https://tannusamerica.com/...tannus-airless-tires

This exactly. I use 2 Pedro's Bicycle Tire Lever together to work the last ~4" of tire into the rim. I do not think these levers are special, they are just popular in my area. I find that levers that are not quite as wide as the Pedro's levers work a little easier for me.

Coincidentally, I got a flat this weekend that also tore the sidewall. I had to boot it with a candy wrapper along with doing the tube swap. I looked up my Garmin file, and it only took me 11 minutes total. That was probably my worst-case scenario for amount of time.

Lots of practice replies, but in reality there are some people that can look at a mechanical system and know what is wrong and there are people who will never understand how basic things work, so if you are the latter don't feel bad - you have a lot of company out there. For the ones in between practice will help to a point.

Believe it or not, AAA offers the same services for a bike that they offer for a car, and I actually used it once when I had a sheet metal screw go through my tire and the rim and everyone I knew either weren't answering the phone or were at work. The tow truck driver was a little confused when he pulled up, but he put my bike on the truck and took me home, free of charge.

---

"...the street finds its own uses for things"

I re-read the advice and still can't visualize it. Are you saying to use both hands to push the last part of the tire onto the rim at the same time, starting at 9:00 and 3:00 and then working up toward 10:00 and 2:00, then 11:00 and 1:00? Because I have tried that with my thumbs and can't do it.

I just asked my friend again and he does that but with two tire levers.

Sometime it depends on rim and tire combination. I had hard time mounting Specialized tire but after I switched to Conti 5000, I was able to just push the tire with my palms and it was on. At a LBS, I saw some mechanics step on the tire and do deadlift to stretch the tire out a little. Anyway, carry this one and it will come in handy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oD-mr3dAEw

^^^^This.

Meanwhile... I just purchased a brand new set of tubulars.... if I flat on these, I'm toast!

---

Clubs/Affiliations: The Rippers / Charles River Wheelers / Cambridge Sports Union

Youtube is your friend..GCN has a bunch of different videos on the subject..I haven't carried a CO2 cannister for over 15years and can't count the number of times I have helped stranded people pump up their tire because they used their CO2 bulbs and didn't have a pump with them.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2HMwOHyfsc
.or
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLO_HO0kEjs

Those are good videos, but I LOLL'd at how easy and effortless it was for him to mount the tube on a Zipp rim in the 1st video. Like trivial, no biggie, won't even mention anything about the details of it or tricks for if it gets hard - which it seems to always do for me on the road!

8. Some combinations of rims and tires are a P I T A. Other combinations combine effortless.


This.

My regular go-to wheels that I ride the most on are now almost ancient, but with Conti 4000's and now 5000's they go on easy with very little effort - so I'm reluctant to give them up simply for that fact.

Some wheel/tire combos are absolutely brutal. Others require a bit more finesse and knowledge - as an example, the HED, extra wide rim bed on the Ardennes and other HED wheels, if you don't know what you are doing will seem like one of those impossible combos. Here - you need to get the rim beads from both sides of the tire down in that little trough in the middle of the rim on the section. This reduces the circumference of the wheel, by a few mm, and enough to take the putting on of the tire, from impossible, to will go with a bit of effort!

I ride a moderate amount - and typically average 1 - 3 on-the-road punctures and tube changes each year. For me on the side of the road, it's at most if I am really pushing it a 2 - 3 minute process, and I'm on my way.

Familiarity with the CO2 Inflater is key. Some of them are tricky to operate - others more straightforward. As others have mentioned, get a few extra CO2 cartridges and practice at home to become comfortable and confident.

---

---

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

You don't use a bike stand to fix a flat.

Tubular tires are the fastest to replace. It should only take about 2.5 minutes.

Depends on the rim too. I have a pair of campy wheels that are just barely concave. Impossible to get tires on without levers.

Same tire on my Bontragers is effortless.

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Carry Pit-Stop Road Racing Tube And Tire Repair Kit. It works just fine.

I don't know if this is your case, but as a life long bike mechanic, I cannot count the many many many times I've heard this. NEVER use tire levers to install a tire, EVER. This can over stress the side wall, and lead to side wall blowouts. Sometimes immediately when you air up the tire, and sometimes a week or month or so down the road. Almost every time someone has a mystery sidewall blowout, I ask if they use tire levers for installation, and the answer is alway yes. Please read the above posts, and learn how to installs tires by hand.

---

Athlinks / Strava

and does the tube installation occur before or after both beads are in the central trough/channel? And if after, how does one get a tube into the tire cavity?

One of life’s great mysteries...

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Innner tube is already in.

It's good to have a lighter colored rim tape, so you can see where the inner tube may not be fully in. Where it's not in, I go to the spot(s) on the wheel and see if I can kneed the tube in under the beads and into the actual tire. If this does not work, last resort and being REALLY careful, I take a plastic tire iron and VERY GENTLY see if I can poke it, under and up and into the tire.

Sometimes, if you are at home, and you have a hand pump handy - trying putting a SMALL bit of air in the tube - often this can suck/pull the tube up into the tire. Obviously this is next to impossible on the side of the road with a CO2 unless you are REALLY familer and confident with the regulator on your inflator

---

---

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Yes that's it.
Make sure you push the tyre into the centre of the rim too - not just on overnthe edge (the rim is deeper in the middle so it is a smaller diameter = can get the tyre bead onto the rim further).

Even start at 5 and 7 not 3 and 12 to get more tyre into the well in the rim (to get more use of that smaller diameter).
And repeat several times if you have to - getting a little bit more in and more tyre over the lip of the rim each time.

Take it steady tho. And be careful to make sure the tube doesn't get pinched - especially if you use tyre levers for the last bit.

not the most hygenic method, but you can do that by blowing on the valve too. it's easier to install the tube if it has a little bit of shape to it.

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

I'm having a helluva time on HED Ardennes SL+ rims. Were the tires tubeless, I'd have been fine, but the tube makes it all the more difficult. Was able to install the tire on the front rim, but it just won't go on the rear rim (same tires and tubes).

I was able to get one of the beads into the channel, insert the tube, and attempted to get the other bead into the channel, but it just ain't working. The last quarter was just not happening, and i ripped the tube in the process. I currently have a bandage around my index finger, as I scraped off a good amount of skin while wielding the tire lever.

I even applied a good amount of soapy sprays on the rim, still no go for the rear

I have seen this method to change the tire by hand, but I can't do it.

I can't do a lot of things that some bike techs can do easily.

---

https://www.strava.com/...tes/zachary_mckinney

About 30 years ago I built up a set of wheels using Campy Ypsilon Strada rims. Combined with 20mm Specialized Turbo R tires, that was a guaranteed broken 2 or 3 levers getting the tires installed.

The reason I even had those rims is that I had a customer bring them in, to get a wheelset built up. He came back about a week after picking up his wheels, complaining that he got a flat on the road and could not get the tire off, broke both his tire levers. Said he didn't want the rims, and paid to get his brand new wheels rebuilt with some Mavics. He didn't want the Ypsilons back, so I used them on a pair of hubs I had sitting around. And realized right away just what he was complaining about... :)

---

"I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 10, and I don't know why!"

This is the absolute most important advice.
When it tightens up, go back lower down and make sure the rest of tire furthest from your hands is deep in the middle of the rim.

I have gotten on many tires by hand that others thought required levers.

In this case, I hit a piece of road debris that cut the sidewall and made a small gouge in the rim. Other than that, I have never had a sidewall failure other than a road cut.

And also in this case, I could not have installed it by hand. My hands were so soppy wet with sweat that I could not get a grip. I can reinstall a tire by hand dry, but that rarely happens on a ride, so I don’t bother to try. Even a pro could not bare-hand reinstall a tire on my Ardennes on a ride. And, we did pinch the tire into the center channel.

I'm in the "don't worry about being one of the cool kids" group. I change one or two flats every year on the side of the road, along with the tubes/tires I change at home. I swallow my pride and always use tire levers. (I'm in awe of the guys who can remove/mount tires without levers, but it's beyond me and I've never had a problem using levers with sidewall failures.) On the side of the road, I use a CO2 inflator. Practice using one if necessary, but I've never had a problem with them. At home, you'll always have your floor pump. As far as using a mini pump on the side of the road, they require a fair amount of effort and upper body strength and even then it will take a few minutes to get a reasonable amount of air into the new tube. A frame pump works better, but I haven't had one of them on my bike in the last 30 years.

Good luck!

---

"Human existence is based upon two pillars: Compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; Knowledge without compassion is inhuman." Victor Weisskopf.

I glanced over most of what was said and saw some things I strongly disagree with so if someone already pointed them out, apologies for the repetition.

Tire levers:
Don't use levers to put tires on, only to take them off. I love the pedro levers as I find they work best being a bulky and stiff lever. One lever is all I need. Slip it in, fold the bead over the rim, grip the rim and tire on one side of the lever, and with the free hand push the lever away from you. You can pull, but that's a great way to punch yourself in the face. Ask DesertDude how he knows. 😁

Tire off:
Once you have the tire off, of course look for shit, as you don't want another flat in like 20 feet. With your spare tube you want to blow some air in the tube with your lungs. Give it some shape and body. You should already have one bead on the rim so place the partially inflated tube into the tire.

Getting the tire back on:
START at the OPPOSITE end of the valve stem and END at the VALVE!! This is key in preventing a tire from pinching a tube and makes mounting the tire infinitely easier as the bead isn't pushed away from the center by the valve. I know 95% of folks out there say to do it the other way, but trust me on this. You'll thank me later. Make sure that bead is in the channel and then work with pressure towards the valve stem (similar on how you would mount a tubular) When you get close to the valve stem and you don't have the strongest of hands then you can let some of the air out of the tube to finish getting that tire seated.

One day I will make a video (I always am saying that), but it really is kind of easy. If with practice and proper technique you still struggle, well, some folks talents lie elsewhere and that's okay. As for taking longer on the road it's because you have to stop and unpack all your shit, do the dead, and then pack your shit back up. The act of changing a tire should take the same amount of time.

---

My YouTubes

I also find this method to be much easier. If you start at the valve, the valve prevents the beads from sliding into the center channel. I actually like having those difficult last few inches being just to the right/left of the valve...to avoid having the valve getting in the way.

Get both beads of the tire into the channel all around the rim until you have just a couple of inches left to seat. It should slip on nicely. If it's a new tire, sqiurt soapy water along both beads around the tire and slip it on.

I'll add this...
When get the 2nd bead almost all the way on and going to use the tire lever for the last 10-12", DO NOT, EVER, NEVER NEVER NEVER, try to put the tire lever in the middle and try to force it on in 1 go. Guaranteed you'll break the lever. Slide the tire lever under the bead until it sits on the edge of the rim without pinching the tube, then slide it close to the edge of the bead closest to you that isn't seated about 2-3" away from the edge. Then seat small sections of 2-3" at a time. After a couple of those are done, you can see the remaining part of the unseated bead sliding up closer to the edge, of the braking track if you are using rim brakes. At that time you just might be able to use your palms or thumbs for the last bit. I've been doing it this way with the same plastic tire lever for 3 years. To prevent the tube from being cut by the sharp edge of the tire lever, I took a metal fingernail file to the edges of the lever to make them more round.

Some people like CO2, and I have used it before with this nozzle that makes it super easy and quick. However, I have a small pump that fits in the seat bag that I use on overnight trips because I don't want to reinflate with another CO2 canister the next day after some of the CO2 leaks out overnight.

---

The more people I encounter the more I love my cats.

second that, never use a lever to get the tire back onto the rim. also worked in shops with people wondering why they keep ruining their tubes and tires.

My 'hand saver' is the Crank Bros. Speedier Lever, though the TyreKey also looks interesting.
Neither are as small as a 'regular' tire lever but it makes life easier and not as likely to get blood blisters on my hands from $^@:($U%@($

---

Anne Barnes
ABBikefit, Ltd
FIST/SICI/FIST DOWN DEEP
X/Y Coordinator
abbikefit@gmail.com

Depending on the tire, sometimes you can use the tire lever to slide the bead on.

I like having a little bit of air in the tube, it eliminates issues with pinching the tube as it gets the tube up and out of the way. I don’t even bother checking for pinched sections anymore.

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

my post should have ended this thread. my job is a bike messenger. if im changing flats, im not getting paid. here is a pic of a screw i got in my tired. i just unscrew and keep riding. This tire got me 10,000 miles (5000 more than the warranty)

While I like your passion for your tires, those probably don't have the low rolling resistance of some of the tires used and liked by riders here, and flats are just an accepted part of the increased speed.

As for the tire levers, peeps saying that they should never be used are being a bit unrealistic. There are only 2 options, either you use them or you don't.

For those against tire levers, you probably have the hand strength of a gorilla or a wheel/tire combo that goes on like butter on pancakes. Congrats! Being strong or smart/lucky with your wheel/tire combo choice is awesome.

For those that use tire levers, there are a few reasons.

(1) They don't have the hand strength of a gorilla.
(2) They have a wheel/tire combo that is a MFer to get on even for those who do have gorilla hands.
Or
(3) Some people who even have gorilla hands but also have experience/common sense/patience would rather take advantage of available tech to make life easier instead of turning a flat into a knuckle busting, cursing display on the side of the road to be laughed at by others.
(4) They don't have access to a bucket of hot soapy water during the ride.

---

The more people I encounter the more I love my cats.

These two points are contradictory. Most of us aren't cycling as messengers whose paychecks rely on absolutely perfect anti-flat reliability, so work-related considerations have little relevance.

Even if Tannus tires lasted literally forever and were free, I wouldn't use them.

I'm sorry - did I ask you if you use tire levers? My point was that I can't change a tube without them.

Edit: Also, I'm perfectly happy with my hand pump. And yes, I have a home floor pump. Thanks bro.

---

https://www.strava.com/...tes/zachary_mckinney

While I appreciate both the mechanical leverage tools provide and the machismo of using high grip strength hands, I have noticed that use of tire levers do create some issues: (1) frequently pinch the inner tube under the tire bead (which is absolutely unacceptable for latex inner tubes) and (2) distract from other solutions like seating the tube properly and adjusting the mounted portions of the tire.

That's why I included experience/common sense/patience in #3. It's really not difficult to ensure that the tire lever isn't cutting or pinching the tube. Put the leading edge of the lever against the brake track, slide it up until the curved edge of the lever slips over the edge of the rim without going so far as to catch the tube, then gently lift the bead over. I've used this method for about 20 tire swaps and about 10 flats on my 3 most recent bikes and only in the beginning did I cut a tube.

---

The more people I encounter the more I love my cats.

Gatorskins are a real pig.

Not convinced of the benefits and the lose of performance is worth the grief of changing them.

GP5000 or GP4000 are pretty puncture resistant anyway and easily removed

We are now at 50 posts discussing how to change a tire....Triathletes are hilarious....

Honestly, my HED Ardennes are one of the easier wheels to change tires on. I put them on by hand with a tube with no problems.

GP5000 on a 700C Ardennes SL and GP4000 or Schwalbe One on a 650C SL

I don't the most common use case for tire irons is when you can gently lift the bead over.

Take this as a sign that you should not use gatorskins! ;)

The rim plays a key role in the ease of changing a tire/tube. I have one set of rims that's super hard and have broken levers change a tube. I have a set of race wheels that I can change using my fingers. They are all different. Its probably not you.....its the rim.

Original Ardennes or the current ones (21 mm internal width; 25 mm external width)?

If the current ones, what is your strategy (e.g. pre-stretching, heating, soapy water, etc.?)

It's worth the posts! If someone could magically give failsafe trick how everyone could change that road flat in <2 minutes without tearing your finger skin off, regardless of tire/rim combo, we'd end the thread!

I have a related question. What is the easiest way to change gears on the side of the road so that the chain is at the farthest cog out, in order to remove the rear wheel? I struggled with that part also.

Do you lift the back wheel up, change gears one at a time and rotate the pedals each time? That's what I did but it seems like there is an easier, faster way.

rolling resistance is similar to using gatorskins. if you only have an hour to train, you lose fitness changing that tire if not your whole workout down the toilet.

Ideally, do it while you are rolling down between getting the flat and stopping. Otherwise, yeah, you are doing that awkward gig of shifting with one hand while supporting the bike and turning the pedals. Depending on your bike, you may be able to easily remove the wheel while the RD is in a bigger cog. But then remember to shift the RD after you get the wheel off.

yes.

It can also be helpful to unship the chain off of the front ring altogether, or just move to the small ring.
also, for horizontal dropouts make your life easier by entirely removing the skewer from the hub

---

Anne Barnes
ABBikefit, Ltd
FIST/SICI/FIST DOWN DEEP
X/Y Coordinator
abbikefit@gmail.com

I don't. I usually leave the chain 2-3 cogs in from the outermost position. makes it easier to reposition the chain when reinstalling, and there is still plenty of clearance from the derailleur.

As far as shifting, just preshift to the cog position you want and then spin the cranks.

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

There are a lot of rims out there (such as the Ypsilon Stradas I mentioned earlier) that do not have center channels:

---

"I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 10, and I don't know why!"

Looking at pictures of my bikes, I have the LT and not the SL but it's the same 25mm rim.

I know it's a 25 cuz I trashed my rear wheel and had to replace the rim. I used a 25mm Belgium rim which is the same as the Ardennes rim.

I make sure the beads are in the center, push one bead on, put slightly inflated tube in, push the other bead on starting at the valve.

I know starting at the valve is supposed to be harder but it's the way I've always done it. I have mounted many tires over the last 35 years. I've probably forgotten about more tires than most people have seen

Edit: these wheels

The testing we did when looking at distributing them showed that the difference in rolling resistance was a lot greater than that, about as much slower than Gatorskins as Gatorskings are compared to GP4000s. The ride quality wasn't as good, either. My assessment was that they would generally only appeal to people whose number one concern was puncture resistance above everything else...

---

"I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 10, and I don't know why!"

The same reasons printers suck (seriously...it's 2020, printers should be better) - no money in making it better!

---

"The person on top of the mountain didn't fall there." - unkown

also rule 5

Like ThailandUltras believes, that ain't gonna happen anytime soon with people suggesting solid rubber tires, the Gorilla Grip Group building a wall to keep out the tire-lever-using/pansy hands/patient/experienced dudes and dudettes, and every other Tom, Dick and Harry who just wanna blow off some steam here.

Jeezus! Before the age of 10 I learned the change a tube with a flat head screw driver, some rubber cement, a sheet of thin rubber and a small aluminum grate the size of a postage stamp instead of sandpaper to rough it up so the patch would stick. That was on a used BMX Monoshock bike I got myself for my birthday for $5 after mowing the neighbors yard.

---

The more people I encounter the more I love my cats.

Or, after catching your breath during the flat repair you make up for the lost 5 minutes by covering the same distance your workout requires in 55 minutes instead of the usual hour.

---

The more people I encounter the more I love my cats.

I like to use a full size Zefel HP pump with either a pump strap or toestrap.

If your rear tire is flat shift into the smallest sprocket in the back as you are rolling to a stop open up your quick release and then before you remove the wheel get your pump out and all of your crap for changing the tire. if you can get to a decent spot to work on it then it's okay to roll in the room for a little while. If you can just hang the bike off of a road sign or tree while you're working on it all the better otherwise lay it down on the non-drive side to keep the chain out of the crap.

Not true. There are two aspects to getting that last bit of the tire onto the rim:

1) ensure that the beads of the tire are in the center of the rim (the smallest circumference available), and
2) generate "slack" in the tire by pulling/pushing the tire, on both sides simultaneously from the part that is seated
to the last part to be seated. Picture holding the wheel vertical with the mounted portion of the tire up and the unmounted
portion on the ground, then work the "slack" into the tire starting at the top and pulling/pushing the tire on each side towards the ground


The second aspect above essentially seats the tire beads as deep in the rim as possible. When the above steps are
taken, the effort required for those last few inches is minimized.

---

----------------------------------
"Go yell at an M&M"

Correct. But the process is still the same. Those few mm's make a difference in rolling the last of the bead over the rim though.

If you are time crunched athlete that doesn't work. And I see these athletes get 3 flats a week. That is a lot of fitness to lose. Watts over time matters. Also you screw up maybe stuck in the middle of no where paying $200 for an uber ride .

Pretty good mindset

---

https://www.strava.com/...tes/zachary_mckinney

Many folks have posted that they think tire tools should never be used to re-mount a tire or that it is easy to mount a tire by hand. Here is the ST challenge: please post a video of mounting a tire on a challenging rim bare-handed. But, you cannot do it in optimal conditions.

1. Use a legit difficult wheel & tire combo, like a wide Ardennes & Continental 5000 tires (no need to do Gatorskins; nobody rides them)
   
2. Ride for a couple hours to develop some real-world fatigue
3. If your hands are not already wet with sweat, dunk your hands in a bucket of salt water to simulate real-world challenges
4. Wipe your hands on your jersey to prepare for the tire change (no towels, because you would not have that on the side of the road)
   
5. Change your tire, video it, and post it here for all to enjoy

I can install a tire bare-handed. But, I would never recommend it for most people and definitely not on the road. It is a total waste of time.

What Freds and Sheilas you talking about here?

Sounds like people who either need more mm's of tire and more tire pressure or need to lose some weight! 3 flats a week! Learn to not ride the gutter, pump your tires, bunny hop, something. Pay attention.

Let me add, I think I've heard this opposite ways.......but for clinchers end at the tire valve. If not, you're losing center wheel spacing for mounting the tire starting at the valve as it will tend to keep you from being able to push the tire bead into the center of the wheel at that point.

Oh man, im really tempted to give this another go on my Ardenne + Schwalbe One combination

Only have one more usable inner tube though

Thank you for posting this. I flatted a mile south of Provincetown on the side of Route 6, in the hot sun, no shade, and sand all over the shoulder of the road with cars going by at highway speeds. I was about as far as I could be from the house we were staying at in Chatham, almost 40 miles away. I was already hot, sweaty and tired from riding 40 miles with heavy winds. I know I suck at changing a tire, but the conditions were difficult.

I've been in many difficult situations changing tubes and it sucks. Most suck = heat or mosquitos.

---

https://www.strava.com/...tes/zachary_mckinney

I have enough well-seasoned Corsa CX tires in the closet to make this easy. ;) [not that I think you shouldn't use tire irons.]

Just wanted to thank you for this tip. It's not immediately intuitive to understand from the description, but in the end it helped a lot. I've been changing tubes for more than ten years and never needed to do it (even when installing tires on tubeless ready rims), but your tip saves a lot of headache and anguish.

Basically, I did the following:
-place one of the tire beads (call it first tire bead) into the trough;
-slightly inflate the inner tube, and place it in the concavity defined by the tire. I also did my best to have the bottom of the tube (as in, the portion more radially central) between the rim, and I did this by stretching the tube somewhat;
-starting from the position opposite of the valve hole, I then placed the second tire bead inside the rim. This fully envelops the corresponding section of the tube into the corresponding concavity of the tire. It should be noted that during this, the first tire bead might shift in position, so that not all of it will be in the trough;
-which means that when about 3/4 of the second tire bead is placed on the rim, this is when I needed to go around the wheel to make sure that all of the tire beads on the rim (both the first tire bead and portions of the second tire bead) are located in the trough. Basically did this using a tire lever (Pedro's) and ran it around the rim to make sure that the beads are sitting in the trough. I can't stress how much additional slack this generated
-place the last bits of the second tire bead onto the rim; I used a tire lever to do this.

Compared to when I didn't do the step as @Fleck suggested, I was able to get a lot more of the second tire bead onto the rim without using the tire lever. Without doing the suggested step, I could no longer seat the tire by hand with still a good 1/5 of the rim left, and I could never get the tire bead seated. Doing the suggested step, I was able to seat the tire by hand until there was 1/10 of the rim still to go, and I was able to flip the tire bead over the rim with much greater ease (two applications of the lever did the trick).

So, thanks again for this. Only took me three hours to learn :)

So I think I figured out how to change the tire, but now I can't get the damn mini pump that I bought to work. I bought a Bontrager pro air support pump, it screws onto the valve head. The problem is that when I try to unscrew it after pumping up the tube, the air gets out. I can't figure out how to remove the pump without losing air.

In my experience, chucks it is difficult to remove a thread-on presta check without losing air. My only recommendation is overinflate a little, and then release air after you check pressure.

I've had this happen before. The top part was unscrewing and I just had to screw the pump on lightly - not turn super tight. This happened to me twice on the road (one worked and was stranded other time) and now I have a different more reliable hand pump.

---

https://www.strava.com/...tes/zachary_mckinney

Quick update. I practiced changing the tire several times and I ended up puncturing the tube with the tire lever twice. The only time it worked was when I used the Bkool tire tool to install it. Using that tool is effortless and doesn't require a regular tire lever. It's almost like cheating. But it's large and a pain to carry in a back pocket.

I am not anxious to keep ruining tubes by struggling with a tire lever, so I guess I will have to carry the Bkool tool with me all the time.

why wont you go with the tannus solid tire?

..
..
Here,let Manon from GCN explain it to you again..........in her weird Welsh accent

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjkSqQM3rzo

I serviced my first bike with a flat head screwdriver, a pair of vice grips, and a can of 3-in1 oil (probably had some grease, but I don’t recall for sure).

Changed the tires, fixed the coaster brake, raised the seat. I don’t think I was 10 yet.

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

I like her suggestion on how to remove the tire without a tire lever, pushing down on the tire and working around toward 6:00. But there is no way I can the last part of my tire on as easy as she did. It takes a tire lever or a special tool like the Bkool to get the last part on the rim.

I had two flat tires this weekend, and managed to fix both on the road, with sweaty hands (this is NJ in August, after all), without any tools other than my hands. Let me ask you a question: when you mount a new tire on the rim, are you able to get the *first* bead on the rim without tools? That is, before you even mount the tube?

---

----------------------------------
"Go yell at an M&M"

Couple of days ago I had problems with an awkward combination, could not get the tire on.
Then I put on work gloves and I got it on straight away. You have a lot more grip with work gloves.

Yes, I remove the tire and flat tube, then put the tire back on with one side only, all the way around. Then I put the new tube inside the tire, then I start inserting the tire back in, starting at the valve and working my way around toward the bottom of the wheel, i.e. 6:00.

I have not tried using work gloves, but I don't want to have to carry yet another item on my rides if I can avoid it. Work gloves are usually not small enough to squeeze into a saddle bag.

Are you putting the tire bead in the center groove?

When popping the last bit of tire bead onto the rim, turn that portion away from you, and use fingertips. 8 fingertips are a lot stronger than two thumbs.

---

Athlinks / Strava

O so true.
But you can do that at home.
The most difficult a tire is when it is brand new and you put it on for the first time.

It seems like you are able to get them on by working your way away from the stem to 6:00, which is great. It's just a suggestion to try starting opposite from the stem though because the stem might be blocking the 1st side from getting all the way down into the groove before you try seating the last few inches. It really is only a minute amount, but it might be just a tad easier.

---

The more people I encounter the more I love my cats.

The point is that mounting the second bead is topologically the same as mounting the first bead: if you can do the first bead without tools, you can do the second bead without tools. The trick is getting the second bead situated the same way as the first bead: getting it deep in the rim channel all the way around by pulling to get the slack out.

---

----------------------------------
"Go yell at an M&M"

A couple additional tips that've helped me:
1/ If I'm doing the repair at home I'll put some dishsoap on a damp paper towel, rub around the inside of the second bead, and maybe a bit on the rim - makes getting the final bit of the second bead to pop on much easier.
2/ Usually wear gloves when getting the last bit of the second bead on. Use palms of hands to push bead up and over, onto the rim. Easier than using thumbs and fingers. If changing a flat on a ride I keep my riding gloves on. Extra torque with gloves on makes a big difference, without tearing up palms.

Are you referring to the first side of the tire or the second?

I try to get it as far onto the rim as I can.

Second.

1. I can’t believe I read this entire thread... (Changed a rear tire last week, so this was of interest).
2. Noticed a couple of related tips not mentioned...

Always align the valve/hole with the tire’s label. When you have a flat and you can find the part of the tube that’s punctured, then you know what part of the tire to also check that there isn’t an offending glass shard or thorn still embedded through the tire (which will promptly puncture your replacement tube).

If you don’t do the above, then you may need to run your finger along the inside the tire to check for an embedded glass/thorn shard. Common sense would suggest this isn’t a good idea anyway . . . Riding buddy discovered this after the fact :-)

For a rear wheel, after tire’s mounted to the rim, easiest way to put the wheel back on w/out screwing up shifting/alignment is to have the bike upright, handlebars straight, forehead on rear edge of saddle to hold the bike stable, then you can make sure the wheel is centered and you have two hands to evenly tighten/center the quick release. It’s not the most ‘elegant’ looking position but it works. (I find having the bike upside down is difficult to see if things are lined up properly).

To check that shifting is all good, bend over and hang the bike on the nape of your neck by the saddle which gives you two hands free — one to turn the cranks and the other to shift through the gears. Also, not the most elegant looking position but works well.

Finally, wipe dirty hands on your bike shorts and not your jersey. There’s a reason bike shorts are traditionally black :-)

All 5 pages? hahahaha

Here is a quick video that shows how to do it, including leaving 1 edge in the center of the rim to ease in seating the 2nd edge.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96_2dAQvxvI

---

The more people I encounter the more I love my cats.

Yup, all 5 pages and ~100 posts. And I consider myself pretty good at tire changes! 1 lever to unmount and just-hands for mounting.

Most of the time I can get my tires on without a lever, but there were a few times when the fit was too tight, my hands were too sweaty, or I had a case of pansy hands.

---

The more people I encounter the more I love my cats.

Major breakthrough tonight lol. I changed the tire three times with no tire levers and no other tools, just my hands. The biggest thing was pushing the tire as far into the center bead as I could which created enough slack. I was able to remove the tire and install it using only my hands.

I am going to keep practicing, but I never thought I could do it this easily and without tools. And this is a relatively new tire, only a few months old.

Now if I can just learn how to use CO2 properly...

I can't believe I read this whole thread as well.

For me often times getting a rear wheel and chain/derailleur back together can be a challenge. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only amateur who ends up with grease on my hands and subsequently my bike shorts.

I expect it's also a good argument for using black bar tape as well.

My first few tries for me that was an issue also. When rolling to a stop I didn't change the gears to either the first, second or third smallest cog on the rear. I just hit the brakes and got off the bike, especially if the rear wheel flatted. The wheel can be removed regardless of which gear it is in, but the smaller the better. No need to remember which gear it was in when you put it back on either because as soon as you start pedaling the derailleur is going automatically put it in the gear it was in when you stopped. Which is exactly what happened last week when a noob flatted on his S-works disc. It was my first experience with changing out a tube on a disc bike. I didn't have experience removing a wheel with disc brakes so I was worried about damaging it. It was easier than doing my rim brake wheel because you can angle the wheel in without hitting the any rim brake pads.

---

The more people I encounter the more I love my cats.

Never had a mysterious tire sidewall blowout. I swear by Pedro's bicycle tire levers. Makes tire changes a snap. changing a tire by hand is annoying and more so when you are on the side of a road, tired, and maybe being drenched on. I believe "if it's stupid and it works it's not stupid"

The second side - last portion of the bead, to complete mounting the tire.

The first thing I do is make an assessment of whether I want to patch or replace. Factors:
- On some bikes (e.g. my commute bike with belt drive) it is somewhat time consuming to remove the rear wheel and a risk of not getting things put back on quite right when you are on the side of the road in the dark and rain, etc.
- if I know where the hole is, and I'm sure there is only one, most of the time it is quicker and cleaner to instant patch than replace.

I carry both instant patches and glue on. If I'm in no hurry I usually put on a glue on patch even if I have to take the tube all the way out. If I do that then the repair is 100% done. If I use an instant patch I consider it a temporary fix and at some point I will replace it with a glue on. My tubes often have 6 or more patches on them before I toss them. If I replace the tube then of course I no longer have a spare so I either need to patch the old tube at some point or buy another spare.

If I'm patching I can usually just slide out a section of tube rather than remove the whole thing. This means I may not need to remove the wheel from the bike.

If I'm replacing, I put a little bit of air in the tube before I put it in the tire. This gives it some shape and helps get it installed properly. I then let that out to help with centering the tire for slipping the bead over the rim. I almost never use levers. Then inflate fully before installing the wheel on the bike. I almost always use a bike pump, preferably one with a pressure gauge.

It is important to make sure the bead lines up on the tire evenly. Some tires can be out of round with part of the bead stuck low on the rim. If that happens, deflate the tire to just a little bit of pressure and work the tire evenly around, then inflate and check as you inflate. Spin the wheel to make sure the tire is perfectly true.

This is a big deal, and I'm blown away at how little folks talk about it these days, and how few seasoned cyclists do it in modern times, or even realize it can be done. When I get a flat, I stop immediately, and look for the cause. Around here, its usually a goathead, or often thorns/nails/screws/glass... and even one time it was a fish hook. And 9 times out of 10, the offender is still stuck in the tire. I even carry a sharpie for this. I will draw a line on the side wall of the tire, where the object is. Then remove the object. Then use a tire lever to pop just enough bead of the tire off, to pull the tube out. I'll reference the line on the tire, to find the hole in the tube. Patch it. Then pop the tube back in and the bead back on, air up, and go. I learned this over 40 years ago, when I got into club racing and weekend centuries. That was before kevlar tires, and we got good at it. The only time I take a wheel off, out on the road, is when I can't locate the cause of the puncture.

---

Athlinks / Strava