Replacing Bike Tubes

October 17, 2005 5:58 PM

I need to replace the tubes on my bicycle, how should I go about doing that?

It's a standard road bike with the skinny tires. The tires don't accept air and are flat—I've been told I need to replace the tubes, so here I am. The bike store charges $20 plus the tubes to replace them, I figure I could do this on my own. Help and advice? Thanks.

posted by still to Travel & Transportation (25 answers total)

This isn't too hard. Obviously start by removing both tyres from the bike, and buying the right replacement tubes.

There are little spannery type tools you can use that make things a little easier, but I find a flathead screwdriver works OK. Do one tyre at a time, it's the same for front and back.

Deflate the tubes if they aren't already, then wiggle off the tyres. Shouldn't be difficult. Take out the tubes and discard them (I'm sure there are salvage/recycling options for them…). Slightly inflate the new tube so it's got a bit of body to it, then put it on the rim, obviously lining up the air valve with the rim hole. Check your tyres now, make sure there's no grot inside them. Put the tyre back over the tube, not inserted into the rim but covering all round. Attach one side of the tyre to the lip of the rim. Now comes the hard bit (and hard to describe). Start attaching the other side of the tyre to the rim, and slowly work around the entire rim, until it's all seated. You use the screwdriver (two are better) to force the tyre over the lip of the rim, without buckling the rim - don't force it too much. Use one screwdriver to keep the fitting in place on one side, while working the other one around the rim towards it.

There's a bit of a knack to it, but it's not that hard, and definitely worth saving $20. Once you're used to it, it takes only about 5 minutes per wheel.
posted by wilful at 6:15 PM on October 17, 2005

There are tools available to substitute for the two screwdrivers in the above example. They usually come in sets of three. They are helpful but not totally necessary. Basically, you use one hand to hold the tire, one hand with a screwdriver/tire tool to keep the bead from slipping off on one side, and then your third hand to work the bead on, in the other direction. When hands two and three meet, the bead is entirely on the rim. Simple. For three-handed people.

There are only two tricks: getting the bead back on the rim without excessive cursing or pinched fingers, and slightly inflating the tube and rolling it around a bit to make sure it isn't pinched internally. If you inflate it fully without making sure it isn't pinched internally, it will be, and it will pop. And then you'll get to start over.
posted by jellicle at 6:32 PM on October 17, 2005 [1 favorite]

Given that you said the tube no longer takes air, it sounds like you put fix-a-flat goo in the tubes at some point in time. The goo ends up blocking the air hole in the valve. Patches will keep this problem from happening again. When you're buying the new tube, pick up a $5 repair kit that comes with many patches and the helper tool (to remove the tire). Try to get the good epoxy patches, not the peel-and-stick ones. The sticker ones aren't as strong and tend to wear out.
posted by gaelenh at 6:38 PM on October 17, 2005

Also, find a new local bike shop. I think my LBS charges $15 total. $20 + tube seems really high.
posted by jmgorman at 6:40 PM on October 17, 2005

Sheldon Brown's already covered it far better than I can, from getting the wheel off to putting the tire back on.

Screwdrivers are dangerous -- not so much for nailing your tube, though they can do that, but because if they chip the inside of the rim, that'll be a sharp edge on your tube. That's bad. A set of tire levers costs a couple of bucks, and lasts basically forever, and a set of three (the standard set) *will* get the tire off, no matter how tight.
posted by eriko at 6:43 PM on October 17, 2005 [1 favorite]

Of course Sheldon Brown's already covered it better. ;)

And the tools are called "levers."
posted by Captaintripps at 6:46 PM on October 17, 2005

Here's a WikiBook, an informative web site with pictures, and another complete-looking site.

These are sites I wish I'd seen before I tried to teach myself from a library book.
posted by davy at 6:56 PM on October 17, 2005

What Sheldon Brown said.

Tire levers will work just fine, but for a few dollars more I like the Crank Bros Speed Lever. Works well with just two hands :-p

And don't be discouraged if your first tube change takes forever. Each successive time will get faster!
posted by blue grama at 7:02 PM on October 17, 2005

you needn't take the tire completely off the rim just one bead, pull out the old tube and check to see that there are no embedded thorns tacks glass and such, stuck in the tire's inside and pop in your new tube. BTW I have been using superglue to patch bicycle tubes for years. use the kind that doesn't fill gaps, get the runny stuff, bonds rubber instantly. without unsightly rubber patches
posted by hortense at 7:03 PM on October 17, 2005

screwdrivers?!? did someone seriously recommend using screwdrivers upthread?

people, there are specific tools for specific jobs. nylon tire levers cost maybe $4.95 USD, will last nearly forever, are fully portable, often nest together into a neat little package, and will, under no circumstances make your rim an unuseable warp of bent metal.

please: set down the crescent wrench gently and back away from the tool box now...
posted by RockyChrysler at 7:12 PM on October 17, 2005

Take the whole tire off as this adds almost no extra effort. Then turn it inside out and run your hand along the inner surface to check for bits of glass or whatever sticking through. When you remove the tube you should remember its position and find the hole. Then look at the tire at that location to check for intrusions. When you put the tire back on put the label at the hole where the valve stem pokes through and try to put both labels on the same side of the bike (this only applies if you don't want to be a Fred, only dorky cyclists will notice). When taking a tire off sometimes a tire lever is needed. However, never, never, ever use one to put the tire back on. (OK, sometimes it is easier, but the risk of pinching and wasting the tube is high.) Inflate the tube with your mouth, or with the pump to just a couple of psi, basically until it has some body but is still loose. With one bead of the tire already in the rim, place the tube inside working from the stem outwards. Then, push the stem toward the tire to help seat the tube in the tire and start to place the other bead on the rim starting at the stem and working outwards toward both sides. When you have only a few inches left place the wheel with the stem at your belly and the laying on your knees. Use your palms, they are stronger than your fingers, to push the last of the bead over and into the wheel, both hands on top of the wheel and tire with the palms pushing the bead away from you over the lip of the rim. Make sure the tube has been well pushed into the tire at this point to avoid pinching the tube. Don't waste your time on lubes like talcum or other nonsense. After you get the tire over the rim, work the tube into place - it probably is already fine, but this step only takes a minute and might save you from a pinch flat upon inflation. Add a few more psi, say to somewhere between 5 and 10 psig. Then work around the rim squeezing the beads toward each other allowing the tube to push up into the tire and away from the rim. You are trying to make sure that at no place does the tube get trapped between the tire and the rim, an unlikely but fatal occurrence for the tube. Once everything is seated pump it up part way, check for lumps etc. and then fully inflate. With practice this will take not much longer than reading my long winded explanation.
posted by caddis at 7:28 PM on October 17, 2005

Yes, RockyChrysler, flathead screwdrivers work fine, if you're not a clumsy fool. I've actually got the levers and use them, but a coupla years of screwdriver use never hurt my bike, the levers don't really add terribly much.

One other small thing. When putting your tyres back on the bike, obviously you have to rebalance them. Spin them round and make sure they're running straight. And often the tread is designed to go in one direction, indicated by a rotation arrow printed into the rubber.
posted by wilful at 7:40 PM on October 17, 2005

Sheldon has it nailed. Follow him and you will never go astray. Park Tool also has a good site with loads of bike repair info.

Comments on some of the points made above: Screwdrivers are a REALLY bad idea -- get proper tire levers (which shouldn't cost more than two or three bucks for a set -- trashing a tire or rim with screwdrivers is much pricier.) Also, the patches you want ("self-vulcanizing") use (and usually come with) rubber cement and are good for permanent repairs; I have never seen epoxy used for patching tubes. Gaelenh is right about the self-adhesive patches, though; avoid these unless they're your only option (and don't count on them being a permanent repair.) Heed caddis's advice about checking the inside of the tire religiously -- it's really easy to miss debris responsible for a flat so check, double check and triple check.
posted by Opposite George at 7:40 PM on October 17, 2005

Wil, although it's techically possible to balance bicycle tires, Jobst Brandt has a ton of posts on rec.bicycles.tech talking about why it's kind of a misguided notion.
posted by Opposite George at 7:52 PM on October 17, 2005

er, technically
posted by Opposite George at 7:53 PM on October 17, 2005

I just bought a set of 3 plastic tire levers for $3 at REI.
posted by MrZero at 7:59 PM on October 17, 2005

Silverware handles work pretty well too instead of levers. Especially those thick, round handled ones. If you decide to repair, get a tub of water to find the holes.

And spend the extra $$ and buy the puncture proof tubes: they rock.
posted by fshgrl at 10:48 PM on October 17, 2005

It's always a good idea to carry a set of tire spanners, a patch kit or spare tube with you everywhere. I have always managed to find myself with a flat in the worst possible place. Spanners are much better than screwdrivers and cheap too, every biker should have them.
posted by JJ86 at 1:41 AM on October 18, 2005

Please don't use screwdrivers on your bikes, unless the part in question is in fact a screw. I've never 'rebalanced' a bike tire in my life, despite having mounted many hundred of them. If you meant 'check to see that the bead is evenly seated on the rim' that's fine.
posted by fixedgear at 3:53 AM on October 18, 2005

Jesus. Get plastic tire levers. The right tool for the job, right? You will scratch, scar, and generally fuck up your rims something awful if you try this with metal implements.
posted by ikkyu2 at 8:58 AM on October 18, 2005

Yup, tire levers are the way to go.
And Caddis, I hate to disagree, but all three bike shops I've worked in (and three others I've hung out in) all used talc as way to ensure the tube doesn't stick to the inside of the tire. Holding the tire so that it hangs from your hand, just put a little 'puddle' of talc in the tire at the bottom, then rotate the tire in your hand - this will effective coat the inside of the tire and make it slippery and easier for the tube to seat properly and not stick to the tube when you're trying to get that last bit on.
Another tip from the bike shop is to seat your tube with the valve at the same position as the label on the tire. This accomplishes two things - the psi (on the label) is always hand to the valve, and you know where the valve was in relation to the tube when you take it off to find your leak.
Also, when riding, always carry a spare tube and a patch kit. That way, if you only have one flat, you don't have to repair it on the road.
posted by dbmcd at 9:34 AM on October 18, 2005

The reason I am against talc has more to do with latex allergies. I also don't think it helps much. Studies have shown that powders such as talk tend to pick up latex proteins and transfer them to the skin much more efficiently than mere contact between skin and latex. I would especially be leery of using talc if I mounted tires for a living. Perhaps I am just being overly cautious.
posted by caddis at 9:45 AM on October 18, 2005

It's fine to be cautious, but you should also be in possession of all of the facts. If you don't have a latex allergy, talc is great since it acts as a dry lubricant and allows the tube to move a little within the tire. Also, most (95%) inexpensive tubes are butyl. Only the higher end, expensive and lightweight tubes are latex. You actually have to seek out latex bike tubes. If you walk in to a shop and say "I need a 700cx23mm presta valve tube" you will be handed a butyl tube.
posted by fixedgear at 12:07 PM on October 18, 2005

While you have the tire off, check to make sure there are no sharp bits on the wheel, too. If the spokes have been tightened several times, they can protrude past their nipples into the tube space. The end of a spoke is a dandy instrument for putting holes in tubes - even better than screwdrivers.


posted by Kirth Gerson at 6:14 PM on October 18, 2005

the easiest way is to follow this puncture repair video

the info you need is at the start and end - just ignore the bit in the middle about patching up the puncture
posted by NatureBoy at 3:51 AM on September 30, 2006