tire change

[Soupnutz]

Anybody have any tips for changing a tire? Had a gash in my rear tire and after receiving my new tire today decided to change it. It was a total pain in the ass. I'd read that breaking the bead was the hardest part, that part was simple. Getting the first side of the tire off the rim wasn't too bad, getting the back half off killed me.

Had a hard time getting the rim protectors in place, couldn't move them once the tire started coming over the lip, could barely get the tire irons in place. Putting the second half back on the rim wasn't fun either, was better than removal though. Despite the rim protectors i still managed to scratch my rims in a few spots. Think next time I'll try using the zip tie method, then both sides of the tire will come off at the same time.

It sure looked a lot easier in the youtube videos.

 

[The_Paragon]

Yepp, Zip tie method for install works the best! I love it!

For removing the tire the 1st bead is the more difficult one. The 2nd bead will actually slip off with out tire irons if you do it just right.

And of course.. use LOTS of lube!

 

[FinalImpact]

At home there are some challenges. When I did the rear it popped on and I had no way to hold the rim well enough to rotate the tire to the stem mark. It balanced out fine but its off about 6"... I'd imagine ZipTies would have prevented this had I taken the time to do that. You need some really strong ones to be successful.

 

[Soupnutz]

I got the stem mark lined up, as far as balancing I'm trying out some of those ceramic beads. I've read good thing, let's see if they're true.