How to Install a Bicycle Tire or Tube in Five Minutes

this article will teach you how to remove your wheel from your bike and replace the tire or tube in 5 minutes or less

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• new bicycle tube and/or tire
• tire removing levers ( min of two)
• bicycle pump ( preferably a floor pump w/pressure gauge)
• adjustable wrench or metric wrench set ( if your bike wheels have bolts instead of quick release hubs)

1. 
   pull back on the cable noodle while pushing on the brake arms to remove the cable

   1. The first step is to remove the wheel from the bike. If you have hand brakes, you will have to open up the brake caliper to allow the wheel to come out of the bike. If you have a coaster brake, you will need to remove the brake strap fixing bolt on the rear wheel. Now if you put the bike upside down on the handlebars and seat or hang it by a rope from the saddle to a ceiling rafter in your garage it will make it easier to remove the wheel.

2. 
   if the QR lever opens easily, it was not tight enough, make it tighter when you re-install the wheel

   2. If your wheel is attached with nuts, use the adjustable or boxed wrench to loosen them up enough to remove the wheel. If your wheel has quick release (QR) wheels, pull the lever open with one hand and loosen the nut on the other end until the wheel comes off the bike.

3. 
   i am using a small metal screw to push on the valve core to let the air out

   3. Remove the air from the tube by pressing the valve core with any small object.

4. 
   push the lever gently between the tire bead and the rim until it slips down under. Lift the bead out by pulling down on the lever.

   4. Starting on the opposite side of the wheel from the valve, insert the first tire lever between the tire bead and the rim and pull down on the lever until it pops over the top of the rim.

5. 
   after inserting and repeating step 4, keep the lever in the tire and zip it all the way around.

   5. Insert the second tire lever about 4 inches away from the first one and repeat the process. Zip the tire lever all the way around the tire until one side of the tire comes off the rim.

6. 
   some times the tube can get stuck to the tire. Pull hard and put talc in the tire to prevent this.

   6. Pull the tube out of the tire. Now if you aren’t replacing the tire, feel the inside of the tire, and look at the tread area for any glass or foreign objects that may have caused the puncture and remove them. If there are any rips, cuts or threads showing in the tire, replace it.

7. 

   7. To remove the tire, just pull the other tire bead off the rim. Install one bead of the new tire on the rim. Put the valve of the new tube into the rim first, then lay the un-inflated tube into the tire working your way to the side opposite the valve.

8. 

   8. Starting at the valve, push the second bead of the tire over the rim. Work your way around to the other end of the wheel and try to get the tire all the way on without the use of the tire levers. It might be too tight to do it this way in which case you will have to use the lever but be careful not to pinch your new tube in the process.

9. 
   snap the last part of the tire on without tools, and check the line on the tire above the rim

   9. Inflate the tube with about 20 psi and check the bead of the tire all the way around on both sides to be sure that it is seated and spin the wheel to see if the tire is hopping up and down. ( the tire bead has a line right above the rim that should be the same distance from the rim all the way around on both sides. If the tire is hopping as you spin it, then deflate the tire and push it down in the spots where it rises up. Keep repeating these steps as you inflate the tire. )

10. 
    make sure to adjust the nut on the QR axel until the lever starts tightning half way to the closed setting.

    10. When installing the wheels, make sure the bolts are tight and that the wheel is centered in the frame. If you have quick release hubs, make sure that you adjust the nut tight enough on the opposite side as you are flipping the lever to it’s closed position. You should have to press firmly on the lever to make it close. You are ready to ride!

Tips & Warnings

• if you plan to do your own bicycle repairs, a repair stand is a very good investment. They cost between $100-300 and will pay themselves off in saved repair costs. Look for more articles like this to come. If you get stuck on any step, please contact me at the link below and I will talk you through it. Rick Garner
• If you are not sure that about the results when you are done, do not ride the bike until you have a qualified bicycle technician evaluate your job. That is what the bike shops are there for.