How to Change a Flat Bike Tire

Video Transcript

"Hi I'm Evan from Gregg's Cycles and I'm going to show you how to change a flat tire. The first thing you want to do is undo the valve stem, take your valve cap off and then if there is any remaining air in the tire go ahead and let most of that air out. Then with your tire lever go around the edge of your tire, pull that guy off of there and pull your tube out and it is important to not remove your tire but take your tube out and put some air in your tube and that will enable you to go around the tube and you can kind of feel with your hand or listen with your ear and see if you can feel a small puncture or hear some air coming out or a spot where it may be bulging where there may be something stuck in the tube or see if you can feel anything sharp or see maybe any glass that may have gone through the tire into the tube. Sometimes you can't see anything, sometimes it is just a mystery hole and you don't know how it got there but if you are able to find something what you can then do is use your valve stem as a reference so you would find your rim where the valve pull is and then based on where the hole is in relation to the valve stem, find that same spot in your tire so you can go along your tire and maybe if you see a piece of glass or a thorn or a little barb from a blackberry bush you can go ahead and pick it out. If you have a small sharp object kind of pick some of those things out and then inflate your new tube with a little air and then reinstall your valve stem first and go around here with the tire. Once your tube is in there all the way go ahead and then reinstall your tire the rest of the way, make sure you are using only your hands because if you do try to use a screwdriver or even a tire lever or something like that you can end up pinching your tube between the tire and the rim which is then called a pinch flat. It may not actually go flat until you get out on the road and it actually has some serious pressure under it and then you'll end up fixing another flat on the side of the road and that's no good. Make sure that your valve stem is nice and straight in there, pump it up, replace your valve cap and reinstall your wheel. That is how you fix a flat."