Tire Changing

Girlrider · Jul 24, 2001

How many of you ladies out there are changing your own tires? Since at the ISDE I will have only 10 minutes to change a rear tire and an air filter I have been practicing. I try to change a tire before or after each ride. My first tire took nearly an hour and now I am down to 9 minutes and 20 seconds. The rest of you that want to try for the ISDE next year should start getting busy with this now. Let me know if anyone else changes their own tires. I know my husband is happy because he has not had to change a tire in months.:D

firecracker22 · Jul 24, 2001

I've helped . . .

Steve is such a gentleman that he shows me how but does it himself. I was thinking that myself earlier. I need to start doing it.

I know this wouldn't help at an ISDE, but one of his friends built a tailgate tire changer. It slides into your receiver hitch, and then you can just run the iron around the rim like the guys at the tire shop with the machines do. It's way cool! Has anyone else ever seen one? He is going to start selling them soon. He already has his patents and stuff. I thought it was a great idea.

bwalker · Jul 24, 2001

Buy 4 of the extra long tire irons, use wd 40 as a lube, the stand FC22 mentioned and it will be a snap. I can change a rear in about five minutes.

LoriKTM · Jul 24, 2001

I've changed tires. There are a couple tricky spots where I just don't have the strength to complete the job and needed Dave's help, so I'm no sure that I could do one by myself, start to finish. I can do 95% of the job.

Sometimes I have trouble breaking the bead. I can stand on the edge of the tire and jump on it, but it doesn't go anywhere! A 'C' clamp has helped in that respect. Then, the other areas I have trouble are getting the first bit of the tire off, and then getting the last part of the tire back on. Those last couple of inches on the bead are the worst!

Any tips or tricks you use would be appreciated, Nicole! Sounds like you've got the process down pat!

gospeedracer · Jul 24, 2001

Oh ya, I've got tire changing down pat.

Step 1: Shout out "Honey! Will you change this tire?"

Done. See, it's very simple really. :p

Seriously, that's really cool Girlrider. I admire your determination. :)

bwalker · Jul 24, 2001

Those last couple of inches on the bead are the worst!

Lori,Thats when the extra long irons and the wd-40 come in handy. The long irons give you a lot more leverage than the short ones so strength should not be a issue.

yz250-effer · Jul 24, 2001

Here are some tricks I use:

put grease on the beads - yes grease. A thin coat. Never doubt the grease.
When you put the first bead on the rime, put the far bead over the edge of the rim lock that will be it's home. You will ever have to deal with a rimlock again.
Buy a tire breezer and a rubber mallet OR 4 good tire irons. With a tire breezer tool, I have only pinched one tube in 6 years.
always pound the bead towards the center ( on both sides) before taking off the old tire, or getting the last part of the bead on the new one.
unless you are competing in the ISDE, relax and drink a beer while you do it, it will make the task go seemingly faster!

10 minutes is pretty good:) Also don't put more than 30 pounds in to set the bead. If the bead won't set then, deflate, spray some wd around the bead, and re-inflate - otherwise you could separate the tire from the cable bead. Not that I have ever done this..;)

Girlrider · Jul 24, 2001

I used to do it all wrong and then a past ISDE participant showed me the correct way. FIrst take the tire off the bike as you would normally. Then lay it down on the sprocket side and release the air, loosen the rim lock to the end but don't take the nut off completely. Take the nut off the valve stem and then use your knees to push down on the bead to break it as the air is being released. Rule # 1. Always do this while you have your riding clothes and knee pads on or bruises will result. Now take your Motion Pro 16" tire irons (I use 6 so that my husband can hand them to me to be faster) and start to pull the tire off that side of the rim. Once you have done that then flip the tire over and starting at the rim lock begin to take the tire off the rim going from the rim lock half way to the left and half way to the right (You will only take half the tire off and not the whole tire) Now you stand the tire up with the side that is all the way off and half the way off sitting on the ground and you step hard on the sprocket to push the rim further into the tire. By doing this now the top part of the rim can be grabbed and as you hold the tire with one hand you pull the rim towards you and it should pull out very easily. Now for putting it back on you would have your new tire and tube ready. Ready means put lot's of baby powder on the tube and then put the tube into the tire. Then you take the rim and pull the tube out of the tire just far enough to stick the valve into the hole at the rim and then put the nut onto the valve to hold it onto the rim. Now sit on the tire to squish it down into an oval shape and not a circle. While you do this shuve the rim into that squished tire as far as you can. Once you do that then you can lay the tire down and use the tire tools to put the tire back onto the rim. I used to use a water based lube to help this but it works good without it if you do the technique right. Once you have it on then you tighten the rim lock and valve stem nut and put the air in it and back onto the bike. It is easier to show than to type but if anyone want's more information let me know. I used to get the tire on and then had to put the tube in and I could never get the valve through the hole without killing my hand. Now I put the tube and tire on at the same time and have not pinched a tube yet.

Good luck and let me know if this works for anyone else.

blackhawk468 · Jul 24, 2001

I am going to try and change my first rear tire this weekend. This is really helping me. I have never seen it done before, so if anyone has pictures showing the steps, it would be really cool and helpful to me.

LoriKTM · Jul 24, 2001

Good tips, Nicole! Almost makes me want to go out and change a tire. Almost. :D
You pre-inflate the new tube a little, right? We were doing it the same way-- new tire, then shove the tube into the tire and try to squeeze your hand in to get the valve stem through. I have small hands and still found it difficult! I like your way much better. Tube in tire, then tire on rim.

BWalker-- so the 9" tire irons aren't the best, huh? :think
We have a couple 9"s, and a 12".

YZ250-effer-- Have the Breezer tool & Rubber mallet. Works great! The hardest part for me is getting enough bead lifted to get the Breezer underneath.

Girlrider · Jul 24, 2001

Lori,

I use the Heavy duty tube from Moose and no I do not acutally put any air in it. I suppose you could but have not found it neccessary. The Motion Pro 16" Tire Iron with the bend in it is the best. Use the straight side for taking off and the bent side for putting on. Go to www.motionpro.com and check them out.

simimi · Jul 24, 2001

Excellent tips.

I have only changed a few tires and for me it is 45 mins to an hour. I dont try to rush and usually spend a good deal of time getting that darn valve stem in AFTER putting on one side of the tire. I usuall bruise my knuckles and say a few choice words at that point.

Your pointers are great and once I recover from knee surgery(thats another whole story), will be out changing tires using your technique.

THANKS

bbbom · Jul 24, 2001

Haven't changed a tire yet (on the bike - used to be fast on the truck when I worked out in the desert of Phoenix, flats once or more a week) but will have to pretty soon since my rear tire is almost gone. Great tips Nicole, will see how it goes when I try it.

:)

yz250-effer · Jul 24, 2001

Originally posted by LoriKTM

YZ250-effer-- Have the Breezer tool & Rubber mallet. Works great! The hardest part for me is getting enough bead lifted to get the Breezer underneath.

LoriKTM - I put the breezer in at the very start, as soon as I have enough bead in to where it does not want to come out on it's own. Then I tighten the rimlock ( why not use it to keep the bead on at that point) AND then pound the tire breezer towards the rimlock. So basically, after I get 12 inches or so of bead on, no more tire irons! If you get too much bead on it is hard to get the breezer in, and you also don't want to use it like a tire iron, you will break it. ( I have never done this...;) ) I am surprised more people don't use the tire breezer, I think they are great.

Also a side note for first time tire changers: Dunlops go on the easiest, IMO. Maxxis and Pirellis have a real tight fit. Bridgestones are right behind dunlops.And put that tire in the sun, or in you cab/car to heat it up too, that will help. Girlrider - some good methods in there, thanks for the extra typing! I am going to modify my routine a bit now.:)

bud · Jul 26, 2001

I thought the majority of isde riders used mousse tubes :).

I personally use 2 8" irons, same as what I would (be forced to) use if I got a puncture on the trail. So my theory is, if you can't do it with 2 8" irons, you're doing it wrong :). It does involve a fair bit of grunting and cursing on rear tires with stiff sidewalls though, and once I slammed my knuckles into the rear sprocket :scream:. Course, since then I always wear gloves :). A good time for me would be about 10 mins for a rear if I have the tools set out right, 5 mins for a front.

Good luck with improving your time girlrider :).

bwalker · Jul 26, 2001

I have small hands and still found it difficult.

I used to do that also. Nothing tears up the hands better than trying to insert a tube in a new/stiff front tire.

BWalker-- so the 9" tire irons aren't the best, huh?

The longer irons make the job a bit easier because they allow you to get more leverage on the tire. They are not neccesary though.

D.LEATHERS · Feb 12, 2006

Help!!!
Does Anyone Know Who Makes The Breezer Tire Changing Tool?? Or Where You Can Purchase One. I Have A Friend Looking For One And He Put Me On It To Find One. I Been On All The Search Engines And Came Up Empty Handed. Thanks!!!

D. Leathers
Michigan

biglou · Feb 12, 2006

http://www.masclassics.com/vt2/1324.html

D.LEATHERS · Feb 12, 2006

Hey Big Lou,
Thanks A Bunch !!! I Should Have Asked Here First Instead Of Wasting 3 Weeks Surfing The Net. Thanks Again.

Dave L.

Matt R · Feb 15, 2006

I came across a good instruction page on changing tires. It has a good description along with a couple pics. It also shows the Breezer tool.

http://www.dansmc.com/tires1.htm

zero_it · Feb 15, 2006

Back in the day.... a.k.a. '95 ISDE, I got down to 7 minute tire changes with tubes and about 15 minutes with Mousse bib inserts. Now that I'm back into the casual lifestyle it's more like 20 minutes and a beer. Something I see mentioned here that goes against all I know is the use of grease and/or WD-40 as a tire lubricant. I never use petroleum products on my tires for two reasons: (1) you want something that will evaporate and go away so that you have maximum friction between the tire & rim and (2) many tubes are made of butyl with is not compatible with hydrocarbons - it will swell and get flimsy if it comes in contact with petroleum based grease. Instead I use either a mixture of liquid dishsoap and water or tire mounting lube (a NAPA product called Ru-Glyde). Either of these are really slippery and helpful while mounting the tire, but will evaporate and be gone shortly after your tire is mounted. If there's grease on your tire bead and you get a flat tire, then the chances of the tire spinning on the rim are really high - all you have to prevent that from happening is the rim lock. Alternately, if the tire bead is dry, then it has some friction to the rim and won't spin as readily in the event of a flat.

A helpful thing to remember when changing tires is to take relatively small bites with the tire iron each time. The bigger the bite, the harder it is to lever over the rim. Lots of little bites is easier and faster than fewer large bites. My husband is really successful when he sets his wheel on a 5-gallon bucket to do tires. I tend to fight that program and prefer throwing the wheel down on the floor or even the shop bench. You really have to try a few different approaches and figure what works best for you. Another thing I do is duct tape the rim band down to the rim so you don't have to fight trying to line up the holes for the rim lock & valve stem and duct tape is slipperier than the rubber rim bands (so the tube can slide around a bit on the rim while mounting the tire). If you throw away the rim band and just use duct tape, then tightening your spokes can be difficult as the spoke nipples are taped down and difficult to turn. By leaving the rubber rim band in under the tape you get a really successful setup.

Practice, practice, practice. : )

Matt R · Feb 16, 2006

Here is another tire changing "how-to" page.
http://www.motocross.com/motoprof/pdffiles/tirerr2.pdf

dklink2000 · May 2, 2006

Matt those links were EXACTLY what I was looking for!! Thanks!!! :cool:

The Ant · Apr 16, 2007

Thank you Nicole - I changed my own rear tire for the first time yesterday!!!
Used a combo of your instructions and an article in Dirt Rider, "Tire Changing 101". Absolutely couldn't have done it without your hints though. I'm going to copy your intructions over to the Thumpette Forum on Thumper Talk, hope you don't mind - I think they were great.

Your squashing the tire to an oval instruction was very helpful, altho I'd recommend putting a folded towel or something over the knobbies when doing this, I used all my weight on my stomach so I could have my hands free to push on the sprocket and brake rotor to get the rim further inside the tire in order to then pull it free... and I still have some square red marks on my belly!

And I used my feet to hold the opposite side of the tire bead inside the rim when tire ironing the rest of it on, rather than my knees, seemed more directly controllable that way.

The most difficult part was getting the rim inside the new tire, but again, flattening it to an oval shape with my belly, and really pushing the bottom rim in between the two beads before levering the rest in made it work! Used the 50/50 mix of water and dish soap as well.

-SusanP.
crf250x
with new S12 rear tire!

Tire Changing

Girlrider

firecracker22

Sponsoring Member

bwalker

LoriKTM

Super Power AssClown

gospeedracer

Chat Mom

bwalker

yz250-effer

Girlrider

blackhawk468

President of Bling

LoriKTM

Super Power AssClown

Girlrider

simimi

bbbom

yz250-effer

bud

bwalker

D.LEATHERS

biglou

D.LEATHERS

Matt R

zero_it

Matt R

dklink2000

The Ant

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Tire Changing

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biglou

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