DIY: Changing a Tube

By Vwcabrio82

It seems that ECMTB welcomes do it yourself articles form its users! I contacted Replicator and O9Man with the suggestion that there out to be more DIY content. Their reply was "You're right! Why don't you write the first one?" How could I refuse? The first DIY will be starting with a weapon every biker must be equipped with, changing a tire and tube.

First thing is to identify what type of tube you need. There are a couple of common types of tubes, Schrader, and Presta. Schrader is the most common type found. Presta is usually reserved for higher pressures and for tubeless tires, but not always.

Here is a picture of a Schrader valve:



And here is a picture of a Presta valve:



Next thing you have to do is, identify the size tube or tire you need. You can see from the next picture that this next tire is 24" x 2.30", the 24 is a measurement across the whole wheel from the outside of the tire on one side to the outside of the tire on the direct opposite.



The 2.3 is the width of the tire. This is measured differently from manufacturer to manufacturer. There is no set standard for this measurement, my best suggestion is if you are not sure what width to use, just use the same measurement on the old tire. Some tires are also directional, meaning the manufacturer suggests that the tire rotate a particular way. This is usually for proper wear. The tube is also measured in the same manner; however the width measurement usually accommodates a couple of sizes.

First thing, we need to remove the wheel. There are a couple of styles of brakes. For this tutorial I will show you 2 of the more common ones. The first brake set is a side pull cantilever brake. These come apart quite easily. All you need to do is squeeze the brake together with your hand and remove the quick release and the brake will come apart.





The second type is a mechanical disk style. There is nothing necessary to remove a wheel from this style brake system.



Most wheels come with a quick release (QR) style bolt for the front wheel and rear wheel. These are easily removed, just flip the lever and unwind the two ends till the wheel comes free. If you have an axel, there will probably be a 15mm nut at either end, if this is the case you will need two 15mm wrenches. There is usually room to place a wrench between the frame and wheel, using one wrench there and the other wrench on the opposite side to loosen the nut. Then removing the wrench from the loose nut, unwind the other.





Now that we got the wheel out, let's loose the rest of the air in the tire.



Next peel the tire back and insert your tire lever.



Hook the back of that lever on the spoke



Insert your second lever and work it around the rim until this side of the tire falls off the rim.





Usually you can just peel the second side of the tire off the rim (be sure to take it off on the same side) if not just insert your lever from the same side and repeat process. Push your valve thru inside the tire, and remove. Next you want to check your rim for any metal burs or anything that may have gotten stuck inside. Make sure the rim is smooth on both sides.



Now to replace the tube, I find it easier to insert the new tube with a little air, so if you like add a little air to the tube, just enough so that the tube starts to take shape. Stuff the tube inside the tire.

To get that tire back on that wheel so we can get going again, be sure to check to see if your tire is directional, if your tire is directional, lay your wheel on the ground with the sprockets up and put the tire arrow going clockwise. Now insert your tube with the valve in the hole on the rim and take the inside wall of the tire and push it down into the middle of the rim.



If you are using an old tire it may just be able to be squeezed on with out using your levers, but if not, work as much as you can on the rim, then flip your lever over and slide the last little bit on the rim.



Repeat the process for the next edge of the tire... and voila! You have just changed your tube.

One thing you want to be sure of is that you keep the valve straight in the hole before adding air. If the valve is not straight you may be able to slide the tire on the rim to straighten it out, it should look like this.



Now just give your tools a quick wipe off if they are dirty and add some air to the tire.



Be sure to keep your old tube, we don't want to leave it on the trail, and if there is a pinch or just a small hole in the tube it can be repaired!

Posted by O9man at March 26, 2008 10:45 PM

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