Tyre fitting

[leso55]

hi all,thinking of fitting my own tires as my local independant bike shop wants £20 per wheel to fit which i think is a bit steep? i have access to tools and have a compressor but i'm wondering if they will need balanced after i fit them, just wondered if anyone can offer any advice before i order them?
tyres will be metzler tourances.

 

[ianboydsnr]

thats a question no one can answer, probably not, but you wont know untill they are fitted

is that £20 fitted to loose wheels, or removed from the bike?

£20 might seem cheap, after you've struggled for a few hours, so best someone shows you, who has some experience.
if you were in north lakes I could probably show you, but I cant balance them


not trying to put you off, its a great skill to aquire

 

[Sleepy]

I've fitted the last two or three sets of tyres to my 1150, and never bothered balancing them, can't say I notice anything amiss.

 

[leso55]

thanks for the replies,the prices are for me removing the wheels which makes me think it is rather pricey, its just the balancing thats got me worried,im not worried about fitting the tyres or the time it takes as i do have a well equipped workshop and do all my own maintainance,so ill probably give it a go and if i find i need them balanced ill just have to pay for it i suppose.

 

[Stahlgewittern]

get stuck in

Changed front tyre on the GS today 20 mins, havn,t balanced it but all seems well, no vibes. Tourances are easier than sport bike tyres to change as they have softer side walls.
Breaking the bead is the hard part I use my ferkof big vice to do the job.
Used cut up milk cartons to protect the rim from tyre iron marks.
Grated parmolive soap into a dish mix with hot water its a great lubricant and is kind to your hands. lube the old tyre off an lube the new one on.
Remember to support wheel rims on 4x2s to avoid damaging discs.
used high pressure bicycle pump (STIRRUP PUMP TYPE)to pop tyre bead into the rim. SIMPLES.

 

[Steptoe]

I expect he's charging you £20 because you're supplying the tyres and using him to fit them.

Sounds fair enough. A bit like taking your own meal into a restaurant because you like the surroundings and being surprised that they'll charge you for sitting at the table.

 

[solidstate100]

I think £20 a rim is pretty reasonable actually. Were you expecting him to do it for free?

 

[Michael R1150GS Adventure]

big variation in price here, I have just paid £16 total for my TKC's to be removed, my tourances put back on and both wheels balanced.

Loose wheels. Done on the spot. Amazing service from HUNTERS, Westgate Road, Newcastle.

 

[ianboydsnr]

tasty tyres in Cockermouth charge £15 to a loose rim and £20 to remove from the bike,

they will fit tyres not supplied by themselves, not sure whether they have the stuff to balance a 1200 rear though


they have just fixed a puncture on my fazer fz6

 

[(RIP) Johno23]

Just had a quote from riders Cardiff to supply and fit rear conti T/A £127 thought that was pretty good.....

 

[Beemerman59]

I have a static balancer which fits the 1200 front but every time I use it the new tyre always seems to balance straight away so have not need to add weights. Just make sure the dot for the lightest part of the tyre lines up with the valve. I don't have an adapter for the rear so don't bother and don't feel any vibration or rough running.

I have also found the Abba bead breaker to be quick and very easy to use. When putting the new tyre on ensure the opposite part of the tyre from where you are working sits inside the wheel well otherwise you will never get it on. I also work from the valve when taking the tyre off and to the valve putting the new on one - just be careful if you have tyre pressure monitors fitted. Plenty of lube always helps as well.......

 

[leso55]

Thanks to everyone for their replies, the fact of the matter is that the dealer wants £230 for supplying a pair of tourances, plus £15 each for fitting which is a grand total of £260 having trawled the net i find i can get a pair for £175 delivered plus pay him £40 fitting if i supply the tyres. obviousley he's supply and fit price is cheaper because he's making money by supplying (£55 thats not bad in my eyes) i know he has a business to run but it's still good money to me!! i'm all for keeping local business but i'm afraid this time it feels like a rip off

 

[leso55]

I think £20 a rim is pretty reasonable actually. Were you expecting him to do it for free?

Not at all,just wondered if £20 was reasonable

 

[Beemerman59]

Personally I think £40 a pair is a lot, maybe ok if it includes removal of the wheel as well, but this is one reason why I fit my own

 

[ianboydsnr]

Thanks to everyone for their replies, the fact of the matter is that the dealer wants £230 for supplying a pair of tourances, plus £15 each for fitting which is a grand total of £260 having trawled the net i find i can get a pair for £175 delivered plus pay him £40 fitting if i supply the tyres. obviousley he's supply and fit price is cheaper because he's making money by supplying (£55 thats not bad in my eyes) i know he has a business to run but it's still good money to me!! i'm all for keeping local business but i'm afraid this time it feels like a rip off

£175 is below the trade price, if you add postage, its quite a lot below the trade price

he is not making as much as you think on supplying the tyres, maybe you should suggest he buys them from ebay

 

[ianboydsnr]

Personally I think £40 a pair is a lot, maybe ok if it includes removal of the wheel as well, but this is one reason why I fit my own

so strip out the VAT, then the equipment costs, the consumable costs, rent, rates, electricity, advertising, wages, etc, then compare what you expect to get for doing the same amount of work, you cant expect others to work for nothing

 

[Beemerman59]

so strip out the VAT, then the equipment costs, the consumable costs, rent, rates, electricity, advertising, wages, etc, then compare what you expect to get for doing the same amount of work, you cant expect others to work for nothing

I'm not...as I said.....its my personal choice

 

[leso55]

£175 is below the trade price, if you add postage, its quite a lot below the trade price

he is not making as much as you think on supplying the tyres, maybe you should suggest he buys them from ebay

maybe i'm not getting this but how do the companies that sell tyres on e bay make a profit? as far as i can see its a well established company and sells loads of bike stuff http://www.thevisorshop.com/acatalog/More_Info.html maybe some need to make more profit than others..........

 

[ianboydsnr]

maybe i'm not getting this but how do the companies that sell tyres on e bay make a profit? as far as i can see its a well established company and sells loads of bike stuff http://www.thevisorshop.com/acatalog/More_Info.html maybe some need to make more profit than others..........

their are a few ways, if you buy one set you will get that at trade price, if you buy a 100 sets, you will clearly get them cheaper and even cheaper if you buy 500 sets, then the supplier could have bought old stock, or seconds

then if you just add say a fiver a tyre a couple of quid in fees on ebay a sticker with the address, then you can still be selling at under trade price, all hunky dory, untill you encounter a problem, then your stuck with the problem

 

[leso55]

their are a few ways, if you buy one set you will get that at trade price, if you buy a 100 sets, you will clearly get them cheaper and even cheaper if you buy 500 sets, then the supplier could have bought old stock, or seconds

then if you just add say a fiver a tyre a couple of quid in fees on ebay a sticker with the address, then you can still be selling at under trade price, all hunky dory, untill you encounter a problem, then your stuck with the problem

all becomes clear now,thanks for the explanation, i now understand how people can quote trade prices but prices can be lower