Tyre Fitting

[stephinson]

I have been reading about tyres here
and found some cheap places to buy
But they are all mail order

How do you guys fit the tyres or do you have to go to where they fit them

(the closest to me is a 50 mile round trip)

 

[birdseye]

Simple - use a set of tyre levers. Easy to do by hand

 

[stephinson]

thanks

thought it should be easy

so its just like doing a pedal bike tyre then

or is there a any special tips

I know it has to go the right way round

 

[steforsh]

er... i don't find it that simple.

the fronts not so bad, but the rear can be a pain.

1st of all (after you've removed the wheel of course) you have to break the bead. thats just the thick bit of the tyre that seals up against the rim. this bit is almost impossible without some sort of bead breaker, and if your going to attempt it, be careful not to damage your rim.

next you've got to lever it off. the alloys (R1200GS) are not so bad as they have a thin edge, but they are easier to scratch. the spoke ones have a thick bit where the ends of the spokes go and that makes it more difficult to lever the tyre over.

if your going to have a go, use some blocks to rest the wheel on to save your rim getting damaged on the floor, and plenty of washing up liquid to help the tyre off. don't be fooled into thinking you can do it with small tyre levers, mine are 18 inch.
i do my own, but i hate doing it. i don't have them balanced either, but have never had a problem with that.

the first time you do it, it'll take you longer than you think. trust me.

 

[thornley]

er... i don't find it that simple.

the fronts not so bad, but the rear can be a pain.

1st of all (after you've removed the wheel of course) you have to break the bead. thats just the thick bit of the tyre that seals up against the rim. this bit is almost impossible without some sort of bead breaker, and if your going to attempt it, be careful not to damage your rim.

next you've got to lever it off. the alloys (R1200GS) are not so bad as they have a thin edge, but they are easier to scratch. the spoke ones have a thick bit where the ends of the spokes go and that makes it more difficult to lever the tyre over.

if your going to have a go, use some blocks to rest the wheel on to save your rim getting damaged on the floor, and plenty of washing up liquid to help the tyre off. don't be fooled into thinking you can do it with small tyre levers, mine are 18 inch.
i do my own, but i hate doing it. i don't have them balanced either, but have never had a problem with that.

the first time you do it, it'll take you longer than you think. trust me.

Make sure you have a good pump to blow the tyre back onto the rim and seats properly. A small foot pump won't do. You'll probably have to take the wheels to a garage airline. Washing up liquid can cause corrosion, I use a car shampoo, less salt.

 

[steforsh]

thornley's right. forgot to mention it's just as hard to get the new tyre on. I tried using those plastic rim protectors but they seem to slip just as you get the last bit on and they end up inside the tyre…. arrrrgh.

i have a compressor and even with that, very occasionally you’ll get a tyre that won’t seal no matter what you do. You’ll need a bead seater for that.


Thanks for the tip about washing up liquid.