Repairing Used Road Bikes: Tires and Tubes

I was about to go for a ride the other day and noticed this. Apparently I got a pinch flat during my last ride because the tire pressure was too low. Luckly, tires and tube are a quick and easy fix. Here’s the tools for the job:

1. Tire levers (preferably some heavy duty plastic or aluminum ones)

2. Crescent wrench or socket (to remove the axle nuts)

3. Tire Pump

If you don’t have any/all of these I highly recommend getting them as they are heavily used tools by cyclists. And if you’re an internet shopper like myself, I recommend Amazon.com for almost any non-perishable item…it’s amazing all the things you can get at Amazon nowadays.

Although, my tires we not terribly worn, they were very old and so I decided to go ahead and replace the tire while I was replacing the tube. I just get the basic road tires, I got these from biketiresdirect.com.

And if I don’t already have a huge stock I order lots of tubes to have plenty of spares, you can never really have too many.

With the right tools you’ll be amazed at how simple a flat tire can be to fix.

Step 1

Remove wheel

Step 2

Remove tire from rim by using the tire levers to pry the tire bead over the edge of the rim. Tip: Use the opposite end of the tire lever to hold the tire out by wrapping the loop or notch around the spokes.

Continue working around the rim until it’s loose enough to pull off.

Step 3

Pull tube from tire

Step 4

Inflate new tube just slightly

Step 5

Place the new tube into the tire

Step 6

Start at the nozzle and work the tire back onto the rim. When you get towards the end you can use the tire levers again if necessary, but be cautious not to pinch the tube.

Step 7

Reinstall the wheel

Step 8

Inflate. I usually inflate to about 60 psi, but check your tires for manufacturer recommendations.

Step 9

Ride!