got a flat tire

is there any special things i need to know about replacing a tire on my bike? it has spoked wheels. i got a flat tire and realized there wasn't anything punturing the tire so it must be the inner tube? this is the first bike i have owned with a spoked wheel so i didn't expect there to be an inner tube. Do i need to have the spokes adjusted or the wheel balanced when i get it fixed?

If the tire is otherwise in good shape, the tube can be swapped out. As long as the tire isn't rotated on the wheel while the tube is being replaced, re-balancing shouldn't be required. A tube replacement doesn't require a tire to be removed entirely, just half.

Put matchmarks on the tire and rim (like on a spoke).

When you take the tire off(or just 1 bead),and have removed the tube, carefully and slowly wipe a shop rag around the inside of the tire. If there are any small objects such as staples,thorns,etc.,they will get caught on the rag and you can remove them before you put the new tube in. You are going to put a new tube in aren't you? Keep the old tube and patch it but use it as a spare only. Personaly I hate getting flats....on the freeway.....going 70+mph........at night......in traffic:woohoo: I've had it happen.

Is it easy to remove the tube from the tire with ordinary tools or do you need special tire tools? I've heard stories about soapy water and some device for prying, but if it's that hard I'll just pay a shop to do it. But it would save me alot of time and money if I could do it myself. Is it possible?

It's possible to do it yourself, but it's going to require some patience

There are some tricks to it that may not be obvious, and while I could replace a tube in ten minutes, someone that has never done it may take hours.

Probably around $40 for tube and installation at a shop.

been there done that, now I let the shop do it, plus they rebalance the wheel also

tubes are about $12, and a shop should only charge 10-15 bucks to put it in.

If you do it yourself, there is usually a circle on the tire that is suppose to line up with the valve stem. Make sure it stays lined up and you shouldn't have a problem.

del

Drive the bike to the shop and have them take off the wheel. $45

Take off the wheel yourself and take it in. $20

Take the time to do it your self and learn something too. PRICELESS.


YMMV.

mariozappa wrote:

Drive the bike to the shop and have them take off the wheel. $45

Take off the wheel yourself and take it in. $20

Take the time to do it your self and learn something too. PRICELESS.


YMMV.

Uh huh, but about the third time you have to take it apart and replace the tube because you pinched it (again!!) during installation, you are going to be wondering why in the world you didn't spend the $20 (local cost) for a shop to do it.

In the old days, people that rode any distance on a bike carried tire levers, patches, and a air pump, so they could fix a flat along the side of the road, and some people still do.

If you do some research and read about how to do it, and take your time and are careful, yes you can replace the tube in your tire, and being able to do it will save you a lot of time and aggravation if you do any long rides (where you going to get a flat fixed on a bike on a Sunday or a Holiday?).

I do everything except some machining myself, and I have been known to take spoked rims to the shop to have the tire/tube replaced when I was just to busy to deal with it (or too lazy), and I have changed 100's of tires of all sizes by hand (no powered equipment).

You really should do it yourself at least once, that way you will know how to do it if you are ever in the position where you have to.

To prevent pinching the tube during installation--Don't position the tire iron/s past 90* in relation to the rim edge and don't use the "hooked" end of the iron. I use soapy water in a spray bottle but have also used baby powder,foaming window cleaner,even rubbed a bar of soap on the tire/rim when stranded and nothing else was available. I agree with mariozappa and steell,at least try it once yourself. You will gain experience and possibly a new skill.

You'll never learn if you don't try, so it's worth doing yourself even if you pinch a few tubes. I probably have the record for pinching tubes. But, if you do it yourself you know it was done right. The only time I had a shop change a flat I was 2000 miles away from home, stopped in a Kawasaki dealer, had them fix my flat tire, rode out of there about a mile and just had a feeling they didn't know what they were doing. Chain had no slack!!! Idiots didn't know how to adjust a chain, just tighten the adjusters all the way, DUH.
So I fix that and ride on for the day and get another flat 4 hours later. This time I do my own work in a Motel 6 parking lot. Pain in the ass, but what do you do?