venomx

Is it easy ? I dread getting punctures on long bike rides so started taking my spare inner tubes and levers and pump so I can replace them if I need to

ive watched some YouTube totorials and would just about manage to take the back wheel on and off ( front one is easy )

however it looks really tricky replacing the inner tube at the side of the road ?

any advice ?

sch

This is something best practiced AT HOME with the tools you would have with you on the bike. Some wheels
are easy to remove from the frame and some are not, but more importantly some tire/wheel combos are more
difficult to deal with than others, and as prior threads have shown, there are a few tires that just cannot be easily
removed and very difficult to replace on the wheel without puncturing the replacement tube. So do this at home
several times before having to do it on the road. Most tire/wheel combos are not that hard to handle but it builds
confidence to have done this before hand.

Finally it can be more difficult than you realize to pump a road tire up to adequate riding pressure with small
frame pumps. Pumps such as the Topeak (https://www.topeak.com/global/en/pro...%C2%AE-digital ) with a flip out base and an extension tube that fastens to the valve
and allows the pump to be placed vertically and stabilized with your foot while your upper body does all the work
are much easier to get that last 20# of pressure in the tire.

You may find this thread of interest regarding tire tools. https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-m...ire-lever.html

Andrew R Stewart 

It should be no more challenging to change out a tube outside then inside. So practice at home first. Then go outside to your lawn, driveway, the sidewalk in front of your building or the parking lot next to it (you get the idea) and do a practice again. Andy

leob1

I've changed plenty of tubes on rides, summer, winter and in between. It's just a part of riding. I carry spare tubes and swap them, then patch the puncture at home. But there have been times when I had the wrong tube, or goten more than one flat but only had one spare tube. In those cases, just do the patch roadside. Not a big deal.

HillRider

I take a spare tube or 2, a mini-pump, tire levers and a couple of CO2 cylinders. Remove the wheel and remove the tire and tube completely from the rim. CAREFULLY inspect the inside and outside of the tire for the cause of the puncture. Sometimes it's obvious but usually it's a tiny sliver of glass or a wire that's not easy to find. Find it. Or them. I've seen too many riders rush or ignore this step only to have another flat a quarter of a mile down the road.

Once you are sure there is nothing left to cause another puncture, reinstall one side of the tire on the rim, lightly inflate the new tube by mouth or a couple of pump strokes to round it out, install it in the tire and reseat the other tire bead. Check to be sure the tire is evenly seated and the tube is fully inside. Inflate fully using the mini-pump or CO2. I use my mini-pump to start the inflation to be sure the tire is seated properly and the tube holds pressure and then bring it up to full pressure with the CO2.

MudPie

As stated above, practice at home and you'll gain the skills and confidence. In addition, I opt to use tires that are designed for endurance riding and are more puncture resistant than light-weight race type tires. The tires lessen my chances of getting flats, but regardless, I still carry two tubes, two CO2 cartridges and a mini-pump.

Unca_Sam

While you're practicing, look at your rim tape to ensure you haven't moved it away from the spoke holes. They should be covered! Repeatedly mounting and dismounting a tire while practicing can move those out of position.
Butyl rubber strips (looks like the same stuff as there insert tube) are notorious for sliding around. Vinyl strips will also squirm. Cloth tape with (good) adhesive doesn't move much, but can make some tight tires difficult to mount.

BeeRich

Dirt easy. Bring a patch kit. Or bring another tube. Practice, then get 'er done. I do it on cross-Europe trips.

Litespud

its pretty straightforward and gets easier with practice. I would advise, to start with, don’t be rushed. Take a beat, find a safe spot - off the road, somewhere to sit maybe - get out everything you’ll need - tire levers, new tube or patch kit, pump or co2 inflator. If you’re with a group, don’t be pressured to speed it up - tell them to go on, if necessary. Do it a few times, either in the wild or at home as practice, it becomes a routine. If you’re using cartridges, use one up as practice at home - don’t blow one for the first time on the roadside. And alway carry two - it’s too easy to fluff one inflate. Last time I flatted - with a group (rush rush) I inflated the tire without ensuring that the bead was fully bedded all round. Had to deflate and try again - hence the second cartridge

venomx

Thanks guys done lots of research and tutorials so should be fine. I don’t want to mess with it unnecessarily and mess something up.

when removing back tyres do you guys put the bike upside down ? In the tutorials I saw, they have it upwards

BeeRich

I yank out the rear wheel and leave the bike any way it is. I think you're making this into a bigger deal than it is. If you are good, you can have this thing done in minutes flat. Heh I said flat.

ClydeClydeson

As others have said, it just takes practice, sometimes especially to get the tire off the rim.

The other things that often cause problems are remounting the tire with a new tube - you have to be careful that the tube is fully inside the tire, not twisted or folded, and not caught between the tire and the rim, and pumping - especially when using a mini-pump, you have to hold the head of the pump to prevent too much stress on the valve stem, because if that is damaged, the tube is trash.

aggiegrads

I can't tell if you are confident in your abilities or not. If you are afraid of messing something up in your practice run, then you should not be relying on your abilities out on a ride.

If you mess something up at home, the consequences are low, and you would have the same consequences on a ride, but without the resources available at home.

There is no good substitute for practice.

3alarmer 

.
...the practice at home advice is good. Also, I see people trying to swap out a tube in strange and uncomfortable looking places here all the time. Walk your bike over to someplace in the shade, off the road and far away from the traffic flow. Iff possible, I look for something like a handrail or a fence or a tree branch to hang either the bar or the saddle on, while I have the wheel off. If you're really doubtful of your abilities, figure out a workaround, like calling someone with your cell phone to come and bail you out (the call of shame). A lot of the places here around town where I ride, I can carry the bike over to the bus stop or light rail and carry it home if I have to. But some places not, so you need to learn this to take full advantage of some of the trails and less trafficked rouites.

FastJake

The best thing to do is practice just outside your home using only the things you carry on the bike. That is the only way to prove to yourself that you can do it. Some tire/rim combinations are difficult, some pumps are defective or will only work on one type of valve, a Schrader valve will not fit through a Presta valve hole, etc. You don't want to find these things out a long way from home!

If you don't want to learn to fix your own flat, you should not ride further from home than you are willing to walk. Or have someone standing by whenever you ride that you can call to pick you up. If you're in a busy area someone can probably stop and help you, but you shouldn't rely on it.

Litespud

Ha! We only recently opened that can of worms and stirred up the gloopy contents. Do it if it makes it easier for you. I do if it's a rear wheel, some would rather put the bike on its side or suspend it from some convenient outcropping, rather than risk scuffing up the saddle or bars. Your bike, your circumstances, your call. However, regardless of how you orientate your bike for pulling and reinstalling the wheel, remember that, when you're finalizing the wheel reinstallation, do it with the bike the right way up, with its weight on the wheel - that's the best way to ensure that the wheel is sitting squarely in the fork ends/dropouts when you lock up the QR. So, I will refit the wheel in my upside-down bike and close up the QR sufficiently to hold the wheel in, then flip it the right way up, reopen and adjust the QR for final wheel alignment and QR tightness, and lock it up.

squirtdad

check out local bike shops, many (rei, sportsbasement in my area) offer a quick intro class into things like fixing flats

delbiker1 

Watch a couple of videos of real bike mechanics changing tubes and then practice at home, practice at home and practice at home. Watch the videos again as needed while you practice. Figure out the system that works for you and do the chore the same way every time. Take the same steps in the same order. I promise you, you will get good at it. Maybe not pro mechanic level, but you do not need to be. I used to really hesitate to change tires on wheels, depending on the ride, but I don't usually hesitate to do that anymore. I do not usual patch tubes on the side of the road. I carry a new or patched tube, that I know holds air, and do the patching in the comfort of my home work area. I do also carry a patch kit in my bike possibles bag, just in case.

Barry2 

Venomx,
Posting your location can often help with issues.
I know if you were near me, I'd give you a hands on demo.
Once you've seen it done, it just becomes one of those things.

Remember you can amass bike Karma by fixing flats for people you find on the road.

All the best

Barry

Digger Goreman

From experience
Shift rear derailleuer into smallest ring before removing wheel. Takes tension off and makes it easier reseating wheel and derailleur

venomx

Ok guys think I’ll be ok thanks

Racing Dan

Exchanging the tube is no big deal. Just get some practice before you go out. Im sure Park tool has a YT video to watch, or there is 10.000 other videos to show how its done.

One thing that IS hard by the roadside, is patching a bube. Small holes are rally hard to find if there is noise and wind. > Patch at home and bring two tubes when you go riding.

pdlamb

One of the "best" flat tires I had was on the way to work, on a hot and muggy summer morning.

There was a shop with a porch, with rocking chairs, just off the road. Very pleasant!

For the rest of them, some practice helps. A lot.

u235

I carry a some of those self stick patches in the tiny little package and a tube. If I think a self stick is adequate, I use it, if a tube is needed I use that. Make a note to myself I have a self stick on that tube for later, maybe do something else when home. I've had good luck with the few I've used so far.

aggiegrads

Let us know how the practice session goes, and if you have any problems or questions.