Bump up the pump
These tips for removing and installing tyres will make life easier if you’re feeling deflated
We’ve all been there. A pothole, some broken glass, or a disturbance in the force; suddenly, one end of the bike (heaven forbid, both!) starts feeling vague and then horribly harsh as all pressure escapes your tyre. You’ve got your spare tube, you’ve got your preferred inflation device, but disaster! Who did you lend your tyre levers to?
All is not lost. It will still be difficult, of course. Would you have confidence in tyres that just flopped on and off the rim?
Some tyre/rim combinations will undeniably be less willing to comply than others; keep going with this technique and you’ll get there eventually. It’s one of the exercises that give mechanics a vicelike grip, and does require both practise and experience. Oh, and patience.
Tubeless, tubular or good ol’ clincher, the concept is the same. It’s easiest to imagine the tyre as a glorified rubber band. We begin with the wheel already out of the bike…
01 Pinch and pull
With the tube flat, begin pinching the tyre bead into the well of the rim. I like to start at the valve and work outward both ways from there. Pull the slack that develops opposite ways around the rim and gather it all into one place.
02 Let it roll
Without letting go of the slack, roll the tyre off the rim. Provided that you’ve gathered enough slack at that point, this shouldn’t be too difficult. Work outward from this point, rolling the tyre bit by bit until it lets go and comes off easily.
03 Find the hole
Pump the tube up to locate the hole. Use the location of the hole to find the problem in the tyre. Go around the tyre visually checking the outside while simultaneously feeling the inside for intrusions.
04 Stay deflated
Refit the tyre using the same concept as removal. Fit a deflated tube, ensuring it’s sitting within the confines of the rim. Starting at the valve, to ensure the bead is seated ‘below’ the tube, work both ways rolling the bead back onto the rim.
05 Prepare to fight
The last section of tyre is likely to put up a fight. If necessary, go back to the valve and gather the slack from that point again. Once the last remaining piece is tight enough not to come off, use your palms, not your fingers to roll the bead.
06 Get back on track
Inflate the tyre. Keep an eye on how it seats. If the bead appears above the line of the rim, let the tyre down as quickly as you can and start again after checking the tube is not caught under the bead. When the tyre is properly seated, refit the wheel.