Changing tyres

MATT

HUTCH AT HTE MOTORCYCLES (OLD BIKE SPECIALISTS IN NORFOLK 01328 700711) FOR HIS KNOWLEDGE, AND CHELLEY FOR MAGNIFICENT ADVICE, HUMOUR AND TEA MAKING SKILLS

Ioften hear folk who’ve bought tyres online moaning about having to pay for fitting and balancing. ‘Do it yourself then’ is my callous reply. You can; the tools to do it are not expensive and could last a lifetime, but you need to know what you’re doing, it is physical and there is a good chance you could damage a wheel.

USE THE PROS

So why does it cost £15-25 or so, per wheel, to fit and balance a wheel? Because the world isn’t there to just serve you, that’s why. First off, buying from someone online prevented your local bike shop from making a few quid, so they have to recoup a little from fitting. Fitting tyres to two free wheels will take around 30 minutes; so that’s half-an-hour in wages. Tyre fitting and balance machines cost several thousand pounds, then there’s the cost of the tyre soap, wire brushes, valves, tubes and other sundries. Even the pressure gauge needs to be tested once a year – which costs. And once in a while a wheel may get scratched – which will need to be paid for. Then there is the big one – insurance. Should you have a blow-out are you going to sue the giant tyre company? The tyre supplier? No, you’ll head to the bike shop who fitted them. You may have saved a few quid, but a local bike shop is worth so much more.

We look at how the professionals change tyres and how you can do it yourself with a few simple tools, if you want to.

HOW THE PROFESSIONAL DOES IT

If you have the right tools and stands, take the wheels out as it saves labour. Bikes like the BMW have a front wheel that is identical each side, so mark the rotation with an arrow. We are working on a rear here, so luckily that’s obvious!

The air needs removing, so either remove the valve core if the valves are recent, or pull/cut the valve out – for the money they are not worth risking. Next is to break the tyre bead seal breaker. The tyre machine has a pneumatic arm that pushes the tyre bead in from the wheel rim, breaking the seal. It’s easy on tubed tyres, but much harder on tubeless, which are thicker. Move the wheel around until the whole side is free from the rim, then swap over and loosen the other side. It can be very easy to catch a wheel with the bead breaker, so you can’t rush it.

The old tyre soap will have solidified to the rim, along with rubber, dirt and quite possibly, corrosion. Alloy wheels need cleaning up with sandpaper or a wirebrush, while chrome rims need cleaning and possibly rust killing and painting to prevent them rotting. While you’re doing this, check for cracks in the rim, broken or dull-sounding spokes which may need tightening. If in doubt with spoked wheels, spin them on the wheel balancer to check they are true. Fit a new valve or rim tape for spoked wheels.

Mount the wheel back on the machine and have a good inspection of the new tyre. Look for the correct size, the direction arrow so you know how to mount it and any damage – have a feel inside, too. Then grease me up, Scotty! Tyre soap costs little and is designed for the job, unlike washing up liquid, which stays slippery, possibly causing the tyre to spin on the rim and can corrode the metal.

Then there is the knack of ‘throwing’ the new tyre onto the wheel in a way it goes on as well as possible. Use the machine to finish the job on both sides and ensure the yellow dot is lined up with the valve for better balance. There’s also a line around the tyre bead – use that to make sure it is seated well. If it’s uneven, bounce it around until it is!

Pump the tyre without the valve core in, as this gets more air in more quickly, until you hear both sides pop once each. Then pop the core in and check the pressure and then inspect it is still seated nicely. Done!

SOME POINTERS

Short levers are no good – get long ones

You cannot get a tubeless tyre to seat without a compressor – you can with a tubed tyre

Always remember new valves, tubes and rim tape – don’t be so tight! Never patch an inner tube Use the best quality tyres and tubes you can

Take your time – if it’s fighting you, what have or haven’t you done?

Keep an eye on the markings – most tyre have a direction arrow so fit them the right way

You need to hear two pops, one each side, when blowing up the tyre to seat it on the bead

Use this time to check spokes, rims, brakes, wheel bearings and parts you can’t see when the wheel is fitted.

Fit the correct tyre for your bike. Old British bikes are mainly designed for 100% walled tyres If you see cheap tyres ask yourself – why are they so cheap? There’s little mark -up on tyres, so they are probably old stock – ask to see the date stamp from the side – this will give the manufacture date. If you use them a lot, fine. But if they’re five years old now and you do a couple of thousand miles a year, how old will they be when you go to change them? Your wallet, your choice.

HOW TO FIT TYRES YOURSELF WITHOUT MACHINES

It’s our opinion that if you can pay someone to fit your tyres, then do. There are no benefits to doing it by hand. But if you’re working nights, tight or simply stubborn, then read on. You will need a compressor for tubeless tyres and tyre gauge to seat the tyre properly, good tyre levers, plastic rim protectors, a bead breaker (or mallet…), chocks of wood, tyre soap, valves, tubes, rim tape, lead weights, some carpet, a balancing shaft (which you can make), muscles and patience!

Hutch from HTE motorcycles (01328 700711) made this superb bead-breaking machine himself more years ago than he cares to remember! It took him sometime to design and build. It is adjustable for different sizes and prevents the use of a mallet and blocks of wood. Tube core or valve out, position the wheel and use the lever to break the bead seal. It takes time, but works. Both sides, and all the way round, remember…

With a new valve fitted, place the wheel on some carpet, your knees on the tyre and rim protectors on the opposite side. Using your knees to help push the tyre into the well of the wheel will help give you more slack, so you can use the tyre levers to start to lever the bead off. Use one lever to hold, while using the other to prise, working carefully around. Take care not to catch tubes with the levers if fitted, although for the money it’s always best to fit new ones. But old ones make handy spares!

With one side off, you now need to pull the other side up with the lever, gradually getting it off the same side as the first. You can see here Hutch gets a little of the second side off, then brings the wheel upright to get a better angle. It’s easy to knock off the rim protectors and this bit gets tricky, especially with tubeless tyres. And with new rims you feel so paranoid of scratching them! Many do use a rubber mallet to ‘assist’ the tyre off, so again taking time helps.

Check the new tyre, then place the wheel on the carpet. Soap up the bead and ‘throw’ it on, then get your knees to push the tyre as much into the wheel well (the central part of the wheel that is deeper) so you have more slack to work with opposite.

Using your hands, rim protectors and levers get the rest on. Next, if needed, pop the tube in, with a little air in to keep its shape – this helps you not to pinch it with the lever – and loosely do the valve nut up to hold it in the valve hole. Then the second side goes on, watching not to catch the tube – it’s amazing how flexible a new tyre is compared to an old one and even easier with tyre soap!

BALANCING

A balancing jig costs from around £50 and is just a shaft held in a set of bearings with some cones to allow different wheels to fit. Once fitted, allow the wheel to self-balance a few times, marking with chalk TDC each time; they should be very similar. The more modern and good quality the wheels and tyres, the less weight should be needed. It’s a guessing game at first, clean the wheel with alchohol or brake cleaner before you fit the sticky pads – you don’t want the weights flicking off. Check again once fitted.