How to Change a Flat Tire – Step by Step Guide
Flat Tire?
If you use a Flat tire road bike, hybrid bike, or mountain bike, you need to know the procedure about how to change a Flat tire on a bike.
Unfortunately, you have got the experience. It’s the most unexpected but common mechanical problem of riding a bike that deadly disable a bicycle.
But things won’t be so bad if you can figure out what is going on. If you know how to change a flat tire of your bike, your enjoyable Sunday afternoon will never turn into a nightmare.
Although, good equipment choices and riding techniques may help you to avoid flat, at one time or another you have to face this situation.
Fortunately, changing a flat tire is an easy and simple job.
Read our do-it-yourself instructions, learn how to change a flat tire and repair your flat bike tire within a few minutes.
Let’s Go!
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What You’ll Need?
Whether you’re out on the trail or road, you’ll need the following tools if a flat tire happens to you.
- Tire levers
- New tube
- Hand pump
- Patch kit (optional)
Types Of Flats
Why does a tire go flat?
The reason is the hole in the inner tube.
You may divide flat tires into four groups:
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Slow Leaks
It’s usual for a road bike tube to lose air over time. It’s important for you to check the pressure of your bike tire at least once a week if you use high-pressure tires.
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Punctures
Your bike tire may get a puncture if you run over sharp objects like thorns, glass silver, bits or nails that poke a hole through the tire and into the tube. Punctures cause a small hole in the tire.
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Pinch Cuts
Hitting curbs, stones, or sharp edges of holes in the road are the cause of pinch cuts of your bike tire. If you hit a sharp edge with your bike, the tire compresses so that it bottoms out. As a result, the inner tube gets pinched between the rim and the rock.
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Blowouts
If the bike tire suddenly loses the air accompanied by a loud BANG, it’s called blowouts. The inner tube can’t hold much pressure itself. It requires being held inside of a tire. If the tire can’t hold the tube in all around, the tube blowouts.
Step By Step Procedure Of Changing A Flat Tire
- Wheel Removal
- Tire Removal
- Inspection and Repair
- Re-installing Tube and Tire
- Reinstalling the Wheel
Let’s Detail!
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Wheel Removal
Follow the steps:
- If your bike has hand brakes, release it.
- If your bike features a knob with the pull-cable, hold the brake arm together, eventually, the cable will be released.
Once you’ve released the brake, depending on the rear or front wheel, the wheel still may hold to the fork or frame by the axle. You’ll require releasing the axle. If your bike features a quick-release lever or a bolt-on nut, follow the steps below.
- Unscrew/ loosen the quick-release skewer.
- Loosen the nut on each end of the axle. Don’t remove the nuts, just loosen them. Leave the nuts on the axle; it will lessen the risk of losing the nuts.
Front-wheel removal: Front-wheel removal is easy. Unscrew the quick-release lever and loosen the securing nut. Lift the bike by the handlebars and the front wheel will just come off.
Rear-wheel removal: Rear-wheel removal is a little difficult. But, if you follow the correct sequence, things will be easy.
- Shift the chain onto the small gear.
- Unscrew the nuts slightly.
- Pull back the rear derailleur.
- Lift out the rear wheel with your hand.
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Tire Removal
Take a quick look at the tire before removing it from the wheel. You may find out the obvious cause of the flat.
- Unscrew and pull out the valve cap.
- Deflate the tire completely by letting the air out of the valve.
- Take a tire lever and insert it under the bead. Insert the second lever and move around it between the rim and the tire. Repeat the process until the tire becomes loose enough. After some number of times, one side of the tire will come off. Remove the other side and pull out the damaged inner tube.
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Inspection and Repair
Inspection
Pump the tire, you’ll be able to reveal the hole by the hissing of the air escapes.
You may also put the tube in water and look for bubbles.
Find out whether the hole is on the outer or inner side of the tube. Examine the inner of it carefully. Finding any sharp pointy object like glass silver, thorns etc. will help you to find out the hole.
Repair
Inner tube patching is a quite reliable technology if done properly.
Typical patching steps:
- Clean and dry the punctured area.
- With sandpaper rub the damaged surface
- Apply the glue into a thinner coat and let it dry completely.
- Hold the patch tightly onto the hole.
You’re done.
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Re-installing Tube and Tire
You can re-install the tire with your bare hands.
- Keep flat the rim strip properly.
- It will give the tube a round shape and ensure it holds air.
- Pump a little air in the tube using a portable air compressor.
- Into the valve opening insert the valve.
- Push one edge of the tire inside the rim.
- Then push the other bead inside the rim.
- When the valve and the tire are in place, make sure that the tube isn’t tangled between the rim and the tire bead.
- Inflate the tire to its recommended pressure carefully and slowly.
Click here to read our Vehicles recovery-related articles.
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Reinstalling The Wheel
Front-wheel
- Line up the wheel in the fork with the axle and put the chain back on the sprocket.
- Set the wheel on the slots.
- Hold the quick-release lever and tighten the bolt.
- Set the brake caliper in place.
- Make a few spins of the wheel to be sure that it is placed in the center.
Rear-wheel
- Move the derailleur out of the way.
- Hold the quick-release
- Tighten the bolt
- Close the lever
- Reconnect the caliper or cantilevers (if your bike has any)
- Spin the pedals
Check the Brakes!
Make sure the brakes are working properly if you disengaged the cable or used a brake quick release while removing the wheel.
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Conclusion
Definitely, you’ve found your way to change your bike flat tire.
In our article regarding on how to change a flat tire, we’ve tried our best to give you the most simple and easy directions to change a flat tire. The changing of bike tire might be easier if you use a bike repairing stand.
Hopefully, you’ve found it most helpful and useful.
Remember!
Flat tires happen to every cyclist and our article has offered you a lot of guidance to solve it yourself.
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