HOW TO remove & change an inner tube the right way: Tips from a Professional Bike Mechanic #2
HOW TO remove & change an inner tube the right way: Tips from a Professional Bike Mechanic #2
Punctures are sadly a part of cycling so it’s essential to know how to replace an inner tube. In this video Jim shows you the correct way to easily replace an inner tube along with lots of top tips such as how to remove and refit a stubborn tyre, check the tyre for wear and debris, and whether you need nuts and valve caps.
Jim The Bike Guy
https://www.instagram.com/jimthebikeguy/
Jim from Jim The Bike Guy is a professional Cytech level 3 qualified bike mechanic specialising in servicing, upgrading and repairing all types of bikes from his bespoke workshop in West Berkshire. He specialises in high-end road, cyclocross and gravel bikes as well as cross-country race bikes. In his spare time he enjoys riding and racing all types of bikes to an enthusiastic standard.
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0:00 Introduction
1:13 REMOVING THE TYRE
4:03 REMOVING THE INNNER TUBE
5:30 REPAIR OR TAKE OLD INNER TUBE HOME
6:54 FIND CAUSE OF PUNCTURE
7:31 CHECK THE TYRE
10:41 FITTING A NEW INNER TUBE
11:21 REFITTING THE TYRE
16:03 VALVE CAPS AND NUTS
Whenever I’ve had a flat tire, I’ll mark the tube to correspond to the tire. By doing that, once I attempt inflating the tire to locate the leak, I know where to look at on the tire carcass.
What wasn’t discussed is bargain brand rim tape. I purchased a new bike. It came with a nice set of wheels that the shop installed. Within the first mile, I had a flat. Nothing puncturing the tire from the outside, but the spokes were poking through the rim tape and got the tube. This is why it’s important to mark the tube for a starting place for the leak. The plastic rim strips are OK until they get older and crack, becoming a nice knife.
It’s personal preference, but I align the tire label with the valve stem. No different that building a wheel, it looks professional and it’s simple to find the valve stem at a quick glance. Last thing is a bit of talcum powder to dust the tube with to keep it from sticking while reinflating.
On remounting one should do the valve side first. Finishing at the valve causes two problems, first the rubber could interfere with seating and one runs the risk of damaging the valve while trying to mount the most difficult part.
Amazing! Excellent advice for someone that struggled a great deal. Thank you so much David.
Thank you David! You have such a calm and pleasant voice for demonstrating a very unpleasant task. I’m 71 and bought a fat tire eBike. Your video has given me the confidence, to not worry if I get a flat tire. I can do it, I’m sure. I’m going to write down all the steps on a card and keep it in my tool box. I’ll also save your video. Thank you! I’m now a subscriber! 👍🏻
I like the concept of "creating space". No problem with removing the single side of the outer tyre. What I can’t agree with (oh, who am I to disagree with him?) is working from the valve. How do I justify disagreeing with the ‘expert’? Quite simply, using his own words. At around 4 minutes he’s removing an inner tube and confesses that there’s no option but to be a bit rough to get the valve out. WRONG!!!!!!!!!!! If he had removed the tube from the opposite side of the tyre the SLACK CREATED makes it VERY easy (i.e., little force/roughness required) to remove the valve as the last part to be removed. I was taught this as an absolute basic, probably before this guy was born. Likewise with reseating the ‘repaired’ or new inner tube. Seat the valve FIRST, whilst you have a lot of SLACK, then lift the tube to feed the first part of the outer tyre under the tube, then feed gently to get the rest of the tube onto the rim, then feed the outer tyre round evenly away from the valve in both directions.
Wonderful video. Just changed two inner tubes really quickly after watching this video.
Thank you for making video… very professional.
I flip the last bit of tyre back by the ten finger muscle maul method and not the tyre levers…
I love your inflator….who made it…?
great training video
I always inflate the punctured tube after removing it to find the location of the leak, then lay the tube loosely on the wheel lining up the valve with the valve hole. This will tell you roughly where to focus your attention on the tyre when searching for the cause of the puncture.
This tuition was brilliant,,thankslot..
Punctures are now a very small part of my cycling 10,000 to 20,000 kilometers a year. I stopped using stupid racing bikes and narrow tires, and now use 26×2 Schwalbe Marathon plus tires, and ended my flatting. For three years no flats with this size tire and Schwalbe. These 26×2 roll just as fast as 25mm tires, faster on rough or cheese grater roads, NEVER get pinch flats, and can run lower air pressures for bad roads because the 2 inch width gives a high profile and more air pressure control.
Really great video 👏🏻
I just learned this pinch technique quite by mistake. Thanks for sharing!
the creating space method is brilliant. didnt know. great info many thanks
This was truly not a tight fit. 😆
Mate, when I change a tube I normally end up in a really bad mood, I’m going to try pinching the tyre first like you illustrated , could make a difference, cheers for that 👍
Of course it’s not really feasible to do this on the road, but at home I use baby powder on the inner tube. It allows the tube to slide around better inside. Also, upon repressurizing, I add just enough air to inflate the tire a bit then let it all out…work the tire a bit, then go ahead and fill to full pressure. From your video(goodonya) I think I’ll quit using those valve nuts.
Thanks! Helpful video! Have thick continental tyres, so space creation a must!
I always pump up the tube real big and inspect it before I check the tire. So often it shows that it’s been pinched, if the rim strip failed, maybe you have a star shaped hole from a slit in the tire. If it was a thorn, you’ll see roughly where it went. Also once in a while I’ll find that the tube has 2 punctures.
Great information. Thanks for sharing.
When I take the inner tube out I always keep it the same way it was in the tyre. When I find the hole in the tube I can then locate the hole in the tyre as well. So much easier than feeling for it. Obviously only works if it was a thorn or something like that.
The foreign object can hide or get stuck to the rim tape whilst removing the inner tube. since this happened to me and caused a second puncture I always take everything off
very well explained with the many issues involved in changing a tube
Brilliant 😊
That must clearly have been a rigged conti to go on so easily, or doing everything you said not to might have something to with my [old] problems, maybe 🙂 Btw, I find warming a cold tyre in the sun for an hour or 2 makes them more agreeable
Since you’re talking about being out on a long ride, away from help, always carry a spare tube. However, if you forget or have used your last one, all is not lost. Simply find the leak, reinstall the tube, keeping a close eye on where the leak is, leaving that as the last part of the tube to go into the tire. Then fold the tire over essentially pinching the leak with the piece of folded tire. It should stop the leak until you are able to to get a new tube or other repair.
I’ve done this myself and continued riding the bike with no problem for another 40 miles. I’ve heard of cyclists using this method multiple times per tire.
Really informative video. Thanks so much. I replaced my tube and fit my tire, and then did the Investigation. I realized there’s a small cut in my tire and it is aligned with a hole on the tube. So I guess that’s the culprit. Now I’ve the learn how to patch a tire 🤣
very good video. Two things. Inform people to get their tools ready before working on the bike. You can clean the inside of the tire opened with a cloth, this will remove any debris and dust inside the tire, wheel & rim tape. When installing a new tube, inflate it a bit to make it more round. This prevent pinching or misplacement (twist). Better to put a valve lock ring, people tend to bend the valve too much becoz of pressure the tube may explode when inflating &/or removing the pump.
Brilliant to an oldie, new to bikes like me, thanks.😇
Brilliant, thanks so much.
What would be the reason for tires losing air pressure in a space of 2-4 weeks? I have presta valves that are integrated with a valve tube, you can’t screw them in.
If you line up the punched iner tube with the tyre using the valve as a guide where the puncture is on the tube is a good place to look on the tyre. Carrying a spare iner tube great idea thanks.
you air tube up find leak and then lay tube back on rim to locate wether something sticking thru tire still there
Is it just me or is that the loosest looking Gatorskin you’ve ever seen? You could see light through at one point.
Thank you, nice emphasis, easy listening, thank you from Volcano land Puna rainforest
Really efficent with a perfect Explanation. 100 % TOP
Without a lockring getting a press fit pump on the stem pushes the stem up into the tire. With the lockring it protects the valve stem from pushing up into the hole. I was very happy to see they have finally started threading and adding lockrings to schrader valves also. Without the lockring the valve-stem can take a beating with a hand pump. It is extremely important to remove the entire tire from the rim for inspection, you can not properly inspect a tire for debris while still on the rim. There isn’t any advantage to leaving the tire half on a rim. Half of all flats will have a sharp object broken off in the tire (most likely a thorn), you can’t see this from the tread side most the time. By removing the tire completely, you can bend the tire where the inside is inverted, this way exposing visually the puncture object; but only half the time, many times the only way to find the tiny object is to feel it with your fingers. Carefully and very gently while turning the tire inside out run your finger slowly around the inside of the tire until you are sure no object remains in the tire. The other tip is to always keep the orientation of the tube and tire marked in mind or pen, because when you inflate the flatted tube (before installing) and find the hole, you then match the tube back to the tire and that is where the close inspection begins, you now know what section of the tire had the object run through it. But there could have been more than one puncture so always finish with a complete inspection even if you find the offending object. Now inflate the tube just enough to give it shape install the tube in the tire (that is completely removed) and install the tire/tube at the valve stem first and work one side of the bead onto the rim, then install the second bead and finish like in the video. OR, I always begin at the valve stem, once the tire is almost back on the rim I push the valve stem back up into the hole to seat the tube properly. By installing and wrapping the tire back on the rim starting at the valve stem you are insured that the stem is not angled and stressed. The valve stem must be 90 degrees to the rim, any tilt places stress on the stem. NOW, once the tire is on the rim inflate the tire just enough to give shape (10psi on 23 to 38mm, and 5psi on 2 inch or larger). Now deflate the tube, but not completely and go around the complete circumference pinching the tire left and right looking making sure the tube is seated correctly and NOT pinched between the bead and rim. Now inflate to previous minimum pressure and make sure the bead is hooked on the rim and the tire isn’t extremely out of round when you spin it. Now, inflate to 50% pressure and check the bead again, if all okay inflate to your desired pressure. After 54 years of riding 10,000 to 20,000 kilometers a year, racing pro, I have repaired 1000s of flats on the road without a single error with this technique. for 5 years of this during my racing days, I used tubular tires where none of this comment or video applies.
I had a puncture because part of the wheel rim poked into the inner tube. I’d also run my finger inside the metal rim to see if a spoke failed.
Great job. My beads have been popping out upon inflation but I’m going back to give it another try. I like the space saver insight.
I found the second King of ASMR, David you should start wtih Jim a channel _"Joy_ _of_ -Riding- _Biking"_
What’s the physics behind finishing at the valve (It works I know) the rim is the same diameter at every point.
Really helpfull. Thabk you.
After watched (listened) this satisfying/pleasant/informative video. I will sleep way better 😀
I once had a rim that ate tubes. I would get a flat, change out the tube. 10 Minutes later the tube would burst. I had to change the rim tape (not sure if that’s the correct term, it’s the tape you stick inside the rim between the rim and tube). So if you frequently get a flat tire, maybe try changing the rim tape.
The definitive guide. Thank you.
Thanks , this is best vid I found on changing difficult tyres . Mine is on now 👍
Taking the tire completely off allows me to easily examine for puncture reason and removing the offending thorn. Putting the first bead back on the rim is very easy. I also slightly inflate the tube when putting into the tire. I start at the valve – opposite of what you do, I simply push in the valve to create the space. I have the open side facing away from me and use my fingers, not my thumbs, to seat in the tire into the rim – almost never have to use levers.
IT’S SOOOO EASY TO JUST REMOVE THE TYRE FROM THE RIM YEA THEN PUT A SOFT CLOTH INSIDE AND SWIPE AROUND IF IN CASE THERE’S A SHARP OBJECT TGE CLOTH (WILL) LOCATE IT INSTEAD OF YOUR FINGERS
Thank you , I wish I had found this video earlier; it would’ve saved me hours of frustration.