To change a bike tire, you must identify the tire size, which is usually printed on the side of the tire. If the tire does not have a printed size, take the wheel to a bike shop to obtain a tire of the same diameter. If you want to change the width of your bike tire, select a tire that is wider than the rim but narrow enough that the bead, the hard part of the inside edge of the tire, will fit completely in the rim. You must also ensure the tire is not too wide to fit inside your fork.
Step 1
Remove the wheel from the bike and deflate the tire’s inner tube completely. For a Schrader valve, use the hooked tip of the tire lever, if it has one, or your finger tip to depress the pin inside the valve. On a Presta valve, loosen the nut at the top of the valve and press it down.
Step 2
Insert the flat end of the tire lever between the rim and the tire at the opposite end of the rim from the valve. Slip it under the tire bead and push down on the other end of the lever. This enables you to pry the bead above and over the rim edge.
Step 3
Hold this lever in place or hook the other end into a spoke. Insert the flat end of another tire lever under the bead next to the first. Slide the second lever around the edge of the tire, bringing the bead over the edge of the rim. This may take several tries if you are working with a very stiff tire or a narrow road tire. If the second lever does not move easily, insert the third lever a few inches away from the second; this usually gives enough leverage to move the tire away from the rim.
Step 4
Push the inner-tube valve inside the tire to remove it from the rim. Reach under the tire and pull the valve outside of the rim. Pull the other edge of the tire away from the rim, working your way around the tire a few inches at a time.
Step 5
Inflate the new inner tube just enough to make it round and place it inside the new tire. Keeping the tube in the tire, insert the valve gently through the hole in the rim. Working a few inches at a time, pull the tire edge nearest the rim into the rim.
Step 6
Grip the opposite side of the rim with your fingers and use your thumbs to push the tire up and into the rim. Again, this may take several tries to complete if the tire is stiff or narrow. Bike mechanic Sheldon Brown advises that if you end up with a section that will not go back into the rim, push a small section on each side back in, until the middle falls into place.
Step 7
Roll the top of the tire back and forth a few inches at a time, working all the way around the tire. This lifts the tube away from the tire and prevents pinching. Fully inflate the tube and install the wheel on the bike.
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