Bicycle tires become worn as the miles pile up, with implications for performance. Replace your tires after every 1,000 miles or so, recommends Alameda Bicycle in Oakland, California, in its road bike maintenance schedule. High-end tires may last longer, perhaps 2,500 miles. A 15 percent loss in tire tread can reduce tire performance by 40 percent, the shop notes, causing potential problems with traction, turns and slipping on wet and oil spots.
Removing the Original
Step 1
Purchase a replacement tire of the same size as the original tire, based on reading the sidewall of the original. Write down and take to a bike shop the size, typically 26 by 1 1/2 inches, 26 by 2 inches or 27 inches by 1¼, with the numbers indicating the approximate diameter and width of the tire.
Step 2
Press on the valve stem to release the air from the tire tube. Squeeze the brake pads against the tire rim with one hand. Pop the brake cable out of its cradle with your other hand to release the brakes and create a gap to pull the wheel through.
Step 3
Remove the axle nut with a crescent wrench or loosen the quick release. Pull the wheel out of the dropouts.
Step 4
Press your thumbs against the bead, the rolled edge of the tire, to break its connection to the rim. Wiggle a tire iron between the bead and the rim and pry downward to snap the bead outside of the rim. Latch the end of the iron against the nearest spoke.
Step 5
Pry two more tire irons against the bead about 7 and 14 inches away from the first tire iron. After the bead snaps over the wheel rim, latch the iron ends to a spoke. Unlatch the first tire iron and run it between the bead and rim to release the rest of the tire.
Step 6
Push the valve stem through the hole in the rim and gently pull the tube out of the tire. Set it aside. Pull the original tire off the wheel.
Installing the Replacement
Step 1
Place rear bead of the new tire on the edge farthest away from you on the wheel. Press the partly inflated tube into the tire with the valve stem aligned with the hole, the top of the tube against the inside of the tire and the bottom of the tube nestling atop the wheel rim. Press the valve stem in the hole.
Step 2
Push a 6-inch section of the front tire bead nearest to you onto the rim using your thumbs. Pinch the next section of tire to stretch along the rim with your thumb and index finger and try to roll the bead onto the rim. Use a tire iron instead if the tire is too tight to press on using your thumb.
Step 3
Replace the wheel in the dropout. Tighten the axle nut or quick release. Pull the brake cable into its cradle. Inflate the tube to the pressure indicated on the tire sidewall or until the tire feels firm to the touch.
Tips and Warnings
- Replace tires when you encounter a rash of flat tires, as the thinning tread becomes nicked by road debris. Rear tires may last 1,500 to 3,000 miles, notes City Bikes of Washington, wearing more quickly than front tires because they carry 60 percent of your weight. Front tires usually last longer, for 2,000 to 4,000 miles.
- Riding on worn tires is not a way to save money, given the risk of an accident, writes Greg Pelican of Bethel Cycle in Bethel, Connecticut: "Your bones are on line."
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