Flat tires are most often caused by thorns or shards of glass, which are just as damaging to the wider tires and tubes on a touring bike as they are to the skinny, high-pressure tires of a racing bike. Flats never come at a convenient time, so it's important to carry a spare tube and the simple tools needed to change a flat every time you go out. Many touring cyclists also replace their tire tubes at the beginning of the riding season and before big cycling events such as a century ride.
Step 1
Remove the wheel from your bike and release all the air from the tire. If you have a Schrader valve, use the hooked end of your tire lever to press down in the center of the valve to release the air. If you have a Presta valve, unscrew the tip of the valve and press down on the center pin to release all the air.
Step 2
Remove one side of the tire by pulling the bead of the tire (outer edge) over the rim of the wheel with your fingers. If it is too tight to do by hand, insert the curved end of one tire lever under the bead of the tire and pry the tire out, hooking the other end of the lever to a spoke. Insert the curved end of a second lever under the tire bead at a spot about four inches from the first lever. Work the tire loose off the rim by sliding the levers away from each other.
Step 3
Remove the old tube from inside the tire while keeping one wall of the tire inside the wheel rim. It is not necessary to completely remove the tire to replace the tube. Unroll the new tube and remove the valve cap and set it aside where you won't lose it. Slightly inflate the new tube.
Step 4
Insert the tube valve stem into the valve hole in the tire rim and slowly push the tube into the inside of the tire, working out in both directions from the valve. Insert the tube a few inches at a time, first on one side of the valve then on the opposite side of the valve, until the entire tube is inside the wheel.
Step 5
Push the bead of the tire back into the wheel rim with your fingers, pressing it in a few inches at a time and alternating directions as you did when inserting the tube. Make sure the tube is completely inside the tire and not poking underneath the bead of the tire as you push it into the rim. Try to avoid using tire levers to put the tire back inside the rim; you can easily pinch a hole in the new tube.
Step 6
Check to make sure the valve emerges straight from the valve hole in the tire rim. It should be perpendicular to the rim.
Step 7
Inflate the tire slowly, checking the walls of the tire to ensure that they remain properly seated in the rim. Look for bulges or flat spots; if you see one, deflate the tire and inspect the tube to make sure it's not folded inside the tire. Finish inflating the tube and screw the cap back on the valve.
Tips and Warnings
- Carry a portable air pump on your bike, but when replacing a tube at home, inflate the tire with a floor pump; it will save you time and indicate when you have pumped the tire it up to the correct air pressure.
- If you use your spare tube while out on a ride and you don't have a patch kit, it might be time to head towards home. You don't want to be stranded without a spare tube or a kit to repair a punctured tube.
Things You'll Need
- Portable air pump or floor pump
- Tire levers
- Spare tire tube
- Adjustable wrench (if needed)
- Saddle bag
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