5.2 wheels
Tube Replacement (Tubed Tire)
Tube Replacement (Tubed Tire). Step-by-step procedure for bike maintenance — tools, time, and what to watch out for.
Tools
- Tire levers (2–3)
- pump
- new tube or patch kit
Procedure
-
Remove the wheel
from the bike. -
Deflate the tire fully.
Press the valve core (Schrader: depress the inner pin; Presta: unscrew the lock nut and press the stem). -
Push the bead inward
(toward the rim center) all the way around the tire — this breaks the bead seat and gives you slack to work with. -
Insert a tire lever
under the bead, hooking it over the rim's edge. Pry the bead up and over the rim. -
Hook the lever
to a spoke to hold the bead up. -
Insert a second lever
about 10 cm from the first, working in the same direction. Pry the bead up and slide along — the rest of the bead should peel off easily. -
Reach inside and pull the tube out
(push the valve stem up through the rim hole first). -
Inspect the tire for the cause of the puncture
— run your fingertip carefully around the inside of the tire. You're looking for a thorn, glass, wire, or a sharp protrusion. If you don't find and remove it, the new tube will puncture immediately. -
Inspect the rim
— make sure the rim tape covers all spoke holes and isn't torn. A peeking spoke nipple can cause repeated punctures. -
Inflate the new tube slightly
— just enough to give it shape, not enough to stretch. -
Insert the valve stem
through the rim hole. -
Tuck the tube into the tire
, working around the wheel. -
Push the second bead back over the rim
by hand — start opposite the valve. Most of the bead goes on easily; the last 15–20 cm is the tight bit. -
Use thumbs to roll the last section
over the rim. Avoid tire levers if possible — they can pinch the tube. If necessary, use levers but very carefully. -
Push the valve stem upward
before final seating, so the tube isn't trapped under the bead at the valve area. -
Inflate to a low pressure
(10–20 PSI). Check that the bead is seated evenly all the way around — there's a molded line on the tire's sidewall that should sit just above the rim, equally on both sides. -
Inflate to full pressure
— see tire sidewall for max PSI. -
Reinstall the wheel.
---
Procedure #
- Remove the wheel from the bike.
- Deflate the tire fully. Press the valve core (Schrader: depress the inner pin; Presta: unscrew the lock nut and press the stem).
- Push the bead inward (toward the rim center) all the way around the tire — this breaks the bead seat and gives you slack to work with.
- Insert a tire lever under the bead, hooking it over the rim’s edge. Pry the bead up and over the rim.
- Hook the lever to a spoke to hold the bead up.
- Insert a second lever about 10 cm from the first, working in the same direction. Pry the bead up and slide along — the rest of the bead should peel off easily.
- Reach inside and pull the tube out (push the valve stem up through the rim hole first).
- Inspect the tire for the cause of the puncture — run your fingertip carefully around the inside of the tire. You’re looking for a thorn, glass, wire, or a sharp protrusion. If you don’t find and remove it, the new tube will puncture immediately.
- Inspect the rim — make sure the rim tape covers all spoke holes and isn’t torn. A peeking spoke nipple can cause repeated punctures.
- Inflate the new tube slightly — just enough to give it shape, not enough to stretch.
- Insert the valve stem through the rim hole.
- Tuck the tube into the tire, working around the wheel.
- Push the second bead back over the rim by hand — start opposite the valve. Most of the bead goes on easily; the last 15–20 cm is the tight bit.
- Use thumbs to roll the last section over the rim. Avoid tire levers if possible — they can pinch the tube. If necessary, use levers but very carefully.
- Push the valve stem upward before final seating, so the tube isn’t trapped under the bead at the valve area.
- Inflate to a low pressure (10–20 PSI). Check that the bead is seated evenly all the way around — there’s a molded line on the tire’s sidewall that should sit just above the rim, equally on both sides.
- Inflate to full pressure — see tire sidewall for max PSI.
- Reinstall the wheel.