How To Change A Bike Tire

Hello, my name's John from On Your Bike in London. I've been a bike mechanic for twelve years. I'm going to show you a few things about bikes, things like the saddle bit and setting it up so it's the correct size, and a few maintenance tips as well.

How to change a bike tyre? If I show you on the front of this bike, to get the tyre out if you squeeze the brakes together, you find you can release the brakes if the tyres are inflated. If your tyres are deflated then you don't have to do this. So if you squeeze them together, look, see that releases out of there, and that undoes the brakes.

This one's got nuts holding the wheel on whereas on some they have a quick release with a lever which you undo. So if I undo the nuts on this one, again it's fifteen ml, out comes the wheel. On this one we need to deflate it, dust cap, and just let the air out.

A tip for getting a tyre off especially if they are really small or road tyres is if you move the tyre around then that breaks the bead. You can hear it cracking and making a noise and that makes it slack on the rim and just makes it easier to get off. And if it's really slack you can probably pull it off.

I think I can probably pull this one off. If I show you with a tyre lever, all you've got to do is mind the inner tube. If the tube's okay and it just hooks underneath there and if it's really tight you might need to use a couple, those just hook onto the spokes and then that goes underneath there.

It unhooks it and now this one's become slack, just run the lever round. I recommend putting it on the floor, and if you move it over to the side and then just pull you'll find that the tyre and the tube will come off and then you're left with the wheel. A common cause of punctures is this, what they call rim tape.

It covers the inside of the rim, it's like this one. Can you see where the spoke is poking through? That can cause a puncture quite easily, so before I put this back I must just make sure that's covered because that could be why they're having problems. Another thing is to take the inner tube out and then on the inside of the tyre very carefully and slowly work your way round the tyre to make sure there's no cuts or nothing inside, any sharp objects.

If there are, you might need some long nosed pliers and then just either push it back through or pull it through depending on the shape of the object, which way it's going to go. This one feels okay so I can refit that one. Once you've put the wheel back into the rear frame just tighten them, or if it's a quick release just make sure the lever's pointing upwards.

Make sure that's tight. I'll show you that after and then most important is to remember to reconnect your brake. If you pull the wire and then this little part here's got a cut out, that's got to fit through the wire here.

So just squeeze the brakes together, move it up, and now that your brakes are reconnected just make sure that wheel's running freely. If it's not then you might just need to undo it and adjust it. This one needs slight adjustment, that's it, it runs free. .