Replacing a flat inner tube is one of the most common tasks performed on a bicycle. It’s conceptually simple to do, but messy and not necessarily fun. Of course, the feeling of accomplishment – or relief! – at the end is real and quite nice, but to get there from here, a flat tire, is to go through sweat and grime and maybe a little bit of cussing, too.

Very first undo your brakes so as to give the whole wheel enough clearance for removal. Front wheels are very much easier and less messy than back wheels, but most flats tend to occur in the rear tire. When removing the rear wheel, try to remember which gear the chain is on for when you put the wheel back in and the chain back on the gear.

This is not critically needed, as a few seconds of pedaling should have the chain changing onto the correct gear anyway, but it can help sometimes to be careful; for example, it might be far more convenient to place the chain on the right gear rather than having to pedal so that you can find it.

Next, remove the tire. A professional bicycle mechanic will typically remove it with his or her bare hands, but others will find it very much simpler to use tire levers specifically designed for quick tire removal (and replacement back on later on). Once off the wheel proper, it is time to take out your inner tube. If you plan on patching it, you’ll need to look for where the hole is and so forth.

But whatever you do, make sure to check the “gutter” of the wheel, as well as inside the tire, for debris! Naturally, the outside of the tire ought to also be checked for penetration and foreign objects in general. When all is ready, merely reverse the procedure outlined thus far and you’re good to go – until the next inevitable flat!

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 5th, 2010 at 11:59 pm and is filed under Bicycle Maintenance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.