How to fix a flat tire: Rear tire
We will work with the rear tire since it’s the hardest of the two and has the most steps. If you have never experienced a rear flat before, hold on, both for the process of fixing it and the fact that when the rear tire goes, you loose all traction. So, once you have dismounted and/or picked yourself up, find a safe place to work off of the road, or ideally, in your workshop/basement.
Before we get started, let’s get some terminology straight. The metal thing with the spokes, that’s the wheel. The rubber thing that goes on the wheel and touches the ground, that’s the tire. And the rubber thing that goes inbetween those two and holds the all of the air, that’s the inner tube. Sounds silly, but I’ve found it’s not as well known and understood as you might think.
You Will Need:
Either a patch kit or a spare inner tube:
Know what kind you have. If under the little black cap is a little piece that spins, that’s called a Presta valve, probably the most common on road bikes these days. If the valve looks like the one you had on you very first Schwinn, Orange Create, or banana-seated Huffy, that’s called a Shradder valve.
-Presta valve -Shrader valve
You should always ride with a spare inner tube. The one time in eight years I didn’t have a spare I got a flat. Murphy and his damn laws. The tire size is printed on the outside of every tire, usually a number like 700x23, the wrong size won’t do you any good, so let’s hope this is what’s in your bike bag.
A
tire spoon:
The one on the left is the
most popular type of spoon but the one on the right is the easiest to use, in
my experience.
DO NOT USE A SCREWDRIVER ON A ROAD BIKE TIRE
unless you are completely stranded with no native inhabitants that can point
you towards a bike shop, like northern
Bike pump:
If you have Presta valves the average gas station pump will not work for you, so carry either a hand pump or a CO2 pump. Presta adaptors are also handy in case you have a bad pump and your fellow rider has a pump but for Shrader valves. The problem with CO2 pumps is that the cartridges are a one-time use deal and it’s a fast shot, no second chance with those. Plus you then have to carry the empty cartridge with you untill you can properly dispose of it without leaving it on the side of the road, that kinda stuff gives us cyclists a bad name.
Alcohol wipes and rubber gloves help for clean up but aren’t necessary.
Getting started:
To get started, make sure all of the air is out of the tire and inspect the outside of the tire, making sure it is free of glass, nails, or anything that even looks like it is puncturing the wall of the tire. If there is you will need to patch the inside of the tire or replace it, failure to do do will leave a weak spot and cause another flat shortly. Believe me, you might get the flat in one mile or 50, BUT IT WILL HAPPEN!!!
Step 1: Removal Of The
Rear Wheel:
-Make sure the chain is on the smallest gears in front and in back.
-Take the chain off of the front gear by rotating the rear derailleur (not a spelling goof, trust me) forward to loosen the chain and remove the chain from the front gears.
-Open the brake lever by rotating the lever upwards.
-Open the e-z lock skewer by spinning it outward then rotating it counter clockwise a few rotations until it’s loose.
Note: if your bike does not have an e-z lock skewer you’ll just need a wrench.
-Drop the wheel down and ‘wiggle it and jiggle it’ until it is free from the frame and the chain.
Push down so that the skewer/axel is clear from the wheel mount. Remove chain from the
rear cog/rear gears and pull the wheel away.
Step 2: Removel Of The Tire and Inner Tube
-Remove nut and valve cap from tire valve (if present).
some tubes don’t come with this ‘nut’ spin this piece untill it’s all the way out and push inward to remove any air
-Make sure the air is completely out of the tire.
-Insert tire spoon under tire to ‘pop’ out the edge of the tire from the wheel.
note the direction of the spoon is curved part down insert and pry upward and outward
-Firmly holding the spoon, rotate it toward you around the entire circumference of the wheel until one of the tire’s edges is out of the wheel, keeping the tip of the spoon under the lip of the tire.
(In most cases completely removing the tire is unnessecary and it makes the job twice as hard.)
-Pull tube out from in between the tire and the wheel.
-Carefully run your finger inside the tire to make sure there is nothing in there to damage the new tube; this might mean glass or a nail, so be gentle and don’t slice your finger open.
Step 3: Patch The Tire. (You will only have to do this if the tire itself
is punctured.)
-On the inside of the tire, make sure the area around the puncture is clean of as much dirt as posible, scuff the surrface with the circular piece of sandpaper in the kit, and apply the patch, making sure it’s as flat as posible with no ridges on the edges. If you don’t, a small piece of plastic wrapper (like a piece of a gum wrapper) can be used, but it’s a lot harder to keep in place while you are replacing the inner tube, and should only be used in an emergency.
Note: It is not a great idea to inflate you tire to max pressure if you do not have all the right materials to properly flix the flat, some of these tires go to over 125 psi, don’t push it if you think the patch might not hold.
Step 4: Replace The Inner Tube Note: Make
sure you have the right type of tube, the size and valve types are important
and not interchangable.
-Insert tube valve through the hole in the wheel. It helps to replace the valve nut to keep the tube in place.
-Pump just a few pounds of pressure to help keep the tube from twisting (maybe one or two pumps). If the tube twists in the tire it will blow under pressure.
-Carefully push the tube under the tire all the way around.
Step 5: Replace The Tire Onto The Wheel:
-You should be able to put part of the tire back in without the spoon, the more you can, the easier it will be. Once it starts getting too tight for your fingers use the spoon.
Note that the direction of the spoon is head up, this will help you insert the tool and pry inward and it will also help keep the inner tube in place without catching it on the tool.
-Put the spoon under the tire and “hook” it in the wheel by rotating it upward to pop the tire edge back in place.
-Without removing the spoon, run it around the wheel to get the tire back on fully, the last 8-10 inches often takes some work. The first few times the tire comes off it’s pretty stiff and tough to work with, and the more you’ve done it, the easier it gets. Don’t worry about the wheel, the plastic spoon can’t hurt it, so pry away.
-For the last part, place the spoon in the center of the remaining portion with the spoon tip facing down and pry it upward, you might have to do this again to get the rest of the tire in the wheel.
Step 6: Putting The Wheel Back On:
-Make sure the top of the chain lines up with the top of the rear gears.
-Make sure the rear cog, (or rear gears) is under the top of the chain and above the bottom.
-Line up the skewer into place where it meets the frame, a.k.a. the rear wheel mount.
-Line up the chain onto the gear and tighten the skewer, making sure that the wheel is completely in place. The skewer (or rear axel) should be as high up against the rear-wheel mount as posible. This is a little harder if the bike is on a work stand versus upside down on the ground.
The head of the skewer is seated properly. The head is not in correctly and danger is around the corner!!!
Failure to seat this properly can result in the wheel rolling out of position and most likely causing a crash. Seeing that happen this summer first hand I urge you to make sure this part is done right.
-Keeping the skewer seated correctly with one hand, rotate the lever clockwise to tighten, not all the way yet…
-Then close the lever leaving it facing toward the back of the bike, this is for aerodynamics and so branches and stuff don’t get caught in there while riding.
Step 7: Put the Chain Back On The Front Gears:
-Rotate the rear derailleur forward to loosen the chain tension and with your fingers, put the chain back on the small gear in front and the back and release the rear derailleur.
Step 8: Tighten Up The Brakes:
-Tighten up the little lever for the brakes by rotating it downward, making sure both sides don’t rub the wheel. If it does simply move the entire brake with your hand until it is centered, if you don’t tighten this it will take twice as much effort to brake, and twice as long.
Step 9: Fill’er up:
-I recommend if you have a hand pump only filling the tire 2/3 of max pressure and letting it sit for a minute, then fill up just under the recommended max tire pressure. (max tire pressure can be found on the side of the tire.)
-If you have a Presta valve make sure the head of the vavle is rotated outward completely to put ari in, then tighten it all the way when you are done filling.
Step 10: Check It Out:
-Make sure the tire spins properly. The brakes shouldn’t touch the wheel and the axel/skewer should sit properly without moving and the pedals should rotate smoothly.
Get
back on the road and ride carefully!!!
Attention:
This document is meant to be an aid for those who need basic information on
tire repair. If there are any questions
about the steps listed, or you feel something is wrong or even missing from these steps,
contact me at: eddie@njroaddogs.com
or your contact your local bike shop. Do not continue to ride your bike if you
feel there is anything wrong after following these steps or any other
steps. These steps have worked for me and this is not the only way to do it,
it’s just my way.