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We're missing what should be on the first
picture- a very careful look for whatever might have caused the flat.
It's very important that you remove whatever is in the tire or figure out
what on the inside surface of the rim might have damaged it (for example,
a spoke hole that's become uncovered by a broken our out-of-place rimtape).
In all cases this requires complete removal of the tire & tube from the
rim. The photo on the left shows a new rimtape being applied. |
| Now take your new tube (or your old patched
tube) and inflate it with enough air that it takes shape. This is so that
you can more easily place the tube inside the tire without getting it
caught between the edges of the tire bead and the rim. |
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Next step is to place one side, and only
one side, of the tire over the rim. |
| Now locate the valve hole and temporarily
move the front part of the tire over with your hand so that you can place
the tube's valve into the hole (as shown in the picture below). |
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Here we see the tubes valve inserted into
the hole in the rim. |
| Now we bring the tire back up over the
tube. Not shown is the very important procedure of pushing the tube up
into the tire all the way around the rim, without pushing either the tire
or tube over the rim. The thing to keep in mind here is that we do
everything one step at a time. |
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Here we've slid the tube down over the top
of the rim, but have not slid the second side of the tire down over the
rim yet. |
| The fun begins! Starting at the valve
hold, and moving away from it in both directions, move the second side of
the tire up over the rim. When you get about as far as is shown here,
make sure the tire isn't causing the valve to bind- you do this by pushing
up on the valve from the bottom, making sure that it moves freely. |
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We're gradually moving down around the
wheel, getting that second side of the tire over the rim. Because we have
some air in the tube so it has a shape, we're not likely to trap it
between the tire and rim (a major cause of tubes damaged during
installation).
And yes, it is beginning to get a bit tougher as we head towards the home
stretch! |
| Here's a secret that will help get a
stubborn tire on! When you're about 3/4 finished, go around the wheel and
squeeze the tire inwards from the sides. This helps move the tire into
the bottom part of the rim, which will free up some much-needed slack so
that the final part goes on more easily. |
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This is as far as your thumbs will safely
take you! That's right, you do not use your thumbs to get the last part
of the tire over the rim...unless, of course, you're trying to remove your
fingerprint by tearing off skin! It will be much easier if you roll the
last part of the tire over the rim with your palms! Your palms are much
tougher than your thumbs. |
And now, for the finale, work the last part
of the tire over the rim using your palms. Slowly work inwards just a
little bit at a time and it will be much easier than you think. Note that
we aren't using tire tools for this...you should virtually never have to
use tire tools to install a tire, but frequently need to when you're
removing one.
If the tire's a tight fit, you may need to release the small amount of air
you put into the tube. |
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Now you're ready to check your work. Check once more to
make sure the valve moves freely, and then check the tire, one side at a
time, and look for any visual evidence of the tube poking out underneath
the tire. Once you're sure everything's fine, pump it up to about 1/3
normal pressure and check for any high spots, an indication that the tire
is trying to leave the rim. If so, let the air back out and try to figure
out if the tube is trapped between the rim and tire bead, or maybe you
just need to re-seat the tire more evenly so the tire bead grabs on the
lip of the rim better.
If all is OK, inflate to full rated pressure and you're back in business!
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