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Intro:
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| Tire iron: A small piece of plastic or metal approximately 4 inches (10 centimeters) long, with one end curved for inserting under the tire bead and the other end slotted for hooking over the wheel Center well: The depressed section in the middle of the wheel rim. It's usually covered with some fabric or pliable material, so the ends of the spokes don't damage the inner tube. |
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The reinforced edges of a tire that press against the inner walls of the wheel rim are called beads. There are two beads per tire, one on either side, and to get to the inner tube you'll need to detach one of them from the rim and reach underneath it. To do this, you'll need to use the tire irons to lever the bead over the rim without pinching the inner tube. First release any remaining air from the inner tube. Air is released (and injected) by means of the metal valve on the tube. The most common kind of valve is called a Schraeder valve, which works by pressing on the metal piece in the center. A Presta valve is tall and skinny, also with a metal piece in the center. To release air, you must unscrew the collar from around the base of this piece. Then press down to release air. Most bike pumps have fittings for both types of valve. Once the tube has been emptied, choose the side of the tire you want to work from. If you're working on a rear tire, you may want to choose the side away from the gear cluster, which can be greasy. Squeeze this side of the tire so it pulls away from the rim's edge and moves toward the rim's center well. The bead won't stay in the center well, but this process will loosen it from the rim's wall, where it can become entrenched. Keep shifting your grip and squeezing until you work your way around the entire tire. Insert the curved end of the tire iron under one bead, near the valve. Look to make sure the inner tube isn't pinched between the bead and the iron, and then lever the bead over the rim and hook the iron onto a spoke of the wheel. (There's a slot in the iron designed to hook onto the spoke.)
Next, take a second tire iron and repeat the same action, beginning on the other side of the valve, two or three spokes away. Take the third tire iron and repeat the action once more, again starting two or three spokes farther along. At this point, a tire iron may fall out, as you've leveraged a significant section of the tire bead off the rim. That's OK. Just use the loose tire iron to remove the rest of the tire's bead off the rim. Be careful not to catch or pinch the tube while doing this. If a tire iron hasn't fallen out, just use one of the outside irons to continue peeling the tire bead away from the rim in a kind of skimming motion with the curved end leveraged underneath the bead. You can also use your fingers at this point. The bead you're working on should be completely off of the rim when you're finished.
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Partially remove the tire and the inner tube
