How To Change a Bike Tire

Release the brakes. To do this on a road bike, turn the small, tear-drop-shaped lever above the brake caliper upward. On a mountain bike, release the cable by pinching the caliper and remove the cable from the middle.

Pull your quick-release lever into the open position, hold the nut on the opposite side, and spin the lever counter-clockwise until you’re able to have the hub clear the dropouts.

For a flat on the front tire, remove the wheel and let the bike stand upright on its front fork.

For a rear flat, turn your bike upside-down standing it on its saddle and handlebars. Then move the chain to one side while you move the wheel straight out of the drops.

On the wheel itself, remove the valve cap and the stem nut (on presta valves).

Remove any remaining air from the tube.

Work your way around the tire with your thumbs, pushing the edge — or bead — up and away from the rim. Do this all away around the edge.

Remove the tire by holding the wheel against your thighs, and working your tire — again with your thumbs — inward and upward away from the rim until the bead has enough slack to come free of the rim.

Slide your fingers under the loose edge of the tire and pull it away from the rim until the entire edge is off. This will easily enable you to take off the tire.

Remove the damaged tube. You can patch it later, so save it.

Gingerly run your finger on the inside of the tire to make sure there are no remaining objects from the puncture that will continue to damage new tubes. Remove anything you may find.

Grab a new tube and inflate it just enough to hold its shape.

Pick your tire and wheel, and place only one bead of the tire back in place within the wheel’s rim.

Find the valve stem hole and insert the valve of your partially inflated tube into the hole.

Continue placing the tube around the rim and up into the tire.

At the valve stem, push the loose bead of the tire back into place, then work your way around the wheel from the steam outward, pushing the bead back into the rim.

If you have some trouble getting the last bit of bead back into the rim, remove a little more air and try again.

Pump up your tire/tube to the suggested PSI listed on the sidewall of the tire.

As you’re pumping air back in, make sure the tire is inflating evenly and that no areas of the bead are coming loose.

Replace the wheel onto your bike.

Secure your brakes, quick-release lever, and chain.