Six Tips for Tires!

I have been fortunate that in my cycling miles I have had to stop and change a flat only a handful of times. I have actually had occasion the change tires in my garage more often than anywhere else!

With that said here are a couple of tips I have picked up along the way, these relate to clinchers and in approximate the order of installation;

1. Let it all hang out; when you first get your folding tires (see #6) unpack them and hang them up and just let them unfold, it doesn’t take long anything from a couple of hours to overnight is usually enough.

2. Give it a blow; give you inner tube a quick blow before you do anything, adding some structure to the tire makes it a little more malleable. It’s also a good opportunity to double check that the tube didn’t slip through quality control!

3. Talc is not just for babies bums; adding some talc to the inside of the tire allows you to slide the tire around the tube useful for #5, for alignment. It also prevents the tube from sticking to the tire.

4. Valves at noon; I always start with the valve. I make sure that the bead of the tire is seated on both sides of the valve before focusing on bedding the rest of the tire in one side at a time. I have the valve at the top of the wheel, hence noon!

5. Logos aligned; beyond the Velominati Rule #40, practical side of this is that it allows you to align punctures. Finding the hole in your tube lets you determine where on the tire the hole may be and ensure that can double check to make sure the offending sharp article is removed before you flat your second tube!

6. Don’t Leave the Lever; steel beaded tires can be a royal pain to fit! Just try stretching a steel wire, that’s what you’re trying to do! A folding Kevlar bead is infinitely easier to fit and often you don’t even need a lever, your thumbs will be able to pop it over the rim!

That’s it, maybe you knew one of them or all of them or have something else to add, leave a comment if you do!