All bike owners know that a flat clincher pops up out of nowhere, especially when no help is around. You are all by yourself to change your bike’s tire and inner tube in such a case.
I know changing bike tires on a fun excursion is an annoying task as I have been there many times. Often, I am stuck in a situation without tire levers or similar tools that are not handy.
Luckily, I devised a fool-proof technique for changing a bike tire without tools such as levers and spoons. Today, I am going to share the same with you as well. All you will need are your hands and a little force.
Table of Contents
Let’s Learn How To Change a Bike Tire Without Tools
1. Deflate the Tire Completely
Even a little air in the inner tubes can make the task of changing a bike tire without the help of any tools a bit challenging. So, it would help if you squeezed out every ounce of air present in the tubes through the valve. You will need a pointed object to do the job, though.
2. Unstuck the Bead Along the Rim
Once the step of deflating the tire is out of the way, it is time to break the tire loose from the rim. The longer a tire is on the rim, the more dust, grease, and other particles in the gap between the two have bonded them with each other. So, you’ll need to break the bond before proceeding.
To break the tire loose from the rim, squeeze the sides of the tire with your hands. You might need to use a little force here, but nothing super challenging.
3. Move All the Slack to One Place
A tire is always slightly bigger than the rim it is intended to go with. This pumped air expands the tire horizontally and reduces its radius by a little bit. This difference between the tire and rim is called slack.
To do the job of changing bike tires without tools a breeze, you’ll need to bring all the slack in one place. This will create enough gap between the tire and the rim that you can push the tire off the rim.
To bring the slack to one place, grip and pull the beads at the valve and work your way up towards a single point.
4. Remove the Tire Using the Slack
Now that you have all the slack in one place, it’s finally time to remove the tire. Support the tire against your stomach or on the floor. Now use your palm as a lever and push the slack outward off the rim. Similarly, work your way along the rim until the entire tire lies on the ground.
5. Separate the Tire and the Tube
This step is fairly straightforward. Once your bike’s tire is off the rim, you won’t face any difficulty separating the tire and the inner tube. Ensure the tube is fully deflated if you find it difficult to remove.
6. Fit the New Tire on One Side of the Rim
We are already halfway through the job. The old tire and inner tube are off the rim, and now is the time to adore the rim with a new set.
Start with fitting the new tire on the rim but only on one side of it as we are due to install the new tube. You will not face any difficulty doing this as it demands only gentle pressure to push one bead of the tire on the rim.
7. Semi Inflate the New Tube
We will fit the new tube inside the tire and on the rim. It is also simple to follow part of the process.
My golden tip would be to inflate it a little before inserting the tube into the tire. A little air will give the inner tube some rigidity making it easier to insert it. Also, a little air will ensure that it does not get twisted or pinched while inserting the tube into the tire.
8. Insert the New Tube
In my experience, it is always better to start by pushing the valve into the rim hole first. This will give you an anchor for keeping the tube in place and guiding the rest of it into the tire. Before calling this step final, give the tube a probing look to make sure it is not twisted or pinched at any place.
9. Fit the Other Side of the Tyre
Time to push the other bead into the rim bed. You will leverage the same slack technique to push the tire on the rim that you used to remove the tire off the rim.
Place the tire against your stomach or on the floor. Push the bead into the rim bed but work the slack around with you as you proceed. In no time, the tire will be fully installed on the rim.
The bead may require a little forceful push from your thumbs to wrap around the rim bed nicely at the endpoint. If it takes more than that, always work the slack in one place to make it easier.
10.Pump in Some Air to Fully Inflate the Tube
Finally, fully inflate the inner tube with an air pump. The pumped air will help the tube fill up any remaining gap between the tire and itself. The push from the tube will help the tire use any gap between the rim and itself. It is safe for you to call it a day here.
Conclusion
Now you very well know how to change the bike tire without tools. You do not need to cram a lever or similar tool into your box on an excursion. At best, if you need a little external help with the process, you may use 1 or 2 spoons for pushing the tire off or on the rim. I hope the guide was useful. Thanks!
