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    buycycle first aid for your next flat tire

    Sophia Willmes
    Sophia Willmes
    Mar 4, 2024 3 min
    buycycle first aid for your next flat tire

    Changing and repairing a flat tire

    A flat tire has probably happened to every cyclist at some point. With the repair, we struggled accordingly. But it's not as difficult as you sometimes make it: At the latest after this post, you'll swear a little less the next time you slowly "Pffffffffffffft" your tire.

    First of all, let's talk about the tools you need. You only need:

    • Tire lever
    • Pump
    • New hose (obviously)

    Now you can get started:

    1. Let the air out of the hose. Depending on the valve, you must proceed differently here.

    2. Push the tire in direct contact with the rim towards the center of the rim. This makes it much easier to remove the tire.

    3. Now take one of the tire levers and insert the hooked end of the lever on the opposite side of the valve under the bead of the tire and slowly pull it over the edge of the rim. Usually, you can slowly pull the lever along the rim to remove the rest of the tire. However, if the tire is too tight, you can place the first lever on a spoke, take another lever and repeat the process 5 cm next to the other lever. Now the tire should be loose enough to be removed.

    4. Examine the inside of the tire to see if anything sharp is still stuck there that could have caused the tube's puncture. If the tape inside the tire is damaged, you will need to remove the entire tire and replace the tape. You can now remove the damaged tube.

    5. Take your new hose and pump it up slightly.

    6. Starting at the valve hole, insert the valve and carefully push the tube into the tire.

    7. Then start again at the valve and carefully pull the other side of the hose into the tire.

    Pushing the tube into the tire may be difficult once you reach the opposite end of the valve. Depending on how tight the tire is, you may be able to do this manually, but if not, you can use a tire lever again. - Alice Huot @ buycycle

    9. Instead of the hook side you used to remove the tire, you will use the back side of the hook to push the tire bead into the rim. Be careful not to pinch the tube. If you notice that the tube is pinched, stop levering and carefully try to push the tube back.

    10. Once you have put the tire back on, go around the wheel once to ensure the tube is not pinched between the tires.

    11. Finally, inflate the tube to the recommended pressure, which is often indicated on the tire's sidewall.

    12. Small tip: If you have inflated the tube and notice that the tire bead is not sitting quite straight on the rim, you can deflate the tube, push the bead back a little, spray some soapy water in the area where the bead is not sitting straight on the rim, and inflate the tire. The bead should press in properly.

    That's it. Mount your bike again and you're ready to go! If you still have questions, you can always contact the buycycle team. Until then, we wish you happy fixing and cycling!

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