In this video, we’re going to show you how to remove and replace the inner tube on a bicycle wheel.
Hello Calvin Jones here with Park Tool Company.
First, let's go over the tools and supplies needed.
You will need tire levers to remove the tire and a pump or CO2 cartridge to reinflate the inner tube.
To learn how to select a compatible tire and tube for your wheel, see this repair help article at parktool.com.
When riding, always carry a spare tube. In the event of a flat, replace with the spare,
and patch the damaged tube later. For help with patching, watch this video.
This process requires the wheel to be removed.
If you are unclear on how to remove the wheel from your bicycle, see this video:
First, make sure the tube is completely deflated. Remove any dust cap.
If your wheel is equipped with a Presta valve look first for any stem nut along the shaft.
Loosen and remove this nut, then unthread the locknut at the tip of the valve stem.
Press to let the air out of the tire, squeezing out any extra air.
A Schrader valve can be deflated by depressing the plunger inside the valve.
For a Dunlop valve, unthread the cap only a few turns, then pull outward on the tip.
Push both sides of the tire toward the center of the rim to loosen the bead from against the rim sidewall.
Engage one tire lever anywhere on the rim except right at the valve.
Pull back and lift the bead out of the rim. Take a second lever a few inches away and repeat.
Continue the process until you feel the bead become loose enough to run the lever across the bead.
Remove the second bead from the rim, using tire levers as necessary.
The tire and tube are now removed from the wheel.
Now we would replace the punctured inner tube with your spare tube.
If you don't have a spare tube, you'll need to patch your tube to get home.
Watch this video for a full walk through on patching.
If you have a flat, knowing the cause can help prevent future flats,
so always inspect the components: the tire, the tube, and the rim.
When possible, reinflate the inner tube to at lease twice its normal width and look for leaks.
By over-inflating the tube, you're allowing any small pin-holes in the tube to be detectable.
Listen and feel for air escaping the inner tube.
Be sure to inspect the entire tube.
In some cases, immersing the inflated tube underwater will make the hole easier to find.
If you plan to repair the tube, mark the hole, then deflate the tube.
The type of hole tells us about how the tube was punctured, and helps us prevent another flat.
A small pin hole in the tube may indicate a puncture from a thorn or small wire.
Feel carefully inside the tire body as you look for thorns, pieces of wire, glass or metal.
Remove whatever you find.
If there is something stuck in the tire tread but it has not gone through the casing, the tire is not compromised.
Remove the object from the tread.
A single or pair of short cuts on the side indicate the wheel hit something while riding,
such as a pot hole or rock.
These are called "snake bites", and can also be the result of running too low of air pressure.
A blow out often appears as a large shredded hole.
The tube may have poked out through a rip in the tire casing.
A blowout can also be caused by an improperly seated tire.
With the tube outside the tire, it has no support and it blows out.
This type of blowout looks like a long horizontal slit.
If there's a rip in the tire's casing, the tire should be replaced as soon as possible.
As a temporary fix, you can use the Park Tool TB-2 Tire Boot.
Peel the backing and apply over the damaged area.
If you have inspected the tube and find no holes, it is possible the leak was at the valve core.
Put some soapy water on the valve and inspect for any bubbles.
Schrader cores and removable Presta cores can be tightened using a valve core remover
such as the Park Tool VC-1.
Finally, inspect inside the rim. Look for problems such as holes or failure of the rim strip.
Here, the rim strip is damaged at an eyelet, meaning it will not support the inner tube under pressure.
In this wheel, the spoke is a bit too long and is poking into the inner tube.
Unfold the new inner tube. Put just enough air into the tube for it to hold its shape.
Install the tube inside the tire.
To make it's easier to find the tire's pressure recommendations when inflating,
try to line up the valve with the recommendations on the tire.
Check for any arrows printed on the sidewalls that indicate direction of wheel rotation.
Align the tire with the rim accordingly.
Engage the valve stem into the rim, being sure to align it so that it is not crooked.
A misaligned stem is likely to get cut by the rim valve hole.
Deflate the tire and realign as necessary.
Work one bead at a time onto the rim.
After one bead is installed, make sure the tube is stuffed inside the tire body.
Beginning at the valve, push the other bead up and into the rim seat.
Only when necessary, use tire levers to finish the bead installation.
Work with care not to pinch the inner tube, or you may be repeating the entire process.
Inspect the wheel to make sure the bead is uniformly seated
and the inner tube is not poking out from underneath the tire.
Partially inflate the tire and check to make sure the bead is properly seated.
It's possible the tire bead can be seated either up or down too much.
Inspect the bead seat line for irregularities.
If the bead rises up in one spot, deflate the inner tube and push it back down to re-seat the bead.
If the tire dips down in one spot, the bead needs to come up.
Here, some extra inflation can help, but use care not to blow the tire off the rim.
If more air pressure did not pop the bead up,
deflate the tire, and use a lubricant in that spot, such as soapy water.
Do not use grease or oil to do this.
Once the tire is properly seated, continue to add full pressure.
For Presta valves, tighten the locknut at the tip of the valve stem.
Install the threaded stem nut, if any.
Snug the nut against rim after tire is fully inflated. Install the valve cap if desired.
And that's the basic process of how to remove and replace the inner tube or tire on a bicycle wheel.
You are now ready to reinstall the wheel.
If you need help with that, watch our video: How to remove and install a wheel on a bicycle.
Thanks for watching, and be sure to subscribe for the latest videos from Park Tool.