Tire Mounting Hints & Tips: Difference between revisions

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====General tire mounting tips====

Once you've done this several times, you'll probably get to where you can change and balance a set of tires in about 1 1/2 – 2 hours.

*Don't get discouraged from doing this just because you don't have a garage and a bunch of fancy tools. Ingenuity goes a long way. One member did his BT45s in the living room with a $20 12 volt inflater, using the lip of the stairs and the 2x4 method to break the beads. Your living room may vary.

*You should be able to find stick-on tire weights at any shop that changes tires. You'll probably have to buy in bulk otherwise. A shop may just hand you an ounce or two (more than enough) but talk with one of the guys actually doing the work... not the morons behind the counter who never get dirty.

~~:You can also check out hobby shops that cater to R/C planes and cars. The R/C crowd uses them for weight balance on their toys. A 20-pack of 1/4 oz stick-on weights should run ~$5.~~

*Use a 5 gal plastic bucket to hold your rim. It makes it MUCH easier to get some leverage with the tire irons. If this sounds scary to you, find a worn-out 13" auto tire. You can also get up on top of the tire/wheel and use your knees to push down on the tire or irons if needed.

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*[[I want to remove the paint from my wheels for a polished look|Strip the paint]] off your rims - then you don't have to worry about scratching anything!

~~Once you've done this several times, you~~'ll probably ~~get~~ to ~~where~~ you can ~~change~~ and balance ~~a set~~ of ~~tires in about 1~~ 1/~~2 – 2 hours~~.

====General balancing tips====

*You should be able to find stick-on tire weights at any shop that changes tires. You'll probably have to buy in bulk otherwise. A shop may just hand you an ounce or two (more than enough) but talk with one of the guys actually doing the work... not the morons behind the counter who never get dirty.

:*You can also check out hobby shops that cater to R/C planes and cars. The R/C crowd uses them for weight balance on their toys. A 20-pack of 1/4 oz stick-on weights should run ~$5.

:* eBay usually has dealers selling stick-on weights as well.

*Balancing on the bike: This is an alternative to jack stands or milk crates. Make sure the bike is sitting level. After seating and inflating the tire, mount the wheel loosely on the bike. Remove the spacers (the brake calipers are already off from changing the tires) and balance as normal.

====Cold tires are a PITA to install====

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 ====General tire mounting tips====
+Once you've done this several times, you'll probably get to where you can change and balance a set of tires in about 1 1/2 – 2 hours.
 *Don't get discouraged from doing this just because you don't have a garage and a bunch of fancy tools. Ingenuity goes a long way. One member did his BT45s in the living room with a $20 12 volt inflater, using the lip of the stairs and the 2x4 method to break the beads. Your living room may vary.
-*You should be able to find stick-on tire weights at any shop that changes tires. You'll probably have to buy in bulk otherwise. A shop may just hand you an ounce or two (more than enough) but talk with one of the guys actually doing the work... not the morons behind the counter who never get dirty.
-:You can also check out hobby shops that cater to R/C planes and cars.  The R/C crowd uses them for weight balance on their toys. A 20-pack of 1/4 oz stick-on weights should run ~$5.
 *Use a 5 gal plastic bucket to hold your rim. It makes it MUCH easier to get some leverage with the tire irons. If this sounds scary to you, find a worn-out 13" auto tire. You can also get up on top of the tire/wheel and use your knees to push down on the tire or irons if needed.
@@ Line 34: / Line 32: @@
 *[[I want to remove the paint from my wheels for a polished look|Strip the paint]] off your rims - then you don't have to worry about scratching anything!
-Once you've done this several times, you'll probably get to where you can change and balance a set of tires in about 1 1/2 – 2 hours.
+====General balancing tips====
+*You should be able to find stick-on tire weights at any shop that changes tires. You'll probably have to buy in bulk otherwise. A shop may just hand you an ounce or two (more than enough) but talk with one of the guys actually doing the work... not the morons behind the counter who never get dirty.
+:*You can also check out hobby shops that cater to R/C planes and cars.  The R/C crowd uses them for weight balance on their toys. A 20-pack of 1/4 oz stick-on weights should run ~$5.
+:* eBay usually has dealers selling stick-on weights as well.
+*Balancing on the bike: This is an alternative to jack stands or milk crates. Make sure the bike is sitting level. After seating and inflating the tire, mount the wheel loosely on the bike. Remove the spacers (the brake calipers are already off from changing the tires) and balance as normal.
 ====Cold tires are a PITA to install====