Mounting & balancing tires yourself: Difference between revisions

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At this point, I like to clean up the rim, inside and out. Mine happened to have what seemed like some sort of glue on the inside. It took some strong solvents to get this stuff off. You want to make sure the seat area (which is the Flat landing just off the edge of the rim, on the inside) is clean and fairly nick/ding free. Bends, dings, nicks or junk in there can contribute to a slow leak... and who wants to deal with that? You should also check the wheel bearings by just putting a finger in them and spinning... they should rotate smoothly and easily, without any gritty feeling. If they feel gritty, it's time to [[Replacing the wheel bearings|replace them]] before riding again.

The valve stem itself is also something you should inspect. Bend it and look for cracks anywhere in the surface, but mostly right where it gets narrow to go back through the rim. It's easy to change right now, and more work if it fails when you don't need to change the tire. ~~Replacing it is simple: just cut~~ off ~~the old, use the core removal~~ tool to ~~screw~~ onto the stem, and pull it ~~through~~ from the ~~inside of~~ the rim ~~until it seats~~. Get the shortest ~~one~~ you can find. Angled ones are a bad idea (need to be replaced more often) and I'm not a fan of the screw-together metal stems, mostly because they can be a PITA to get to fit correctly, and to remove later when they eventually fail. I tend to just change mine every 3 or 4 sets of tires. The stem is the same standard size as those used by cars. You should be able to get one at any tire retailer. They may just give it to you. Tireflies and other heavy caps will lead to premature stem failure. ''If you run anything but plastic caps, you'll likely be doing replacements a lot sooner.''

The valve stem itself is also something you should inspect. Bend it and look for cracks anywhere in the surface, but mostly right where it gets narrow to go back through the rim. It's easy to change right now, and more work if it fails when you don't need to change the tire. Valve stems are removed by cutting them off with a utility knife or razor blade. The "tool" to install new ones is a couple bucks at auto parts places. It screws onto the threaded part of the stem and allows you something to grasp so you can pull it into place. You put the threaded part through the hole, attach the tool, and pull it into place.

Here's an example of a valve tool from [http://www.aerostich.com/product.php?productid=16809&cat=538&page=1 Aerostich]. It both removes the core and screws onto the valve stem to pull it through the rim.

Get the shortest stem you can find. Angled ones are a bad idea (need to be replaced more often) and I'm not a fan of the screw-together metal stems, mostly because they can be a PITA to get to fit correctly, and to remove later when they eventually fail. I tend to just change mine every 3 or 4 sets of tires. The stem is the same standard size as those used by cars. You should be able to get one at any tire retailer. They may just give it to you. Tireflies and other heavy caps will lead to premature stem failure. ''If you run anything but plastic caps, you'll likely be doing valve stem replacements a lot sooner.''

I also like to check the static balance of just the rim, as the valve stem never seems to be the heavy point any more. I do this on the cheap, with the axle and a couple of jack stands. You can spend lots more money to do the same thing and never feel a difference. Don't spin the wheel, that'll just take more time to slow down. Instead, rotate the wheel 90* and let go. Do this a couple times, and the heavy spot will always fall. If there isn't a heavy spot, then it won't rotate from where you let go.

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 At this point, I like to clean up the rim, inside and out. Mine happened to have what seemed like some sort of glue on the inside. It took some strong solvents to get this stuff off. You want to make sure the seat area (which is the Flat landing just off the edge of the rim, on the inside) is clean and fairly nick/ding free. Bends, dings, nicks or junk in there can contribute to a slow leak... and who wants to deal with that? You should also check the wheel bearings by just putting a finger in them and spinning... they should rotate smoothly and easily, without any gritty feeling. If they feel gritty, it's time to [[Replacing the wheel bearings|replace them]] before riding again.
-The valve stem itself is also something you should inspect. Bend it and look for cracks anywhere in the surface, but mostly right where it gets narrow to go back through the rim. It's easy to change right now, and more work if it fails when you don't need to change the tire. Replacing it is simple: just cut off the old, use the core removal tool to screw onto the stem, and pull it through from the inside of the rim until it seats. Get the shortest one you can find. Angled ones are a bad idea (need to be replaced more often) and I'm not a fan of the screw-together metal stems, mostly because they can be a PITA to get to fit correctly, and to remove later when they eventually fail. I tend to just change mine every 3 or 4 sets of tires. The stem is the same standard size as those used by cars. You should be able to get one at any tire retailer. They may just give it to you. Tireflies and other heavy caps will lead to premature stem failure. ''If you run anything but plastic caps, you'll likely be doing replacements a lot sooner.''
+The valve stem itself is also something you should inspect. Bend it and look for cracks anywhere in the surface, but mostly right where it gets narrow to go back through the rim. It's easy to change right now, and more work if it fails when you don't need to change the tire. Valve stems are removed by cutting them off with a utility knife or razor blade. The "tool" to install new ones is a couple bucks at auto parts places. It screws onto the threaded part of the stem and allows you something to grasp so you can pull it into place. You put the threaded part through the hole, attach the tool, and pull it into place.
+Here's an example of a valve tool from [http://www.aerostich.com/product.php?productid=16809&cat=538&page=1 Aerostich]. It both removes the core and screws onto the valve stem to pull it through the rim.
+Get the shortest stem you can find. Angled ones are a bad idea (need to be replaced more often) and I'm not a fan of the screw-together metal stems, mostly because they can be a PITA to get to fit correctly, and to remove later when they eventually fail. I tend to just change mine every 3 or 4 sets of tires. The stem is the same standard size as those used by cars. You should be able to get one at any tire retailer. They may just give it to you. Tireflies and other heavy caps will lead to premature stem failure. ''If you run anything but plastic caps, you'll likely be doing valve stem replacements a lot sooner.''
 I also like to check the static balance of just the rim, as the valve stem never seems to be the heavy point any more. I do this on the cheap, with the axle and a couple of jack stands. You can spend lots more money to do the same thing and never feel a difference. Don't spin the wheel, that'll just take more time to slow down. Instead, rotate the wheel 90* and let go. Do this a couple times, and the heavy spot will always fall. If there isn't a heavy spot, then it won't rotate from where you let go.