Tie Wrap Tire Change

[aceaceca]

Put a new Michelin pilot road 3 on the rear my 2004 R1150RTP this weekend. It was a 170/60/ZR17. I used the tie wrap method shown here or on the web and I was truly amazed. I used 3 tie wraps to compress the beads from their static 5 inch spread to 2 inches which is about the width of the drop center of the rim. I use glycerin as a lubricant as it work really well. The tire went on quite easily. When I saw the thing initially it looked huge to me as I am used to spindly 19" Brit tires. Anyway the tire made an amazing difference in handling and ride quality. I want to thank the person who came up with this technique as it certainly makes life easy. I doubt I could have gotten the tire mounted without this method. Try it, you will like it.

[eddd]

I've seen the method you are referring to, but others have no idea.

 

It would be good to add a link to the procedure so that everyone is clear on what you did.

 

Let us know if you need help with the link.

[elkroeger]

I think it was

[dirtrider]

Those Zip ties look like a lot of extra work. I just shove 4 or 5 small blocks of wood between the rim lip & the tire bead to keep the tire bead away form the rim far enough to easily enter the rim center depression & the tire will come right off.

 

Same with re-installation, just pop the tire first bead on, then add the blocks of wood to keep the installed bead in the rim center depression so the other tire bead will then pop right on.

 

[DiggerJim]

DR - How big a wood block? I just replaced mine last week and it was a PITA and took both me and my son to do. Way harder than the tires in the Suz 650.

 

TIA

[eddd]

The video I saw used nylon straps for mounting the tire. The more straps the better, but six seemed like a good number.

 

shows straps and levers on a dismount. Of course the difficult part was getting the straps in place. Installing with this method would be quite easy because of the easy access to the tire.

[dirtrider]

DR - How big a wood block? I just replaced mine last week and it was a PITA and took both me and my son to do. Way harder than the tires in the Suz 650.

 

TIA

 

Afternoon Jim

 

They need to be just large enough to hold the tire bead off the rim far enough to allow tire bead to easily pull into the rim center recess.

 

I measured mine a while back for a guy that PM'd me for tire removal details so here is the exact measurement of mine. You only need to get close or use what you have handy.

 

.548" thick X .760" wide X 1.88" long

 

On my set, I have holes drilled in the corners of about 1/2 of them. Originally I ran strings through the holes so if one dropped into the tire I could just pull on the string & recover it. I never drop one into the tire any more so the strings are long gone. Just start with a KNOWN NUMBER of wood blocks & be darn sure you account for all of them after tire mounting.

 

[DiggerJim]

Great. Thanks. I was putting a new PR3 on the back and it was pretty stiff (I did bring it in the house the day before to warm up because it was 25 outside in the garage...even had it in front of the pellet stove but it cooled down pretty quick). Keeping it in the well was the hard part.

 

First tire change for the kid though - he was stoked afterward knowing he could do it without having to find someone with a machine, etc. etc.

[rich t]

I think I will try using a ratchet strap or two next time I do a tire change. Compressing the bead opposite of where you are working the spoons should help getting the bead over the rim.

[RT Russ]

The video I saw used nylon straps for mounting the tire. The more straps the better, but six seemed like a good number.

 

shows straps and levers on a dismount. Of course the difficult part was getting the straps in place. Installing with this method would be quite easy because of the easy access to the tire.

 

 

I used the strap method to mount a PR3 on the rear of my RT a few weeks ago. I used 8 straps. Easier than the Cycle Hill changer! I tried tie-wraps before that (hey, I'm an electrical guy!) but my tired old hands could not pull them tight enough to close the beads. I got the straps at Harbor Freight for a buck a piece. The biggest tip I've learned is warm tires......put the new tire in the sun for a while before you begin work and......ride the bike fora bit before taking the old one off. That...and too much lube is never enough

[hopz]

My method is slightly more complex.

 

It involves taking the rim and tire, along with the new tire to the independent bike shop and giving the tire monkey 12 bucks plus tip. They come back clean and balanced... no sweat.

[Burt]

If I buy another bike. and if I change my own tires again, I'm going to get one or two of these. I use an HF tire changer with Mitch's Mojo Bar.

http://www.nomartirechanger.com/product_p/ac-yellowthing.htm

[eddd]

My method is slightly more complex.

 

It involves taking the rim and tire, along with the new tire to the independent bike shop and giving the tire monkey 12 bucks plus tip. They come back clean and balanced... no sweat.

 

 

And all this time we thought you just bought another bike when the tire wore down.

 

[hopz]

And all this time we thought you just bought another bike when the tire wore down.

 

Wait... you mean they sell those black squishy things separate from the bike? Who'd a thunk it..?

[smiller]

I read that on BMW's upcoming K1800 line the tire and wheel will only be sold as an assembly.

[Sweendog]

My method is slightly more complex.

 

It involves taking the rim and tire, along with the new tire to the independent bike shop and giving the tire monkey 12 bucks plus tip. They come back clean and balanced... no sweat.

 

This is similar to my method as well. Except I no longer bother taking the wheels off the bike, and just drop the whole unit off, hand over slightly more money, and come back to a freshly trod bike.

[cris nitro]

I think it was

 

That is the dumbest thing I ever saw.