Changing bike tyres and compressor capacity

[Wallace]

I have one of those Sealey tyre tools but not the same tyre bar, have you bolted it down? I tried using the top half in the vice and the bead breaker free standing but found the vice height made tyre fitting difficult. Once bolted down I managed to fit a pair of tubeless Michelins without tools only tyre lubricant as I could get my hip and weight onto it keeping the bead into the wheel well. Shortened 16 or 20mm chemical fixings drilled & tapped M10 or M12 for bolts work well so you don't have to do a permanent fix.

 

[Rannsachair]

I have one of those Sealey tyre tools but not the same tyre bar, have you bolted it down? I tried using the top half in the vice and the bead breaker free standing but found the vice height made tyre fitting difficult. Once bolted down I managed to fit a pair of tubeless Michelins without tools only tyre lubricant as I could get my hip and weight onto it keeping the bead into the wheel well. Shortened 16 or 20mm chemical fixings drilled & tapped M10 or M12 for bolts work well so you don't have to do a permanent fix.

Yes bolted down with M12's http://www.screwfix.com/p/rawlplug-rawlbolts-m12-x-140mm-5-pack/57310 I will unbolt and store in shed when not in use. The alloy wheel tool was an ebay buy, works well http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TLhUYQ8geM

 

[Chris Stevens]

To make life easier changing bike tyres, I bought myself one of these:

Makes light work getting the tyres on and off the rims.

Spent half a day trying to seat the bead on the rear though, had it on and off the rim, extra tyre soap, filed down some imperfections on the alloy wheel, tried ratchet straps and unseating opposite side, all to no avail.
I have a 50 litre compressor that I took it up to 70 psi. Had a thought that it may not be banging the air in fast enough, so nipped up to my dads to use his 200 litre compressor, 5 minutes later sorted!

As a matter of interest does the silver BZP plated spindle in the centre of changer need to be taken out before you fit a wheel to it? Or is it an optical illusion that it wouldnt fit through the hub?

 

[Rannsachair]

As a matter of interest does the silver BZP plated spindle in the centre of changer need to be taken out before you fit a wheel to it? Or is it an optical illusion that it wouldnt fit through the hub?

You do not need to remove, you get a couple of different diameter ones with the kit https://www.bodyshop-tools-supplies.co.uk/product_view.php?id=14883. Had thought about buying one for a while as after last few tyres I did by hand, I felt I had been sparring with Mike Tyson for a few rounds, possibly just feeling my age. This kit makes it much less of a chore and thought best to buy before value of brexit pound really hits import prices.

 

[cocker]

I just take the wheels to a local tyre place , I don't put enough miles in for more than one set a year .
Last year the redneck in the tyre place seated a tractor tyre with acetylene , yeehawww
. As a safety precaution it was done round the back , as an extra to protect me eyes I squinted a bit . Proper " hold me beer and watch this" moment .

 

[Chris Stevens]

You do not need to remove, you get a couple of different diameter ones with the kit https://www.bodyshop-tools-supplies.co.uk/product_view.php?id=14883. Had thought about buying one for a while as after last few tyres I did by hand, I felt I had been sparring with Mike Tyson for a few rounds, possibly just feeling my age. This kit makes it much less of a chore and thought best to buy before value of brexit pound really hits import prices.

So changing a tyre on your T120 then say means removing the wheel spindle? I only change trials tyres which are very easy, but if I was doing road bikes tyres on bikes without easily removable wheel spindles i would get something like this: http://www.speedzilla.com/forums/honda-rc51/38587-mods-my-harbor-freight-tire-changer.html

The mod to attach it to a tow ball looks a good idea, and would certainly save the space of bolting down in workshop.

 

[123hotchef]

lighter gas

brake cleanner is my fav

 

[Rannsachair]

So changing a tyre on your T120 then say means removing the wheel spindle? I only change trials tyres which are very easy, but if I was doing road bikes tyres on bikes without easily removable wheel spindles i would get something like this: http://www.speedzilla.com/forums/honda-rc51/38587-mods-my-harbor-freight-tire-changer.html

The mod to attach it to a tow ball looks a good idea, and would certainly save the space of bolting down in workshop.

I am still to try an old bike tyre am just taking old scrap tyres of a spare of set of wheels I picked up for my Hinkley Trident now, I was hoping to turn up some counterbored shafts on the lathe to go over the existing fixed spindles.

 

[Chris Stevens]

I think your tyre changer will work fine on modern bikes with push through spindles, but cant see it would be possible to use it on older bikes with fixed spindles. The type which fit onto the rim itself look like the only way to use a changer on old Brit machines

 

[Rannsachair]

I think your tyre changer will work fine on modern bikes with push through spindles, but cant see it would be possible to use it on older bikes with fixed spindles. The type which fit onto the rim itself look like the only way to use a changer on old Brit machines

You may be right, though my 72 BMW has removable spindles as is the rear wheel on my T120 and Matchless, so just the T120 and Matchless front wheels will be an issue for me. Will post when I first try it, though doubt it will be this year.

 

[Chris Stevens]

Yes I guess it will fit a 120 QD hub ok, but having seen who quick and easy the tyre changers that clamp onto the rim work, I think thats what I would go for if I needed a tyre changer.

 

[Rannsachair]

Yes I guess it will fit a 120 QD hub ok, but having seen who quick and easy the tyre changers that clamp onto the rim work, I think thats what I would go for if I needed a tyre changer.

Not sure I understand, with the spindle removed, it looks like this and camps to the rim:

is that not similar to the link you posted above?

 

[Chris Stevens]

Not sure I understand, with the spindle removed, it looks like this and camps to the rim:

is that not similar to the link you posted above?

That looks perfect............... sorry didnt see the rim clamps on your first pic................old age and worse eyesight seem to go together!

 

[Rannsachair]

Does Saab 96 tyres no problem too, just to get them powder coated now: Thats 7 tyres done today - starting to pay for itself

sorry for the poor photo's, use my old phone in the garage when playing.

 

[Bill Edwards]

Last year the redneck in the tyre place seated a tractor tyre with acetylene , yeehawww
. As a safety precaution it was done round the back , as an extra to protect me eyes I squinted a bit . Proper " hold me beer and watch this" moment .

Easy start, brake cleaner, petrol etc do work for seating stubborn beads (occasionally where all the 'proper' methods fail).
I once had to use butane for a quad tyre that was an awful shape from storage. But acetylene? I'd say you're not far off suicide!

 

[MrFluffy]

Yes, had a bucket of proper tyre soap.
My dad worked with a guy at the quarry who decided to crowbar a rock trapped between the twin tyres on his truck. Was horrific, lost an eye and most of his face. So I was wearing safety glasses and had a big old tarp over the tyre when inflating ( not sure it would have done any good).

If it makes you nervous, get a inflator you dont have to hold on the tyre and fit it with a long hose so you can stand holding the trigger 10ft away or so.
Sidewall zipper explosions almost always kill people stood next to the tyre when it lets go, the more distance you have the less serious the injury. I like to have something solid between me and it too if its a big tyre, so I use the jcb as a shield.
Its really big tyres like lorry, or implement tyres that contain the really really lethal amounts of energy that is so dangerous, a small bike tyre you will have brown trousers if one lets go, and maybe your ears will ring a bit, but you'll be alive to tell the tale.
I had one used tyre for the jcb s/h new to me I was changing by hand and I didn't like the look of it at all, so I took it to the truck tyre house to have them mount it in a cage in case it let go because it had a gaiter repair on the sidewall and everything. And the guy popped it back on the bead and inflated it stood next to it in the open while I walked backwards away quickly at that point. Go figure. I'd rather be nervous and treat things with respect that some dead hardcase though.

 

[colnerov]

Not sure I understand, with the spindle removed, it looks like this and camps to the rim:

is that not similar to the link you posted above?

Hi, Without the centre post you can't use that tyre lever, you would have to use conventional levers.

Colin

 

[Rannsachair]

Hi, Without the centre post you can't use that tyre lever, you would have to use conventional levers.

Colin

Planned to make a hollow shaft to fit on the fixed front wheel spindle on some of my bikes, so can still use the lever.

 

[Bill Edwards]

I had one used tyre for the jcb s/h new to me I was changing by hand and I didn't like the look of it at all, so I took it to the truck tyre house to have them mount it in a cage in case it let go because it had a gaiter repair on the sidewall and everything. And the guy popped it back on the bead and inflated it stood next to it in the open while I walked backwards away quickly at that point. Go figure. I'd rather be nervous and treat things with respect that some dead hardcase though.

Cowards live longer than fools.

But, as somebody who does agricultural tyres I think I'm rather well positioned to decide on what is and isn't safe and there are plenty of tyres with big areas of damage that have a gaiter fitted and I'm quite content stood next to them. But, I probably wouldn't have been knowing the lethal consequences of a tractor tyre explosion and without the experience when I first started doing them. As it was I got experience of what holds faster than knowing the dangers!

A person was killed and another injured a while ago with a front tractor tyre innertube which went bang as it was inflated outside of the tyre. I would think it must have been pumped up a lot to have done that (and suspect silliness probably played a part) but still, just an innertube...

 

[barracuda816]

this thread reminds me of photos of the importance of getting the units right. A young american airforce engineer who was trying to put in ~200 bar into an aircraft tire (instead of psi). pictures where a mess, not much left of the poor chap.