Changing Brick Tires

[The Mighty Gryphon]

Following some posts on the "What Did You Did To Your Brick Today" thread I thought it my be useful to start a thread on changing brick tires. 

Who does their own tire changing?  What are you using to get the job done?  Any tricks you want to share?
Photos?

[Scott_]

I do my own tires.
I have an older No-Mar Classic
https://www.nomartirechanger.com/Classic_Model_Motorcycle_Tire_Changer_p/tc-classic.htm

One of the issues I've had in the past was getting the bead to seat when I was putting a 150/70 on my LT rear. 140/80's were no trouble getting to seat.
Ended up at the local ind cycle shop with their higher volume air system to seat it.
I've since gone with larger ID air hose and a fitting without the internal core depressor. Haven't mounted a new tire yet to try it.

It has also come in handy doing patch repairs on my vehicle tires when needed.

[mw074]

No-Mar Professional and No-Mar balancer.

[D.Bachtel]

Shinko 712s stock size by hand with three  10" aluminum tire spoons.
Talk (baby powder) when needed. You can almost rolled them on to the rims using your gloved palms and knees.

I have a short lidless metal drum just the right height and diameter. That helps plenty. Easy work.


Don in Nipomo

[Martin]

You need to remove the valve core when seating the tyres on the rim.
Regards Martin.

[Chaos]

Just tire irons.  +1 on removing the valve to seat the tire

[Laitch]

Talc, fast-twitch muscle fiber, good balance and sunny days seem to help.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

Three spoons,
four of them nylon rim protectors,
a wheelbarrow handle with a hinged block to break the bead,
A square of 2x4's to lay the wheel on so the brake disc doesn't touch the floor
Harbor Freight balancer on a pair of jack stands
BMW rear wheel adapter for the balancer
Harbor Freight ratchet strap to set the bead
3-4 drops of liquid soap in a cup of water for lube with 1" chip brush

I have found that the ratchet strap around the circumference of the tire will spread the beads and help the seating process.  It's just a cheap version of the air collar they use in tire shops to set stubborn beads on car tires.

My home made bead breaker needs a bit of help sometimes.  I'll put some lube in the joint of the tire and the rim and work the breaker on it a couple times to work the lube in between, and the bead slides right into the middle of the rim.

I've found that my wheels aren't well balanced, so now I put them on my balancer before putting the new tire on and marking the heavy spot which isn't always near the valve stem.  Then I mount the tire with the dot aligned with my mark, not the valve stem.  Makes balancing a bit easier.

As much as I would like to get a real tire changer, since I only do 4-5 tires a year I just can't justify getting one. 

[Scott_]

As much as I would like to get a real tire changer, since I only do 4-5 tires a year I just can't justify getting one.

If you keep your eyes open, you may be able to find a decent one used.
I got mine(pretty cheap) from an old golf cart dealership down in Florida that had upgraded.
The only thing I bought from No-Mar was some new tips for the bar and some lube.

[kmev]

I was considering the purchase of a wheel balancing stand and the expensive BMW wheel adapter, but went with $12 of Dyna beads instead. Dyna beads take up less room in the garage.


I use a Vice-grips welder's C-clamp to break the bead, then two 10" spoons with plastic rim protectors.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

I tried the Dyna Beads, but got about half of them on the garage floor.  What a mess!

[wmax351]

I've done my tires before. Definitely less of a hassle than trying to fuss with tubes. But I usually just take it to a shop. I'm considering doing it myself again though, the shops in Ann Arbor are a bit pricier.


+1 on Dynabeads.


You could even have your rim balanced before putting the tire on, and then just leave the rim balance between tires. Typically the balance tolerance on a new tire is very tight. Then the dynabeads take care of any remaining imbalance in the tire.


The trick I learned from the shop in my hometown for tires is to take the valve core out, and then have one of the cheap tire chucks, with the valve inside removed, on a air hose quick connector. Seat the chuck, then pop the hose onto the chuck very briefly. Boom: tire seated.

[wmax351]

"Hold my beer and watch this"



Don't try this on a brick.

[tweather]

2 spoons, 2 rim protectors, sweat, and sometimes a ratchet strap to help seat it. Ride-on to balance.

[kenray]

I have used large zip ties along with a spoon to put a tire on. Also I use a rubber lubricant I bought at Napa for both bead breaking and installing a tire. One other tool I have used in bead breaking is a tool bought off ebay resembling a large pair of welding pliers. If the tire gods are smiling on me I sometimes get lucky on the first go around. Kenray in katy Tx.

[stokester]

Following some posts on the "What Did You Did To Your Brick Today" thread I thought it my be useful to start a thread on changing brick tires. 

Who does their own tire changing?  What are you using to get the job done?  Any tricks you want to share?
Photos?

I've got a No-Mar to change the tires and a balancer from Marc Parnes and have never had any issues putting new rubber on the brick or airheads.


The biggest return on investment is being able to replace the tires on my schedule, buy the tires on-line and have them waiting for my time.

[milq]

I've got a No-Mar to change the tires and a balancer from Marc Parnes and have never had any issues putting new rubber on the brick or airheads.


The biggest return on investment is being able to replace the tires on my schedule, buy the tires on-line and have them waiting for my time.

Same here, different balancer but same idea.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

Yeah, I like the idea of having the tire I want ready to be mounted right when I decide the old one can't stay on the bike anymore.  By shopping around before I need them, my tires cost me about 2/3 of what they would cost if I bought them locally and had them mounted by a dealer.   Having changed 7 tires in two years now, the savings have paid for my tools at least a couple times.   

[technostructural]

I guess I'm kind of spoiled. I have a really good local shop that will mount the tire, balance the wheel and replace the valve stem for about $30. Generally I am pretty stubborn and like doing things myself, but at that price... I'd rather spend my time doing jobs on the bike that I enjoy doing myself.

[stokester]

I guess I'm kind of spoiled. I have a really good local shop that will mount the tire, balance the wheel and replace the valve stem for about $30. Generally I am pretty stubborn and like doing things myself, but at that price... I'd rather spend my time doing jobs on the bike that I enjoy doing myself.

Good to support the local shops.

[TommyT]

Hey all, I just had 2 tires mounted, one balanced, the front at a local shop. The shop guy said he could not do the rear since it did not have the disk (brake) and the wheel bearings. He said normally BMW (shop) would balance it on the bike with a special machine to spin it and detect balance. I seen that done on cars at shop in Maryland, they said it was a better balance with the wheel on the axle.


Has anyone here seen or have had their bike's rear wheel balance like?

[Martin]

Used to use one in the 1970's sort of looks like a lawn mower with a horizontal rubber wheel that you push against the side of the tyre. A sensor is adjusted up to touch the swing arm. I've never seen another one since. :dunno
Regards Martin.

[Al]

I made a "machine" of my own. I had blown a tire on the road and rode it the 10 miles home. The bike shops are a long way off to ride it there and a hassle to trailer it there with a flat tier. So I adapted a wheel stand I built of for building buggy and wagon wheels. It works fairly well. I ride on Shinko Tour Masters and they have STIFF sidewalls. SO it takes some muscle. But it did the trick and my buddy used it to change tires a on his Honda #3 wheeler.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

Al, as I look back, one of my greatest regrets is that I never got a welder and learned to use it.

[Al]

Gryph, find local community college or high school that does evening or weekend courses and take one. My big regret is that I haven't done it in so long that my skills are very poor. The big secret to welding is owning one and using it regularly. Melting metal is easy. Welding is tougher. But not impossible. A good instructor will make you a champ for average stuff in short order.