As a cyclist, you know that replacing your inner tube is an important part of cycling maintenance. Today we want to train you on How to Replace a Road Bike Inner tube.
If you neglect to replace your old inner tube and ride on it for too long, the chances are high that the tire will go flat from a puncture or another type of failure.
The good news is that replacing an inner tube is actually easier than many people realize! In this blog post, we’ll cover how to replace a road bike inner tube step by step.
Bikes are a fabulous form of transportation! Not only do they keep you in shape, but they also allow you to explore your surrounding area. However, biking is not without its risks: accidents can happen anytime and anywhere.
Related article: 10 Best Road Bikes Under $2000
Fortunately, there are many ways to prevent or mitigate these incidents by taking simple precautions like wearing proper gear or knowing How to Replace a Road Bike Inner tube when needed.
Whether the bike is for yourself or someone else, this step-by-step guide should help make the process easy for any level of a bicycle rider.
If you’re looking to replace your bike inner tube, but are unsure of how to do so, we’ve laid out a step-by-step guide below. It’s not difficult and should take no more than 20-25 minutes from start to finish with minimal tools required.
Follow these steps for replacing an outer tire or inner tubes on any type of bicycle including road bikes. The following is the process for changing tires without removing the wheel (for example when inflate valve stem has been removed).
Once this is done it will be easy enough to remove the wheel if necessary in order to change both inner tubes at once by simply alternating sides.
Tools needed include rubber gloves, hand pump or compressor, cleaning supplies such as rubbing alcohol and paper. Anyway let go step by step, continue reading below…
Table of Contents
Step One: Remove the road bike tire
You will first have to remove the road bike tire before having an access to the inner bike tube. You can use this step by step guide written by us on How to Change Tires on a Road Bike.
Related article: Are Wider Road Bike Tires Faster? (2021)
In Summary, you will have loosened the bolts from both sides of the tire. Then you will have to remove all the pressure inside the tire so it can be easy to remove. After you have removed the road bike tire you will have qualified for step two. Proceed below with our Guide on How to Replace a Road Bike Inner tube.
Step Two: Remove the old inner tube
Always start by removing the old inner tube. For new tires, typically there will be an arrow pointing down that tells you where to cut it open with a knife or razor blade (be sure not to damage anything else).
For older tires, find and remove any valve caps from both ends of the tire. If there are no valves on one end, then look for where the air is leaking out instead of going into your bike’s tubes. Pressing your thumb over this area should create pressure inside so if you see bubbles coming out underneath your fingers, then this is likely the leak
With either type of tire, make sure all excess air has been released before moving onto the next step.
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If you have a bike tire pump, use it to press air out of the tube then remove it from inside the wheel. Unscrew and take off both valve cores (if applicable) [image].
Sometimes one will unscrew with just your fingers while others might require a wrench or pliers depending on the type of core tool that came with your bike – be sure not to lose any pieces!
Gently pull outer layer back over inner tube until the knot is at the opening in the rim where the valve was seated (usually near front hub). Pull old inner tube completely out through an opening in the rim. Now we are ready for Step Three, continue reading.
Step Three: Install new tubes;
You have to take the new tubes and measure them to get a length that’s about an inch longer than the old ones.
Cut off any excess and save it for later, then take one of the valve cores you just unscrewed from your old inner tube and screw it into the hole in the top end of your new one.
Take hold of both ends of the outer layer (a knot is at the opening where the valve was seated) and push with thumbs as much air out as possible while holding tightly onto tubes.
If there are any bubbles left inside, re-press air into the inner tube until they disappear or press firmly on the outside surface to flatten the bubble before pulling back over the rim – try not to trap too much air because you’ll need some pressure from inside the tube to inflate it.
Now take one of your valve cores and screw it into the hole in the top end of your new inner tube, making sure that both ends are nice and tight so no air can escape from either side.
Before you start inflating, cover any holes or gaps with a strip of duct tape for safety (do not use electrical tape because over time its adhesive will weaken). Make sure there is still enough excess length left on each piece before you cut them off too close to where they’re attached to make future repairs easier if necessary.
Related article: How to Change Tires on a Road Bike: Best 2021 Step by Step Guide
Inflate gradually until pressure builds up then stop – check all around for potential leaks by pressing on the outside surface at different points while holding your breath.
If you find any leaks, use a strip of duct tape and seal the hole with an airtight grip. [image]
When you are satisfied that there is no leak in either valve or anywhere else around the tube, carefully remove both valves from their respective holes – make sure to keep them upright so they don’t spill out all over the place! You can reuse these one time if needed but it’s not recommended because they will eventually wear down and need replacing again anyway so why put off until tomorrow what needs doing today? 🙂
Cover each unused end of your inner tube by slowly moulding the plastic back up onto itself inside-out using gentle pressure.
Lastly, slide some soft foam pipe insulation over the ends – this will prevent any sharp edges from poking you or your bike during future rides.
You can also apply a few drops of baby shampoo around both holes to keep them lubricated and free of dirt, which may cause air leaks.
Step Four: Fix The tire back to the bike frame
This is one of the simplest and finest steps. At this point, you will have already replaced a road bike inner tube and now the thing remaining is returning the tire to its rightful position.
Our Conclusion on How to Replace a Road Bike Inner tube
In this article, we’ve shown you how to replace a bike inner tube. We hope that these tips will help inform and educate any cyclist looking for information on replacing their own bike tubes.
If you have questions or need assistance with your process of getting the right size tube for your needs, please leave a comment or contact us and also hope in our Newsletter.
You can also find a more guide from gearjunkie and add the value and skills on how to change inner bike tubes
