A few weeks ago the tube in my bike's front wheel went boom, and so I had to replace it. Why did it go boom? Read to the end for a final tip.
I haven't done anything like this in years, and I typically have to refresh a bunch of specifics, so I thought I'd have a post with information for future me as well as others that may be looking to do this.
First, here are the short notes on what's in a typical bicycle wheel:
If you have the conventional clincher tyre setup with a tube, the tire itself "clinches" over the sides of the rim but isn't air-tight, and the tube inside holds air.
The valve is another important piece for this exercise. It's the metal bit that comes out of the tube and through the rim that you use to pump air into the tube.
More thorough references exist, of course.
There are three things you'll need to know to buy a tube: the valve type, the tire diameter, and the width.
There are two types of valve you'll see these days: Schrader or Presta. Schrader is the same type of valve you see in your car; a wide, stubby valve with threading. Presta is a long, skinny valve with a little screw at the end that you can push into to let air out.
The hole in the rim is sized to one type or another. If you get the wrong type, it won't fit properly through it.
The diameter and width numbers are typically printed on the tire (and you might see references on the tube and rim as well). There are a few (redundant) ways of expressing size, and you'll often find more than one. Here are some examples.
If you need more help cross-referencing systems, see this guide.
OK, so now you know what you need to buy. You can go to your friendly neighborhood bike shop, or order from them, or in these days of global pandemic maybe get it online through Amazon.
Tube size basically follows the tire size but has some give and will typically fit in more than one width, so you'll see these listed in ranges. Find a tube that supports your tire size!
As for how to go through the process, I think the GCN (Global Cycling Network) videos on YouTube are pretty great, even though they tend to show a bunch of ads. Here's what you will need.
And one final tip: learn to figure out the approximate level of pressure by pushing on the side of your tire with your thumb. The reason my tube blew out was because the reading on the pressure gauge of my pump was malfunctioning and I overinflated it.
With my new tube, I happened to check pressure by hand as well and noticed that the reading was way too low for hard inflated the tube was, so I avoided another accident.
And now, I'm off to enjoy a ride in the August sun.
Happy inner tube changing!
Tags: sports