Yes, cost me about £100 for bead breaker, balancer, levers, protectors and weights. Won't do my multi (too ham fisted) but perfect for track bike wheels 12v car compressor enough to blow the bead out on fitting
I've had a nightmare trying to change tyres myself. I've done it on the dirt bike a bunch of times with only a few scratches to show for it but the road bikes have cost me a fortune. Last year I helpfully tried to change @MissPineapple track wheels and trashed £200 worth of rims. Not having learnt my lesson last month I decided I was old and mature enough to do the KTM 1190 wheels as I figured I might need to do them if I took it long distance offroad so should practice. I couldn't get anywhere with the rear tyre so gave up and moved onto the front which I did in about 15 minutes with some nasty gouges in the rim. I couldn't get it to pump up and eventually took it into Kwik Fit who were changing the rear. Turned out I'd managed to warp the front rim and getting a replacement and spoke balancing cost me about £300 in all it would have cost me a fiver and packet of hobnobs to get the boys in Kwik Fit to do it! I still want to be able to do it as I spend so much money at Euro days in particular but don't trust myself anymore!
Easy enough once you've broken the bead. I've even used a vice if I'm chucking the tyre away. Top tip use x3 levers not 2 and always make sure the opposite side of the tyre is down in the middle of the rim when levering. If it's too hard you're doing something wrong
As per all the above, rim protectors essential! plus heavy rubber mallet for taking the tyres off and plenty of tyre soap when fitting new tyres!
Further top tip .... Use cable ties around the tyre to hold the beads close together when refitting. This is so the beads both sit in the deepest part of the well in the rim, thus giving maximum clearance at the opposite side, for easy refitting. You only need to do it around about half to two-thirds of the tyre circumference .. 4 or 5 ties will do the trick (double them up to get the required length). I have refitted rear tyres on my monster using this method and the tyre has slipped on the rim using just my thumbs ... no tyre levers at all. If I do need levers, I only use the extremely short, plastic ones which you get with ordinary bicycle puncture repair kits. As someone once said ... it aint an elastic band ... you can't "stretch" it on. If you're using force you aren't doing it right. Some tyre soap is handy for re-seating the beads.
Really feel for you mate and admire you for not giving up. Temperature plays a huge part when it comes to changing tyres and particularly when done by hand so makes it particularly torturous at this time of year.
Nelson, if your after a bead breakerleverythingy I've got one that I don't use anymore, it's been used for off road wheels but it should work fine on road bikes. Nice bottle of wine and it's yours as long as you collect it. Bike-It Tyre Changer/Bead Breaker | Demon Tweeks
Why mess about: Semi Automatic Tyre Changer | Motorcycle Tyre Changer | Tyre Changer for Motorbike Three sets of tyres a year at £15 a tyre to pay someone else to fit to loose wheels plus the fuel to take the wheels in = paid for itself in 9 years. Half tempting if you've got a few bob. I was thinking about changing my own but I want a set of BST carbons for the SF. For £100 odd a year to to get someone else to do it, if they trash them they're insured. If I trash them I'm 2.5 grand down.
Just had both wheels done at my local place for £20, it took about 10 mins and I had a nice coffee and a chat with a tasty receptionist while I waited!! Job done.
No good if you are doing track tyres and work at home, as its time and cost that plays a part. And not all local fitters are that friendly with. NOn pucharsed
Just be careful off the discs easy to bend them and very annoying when they are £800 Brembo items :rage:
I got a manual tyre changer this weekend. Definitely going to practice on some rubbish wheels before letting myself loose on the posh rims! I have a friendly kwikfit who does them for £5-10 a wheel but I can't always get home during opening hours and go through quite a lot of tyres just now.
It's this one. The plan is probably to mount it in the back of the van when using it. Sealey TC965 Motorcycle & Mini Tyre Changer Apparently using this bar with nylon ends is the key to making it work with posh rims: Tyre Bar for alloy wheels, Car/Bike/4x4, centre post walk around tyre changer I'm still not sure it's going to be of any use but it's worth a try.
I must admit I had though about the above choice of tools myself. My local bike shop has similar as a backup for their pneumatic outfit. Apparently the changer itself must be bolted down very securely or it will rip itself out of the floor. That may pose a problem for me as I don't currently have space to mount it permanently in one position. I reckon it will do the trick though.
The main reason that I use the cable tie method is that I've put a pair of carbon wheels on the monster and there is no way I'm letting a tyre monkey (no offence intended) anywhere near them. Once you get the knack it is simplicity itself and there is virtually zero chance of doing any damage. In fact if you're really fussy (and I am) with a bit of care its possible to find the heavy spot on the bare wheel and align this with the light spot on the tyre, thus minimising the amount of balancing lead required. I'm thinking of doing a demo at next year's UKMOC weekender. I did buy an Abba bead breaker though .. excellent piece of kit which does the job without risk of damage and without the need to apply lots of welly. Its small enough to store easily too. I also bought a wheel balancer kit which simply fits in my paddock stand .. again it does an excellent job and requires minimal storage space.
