Sometimes it would be nice to have a guy around....

[Shellyrides]

if for nothing else when you do something stupid like mount your new tire on backwards and they point it out in a smart *** way, can throw up your hand and say " fine, you do it ":rolleyes:

So how important is it to have your tires going the right way? I have speed nuts on the rear tire but can not figure out how to disconnect the rear breaks like the front does. So I get to flatten the tire and squeeze it out. There has to be another way......

[SadieKate]

I have no idea what "speed nuts" are but I can tell you I know more about tires, tire direction and mounting tires than a lot of guys I know.

If it is a mtb tire, direction is critical.

[Shellyrides]

I have no idea what "speed nuts" are but I can tell you I know more about tires, tire direction and mounting tires than a lot of guys I know.

If it is a mtb tire, direction is critical.

*sigh* was afraid of that, back out to the bike. Thank you.

[Hi Ho Silver]

I think by "speed nuts" you mean "quick releases". Go to the following link for help for text and diagrams: http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/tire-and-tube-removal-and-installaton .

[OakLeaf]

Last time a guy helped me change a tire, HE put it on backwards. :p

Luckily it was the front tire, so I could just switch the skewer around once I noticed.

[Shellyrides]

Thank you. I have no idea where I got speed nut from....Any ways Both tires are now going the right way and on to figuring out how to set up the bike computer.....

[Biciclista]

I know some speed nuts, and they know how to change tires too. Me, I miss my husband even though he had several left thumbs and took most of his bike mechanic work to the shop. He COULD change a tire though.

[laura*]

Luckily it was the front tire, so I could just switch the skewer around once I noticed.

Oh no! If you do that then the label on the rim and any text or logos on the hub might be backwards! ;) This means the bike won't be fit to photograph for an advertisement...

[Becky]

I'm going to sound like an @ss or completely OCD here, and I apologize in advance. I'm meticulous about how my tires are installed. Many tires, both road and mountain, are directional, so there's that to consider. Depending on the tire and conditions, I may run my rear tire in the "reverse" direction, if I'm looking for extra traction. Sometimes, I'll run the rear tire in the "front" direction if I don't need all that traction and it improves speed/rolling resistance. Really depends on the tire though.

I also ensure that the tire label is directly over the valve stem hole in the rim. Having that reference point can be very helpful when you've punctured a tube and are trying to find the offending debris in the tire.

And yes, I've been known to dismount and re-mount a tire if I've screwed up either consideration... :o

[OakLeaf]

Oh no! If you do that then the label on the rim and any text or logos on the hub might be backwards! ;) This means the bike won't be fit to photograph for an advertisement...

Backwards, not inside out! :D Anyway, isn't it good for the bearings to spin backwards for a while? :p

[goldfinch]

I have speed nuts on the rear tire but can not figure out how to disconnect the rear breaks like the front does. So I get to flatten the tire and squeeze it out. There has to be another way......

You should be able to find a video or something on how to disconnect the brakes. Do you know what kind of brakes you have? That will help you figure out how to release them.

Even when I release the brakes on my hybrid bike I have to partly flatten the tires to get them off. I use a pretty wide tire on that bike and they just won't clear the brakes.

[goldfinch]

I have no idea what "speed nuts" are but I can tell you I know more about tires, tire direction and mounting tires than a lot of guys I know.

If it is a mtb tire, direction is critical.

I assume that it is critical only if the tires are marked as having a tire direction? My somewhat aggressive tires on my hybrid are not marked with a direction at all.

[Aromig]

That's funny -- I had a flat on my second ride on my new road bike. I've changed flats on my hybrid -- and I carefully paid attention. This time, however, it was getting dark, the brakes were different (it took me a few minutes to figure out how to disconnect them), the road tire was a lot harder to get off than any other flat I've changed, and in all the haste I didn't pay attention to which way the tire went. I've been wondering if it matters (but not wondering enough to look closely at the tire). It doesn't seem to have much tread, so I presumed no.

[Shellyrides]

I assume that it is critical only if the tires are marked as having a tire direction? My somewhat aggressive tires on my hybrid are not marked with a direction at all.

These tires are Kenda Kross PluI and yes they have a arrow with the word drive that I did not notice until after I had mounted both of them ...backwards.

But now for the happy dance! I belong to a weight loss group and one of the ladies husbands rebuilds bikes as a hobby. At this time he has over 100 bikes. He sent word that if I wanted to learn how to rebuild, from the ground up bikes he would be happy to work with me. To start me out he is giving me a Parks repair manual! First lesson is Sunday.

[OakLeaf]

The arrow on my Conti GP4000 is so hard to find that whenever I install a new tire, the first thing I do is mark over the raised arrow with a silver sharpie.

[SadieKate]

I assume that it is critical only if the tires are marked as having a tire direction? My somewhat aggressive tires on my hybrid are not marked with a direction at all.

Yes, aggressive tread is not necessarily directional. However, MTB tread that has Vs or crescents going down the spine of the tire can roll faster in one direction but give more control in another. At least, that the way I think about it. The tires definitely behave differently depending on how they are mounted. There are also tires which are exactly the same tread but meant to be mounted differently depending on whether they are used on the front or back wheel.