Quote Originally Posted by zia View Post
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Also, what are "steel" vs "folded" tires?
That's the bead area- where the tire hooks into the rim lip. A 'wire/steel' bead tire will keep it's round shape off the rim. They tend to be less expensive and heavier. They also tend to be harder to get on and off the rim. 'Folding' or "kevlar' bead tires do indeed fold; they don't keep a round shape off of the rim and can be folded up for storage. They weigh less than their wire counterparts, tend to be easier to get on and off the rim, and they cost more than a wire equivalent.

If you must use a tire lever to get the tire back on the rim, be careful. The tube can be pinched (as you found out) by getting stuck between the tire lever and rim lip. Take a moment to verify the tube is not wedged between the lever and rim before using. And it can't hurt to take a few moments, after mounting the tire, to squeeze the tire inward away from the rim, and look into that space all the way around the rim, to be sure that the tube isn't pinched. I then pump the tire up to a low PSI (around 8 for a mtb tire, and 20 for a road tire), then let the air out, and then pump it up all the way.

It never ceases to amaze me when I am at the LBS and someone drives their bike over to get a flat changed. It took them longer to drive to the store than just changing it themselves. It is a good useful basic skill to have and yes it can cost a few tubes to learn. If the dead tubes have removable valve cores, unscrew them and keep them for emergency replacements so it's not a total loss.