Tire changing/Wheel removal

[Catrin]

A year ago I practiced changing a tire on my Trek - that was quite an ordeal. So much of an ordeal that it has taken me until today to practice the same thing on my LHT - a far easier experience

The problem was that I wanted to practice on my rear tire, but I couldn't get the wheel off the bike

I released the rear brake, the quick release, and the black "nut". Before I did any of this I shifted the rear cassette down to the smallest gear and made certain the chain was on the middle ring - and no matter how much I played with the quick release I could NOT get the wheel off the bike!!! I DID move the rear derailleur out of the way while trying to remove the wheel. I wound up practicing on the front tire.

Any ideas on what might have been the problem? The wheel didn't even feel loose, and I almost unscrewed the black thing in the quick release off! And now I can't get my rear brakes to line up which leads me to believe that the wheel did shift and isn't in straight any more - though it looks fine. I am going to set it aside for tonight and revisit this tomorrow...

[OakLeaf]

Did you let the air out of the tire? A lot of rear triangles don't have enough clearance to get the wheel out when the tire is pressurized.

[Catrin]

Did you let the air out of the tire? A lot of rear triangles don't have enough clearance to get the wheel out when the tire is pressurized.

Really? I didn't know this & didn't think about it, thanks. I just wanted some practice on taking the rear wheel on and off. I've seen it done often enough, but didn't want my first time to be on the side of the road with a flat...

[tulip]

Sometimes you have to sharply strike the wheel to get it to come out of the dropouts. Putting the wheel back on will take some paying attention to aligning it so that it is centered. Keep at it. You'll get there. And GOOD FOR YOU for learning how to do change flats!

[Catrin]

Sometimes you have to sharply strike the wheel to get it to come out of the dropouts. Putting the wheel back on will take some paying attention to aligning it so that it is centered. Keep at it. You'll get there. And GOOD FOR YOU for learning how to do change flats!

I will work more with this tonight or tomorrow. The guys at my LBS today explained that this isn't an uncommon problem for the rear wheel - and my fitter told me that most flat tires are on the rear

I have yet to have a flat tire, but given my general preferred style of riding when it happens I will be 30 miles from my apartment or car, no cell phone reception or no one that I can call, and it will be raining. I figure that I need to practice NOW

I am very pleased at how easy a process it actually was to change my tube last night - the tires on my LHT are much easier to work with than the tires that were on my Trek, for sure. Now I just need to practice getting that rear wheel on and off - though I suspect that will be easier on the custom bike as it will be much lighter.

[Pedal Wench]

I always tell my customers to practice at home instead of learning this, like you say, 30 miles from home, in the rain.

I find it much easier to remove the rear tire if I have the bike upside down. It's a bad habit that I always do it this way, but it's easier than laying the bike down with the crank on the ground. Less balancing and I can use one hand on the rear derailleur and the other to lift the wheel out.

[LiseB]

I'm a newbie so fogive me! Good stuff here - so far I've only seen a front-tire change demo. Good to know that I also need to be prepared for rear flats. Duh!!!

[Catrin]

I'm a newbie so fogive me! Good stuff here - so far I've only seen a front-tire change demo. Good to know that I also need to be prepared for rear flats. Duh!!!

My fitter tells me that most tires are on the rear - don't know how true that is...

[DebW]

My fitter tells me that most tires are on the rear - don't know how true that is...

It's true because most of your weight is on the rear wheel.