does anyone here mount and balance their own tires? (2009)

I change & balance my tires and tubes (where used), don't trust the shops around here.

Cookie said:

Usually after only pinching the tube once I can get it to work.

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That's why I get three tubes when I change tires, if I get lucky I have a spare tube. Also a good reason to go with 19" front and rear the tubes will fit either.

Bead breaker

https://www.harborfreight.com/bead-breaker-92961.html

Smear common white hand cleaner (lanoline) on the bead before slipping on the tire. Makes it so much easier.

I have always changed my own. Today, I mostly use Avon AM26 which are much harder to get on than the old Dunlop K70s and similar but they still go on the same way. I generally use two hands and two knees on the floor on top of an old tire. Keeping the part of the bead already on, in the rim's valley is the key. Like others, I put in enough air to just smooth out the tube.

With the old K70s or K81s, strong hands would get them the rest of the way on.

With the Avon's, tire levers are required for about the last 12". Since the Avon's are actually for tubeless applications, it is understandable that the beads are tighter to the rim.

I don't balance the rear wheel unless it gives me trouble and I balance the front wheel on the bike.

rgrigutis
I fit and balance my own bike tyres, tubed and tubeless, and balance them on the bike itself with callipers and outer spacers left off so the wheels spin freely.
Essential tools are a proper bead breaker, long smooth tyre levers, white liquid hand soap and paint brush, a tyre pump( I use a 12v electric type) and a good selection of flat self adhesive tyre weights, usually 5 - 10g.

Even with these aids it,s still a chore I dread every three or so years but nothing beats a set of well balanced new tyres you,ve fitted yourself. I fit them flat on the lawn.
Scrub the tyres in gradually as you lean over although new Conti radials have a special surface finish that no longer needs this.

Remove as per chris plant and others advice and clean or wire brush the rim if alloy, I also use high temp adhesive tape over the spoke nipples to give a semi tubeless function which has helped me get home once using a car sized can of tyre seal which lasted the 100 plus mile ride (leaving the offending screw in place)
Around 40-45 psi and plenty of soap may be needed to pop the tyre out onto the rim if it gets held up on the inner edge but this is more likely on wider alloy rims.

Balance each wheel complete with discs and sprocket on it,s own axle and centre it so nothing touches, front wheel must be straight up.
Then spin and settle each wheel individually with the heaviest point at the bottom, progressively adding weights, split equally either side of the spokes as per old school until it will settle at any point.

I've always changed my vintage bike tires.
For the big Sportbike type tires, I tried spooning them off and on with levers, but failed.
I had a MC shop doing those for $25 ea but last year they raised that to $50 per tire. This was the cost when bringing the wheel to them.
In April 2017 I left the Thruxton R at the same shop for a recommended free ECU reflash. I figured they might as well put the new tires on it while it was there.
Cost to mount two tires ( I provided tires)
was just under $200.
This included removing and replacing wheels, which I normally do.
So that was an incentive to purchase a manual tire changer.
I've done that and will now use it for all the tire changes.
Have done one set of large modern tires with it ( Thruxton R) and one pair of Roadriders (Vincent)
It works really well. Another " should have bought years ago" purchase.


Glen

Best tire irons I ever used
https://www.stubbytiretools.com/

On disc brake bikes remove the disc before dismounting the tire and reinstall before balancing. The disc can be damaged.

Ruglide to help with removal and installation
https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_7651338

Dust the tube with baby power before installing.

Balancing stands are not that expensive and are great for rim truing.

Using the gully in the rim is the key to getting the tire off and on easier. Plenty of YouTube videos explaining how to do that.

Patience

I made this lever to mount tyres :





Easy on rims and tyre .
No need for tyre irons .
Works a threat ..

I change, mount and balance tires for myself and friends. So many, in fact, that I had 3 of my most frequent 'tireless' friends chip in and we bought a No-Mar Classic and then built a balancing stand. No-Mar is a local company and I also got a factory tour from one of the owners.

Tube-type tires are easily levered on and off with good irons (and care not to pinch the tube) but tubeless are another matter, especially when it comes to breaking the bead. I used to use my bench vise before the No-Mar for this part of the job.

I also used Dynabeads before we built the balancing stand with mixed results. On tube-type tires, they seem to work fairly well, but if you use them on tubeless tires, if the tire has anything other than a smooth inner surface (like a tube does) the beads will chew at the rough surface and form little beads of rubber that mix with the ceramic balancing beads.

My method for avoiding pinched tubes is to lever on one side of the tire and insert the tube, using a handy tool to pull the stem into place. Then, before levering on the other bead, I inflate the tube to straighten it out and then pull the valve core to deflate before doing the second bead.

I've done a total of five tire mounts/dismounts across my 2013 Bonneville and my '74 850. Had a few challenges on the Bonne and resorted to a tire shop once after pinching a tube...but since then my technique has improved and seems reliable. On the Norton I used bead balanced tubes (come with beads pre installed) and really seem great. Will likely use them again next time.
I used Windex spray to lube the tire bead and three tire spoons. Trick seems to be taking smaller bites when working around the rim to reduce force needed. A warm tire can also help but wasn't needed on the skinny Norton tires.

I use baby powder on the tube and inside the tire, the tire will mount rather easily using it and there is no worries of having water inside the tire to rust your rim. Wipe off excess powder after inflating and then static balance .

The zip tie method mentioned earlier works well for tube type tires, nearly impossible to pinch a tube that way plus the ties can be reused by releasing the catch. Also made a DIY wheel holding fixture that clamps in my Jawhorse, MUCH easier to mount tires when the wheel is secured at waist level. Balance using a Harbor Freight static balancer and that gets clamped in the Jawhorse too.
Bought a gallon of Ruglyde tire lube at Napa after reading that the dishwashing soap I used earlier can be corrosive. When I need new tubes I get them from the local Harley dealer, they carry high quality Dunlops that are the right size for a Commando.

I usually plan a tyre change as a afternoon workout! And I normally get one!

This is particularly dissapointing as I often see a certain octagenarian swapping tyres in a few minutes with a few short metal levers! No marks, no swearing, no sweat, rairly draws blood!

But it is probably fair to say he has over 60 years experience!

I have been using dynabeads, so far no problems on my tubed tyred race bike! I also used them on a Land Rover and Jeep with big tyres.

I have some of the 'Stubby' tyre tools, they are excellent and I love them. I also have some good quality 12"/30cm metal tools which are OK and getin there occasionally! I always use a commercial type tyre lube and 1.5" paintbrush.

I purchased a tyre change stand with bead breaking lever, it is much better than the metal dustbin (trashcan) I used years ago, particularly for the bead breaking.

Stubby are involved in offroad/enduro but I discovered a problem here. I let a local French guy try them on his enduro bike, like a lot of the locals he uses mousse, the tool broke! Stubby said, 'yeah, we don't recommend that!' And yes, it does say that in the instructions! I didn't know he was using mousse and the instructions are not in French. But...without mousse...they work really well.

Worst tyre I did is a tubeless 140/90 15" on a cruiser....no thanks........

Certain modern tubeless rims (Triumph and Ducati in my experience, there may be more) have very little drop in the center and can be a bitch to get tires off even with the No-Mar. I usually just employ it to hold the rim on tube-type tires/rims and use the levers.