Clownfish
10-05-2006, 10:25 AM
How much pain would you face to save 25 bucks, eh eh ? Well here is my story from yesterday.
I have gotten my new front wheel now, and so went to TRE (The Racers Edge) in town. What a great store. I have been in there before but never really looked around. The staff were very helpfull, and their prices were very reasonable or Cheap. So i bought a front Tire (they didn't have a rear in, in my size.. 17 inch!) I also managed to get myself a pair of gloves for off roading, FINALLY! Bloody big hands i have it seems. (Yup, xxl not big enough :S). So as you will see in a picture below i now have the front tire on the bike. This was not so easy though, and took me a total of about 1.5 hours. Yikes, i hear.. lol i would.
So the tire removal from the front rim was very easy really, a few tire levers flying around the garage barely missing me noggin was aok in my book. I thought it went smoothly, and was quite happy with my first tire removal. Then it came time to put the new one on. Now new tires are tough, they are really TOUGH. They don't wanna stretch in any direction, and they have this penchant for pressing your fingers in the most annoying and sometimes painful way.So i ge the outside part of the tire around the rim, this wasn't so bad, a couple of trapped fingers and more flying tire irons, and t's all good. Then i realise that the innertube i left on is now sticking outta the wrong side. I try to push it up ove the rim, but the tough new tire just says NO, and keeps throwing it back at me, BAH, and it hurts me fingers. So i decide to take it out and go in from the under the tire direction. This worked quite well really even though i never thought i'd be able to get the valve stem back into the hole.. eek, what a job. So then it's just a case of getting the final side over the rim. Geez, is this tire tough, it took more flying irons, and this time they Flew, lol. I did however get it on without too many issue's (although i now know i missed a very important step!!). So then it's justa case of inflate the tire eh? Well i thought it would be. So then i spend the next 45 minutes to an hour bashing smashing cursing and hurting, to try to get the tire to pop correctly onto it's rim. It just wouldn't lie straight and even. I used a manual pump to put air in the tire, and i eventualy broke this (part of the reason it took me so long). So i have to say i was getting quite the workout, as i had seen someone fix this problem of the tire not fully out in open area before, and they swung the tire and smacked it on the ground, as i was now doing. Boy what a workout, hehe. I then realised that i had failed to do a very important part of putting on a new tire. I had forgotten the lube. Oh man.... So i go get me fairy liquid (washing up liquid), and deflate the tire. Then i somehow squeeze my fingers inside the rim and lubricate it. This hurts ok, Never ever do this. It hurts.. Yup, i said it again. My fingers hurt today because of this idiocy. So then i re inflate and start bashing the tire again, as it's still not settled properly. I should have a picture at this point really, but i was so annoyed and hot by now. Finally, i got mad. And i decided i don't care what happens i am gonna over inflate the tire and then bash it some more. So i went up to 30 pounds, and slipping sliding... POP. It was there, all the way around, nice and even. Oh my. Was that All i had to do to begin with, no real need for all this pain? BAH! I wish i had video'd it all, cos it would be great speeded up, with a few slow mo's of me throwing this wheel around above my head, and it bouncing back up and nearly braining me, heheh. In hindsight it all seems rather daft. But in the moment it's so much more intense. Yes my hands and fingers hurt today, and my shoulders and arms got a great workout i can stil feel the burn from. In the end i saved maybe 25 bucks, and boy was it worth it. Of course i need to get the rear tire changed by friday, hehehe anyone for part 2 :O
I hope ya enjoyed my story
Clownfish
p.s. Keep those front ones high .. yeehaw
I have gotten my new front wheel now, and so went to TRE (The Racers Edge) in town. What a great store. I have been in there before but never really looked around. The staff were very helpfull, and their prices were very reasonable or Cheap. So i bought a front Tire (they didn't have a rear in, in my size.. 17 inch!) I also managed to get myself a pair of gloves for off roading, FINALLY! Bloody big hands i have it seems. (Yup, xxl not big enough :S). So as you will see in a picture below i now have the front tire on the bike. This was not so easy though, and took me a total of about 1.5 hours. Yikes, i hear.. lol i would.
So the tire removal from the front rim was very easy really, a few tire levers flying around the garage barely missing me noggin was aok in my book. I thought it went smoothly, and was quite happy with my first tire removal. Then it came time to put the new one on. Now new tires are tough, they are really TOUGH. They don't wanna stretch in any direction, and they have this penchant for pressing your fingers in the most annoying and sometimes painful way.So i ge the outside part of the tire around the rim, this wasn't so bad, a couple of trapped fingers and more flying tire irons, and t's all good. Then i realise that the innertube i left on is now sticking outta the wrong side. I try to push it up ove the rim, but the tough new tire just says NO, and keeps throwing it back at me, BAH, and it hurts me fingers. So i decide to take it out and go in from the under the tire direction. This worked quite well really even though i never thought i'd be able to get the valve stem back into the hole.. eek, what a job. So then it's just a case of getting the final side over the rim. Geez, is this tire tough, it took more flying irons, and this time they Flew, lol. I did however get it on without too many issue's (although i now know i missed a very important step!!). So then it's justa case of inflate the tire eh? Well i thought it would be. So then i spend the next 45 minutes to an hour bashing smashing cursing and hurting, to try to get the tire to pop correctly onto it's rim. It just wouldn't lie straight and even. I used a manual pump to put air in the tire, and i eventualy broke this (part of the reason it took me so long). So i have to say i was getting quite the workout, as i had seen someone fix this problem of the tire not fully out in open area before, and they swung the tire and smacked it on the ground, as i was now doing. Boy what a workout, hehe. I then realised that i had failed to do a very important part of putting on a new tire. I had forgotten the lube. Oh man.... So i go get me fairy liquid (washing up liquid), and deflate the tire. Then i somehow squeeze my fingers inside the rim and lubricate it. This hurts ok, Never ever do this. It hurts.. Yup, i said it again. My fingers hurt today because of this idiocy. So then i re inflate and start bashing the tire again, as it's still not settled properly. I should have a picture at this point really, but i was so annoyed and hot by now. Finally, i got mad. And i decided i don't care what happens i am gonna over inflate the tire and then bash it some more. So i went up to 30 pounds, and slipping sliding... POP. It was there, all the way around, nice and even. Oh my. Was that All i had to do to begin with, no real need for all this pain? BAH! I wish i had video'd it all, cos it would be great speeded up, with a few slow mo's of me throwing this wheel around above my head, and it bouncing back up and nearly braining me, heheh. In hindsight it all seems rather daft. But in the moment it's so much more intense. Yes my hands and fingers hurt today, and my shoulders and arms got a great workout i can stil feel the burn from. In the end i saved maybe 25 bucks, and boy was it worth it. Of course i need to get the rear tire changed by friday, hehehe anyone for part 2 :O
I hope ya enjoyed my story
Clownfish
p.s. Keep those front ones high .. yeehaw