Changing tubes (what do I need?)

[JayD]

Hello everyone!

 

The T7 is the first bike I own thats not tubeless. I would like to know all the tools that I need to carry on the bike so I can change a flat anywhere on my own.

 

I have a centre stand, which I understand is important for the job.

 

Ive read about a handy tool from Rally raid that works for both front and rear tire - are there any other/better options?

 

Tire levers, which ones do you suggest and where on the bike do you carry them?

 

Do you carry two tubes (18 & 21) or is just a 21 enough so you can drive to the closest workshop?

 

How do you inflate the tire arter changing?

 

Any other things I need to know/buy?

 

Johannes.

Edited December 4, 2020 by JayD
Forgot something

[HoveToo]

I have the Rally Raid axle tool and its fine. Just loosen everything at home when you have plenty of tools and tighten with the tool so you can undo the wheel on the trail. A decent tyre iron - dirtbike express sells a nice alloy one from Apico that has a wheel nut socket option plus a second smaller iron or flat blade screwdriver. I have always used a bicycle pump to reinflate but there are good 12v choices. You can use the 21" tube but  normally its the rear that gets punctured. Holts Tyreweld is a solid standby. Its water based so you can clean up the tyre/tube after use.

[JayD]

2 hours ago, HoveToo said:

I have the Rally Raid axle tool and its fine. Just loosen everything at home when you have plenty of tools and tighten with the tool so you can undo the wheel on the trail. A decent tyre iron - dirtbike express sells a nice alloy one from Apico that has a wheel nut socket option plus a second smaller iron or flat blade screwdriver. I have always used a bicycle pump to reinflate but there are good 12v choices. You can use the 21" tube but  normally its the rear that gets punctured. Holts Tyreweld is a solid standby. Its water based so you can clean up the tyre/tube after use.

Thank you very much sir.

 

Ordered the rally raid tool. Will loosen it at home so I can do it on the trail.

 

How many tyre irons do you suggest having with me? And which size?

 

A small bicycle pump sounds handy.

 

I think I might take one of each tube sizes with me, they dont weight that much.

Edited December 4, 2020 by JayD
Forgot

[ScorpionT16]

Get rid of the tubes and go tubeless, OutEX Kit or Rally Raid Bart tubeless ready rims. This was my first bike with tubes, and I would never want to dismount the tire in the middle of a trail, I couldn't even re-mount without going to a shop to put the bead back.

 

Either way carry a spare 21" tube and the tools you mentioned just in case. The RR one is good in terms of size and weight. Not something I would use in the workshop. 

 

Tire Levers - MotionPro Bead breakers

As for pump - https://www.motopumps.com/

 

 

[365moto.eu]

Hi,

I have the Rally Raid toll too, and it's fine.

 

I use to trip with a 21" Michelin (heavy duty) and a 18" Heidenau for rear (normal one, heavy duty seems not exist) tubes.

Edited December 4, 2020 by 365moto.eu

[JayD]

19 minutes ago, ScorpionT16 said:

Get rid of the tubes and go tubeless, OutEX Kit or Rally Raid Bart tubeless ready rims. This was my first bike with tubes, and I would never want to dismount the tire in the middle of a trail, I couldn't even re-mount without going to a shop to put the bead back.

 

Either way carry a spare 21" tube and the tools you mentioned just in case. The RR one is good in terms of size and weight. Not something I would use in the workshop. 

 

Tire Levers - MotionPro Bead breakers

As for pump - https://www.motopumps.com/

 

 

Thank you for your input!

 

Several adventure/off-road personalilities recommends tires with tubes. I dont recall all exact reason(s), but I do remember one: because its easier to bend a rim on tubeless. What do you think about that?

 

Thanks for the suggestions!

[365moto.eu]

About tubes/tubeless solutions... it's a complex question... please all of you contribute to this list:

 

tubeless pro: 

• no need to dismount anything
• quick repair
• slow deflation
• less expensive repair
• ...

tubeless cons:

• in case you dismount the tire it'difficult to re-bead the tire on the rim
• in case of a tear larger than a simple puncture, it's impossibile to repair it only with worms (but you can use a spare tube if you bring it with you)
• ...

 

tube pro:

• easy to find spare tube in the World
• in case of a tear larger than a simple puncture, you can use a spare tube and continue the trip
• ...

 

tube cons:

• you always need to dismount the tire (more time to repair, and central stand needed)
• you need to wait for the glue to dry (patches)
• ....

 

All IMHO. Please don't slaughter me !

Edited December 4, 2020 by 365moto.eu

[Limey]

In case you dismount a tire on tubeless, that’s  why I carry a tube and I’ve never had to use it.but I’ve used a few sticky worms to get me home.

[MikeCMP]

I mean I don't see tubeless having many negatives. Just carry a tube and a bent rim / huge tear is not a problem. If you were going to carry tubes anyway b/c you had tubed tires, you lose nothing. You gain a lot though b/c in the case of the most common types of punctures, you can use the plugs and carry on easy peazy. You get a massive problem stuff your spare 21" tube in whatever wheel and get yourself somewhere you can fix your bike. 

 

I plan on doing the tubeless at some point, especially in the back. On one ride along i got 3 punctures! All in the back wheel. Cannot remember ever having a front wheel problem.

 

I only ever had one rear puncture i could not fix and it was when i somehow hit a chisel at night, it punctured the tire then went through the rim and nailed the tire to the rim. I still have it hanging on the wall b/c the insurance guy had never even heard of something like that happening ever. With a tube I could probably have kept going but i had roadside and was only like 10 miles from home.

 

Mike

[JayD]

I appreciate all the inputs!

 

Regarding the valve stem, I assume you need the specific tool. Are all stems usually the same size?

[Moto]

Schraeder valves are all the same, so a core removal tool is standard. I agree with the positives on tubeless, although I've only had tubeless on my mountain bikes. Changing rims to do it is a big negative, though. I've been riding enduros and dual-sport for 40 years, and I've only had two flats that I can remember  - one a nail on a road section, and another a big pinch flat from a high speed rock hit. Never had a flat in any race, even with tire pressures in the 16 psi range. Lost a chain master link once, though, so I carry an extra link along now. Probably just been lucky. That's why tubes aren't too big a detractor for me. A bicycle pump works, but is seriously annoying. Takes a LONG time. Get a CO2 inflator instead with extra cartridges. If you keep tubes, you'll need as a trail kit: CO2 inflator, 3 tire irons, patch kit or extra tube (or both), plus wheel removal tools. For a big pinch flat you need a new tube.

[JayD]

5 minutes ago, Moto said:

Schraeder valves are all the same, so a core removal tool is standard. I agree with the positives on tubeless, although I've only had tubeless on my mountain bikes. Changing rims to do it is a big negative, though. I've been riding enduros and dual-sport for 40 years, and I've only had two flats that I can remember  - one a nail on a road section, and another a big pinch flat from a high speed rock hit. Never had a flat in any race, even with tire pressures in the 16 psi range. Lost a chain master link once, though, so I carry an extra link along now. Probably just been lucky. That's why tubes aren't too big a detractor for me. A bicycle pump works, but is seriously annoying. Takes a LONG time. Get a CO2 inflator instead with extra cartridges. If you keep tubes, you'll need as a trail kit: CO2 inflator, 3 tire irons, patch kit or extra tube (or both), plus wheel removal tools. For a big pinch flat you need a new tube.

Thank you very much!

 

If I want to carry an extra core, any Schraeder core will do, correct?

 

Thanks for the list, very much appreciated!

[Moto]

IMO, if you have an extra tube along, it has a new core. And yes, any one should work, although I've never tested that. You could swap it out with your new tube core, if you wanted to, but honestly I doubt you'd need to. It's good to have the core-remover as part of the valve stem cap, although you can buy it as a separate tool, too. One last thing I've done in the past is put a sealant in my tubes before a big ride, like Slime. There are several on the market, and they really do seal up small leaks when you have one. Big leaks, no. The downside is if you have a pinch flat the goo makes a mess. The upside is they seal small leaks.

[Moto]

One last thing worth mentioning: Rims are "drop-center". Tire beads have wires in them. They don't stretch. In order to remove/reinstall a tire, you have to have the opposite side of the tire bead in the "drop center". That gives you enough length to lever the bead over. Make sure your opposite side isn't where the valve stem is, or you'll be cursing over why it's so hard. At home, I spray some WD40 on the last bit of tire bead to help it slip over. It evaporates/gets absorbed and doesn't cause any problems. Saves me from pinching the new tube with my tire iron, which I've done before more than once!

[JayD]

14 minutes ago, Moto said:

One last thing worth mentioning: Rims are "drop-center". Tire beads have wires in them. They don't stretch. In order to remove/reinstall a tire, you have to have the opposite side of the tire bead in the "drop center". That gives you enough length to lever the bead over. Make sure your opposite side isn't where the valve stem is, or you'll be cursing over why it's so hard. At home, I spray some WD40 on the last bit of tire bead to help it slip over. It evaporates/gets absorbed and doesn't cause any problems. Saves me from pinching the new tube with my tire iron, which I've done before more than once!

Thank you so much for this information. Im taking notes and adding the notes to my tool kit.

 

Johannes.

[dobbi]

Fill tubes with tube sealant. 80 to 90% of puunctures get sealed and they do not happen very often. Goop, Slime etc are all well known brands.

don't bother with a tube. buy a really good puncture repair kit. remove the tube repair on site (adds another 20 mins but these events are unlikly to ever happen) and then carry on as normal.

Iv;e ridden about 130 000 miles on tubes and only ever had one puncure and that was only found out the next morning when I reasied I had parked on some broken glass and the movenet of the wheel hadn't sealed up teh hole with the goop inside my innertube.

 

[JayD]

Just now, dobbi said:

Fill tubes with tube sealant. 80 to 90% of puunctures get sealed and they do not happen very often. Goop, Slime etc are all well known brands.

don't bother with a tube. buy a really good puncture repair kit. remove the tube repair on site (adds another 20 mins but these events are unlikly to ever happen) and then carry on as normal.

Iv;e ridden about 130 000 miles on tubes and only ever had one puncure and that was only found out the next morning when I reasied I had parked on some broken glass and the movenet of the wheel hadn't sealed up teh hole with the goop inside my innertube.

 

Thank you for your input!

 

Maybe a silly question, but will a repair kit for bicycles work or would I need something beefier?

[ScorpionT16]

3 hours ago, JayD said:

Thank you for your input!

 

Several adventure/off-road personalilities recommends tires with tubes. I dont recall all exact reason(s), but I do remember one: because its easier to bend a rim on tubeless. What do you think about that?

 

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

Most have chimed in on here... On such a heavy bike, with or without tubes I wouldn't go less than 22psi anyway. Carry a spare tube if a wheel does bend. Tubeless also prevents instant front wheel deflation. 
 

Get a TPMS sensor, and always monitor the pressure, no worries. Get a regular flat, plug and go. The new AT has tubeless, and so do various BMW GS models, and some KTMs. They are no rules, just what works for you

I used the OutEX kit, and 15,000kms later, across Canada ADV trip, no issues.

 

 

ON-to-BC on a T7 | Adventure Rider

---

I left on August 16th, 2020 with a plan to reach Calgary and spend time with my sister, then head out to Vancouver and do a week long ride out to BC. I...

 

Edited December 4, 2020 by ScorpionT16

[Moto]

Bicycle patches are pretty thin and small. The glue is the same. I'd get an automotive kit. Slime makes them. More glue and bigger patches.

[dobbi]

I once repaired a motorcycle tyre with a small bike tyre repair kit and it all went well for a few months.

 

However, it all went terribly wrong when I got on the autobahn and decided to max out the bike for 20 minutes as the patch failed.

 

Bigger propietory bike patches are probably the best way to go !

 

a valve puller also makes things so much easier but ive mot changed a tube on teh t7 yeat snd perhaps the larger wheels than what I am used to will be easier to live with.

[Porsche911]

 

Good afternoon,

Putting slime and carrying a moving liquid does not unbalance the wheel? Is there any kind of vibration due to the movement of the liquid in the wheel?

 

Edited December 4, 2020 by Porsche911

[dobbi]

never noticed it.

it is very likley going to evenly distribute around the tyre once you get started moving.

[HoveToo]

You will need a motorcycle patch kit if you want to be able to repair a tube.

 

I recommend the Adventure Motorcycling Handbook by Chris Scott as he explains the how to of tubeless rim conversions and the why in the book and on his website.

[4Saken]

On 12/4/2020 at 3:29 PM, 365moto.eu said:

About tubes/tubeless solutions... it's a complex question... please all of you contribute to this list:

 

tubeless pro: 

• no need to dismount anything
• quick repair
• slow deflation
• less expensive repair
• ...

tubeless cons:

• in case you dismount the tire it'difficult to re-bead the tire on the rim
• in case of a tear larger than a simple puncture, it's impossibile to repair it only with worms (but you can use a spare tube if you bring it with you)
• ...

 

tube pro:

• easy to find spare tube in the World
• in case of a tear larger than a simple puncture, you can use a spare tube and continue the trip
• ...

 

tube cons:

• you always need to dismount the tire (more time to repair, and central stand needed)
• you need to wait for the glue to dry (patches)
• ....

 

All IMHO. Please don't slaughter me !

Tubeless cons:
I don't know the word in english, if your tyre exit the rim canal, you have to find a pump that can do 5bar to set the tyre in position! In the middle of nowere potentially, this really get you at foot, tubeless is good until you have the tyre on the rim

 

 

[Liquidape]

40 minutes ago, 4Saken said:

Tubeless cons:
I don't know the word in english, if your tyre exit the rim canal, you have to find a pump that can do 5bar to set the tyre in position! In the middle of nowere potentially, this really get you at foot, tubeless is good until you have the tyre on the rim

 

 

I think you are saying seating a tubeless bead can’t be done with a hand pump. Don’t need it. You can seat the tire bead in an emergency with any fairly flammable gas. 

Not the safest method but will work in a pinch.