NO-SCRATCH TIRE CHANGES: MR KNOW-IT-ALL

SCRATCH THE ITCH
Dear Mr. Know-It-All,
I’d love to go riding this weekend. I have a new set of tires for my bike, but I’ve never changed my own tires. I attempted to do so, but only managed to get one side of the tire off and pull the tube out. I can’t seem to get the other side of the tire over the rim. How do I do this without prying or scratching my wheels?
Nervous Ned
[email protected]

Ned, you sound like a dirt bike newbie, and therefore I shan’t slam your lack of mechanical adeptness. Basically, you’ve got the hardest part of the job done. The easiest way to remove the tire completely from the wheel is to spoon off the first side of the tire and make sure to pull your tube, which you’ve already done. Now, the best way to avoid scratching your precious wheels is to flip your wheel over and basically spoon off the remaining side of the tire using the same technique as with the first side. Once this is accomplished, the rim will want to drop down into the tire, and you’ll have plenty of room to slide the rim out of your tire with a little prying with your hands. One final note, Ned: having proper tire irons is a huge help, and if you are not using foam inserts, the Zip-Ty Racing tire iron (T10003) is excellent. Get at least two, but three if you have the change. They sell for $19.99 apiece at www.ziptyracing.com. And check out the video on the Dirt Bike website on how to change a dirt bike tire. It will help: https://dirtbikemagazine.com/how-to-change-a-dirt-bike-tire/