Tire Changing & Balancer equipment ?

[bflint]

I pay a mechanic a minimum of $100 to have my tires changed ... sometimes more. Thinking about DIY. Looks like I need to buy (a) tire irons, (b) wheel shield, [c] replacement valves, (d) weight kit, and (e) a balancer. Amazon has all this stuff, but I just don't know "what works". Any suggestions? Thanks

[pekingduck]

There are 2 parts to this. Removing the wheels from the bike, and then removing/installing the tire. For a shop with modern equipment, the more time consuming part is removing/reinstalling a wheel. If you are able to do this with confidence, I recommend bringing the wheel to a shop to have them do the second part.

For the second part, you would have to break the bead, and then use tire levers to remove/install the tire, then balance it. This is far harder to do at home.

I have a Coats 220 mechanical changer bolted to a large base at home that has a bead breaker, and a mechanical 3-point clamp. It still takes a lot of effort and patience and care, and you can still bruise your knuckles, the rim, and the tire.

I would not try any of the lighter duty tire changing stands - they are designed for dirt bikes and still work best with more hands on deck.

[GoldOxide_imp]

I balance the wheel using an old pipe.

[Rocky_imp]

To each his own, but I remove the wheel and happily pay the shop the going rate to install and balance a new tire.
I take the wheel in first thing in the morning and pick it up a couple of hours later - sometimes it gets done while I wait.
I change the tires myself on my vintage bikes, but to wrestle with a modern tubeless tire is more aggravation than I want to tackle.

[Pauley]

I change my own tires. Not that difficult. Youtube has a few good videos that give you all the right tips and tricks.

I use Motion Pro bead breakers which double as nice tire levers. I have a couple of sets of rims guards to minimize scratching my rims, a few other tire spoons. A Motion Pro Bead Buddy really helps to keep the opposite working edge of the bead from slipping. A cheap balance stand is a must and gets pretty good results. A good spray on bead lube also helps the process. I tried the zip tie trick once - not much different level of effort in my opinion.

[LongRanger_imp]

I’m with Rocky. I can easily pull the wheels myself and am not too proud to have the shop change the tires. $25 per wheel “off the bike” — it’s money well spent. It costs even less if I buy the tires from the shop (I usually don’t).

[Houtman_imp]

I buy my tires from my local dealer , take the wheels of myself . If I bring the wheel into the shop I can leave 30 minutes later with everything done. To me it is not worth the struggle to do it myself and having to buy all the equipment and tools.

[peterbaron]

Ride in with old shoes, ride out with new ones. Done.
Now, I'd rather spend that time riding than replacing bike tires.

[GoldOxide_imp]

Ride in with old shoes, ride out with new ones. Done.
Now, I'd rather spend that time riding than replacing bike tires.

I generally agree.

However, it appears to be some sort of rite-of-passage on the ADV forums to be able to change your own tires.

I understand there is something organic and whole - though I don't recall that myself.

[Tev62]

Ride in with old shoes, ride out with new ones. Done.
Now, I'd rather spend that time riding than replacing bike tires.

That's me too. Ride to the shop and let them do everything start to finish at a cost of €20 per wheel (€10 if it was a loose wheel). Meanwhile I'll drink their free coffee and browse shop for helmets, clothing, accessories etc. I wouldn't change enough tyres to warrant having the equipment myself.