Patching a Bicycle Tire Inner Tube

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Introduction

You will be taking the wheel off of your bike, removing the tire from the wheel, and patching the hole.

Notes:

Make sure that the wheel is fully deflated throughout the process, except for finding the hole.
When applying the rubber cement to the hole, the thinner the layer the better, for faster drying.

What you need

Step 1 Rear Wheel

Patching a Bicycle Tire Inner Tube, Rear Wheel: step 1, image 1 of 2

Patching a Bicycle Tire Inner Tube, Rear Wheel: step 1, image 2 of 2

Flip the quick release lever on the wheel.

Step 2

Squeeze the brake arms together and lift the brake cable from the caliper arms.

Step 3

Hold the wheel to the ground, and pull the bike frame up and away to remove the wheel from the bike.

Step 4 Inner Tube

Patching a Bicycle Tire Inner Tube, Inner Tube: step 4, image 1 of 1

Press the valve core while applying pressure to the tire to deflate the tire.

Step 5

Insert the flat part of a tire lever under the tire coping. Apply pressure to the other end of the lever to lift the tire up and out of the wheel.
Slide the lever around the circumference of the wheel to completely remove the tire.
Alternatively, if you have multiple tire levers, see if you can clip the first lever to a spoke to keep it in place. Then insert the second lever a few inches away. Clip it to a spoke. Insert the third lever a few more inches along. Take out the second lever and insert it it a few inches past the third. Work along the rim until the tire pops off.

Step 6

Remove the tube by pushing the valve through the hole in the rim and pulling the tube out from under the tire.

Step 7 Patching a Bicycle Tire Inner Tube

Patching a Bicycle Tire Inner Tube, Patching a Bicycle Tire Inner Tube: step 7, image 1 of 1

Press the valve core while applying pressure to the tire to deflate the tire.

Step 8

Insert the flat part of a tire lever under the tire coping. Apply pressure to the other end of the lever to lift the tire up and out of the wheel.
Slide the lever around the circumference of the wheel to completely remove the tire.

Step 9

Remove the tube by pushing the valve through the hole in the rim and pulling out completely.

Step 10

Locate the leak by first over inflating the tire.
Place the tire under water and look for bubbles to find the leak.

Step 11

Mark the hole with a marker, and completely deflate the tire.

Step 12

Select a patch kit that you will use to patch the hole. Try to pick a patch that is appropriate for the size of the hole.

Step 13

Clean the area near the hole with soap and water, then dry it thoroughly.
Rough up the area around the hole with an abrasive surface such as sand paper until the area around the leak loses its shine.