Tyres

[Robert Leigh]

Thanks for the additional tips which I forgot.

[Denis Sweeney]

Wouldn’t risk it myself, had the wheels on Ruby rebuilt and powder coated so one I did not want to damage the wheels and two, did not want to get it wrong.
Took the wheels, tyres, tubes and tapes, all procured from one source, to a recommended fitter and had him fit them.
I was subsequently told the tubes I had been supplied were incorrect for the tyres and the fitter replaced them with the correct tubes at no extra cost.
The point is would I have known they were wrong? Probably not.
Did he make a good job, superb not a scratch anywhere.

[Andy Bennett]

Assuming the old tyre is heading to the bin would it not make the process easier (and less likely to damage the rim) to cut through the tyre by 3/4 with an angle grinder to weaken it first? Or is that a daft thought?

[andrew34ruby]

Sometimes I have enjoyed changing Austin seven tyres, but recently I really struggled both removing the old tyres and fitting the new Longstones. Simply couldn't do it on my own, but luckily my wife Christine is game to help with anything, and we did it. But we struggled on all five tyres.

I always find it useful to have a length of wood to hand, maybe 18 inches of 2 x 2 and a heavyish hammer. And I like to get the wheels off the ground, lying the wheels on a couple of lengths of 4 x 4. Making sure the tyre is in the well, walk it on around the rim, helped by the occasional nudge with the timber and hammer.

Also to mention, don't use levers when fitting tyres, levers are just for removal. Using levers to fit tyres you will nip the tubes and ruin them.

[Old Dave]

Thanks for all the tyre fitting advice. It is a job to go on the to-do list. I only have to decide what to buy and whether to risk having a go myself.

Until 4 years ago I lived not much than 10 miles from Longstones. Should have done it then perhaps as it is nearer 100 miles to Bawtry Alan and not the easiest of drives. I did that exact run in the modern car back in June to go to the open day at Tickhill castle (which is open only one day a year on the second Sunday of each June between the hours of 2.00 to 4.00 p.m.) as my father was born in the house in the grounds of the castle - I don't tell everybody his father, who owned a Chummy in the 1920's, was the chauffeur. My Dad was a proud Yorkshire man but you can lob bricks into Nottinghamshire from the castle. It has the highest Motte of any castle in England. I had not visited before despite our first house being 2 miles away half-a-century or so ago.

[Dave Mann]

With the Longstones I fitted all I needed was fingers, never had such easy tyres to fit.

[Colin Bromley]

I agree with Dave, the Longstones are by far the easiest cross-ply tyres I have ever fitted, they almost climb onto the rims themselves, no levers needed, getting the last bit of the outer bead over the rim is the hardest bit, but in some cases can be done with your hands, if it is being stubborn, a whack with a rubber mallet will get it there...

["Slack Alice" Simon]

Talcum powder (not washing up liquid) makes a good lubricant, if needed, when fitting tyres.

[Bob Olive]

IF - you have a nice sunny day, warm the tyres up for a couple of hours in the modern, the 'greenhouse effect' really does soften them up.

[Reckless Rat]

If you put the new tyre on by putting the rim in "from behind", that gets the inner bead onto the wheel. It then allows you to put the "front" bead on with the wheel/tyre flat on the floor.

Assuming you've still got some knuckles left after getting the tube valve in place (!) you should then be able to walk the outer bead on with your heels with little difficulty, PROVIDING that:

a) you are wearing stout footwear (not trainers or stilettos)
b) you get the first part of the bead fully into the well of the rim
c) you start 180° away from the valve

If you have to resort to a lever to get the last bit of bead on, then you're doing something wrong.

If the weather is inclement then put the tyre(s) in the airing cupboard overnight before you start