Bicycle tires different sizes on front and back? did i get ripped off?

Question

i own a racing bike. i had a flat tire on the back of my bike so i sent it into a sports store to get it changed and my spokes adjusted. he said the tire would cost $20 originally, but changed the price to $30. when i went to pick it up, the back tire that he put on was twice the size of the front tire. he said it was a specially designed racing bike tire larger than the usual sizes. he said i should probably get the same kind for the front. what's up with that? is he trying to rip me off?

Answer 1

racing tyres tend to be smaller than standard not larger, eg 700 x 28 would be for normal road use but a 700x19 slick would be for racing, where the 28 and 19 are width of the tyre, thus reducing drag.

Sounds like he guessed you wouldn,t know what he was talking about and took advantage although $30 is probably about right if he fitted it and trued your wheel.

Answer 2

Why did he change the tyre to fix a flat? and why did he charge you so much for the privilege?

An inner tube costs about £4 ($8) - He's ripping you off. Take the bike back in and ask to speak to the manager.

To be fair though, you really should know how to use a puncture repair kit/replacing of an inner-tube.

Answer 3

I must admit it does sound dubious !

Must of us use 700x23c tyres but a 700x25 is acceptable, anything larger than that (including 700x28) and my BS detector would be having kittens!!!!

More importantly, a lack of tread on the tyre does NOT mean lack of adhesion to the road, infact the reverse is true! - Slick tyres on a 700x23c are far better than ones with tread, especially in the wet. This is getting into a different 'ball-park' though!

As a previous contributor has mentioned, you should be able to mend your own punctures, -  it doesn't take long!

Hopes this helps mate!

.

Answer 4

He probably just wanted the money. I wouldn't go back there again if i was you!!

Answer 5

ANYONE can learn how to change a tire ! It takes less than 15 minutes...Some bikes do have different tires on the front back though. But NOT a major difference.

Answer 6

It would help if there was a bit more detail. Let say your wheel is a 700c. If you only had a flat and the tire was in good condition, then you got ripped. Was the total for just the tire or the whole repair, ie: tire, patch, spoke tightening? If your wheel needed to be trued then I can understand the price. But the thing that bothers me is the bigger tires. Let's change the scenario with a 27" wheels. It is slightly larger in diameter and tires are harder to come by. If the shop has them in stock, it's  generally 1 1/4". Much wider than 23mm, almost 32mm. It tends to cost more now a days. But the information you have provided us, it sounds like you got taken. You might want to take the bike back and speak with management. Have them explain the bill, and what they did. Hopefully on the spoke thing, they did adjust it right, not randomly tightening them so it doesn't "feel" loose.

Your best insurance plan is, like all the other posters have said, learn to take you own tire off and patch your own. If you know how to drive a car, then hopefully you know how to check your own oil and change the tire. It's general maintainence. If you need a tutorial, check out the website for parktool.com