Is there some kind of tool made to insert and remove a tube from a bike tire?

Question

Ive been using the old fashioned method(using some flathead screwdrivers and pulling the tire from the rim and tube) and Im wondering if there is a specific tool(s) to use to do this. I just got a new road bike and dont like the scratches the screwdrivers leave on the rim. Do they sell some kind of special tool for this at bike stores? Thanks.

Answer 1

yup, tire levers. I know i can buy them from my local bike shop for like 3 USD. (and those are the nicer ones)

Answer 2

Tire levers

Answer 3

Yes, you need some tire levers;  they are usually plastic and cost next to nothing.

Answer 4

Tire levers are available in the bike store. They used to be metal, but they have light-weight nylon ones now.

Answer 5

There is  a tool called a tyre lever to take one side of the tyre off the rim, the tube is then accessible.

I used to use the handle of forks and large spoons, not screwdrivers the blade is too sharp. New bike often came with tyre levers. They should be available at the bike shop.

Answer 6

No, those idiots are wrong.

However there is a tool made for removing a tire from a rim, A tire iron or tire-lever. Buy 3 of them their cheap. when you use a screwdriver you risk puncturing the tube

Answer 7

Traditional tire levers, a.k.a. "tire irons" came in sets of 3, with a rounded business end, and a bent, hooked end for hooking onto a spoke. Newer ones are fibreglass or similar materials. I have an assortment of them for different tires. For very tight fitting tires, you need tire levers with thin ends, able to get underneath tight beads.

For less difficult tires, a single tire lever with a rounded, grooved end can be faster. I particularly like the "Quick Stick."

A similar unit, the Crank Brothers "Speed Lever" incorporates a telescoping extension that snaps onto the axle. This works very much like the power tools used in garages for mounting/dismounting automobile tires. This doesn't work too well on very tight tires, but on average tires, it is quite fast and easy to use.

Answer 8

tire lever. please! the only place on your bike wanting the adjustment of a screwdriver is your derailleur stop s***w! and that is typically a phillips s***w. everything else requires an allen key, wrench, or bike specific tool. never improvise!

Answer 9

When you get good at using tire levers you'll probably only need 1 to get your tire off the rim so you can access the tube.

a bit of advice- buy 3 (they cost $1 each at my local shop) and then wrap them with some not very sticky duct-tape (2-3 feet).  You'll want the duct tape sometime down the road, and it keeps your tire levers together.  I've used the duct tape to

1- hold a bandage on a bleeding wound

2- boot a tire (cut sidewall, 2 layers of duct tape on the inside and I was able to ride 50 more miles)

3- re-attach a bike light that the plastic clip had snapped

4- hold down bar tape that ripped

5- patch a tube with a hole

I've also heard stories of someone who had an extremely bad wound that was bleeding profusely.  he got duct-taped shut to keep from bleeding out while waiting for an ambulance to show up (I live in a rural area, we bike 30 miles or more from the nearest hospital).

If you go long distances away from support you might find a number of reasons to have some duct tape along.

Also, you should find someone experienced to learn how to change a flat or take a class on how to change your tires.  You might also want to invest in a frame pump (large bike pump that is tension held under your top tube) in the event of a flat.