Guides
How to change a bike tyre — and how to tell when it is due
The steps that keep the rim intact and the new tube un-pinched — plus what the manufacturers actually publish about wear.
Short answer
Getting it off: deflate fully, push both beads into the deep centre channel of the rim — that slack is what makes the rest easy — then work one bead off, using plastic levers if you need them, never metal. Before the new tube goes in: run a finger round the inside of the tyre and find what caused the puncture, or you will flat again within a mile. Putting it back: a little air in the tube so it holds its shape, fit the bead by hand and finish opposite the valve, then check all the way round that no tube is trapped under the bead before you inflate.
And when is it actually due? Schwalbe give the hard limit: replace the tyre once the puncture protection belt or casing threads become visible on the tread.
Changing the tyre or tube, step by step
Two things decide whether this goes well: getting enough slack before you fight the bead, and finding the cause before you fit a new tube. Everything else is routine.
- Let all the air out. Press the valve until the tyre is completely soft. A tyre with residual pressure will not drop into the rim channel.
- Push both beads into the centre of the rim. The rim is deeper in the middle than at the edges, and that depth is the slack you need. Work all the way round with your thumbs. On many combinations the tyre now comes off by hand.
- If you need levers, use plastic ones. Hook one under the bead, lever it over the rim, hold it, then use a second a hand's width along. Never a screwdriver and never a metal lever on an alloy or carbon rim — the notch it leaves is where the rim cracks later.
- Take the tube out, starting away from the valve. Push the valve up out of the rim last, straight, so you do not bend it.
- 🔴 Find the cause. Run a finger carefully round the entire inside of the tyre — carefully, because what punctured it is often still in there and sharp. Check the rim tape too: if it has slipped, a spoke hole is the culprit and a new tube will fail the same way.
- Check the tyre itself before refitting. If the puncture protection belt or the casing threads are showing, the tyre is finished (see below) — fitting a new tube into it only buys you a few kilometres.
- Put a little air in the new tube — just enough that it holds its shape and stops it folding under the bead. Fit the valve through the rim first, then feed the tube in all the way round.
- Fit the second bead by hand, finishing opposite the valve. Push the part already fitted into the centre channel as you go; the last stretch only works if the rest has slack. Watch the rotation arrow on the sidewall.
- Check before you inflate. Push the valve up into the tyre and back down, then go round both sides and make sure no tube is pinched between bead and rim. A trapped tube is the single most common reason a brand-new one fails.
- Inflate in stages and watch the seating line on the sidewall run evenly all the way round on both sides. Then bring it up to pressure — figures in our tyre pressure guide.
When a tyre is actually due — three limits
1. The wear indicator. Continental mark their tyres with a TWI (tread wear indicator), a small recess in the tread: once it is reached the tyre should be replaced — specifically, once the tread in the centre of the tyre is no longer clearly visible. Schwalbe fit such indicators only on the Pro One road range: four dimples in the tread, marked with arrows and the letters T.W.I.
2. The hard limit. Schwalbe put it plainly: the tyre must be replaced once the puncture protection belt or the casing threads become visible on the tread. At that point there is nothing left to decide.
3. The sidewall. Continental recommend checking regularly for visible cracks, because those can cause instability. Schwalbe name a common origin for sidewall damage: running too little pressure.
How long a tyre lasts — the published figures
Schwalbe are one of the few manufacturers who publish numbers at all, and they publish the spread along with them, because pressure, load, surface, temperature and riding style decide it. For mountain bike tyres they explicitly give no figure.
| Tyre | Service life | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Standard tyres | 2,000–5,000 km | Schwalbe |
| Marathon family | 6,000–12,000 km | Schwalbe |
| Marathon Racer / Supreme | approx. 5,000–9,000 km | Schwalbe |
| Marathon Plus | usually well over 10,000 km | Schwalbe |
| Schwalbe One (road) | 3,000–7,000 km | Schwalbe |
| MTB | no figure given by the manufacturer | Schwalbe |
The rear tyre is almost always first: it carries more weight and transmits the drive. That is why BikeCare tracks front and rear as separate parts with separate intervals rather than averaging them into one.
Does a tyre age on the shelf?
Yes, but later than is often claimed. Schwalbe write that you can store a Schwalbe bicycle tyre for five years without trouble — cool, dry and above all dark. Continental name no maximum age but advise storing tyres neither too cold nor too hot and keeping them out of direct sunlight. For a bike that gets ridden, the condition matters more than the date.
Common questions
How do I change a bike tyre without levers?
On many tyre and rim combinations you can, and it is gentler on the rim: push the whole tyre bead into the deep centre channel of the rim all the way round, which buys you the slack to roll the last section off by hand. If it will not move, use levers rather than force — but plastic ones, and never a screwdriver. A steel edge on an alloy or carbon rim leaves a notch, and a notch is where the rim later cracks.
Which way round does the tyre go?
Most tyres carry a rotation arrow on the sidewall — fit it so the arrow points in the direction of travel when the wheel is on the bike. Some models have separate front and rear arrows, because the front tyre is optimised for braking grip and the rear for drive. If there is no arrow, direction does not matter.
How long does a bicycle tyre last?
Schwalbe are one of the few manufacturers who publish figures at all: 2,000 to 5,000 km for standard tyres, 6,000 to 12,000 km for the Marathon family, usually well over 10,000 km for the Marathon Plus, and 3,000 to 7,000 km for the Schwalbe One road tyre. For mountain bike tyres they explicitly give no figure. The spread is that wide because pressure, load, surface, temperature and riding style decide it — the kilometres are an indication, the condition decides.
How do I know a tyre is worn out?
Three things. The wear indicator: Continental mould a TWI into the tread and say replacement is due once the tread in the centre of the tyre is no longer clearly visible. The hard limit: Schwalbe write that a tyre must be replaced once the puncture protection belt or casing threads become visible on the tread. And the sidewall — Continental advise checking regularly for visible cracks, because those can lead to instability.
Why does the rear tyre wear out first?
It carries the larger share of the weight and it transmits the drive, so it works harder under acceleration and braking. In BikeCare front and rear are therefore two separate parts with their own intervals — 5,000 km front, 3,000 km rear — counted and replaced independently, because they wear independently.
Do I have to replace both tyres at once?
No, and there is no manufacturer requirement for it; they wear at different rates anyway. A widely repeated piece of advice is to move the better tyre to the front when you replace one: a rear puncture can usually be rolled to a stop, a front one is harder to control. We have found no manufacturer who states this, so we pass it on as practice rather than as a rule.
Sources
Das rechnet BikeCare für dich
BikeCare tracks front and rear tyres as separate parts, with their own intervals and their own forecast — and reminds you to look long before the casing shows through.