Video: How to Install Tubes
Why would we make a video showing how to install tubes? For most of us, that was one of the first things we learned when we started cycling!
Well, for most of us, that was also a long time ago. Since then, rims have changed. Tubes have changed. And tube installation technique has changed as a result. And for younger generations, sticking a tube inside your tire is something you do only after your tubeless setup has failed on the road, and plugs and bacon strips haven’t been able to close the hole. That is, until recently, when TPU tubes have made a lot of cyclists ‘tube-curious.’
What has changed since many of us learned how to change a tube? The biggest difference are tubeless-compatible rims, and how the tire seats on them: Rather than gradually easing into place, the tire bead now snaps into place with a loud ‘Pop.’ That sudden movement stretches the tube abruptly and can cause it to break—especially with superlight, thinwall tubes.
It happened to me with an ultralight butyl tube: I inflated the tube, and it held air just fine. Then the tire seated with a loud ‘Pop.’ A second later, I heard the dreaded ‘Psssst’ of air escaping. When I removed the tire and took out the tube, it looked like it had been pinched with a tire lever during installation. But I hadn’t used a tire lever! I realized that the sudden movement, as the tire seated, had stretched the tube so much that it ruptured.
Another issue we’ve seen is the tube rupturing near the valve, because it got stretched too much during installation. With the thin walls of modern ultralight tubes, it’s important to install them so they don’t move much when you inflate them.
Based on these experiences, we’ve fined-tuned our technique to eliminate these concerns. This video shows all the tricks for installing ultralight tubes on modern tubeless rims. It works not just for TPU tubes, but for all other tubes, too. Enjoy!
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