# bike tire and duct tape **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 28, 2003, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362 "2003-12-28T02:46:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![5cents](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/46a35a/32.png) [@5cents](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5cents)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/21 "2003-12-28T21:53:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vanilla \* > \*\*We called the localbike shop. > They said to bring the bike in and have them change the tire with a new one,would be about $45. > ☹ \*\* That must be assuming that you need a new tire, which isn’t obvious from what has been discussed here. What is obvious is that you need a new tube. Tubes are cheap, tires aren’t. BTW, the quote of $45 seems steep, but obviously I don’t know what the conversation was between you and the shop, so I can’t say definitively. A generic tire in a typical size (20", 24", 26", 27", 700c) is around $15 to $20. A generic tube in these sizes is $3 to $5. Labor for replacing a tube/tire is generally $5 to $10. Add them all up at the highest range, and you’re still significantly below $45. ---
**Author:** ![5cents](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/46a35a/32.png) [@5cents](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5cents)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/22 "2003-12-28T22:22:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Padeye \* > \*\*How much of that is the cost of the tire? Bike shops don’t carry cheap tires as as rule. If you want to go cheap go to K-mart or other discount store and get a new tire and tube. You may need to go to a bike shop to get a set of tire levers. They are little prybars to get the tire on and off the rim. Good ones are plastic so they can’t cut the tube and have a hook to attach to the spokes when you run our of hand. \*\* The problem with this is that I assume from the questions posed that Vanilla & son aren’t mechanically inclined. Chaces are that the tire is fine, so buying a cheap one from kmart is just a waste of money. Buying a cheap tube from kmart is fine, but if you destroy a couple of them trying to teach yourself how to mount one, you’ve probably already wasted more money that just going to a bike shop, buying their tube, and paying them to show you how to do it. If the shop you called doesn’t seem willing to teach you as they do the tube change, find another shop. ---
**Author:** ![jsleek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8dc957/32.png) [@jsleek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsleek)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/23 "2003-12-28T22:33:37Z")
for $45 you can buy a lot of tubes, a crescent wrench, and get a bit of learning. You learn bike repair the way you learn chess: by losing a lot. You make a mistake and it pops. You make anothor and it pops again. Eventually you get ir right. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/24 "2003-12-29T00:49:37Z")
They said labor was $25. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/25 "2003-12-29T03:08:45Z")
I bought a ten speed bike at a local 2nd hand store for $30. It works fine. You can find a cheap used bike at a thrift shop, the classifieds, bulletin boards in the local grocery store, the internet, or a number of other places. Don’t spend $45 to fix that one. Bicycles have gone the way of VCRs and toasters. They just aren’t worth fixing anymore. Replacement is cheaper. That’s probably why it was discarded. Now is an especially good time to find another one because many children recieved new ones for Christmas. Keep this one around for spare parts. Good luck and happy hunting! ---
**Author:** ![KenGr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecc23a/32.png) [@KenGr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KenGr)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/26 "2003-12-29T03:11:14Z")
I’m sure the bike shop charges that much because they do other things like tighten the spokes and true the rim when they change a tire. My advice would be to buy a cheap tube (and tire if needed) at a discount store and let the boy learn how to change tires. It’ s a necessary skill. Just make sure you lock up all the screwdrivers before he starts (to keep them from being used a tire irons). If you lubricate the tire and rim well with liquid soap before you start, most bike tires require no tire tools to change. ---
**Author:** ![5cents](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/46a35a/32.png) [@5cents](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5cents)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/27 "2003-12-29T03:32:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vanilla \* > \*\*They said labor was $25. > :eek: \*\* You live in Manhattan? ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/28 "2003-12-29T03:40:56Z")
ha! I live in Euclid, which , as I just noticed, is not that far from you sir! ---
**Author:** ![5cents](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/46a35a/32.png) [@5cents](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5cents)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/29 "2003-12-29T07:03:47Z")
OK, so wht shop told you changing a tire is $25 labor? I want to know, so I can make sure not to recommend them to anybody. Most shops charge about $30 per hour shop labor. Changing a tube/tire is a 5 minute job (10 minutes if you are blindfolded, have one arm tied behind your back and are eating pizza). A good shop that isn’t too far from you (5 miles?) is Bicycle Boulevard. They are on Chagrin Blvd near Warrensville Center Rd. The owner, Frank, is a good guy. His (very minimal) website is [http://www.bicycleboulevard.com/](http://www.bicycleboulevard.com/). I noticed a link on the site to [http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/skills/fixflat.htm](http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/skills/fixflat.htm) that could be helpful to you. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/30 "2003-12-29T16:09:56Z")
I _think_ its called Bike Board and Skates on E. 222 St. ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/31 "2003-12-30T01:17:20Z")
You’ll kick yourself about how easy it is to change a tire and/or tube once you learn how. If you have a friend who can show your son how to do it, it’ll be invaluable. You don’t need any special tools (tire levers are nice, but I got along fine for years as a kid using screwdrivers and a little care not to mar the rim or pinch the tube), and low-end tires and tubes are pretty cheap (tube: $5, tire: $10, and you probably don’t need both). Considering that cost is such an issue, I’d recommend against buying the tires and tubes at a bike shop. They tend to be the pricier stuff, and if you’re just replacing the tires on a found bike, that’s overkill. And of course there’s the fact that bike shop folks can be a little elitist and condescending if you don’t know what you’re talking about (and even if you do). Just head down to your local sporting good store / kmart / whatever and ask for the right parts. Be sure to write down the sizing info on the old tire or bring it with you. To make a long story short, new tires and/or tubes should not stand in the way of enjoying a free bike. Replacing them doesn’t have to cost $45. I’d also like to throw in that a free bike is a great opportunity for a kid to learn about tools and how things work. Most “junky” bikes can be restored to very good working condition simply by being taken apart and cleaned really well. Learning how to do that is simply a matter of trying it. Start with taking the wheels off and cleaning out the gears and chain. Over time, work up to opening up bearings and cleaning (and regreasing) them. By the time I was 12, my friends and I were literally completely disassembling our bikes (spokes excepted) every other week, and they ran like new for years. My current bike was purchased in 1987 and even though it’s ancient technology, it’s still as smooth as silk due to the experience I got tinkering when I was a kid. ---
**Author:** ![Zaphod7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/df788c/32.png) [@Zaphod7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zaphod7)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/32 "2003-12-30T01:27:47Z")
but duct tape fixes everything ---
**Author:** ![5cents](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/46a35a/32.png) [@5cents](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5cents)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362/33 "2003-12-30T03:26:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ntucker \* > **Considering that cost is such an issue, I’d recommend against buying the tires and tubes at a bike shop. They tend to be the pricier stuff, and if you’re just replacing the tires on a found bike, that’s overkill. And of course there’s the fact that bike shop folks can be a little elitist and condescending if you don’t know what you’re talking about (and even if you do). Just head down to your local sporting good store / kmart / whatever and ask for the right parts. Be sure to write down the sizing info on the old tire or bring it with you.** Some shops can be elitist. There’s one in particular near here that, in the few times I’ve been there, have answered my questions condescendingly. FWIW, I have worked in a number of bike shops as a mechanic, spanning 15 years. Like in every business, there are great people and there are turkeys - avoid the turkeys. The reason I suggested a bike shop is that, if you can find one that will show you what to do for $5 to $10, it’s money well spent. It’s trivial to wreck 2 or 3 tubes learning to change a tire with no help, and for the cost of those 2 or 3 tubes you could have saved yourself a lot of aggravation. If you have a friend that knows what they are doing, or are mechanically inclined and can figure things out by reading directions in a book, then sure, you can skip the shop. The problem with going to kmart is that you can ask for the right parts, but your chances of finding somebody to answer tyour questions who has any more of a clue about bikes than your average squirrel is remote. If you go this route, you’ve got to serve yourself. As for tire levers - never use them, I have mechanics thumbs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-tire-and-duct-tape/221362.md?page=1)