Not a ‘Pro’
You’ve watched the pros on YouTube. They make it look so easy. A tyre swap in 15 minutes flat, smiling, sipping coffee, barely breaking a sweat. This video is about me, an ‘Amateur changing Tyres’
“I can do this”
Armed with tire levers, confidence, and a vague memory of what that Australian guy on YouTube said about bead lube, you dive in. First challenge: getting the wheel off. After twenty minutes of wrestling your bike like a wild animal, it finally gives in. You’re sweating already, but still optimistic.
Next, the dreaded bead. You push. You pull. You use your knees, your feet, possibly your neighbor’s crowbar. The tyre doesn’t budge. You rewind the video. He just taps it off. You try tapping. Nothing. You try swearing. Still nothing. Eventually, with a grunt and a noise that sounds like a horse sneezing, it comes off.
You feel victorious.
Then you meet your new enemy: the fresh road tyre. It’s stiff, smug, and clearly doesn’t want to be part of your wheel. You try to spoon it on. It laughs at you. You kneel, you sweat, you lose a fingernail. The tube pinches. You start bargaining with God. Eventually—miraculously—it’s on.
You inflate it, wipe the blood off your knuckles, and look at your wheel with pride. You did it. And you definitely deserve a beer. Or three.
