Turning Bike Upside Down to Fix Punctures?

You scrub your tyres clean ?
Yet have the nerve to scoff at people turning their bikes upside down…………I’d p1ss myself laughing if I saw you scrubbing your tyres clean…….

In Njee’s defence, his bike probably cost more than my bike and car together, and looks in considerably better condition than either!

You scrub your tyres clean ?

Definitely! Takes a minute when cleaning the bike! I realise that’s an alien concept to most though!

Trailside what are your other options? lay it on it’s side, paint first in the gravel? have a friend hold it upright? Carry a workstand at all times? Grips and saddles don’t take much hurt from the dirt. Just watch out you don’t get dog crap on you contact points… It’s nice to have gravity on your side with certain droputs.

Of course in the garage it’s a different story, a concrete floor will ruin your lock on collars pretty quick so you might as well break out the workstand…

They’re much harder to clean off the bike, dunno why you’d remove them to clean them!

Yes but he wanted to make sure there was no dirt that had seeped between the bead of the tyre and the rim. In essence he scrubed the tyre then took the tyre off and scrubbed the rim

I only clean the rim up when I take the tyre off, just extra work otherwise!

You scrub your tyres clean ?
Yet have the nerve to scoff at people turning their bikes upside down…………I’d p1ss myself laughing if I saw you scrubbing your tyres clean…….

I do too, but my bike lives in my bedroom so it has to be clean.

Why would you not do it? ‘Oooh I don’t want to scratch my levers’ – MTFU son.

I thought it was compulsory to have your bike upside down when the obligatory “Woodpile” photo is taken?

When scrubbing said tyres do you wear Marigolds as well…………?

Nah, I’m never clean, just the bike.

That’s ok then,I was starting to get a bit worried…….. 🙂

Very good! Very good! 😉

I’m biting…

Way to knacker your grips/GPS/stem/lockout lever!

Only a muppet wouldn’t take the computer/GPS off first. Only a muppet would care about getting the grips dirty. Why haven’t you got the lockout lever fitted below the bars? Although it took me a year to work out I could fit it under the bars! 😳

And yes, if I take the rear wheel out, which is very rare, I will turn the bike upside down. Otherwise I look like one of those muppets on the video “Shit Mountain Bikers Say…”.

No, it’s really not. And none of the guys I ride with do it either, come to think of it!

my ergon grips have neat little rubbery flanges that the bike stands on when upside down. unexpected bonus feature.

Scratched lock on collars would annoy me though!

i had one guy on tour who would produce a sock from his saddle bag and pull it over the bar-end/grip if leaning his bike against the wall. he had a second sock in there in case he got a puncture….

njee20 – Member
No, it’s really not. And none of the guys I ride with do it either, come to think of it!

And nor do I…

So that’s 4 folk on this thread who don’t do it, I’m genuinely surprised!

Nowt like a good inversion here, everything goes in much easier!

Helps keep fork rings nicely lubed too!

It was explained to me a long time ago that its one of the differences between cyclists and people who ride bikes. Turning the bike over shows a lack of mechnical sympathy/understanding. Its not like bikes are supposed to up side down.
I guess its like rolling your car over to work on the underside. You could but theres better ways, if you (can)think about it.
Can have an effect on your forks as well, both good and bad depending on your forks.

If your bike is upside down is it easier the throw tubes in to a tree?

I always do cos it’s miles easier (back wheel only though)to line everything up. My mate doesn’t & usually ends up cursing.

It was explained to me a long time ago that its one of the differences between cyclists and people who ride bikes. Turning the bike over shows a lack of mechnical sympathy/understanding. Its not like bikes are supposed to up side down.

Oh dear god. What do you think is going to happen to it exactly? And as above it’s recommended for Fox forks (maybe other too).

guess its like rolling your car over to work on the underside.

Um……… yeah….. It’s just like that. 😕

so the person who is too cool for lock-on grips is astonished that turning the bike upside down helps get a wheel in/out. not really surprising is it?

Speshpaul – Member
It was explained to me a long time ago that its one of the differences between cyclists and people who ride bikes

Ah – that explains it. I’m obviously only “a person that rides bikes” and not a cyclist – even though the 10,000km I did last year might suggest otherwise.

Spesh paul. Thats crazy talk!! id flip my car over in an instant if it were possible so would most folk whove spent many winter evenings on cold concrete trying to get a bolt undone !! Christ on a bike !! the worlds gone mad!! 🙄

Upside down? Pffft! It’s what trees were built for
[/url]
IMG_1872[/url] by rOcKeTdOgUk[/url], on Flickr

I completely understand the car analogy. In fact, I carry a small shovel with me at all times so that in the event of needing to change a wheel or fettle with the rear mech I can dig a 5′ deep inspection pit to stand in while I work on the bike. Sorted.

I’d rather be some guy who rides bikes than a cyclist. When what you do defines who you are you need to question whether you have any personality.

so the person who is too cool for lock-on grips is astonished that turning the bike upside down helps get a wheel in/out. not really surprising is it?

I’m not too cool for lock-on grips, they just solve a non-existent problem whilst adding a load of unnecessary weight!

It doesn’t make it easier though, that’s the point. I worked in a bike shop for 10 years, I never once saw any staff member (in fact I’ve never seen it in any bike shop) do it. Must have fitted many thousands of wheels.

Can you imagine if pro-tour riders started turning their bike upside down to change a wheel at the roadside, utterly absurd!

Bike upside down=frame fixed in place/, wheel drops in under it’s own weight virtually. Bike upright = front wheel flops around, rear frame flops all over the place, wheel flops all over the place-aaaaarrrgghhhhh. (always try to find a patch of grass to turn it over on mind)

It doesn’t make it easier though, that’s the point. I worked in a bike shop for 10 years, I never once saw any staff member (in fact I’ve never seen it in any bike shop) do it. Must have fitted many thousands of wheels.

During that time you didn’t manage to work out that the ONLY job that is easier to do out of a stand is put the wheels in the dropouts. When the bike is upside down…….

Are you a tad special or are you making a huge effort to troll? I can’t work out which.

Damn i must be just some person who rides bikes, some bloody stupid elitism going on here – let’s wave our willies if we conform and fix punctures without turning our bikes upside down! Really? New one on me.
I remove my wheels when fixing punctures by turning my bike upside down, strike me down.
Good shout on turning the car upside down Speshpaul, i’d never thought of that. I guess that would make me just someone who drives cars then would it?

Scratched lock on collars would annoy me though!

It’s a mountain bike, all mine are battered to f***. Dented tubes, deep scratches, torn saddles. If you ride knarly stuff often enough you’ll flip over the bars every once in a while and scratched lock on collars will be the least of your worries! Many a time I’ve seen my bike fly off down a hill past me when I’ve exceeded my skills limit!

Can you imagine if pro-tour riders started turning their bike upside down to change a wheel at the roadside, utterly absurd

So your main concern is wanting to look like a ‘pro-tour rider’ – I see.

My mate told me off for turning his bike over to take the wheels off so I could put them in the car. I thought he was joking at first but he took the bike off me and but the bars on some grass. Apparently he didn’t want to scratch his new XTR leavers. I’m not fussed about turning mine over a little bit of a scratch is no bother to me. I did scratch my light once when I did it and was bothered for about 2 mins, and I will remove my GPS if I remember to.

Wow, only 9% put the wheel in with the bike the right way up?!

SO MUCH easier to do it with the bike the right way up – frame weight overcomes the rear mech tension and it just drops in. Lean on the saddle to ensure the axle is fully home in the dropouts and do up the qr. There’s a risk with doing it bike upside down that the wheel isn’t actually in straight as the drop outs are holding it slightly out – i.e. the wheel doesn’t fully home into the dropout.

The amount of people I see trail side with the bike upside down and faffing to get the wheel in. Bike right way up it just slots straight in.

Can you imagine if pro-tour riders started turning their bike upside down to change a wheel at the roadside, utterly absurd!

To be honest, If I had the spare wheel in my hand as somebody passed over the already upright rim-braked bike to me, probably with the punctured wheel also removed, I’d just shove it in.

If I’ve just had to fix a puncture/sort a sucked chain/claen shite out of the cassette I’d have the bike upside own every time

Common trait on STW = believing that the way that the way you like to do things is some kind of universal example of best practise that everyone else should copy, otherwise they are dicks.

Bike right way up it just slots straight in.

Do you have rim brakes?