Changing a flat tire on Como 4.0

[Louis1]

I'm new to this forum and ebikes. I've had my Specialized Como 4.0 for 2 months and absolutely love it. Just hit the 500 mile mark. Two questions.

1. Is there a video or resource that can show me how to change a flat tire on the Como? What tools would I need.?
2. When riding, I hear a "creaking " sound coming from the front of the bike. I can't seem to isolate where it is coming from. It is not the fender rubbing. It's definitely from the front end though. Any thoughts?
Thanks in advance.
Louis

 

[Saratoga Dave]

The Como being a mid drive, there is no actual difference in changing a tire from any other bike. There are many, many videos all over YouTube on the various maintenance themes. A little searching will provide you more entertainment hours than you can stand! Seth’s Bike Hacks and GCN have a lot of content, but it’s everywhere.

Not specifically a How To on tire changes, but Chris Horner posted a pretty solid video just yesterday about what to carry when riding:

I tried like hell to get my wife to buy a Cuomo this Spring,but she’s intimidated by the weight. I think they’re great bikes.

 

[bikeman242]

Suggest practicing changing the tire at home.

You don't want to be caught in the rain at sunset and get a flat, then figure it out for the first time!!

 

[Eband]

Two of us riding, had our first flat @ 6 miles down the trail. I was able to ride back to car and trail was fairly close to a roadway for access liuckily.

COMO 3.0 = Nimbus II Sport Reflect, 60 TPI, 650b x 2.3"

At home, after removing wheel I had a difficult time 'breaking the bead' - the tires are very hard on outside with very soft sidewalls and a very strong bead retainer.

I returned to the Forum, Utube, etc for advice before forcing bead off carefully with a rounded metal bead pry '.

Now carry a Tube, Pump, at least 4 plastic mini bike pryers' and a couple of Bondo spreader type wedges for the bead release. Thankfully haven't had to try 'in the field' , yet...

have fun

 

[antboy]

2. When riding, I hear a "creaking " sound coming from the front of the bike. I can't seem to isolate where it is coming from. It is not the fender rubbing. It's definitely from the front end though. Any thoughts?

I can't say for sure, but one thing to check is to make sure your headset is properly tightened.

When stopped, squeeze your front brake and rock the bike forward and backward. If there's any play in your forks then it might be loose.

 

[SamAlex]

Had my first flat today - 15 miles from home. Between 3 of us we could not break the bead, even after trying large screwdriver to push it off (stopped before damaging the rim or tire).
I hitched a ride home & took it to my LBS where a young mechanic did it with his hands (not easily!). He said to roll it inward while pushing - I'm going to practice after I get the tube patched, but it looks very tough.
I've probably changed 100+ tires before this with no problem, so I hope I get a breakthrough or find a tool to help.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

find a tool to help.

Tyre levers, perhaps?

 

[RichM]

Getting ready to fix a flat on a Como 4.0 first time. the bead maybe a challenge, thought I'd give this a try

I'll keep you posted

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Rich, the guy in the video makes the things quite dramatic, perhaps because his rims are made of carbon fibre. With our aluminium alloy rims, it is not that problematic. There are two difficult moments with the tyre change:

1-After the wheel has been removed from the bike, you need to "break" the tyre bead from the rim. It is done by energetic squeezing both sides of the tyre with fingers while rotating the wheel. Once there is some space between the rim and the bead, it is easy to insert a tyre lever between the bead and rim, and the rest is simple.
2. It is far more difficult to insert the tyre bead onto the rim when replacing the tyre. There is no doubt: the inner surface of the tyre needs to be powdered with some talcum in advance, before putting a little inflated inner tube inside the tyre. Then, with one of the beads already placed onto the rim, the process of squeezing the other bead onto the rim (starting at the valve) begins. And the hard moment comes when the last part of the other bead (opposite to the valve) doesn't want to get in onto the rim! The answer? Use dish washing liquid (or soapy water) to lubricate the inner part of the problematic bead.

The guy in this otherwise excellent video has missed two important steps:

First of all, he didn't powder the inside of the tyre (it makes the interaction of the inner tube and the tyre better). Secondly, he didn't lubricate the second bead (he mentions that only near to the end of the video). Not lubricating the second bead on tyre replacement leads to frustration. (If the tyre lever is used for the last step of inserting the bead onto the rim, it is very easy to damage the inner tube). If the bead has been lubricated, it will jump onto the rim easily.

I hate replacing tyres. I had (painfully) to learn doing that.

 

[SamAlex]

Como wheels are simply a bear to remove & replace the tire. My hands simply aren't strong enough to break the bead, and none of my tools helped. I succeeded by placing the tire on something (like a 4x4 or the like) to help protect the brake disc or cluster, then step on the bead right at the rim with a stiff shoe. That gets it started, and then I can roll the rest off. Getting it back on is challenging but not as hard. If you have another set of hands to hold one of the levers it helps.

 

[Luto]

Suggest practicing changing the tire at home.

You don't want to be caught in the rain at sunset and get a flat, then figure it out for the first time!!

My buddy and I could it in under 3 minutes. So being able to do it in 10 minutes is reasonable.

 

[Dr.V]

Same thing happened to me. Wife has a como 4. Had a flat and I could not break the bead. Took it to the LBS we bought it from and it took them at least 5 minutes and tools to break it - and yes, I have levers, etc., but Specialized must put some adhesive or something on the bead of the stock tires. Would not want to have a flat on the road with the other tire (which hasn't been off the rim yet) even with tools, etc. BTW, I've had no problem with my other bike tires in terms of getting them off the rim.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

but Specialized must put some adhesive or something on the bead of the stock tires.

Not necessarily. Many tyre beads tend to seize at the rim, and if these are made of thick rubber, breaking the bead can be a painful experience. I had such trouble on two different rims of different e-bikes, and with several tyres I had mounted myself.

 

[SamAlex]

With respect to John07's reply: You need the edge of a shoe, or a powerful set of hands/fingers to break the bead. Until you've removed a tire from a Como you can't appreciate - it's not like other wheels/tires. Most people will not get the tire off with just their fingers (having said that, a strapping LBS mechanic got mine off after a few minutes but it was strength, not technique that prevailed). Tools will not break the bead, but of course pry levers are essential to removing from the rim.
And no, Specialized doesn't use any adhesives etc.; the tires beads are simply very stiff and fit very closely. The LBS told me they are not the worst he's encountered, but they are up there.
Anyway, once you've broken the bead one time you'll know how, and be confident you can do it again.

Good luck.

 

[jimix]

Resurrecting this thread as I had this issue today and went to LBS after reading this. I've changed many bike tires and had never seen one this difficult before. I learned at the LBS that there is often a weak spot along the rim where it is easier to break the bead. The mechanic used his hands and moved along the wheel until part of the bead gave way. Thought I would share as this may save someone a trip for help.