How to Transfer a Back Bike Tire to a Front One

The front and rear tires, because of the different uses and strains they are under, wear differently. Moving the rear tire to the front wheel when the front tire wears out saves you money because then you only need to replace one tire at a time.

Things You'll Need

  • Tire lever
  • Tire pump
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Instructions

    • 1

      Loosen the quick-release lever of both the front and rear wheels and pull the wheels out of the frame dropouts. Set the rest of the bike in a safe place or hang it by the seat so it's not damaged while you're working.

    • 2

      Let the air out of both tires by pressing on the center of the valve sticking out through the rim. Wedge a tire lever between the tire and rim of the front tire and pull the lever down toward the hub of the wheel to separate the tire from the wheel. Slide the tire lever around the edge of the rim to pull the tire off the wheel completely, then pull the tube out from inside. Repeat this procedure to remove the tire from the rear wheel.

    • 3

      Set one bead of the tire you took off of the rear wheel into place on the rim of the front wheel. Pay special attention to any directional markings on the sidewall of the tire, as the direction in which it should be mounted may be different when mounting on a front wheel.

    • 4

      Insert the valve of the tube through the valve hole on the rim and stuff the tube up into the tire. Push the second bead of the tire up into place on the rim. If it becomes too difficult to mount the tire, use a tire lever to wedge the bead into place. Air the tire up to the recommended pressure printed on the tire sidewall.

    • 5

      Repeat this tire mounting procedure to mount a new tire to the rear wheel. Set both wheels back in the bike frame dropouts and secure the quick-release levers to hold the wheels in place.