Quick Q

[venturesomerite]

So I was out at a local shop today and they want 30 bucks each tire to mount new tires assuming they are off the bike, more if they are on it. What seems to be the going rate for on bike/ off bike mount and blance?

[HS2020]

That seems about right. some charge more than that. It is cheaper off the bike.

[arsenic]

where are you buying the tires from? A lot of times if you buy the tires at the dealer, they'll mount and balance them for free. We did.

[eak0703]

Yea, that sounds about right.

I think it all depends on whether or not you buy your tires from them! They try to entice you to get their product and then they give you a break on the installation (im sure they just roll it into the price of the tire at that point)

For me in Boston it cost me: $20 to take the tires off the rim for BOTH tires

but then here is where they get you..that same dealer wanted to charge $30 per tire to mount and balance them.

so..all in all...$80 for the whole experience.

[arsenic]

Yea, that sounds about right.

I think it all depends on whether or not you buy your tires from them! They try to entice you to get their product and then they give you a break on the installation (im sure they just roll it into the price of the tire at that point)

For me in Boston it cost me: $20 to take the tires off the rim for BOTH tires

but then here is where they get you..that same dealer wanted to charge $30 per tire to mount and balance them.

so..all in all...$80 for the whole experience.

if the rims were off the bike I could literally mount and balance 2 tires in like 5 minutes.

[venturesomerite]

They said they did something like a 15% off if you bought the tires there.

[eak0703]

if the rims were off the bike I could literally mount and balance 2 tires in like 5 minutes.

Oh yea, i agree, its a total ripoff...but what are you gonna do when you don't have that bead breaker machine of your own?

I can see balancing the wheel at home...but w/o that machine i just think it would be more pain than its worth

[wcj]

If you dont want to "make" a bead breaker, you can just use a 4-5" bench vice. put a towel over the vice to avoid scratching the rims on accident. It works just fine. I broke down the tire bead using my bench vice. Took maybe 5-10 minutes.

[md86]

Or the redneck bead breaker .....
Items needed

Car or tuck
2 2X4's , one 6'-8' long , another 2' long
Rags or towels
Tire irons or prybar

What you DO with these things
Put tire flat on ground near car/truck . Make sure all air and schrader valve are out . Put end of long 2X4 under car (look under there for the "strong spot" or you risk denting your vehicle) above wheel . Now put short 2X4 on the wheel right next to the rim standing upright . Let the long 2X4 down enough to hold shorty upright . Now just pull/push down on long 2X4 until bead pops . Vehicle will likely lift up a foot or so , but no big deal , as bead WILL pop easily . Do that a couple more times ( 2 or 3 on each side) until entire bead is free , then pull off with irons and prybar .
I did my tires this way last time , and it worked like a charm ! I'll have to do a picumentary next time ....

[David F C]

That All Suck$$$$$$$ Big Time.

That is a total steal!!!

Really guys, in Portugal if you buy the tires noone charges a cent for installing them and if you bring the tires and just want them installed they will charge something simbolic like $10 or so.

I guess I'll never complain about tire cost again...

[whitecl0ver]

Yeah shop i used to go to charge $60 an end if rims were still on the bike

[The CyberPoet]

Within 3 miles of my place are three MC shops that mount tires that I know of...
The first shop (Suzuki dealership) gets $70 for the front, $80 for the rear, or $130 for both at the same time, if you can believe that, but doesn't care if it's on or off the bike and charges the same whether you bought it from them or not.
The second shop (mom-n-pop type performance shop called RTM) gets anywhere from $15 a wheel (off) to $75 for both (on), but typically also repacks the wheel bearings & aligns/cleans/lubes the chain while they're at it for the higher price. They'll throw a new chain & sprockets on at the same time for another $15 - $20 or so... The price also varies based on how well they know your face and how busy the shop is at the moment (i.e. -- almost always cheaper on a Wednesday early afternoon than a Saturday morning).
The third place is CycleGear. They recently upped their prices for mounting tires (I think it's $30 a wheel now, off the bike, plus they usually try to up-sell you a metal valve at the same time).

The point is, it pays to call around to figure out who gets what.
For $75 for both wheels on-the-bike, complete with repacking my bearings, I don't mind paying the guys over at RTM. But if I had a garage at my place, I'm pretty sure I'd do my own

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[JZ67]

Or the redneck bead breaker .....
Items needed

Car or tuck
2 2X4's , one 6'-8' long , another 2' long
Rags or towels
Tire irons or prybar

What you DO with these things
Put tire flat on ground near car/truck . Make sure all air and schrader valve are out . Put end of long 2X4 under car (look under there for the "strong spot" or you risk denting your vehicle) above wheel . Now put short 2X4 on the wheel right next to the rim standing upright . Let the long 2X4 down enough to hold shorty upright . Now just pull/push down on long 2X4 until bead pops . Vehicle will likely lift up a foot or so , but no big deal , as bead WILL pop easily . Do that a couple more times ( 2 or 3 on each side) until entire bead is free , then pull off with irons and prybar .
I did my tires this way last time , and it worked like a charm ! I'll have to do a picumentary next time ....

Sounds pretty cool, Matt. I need to see pics of this technique. Take some next time you do it and post them up.