Removing and replacing front wheel advice please

[Tubby G]

Before I got a bike rack I was constantly carrying two bikes in the boot of my car. I took the front wheel off as the bike was halfway in the car, lying on its side, just turned the bars to 90 deg with the frame resting on the lip of the boot. Same process when removing the bike and fitting the wheel. Easy access to the forks to remove / refit wheel

 

[JoeBlow]

Well, that's not very friendly. You get a gracious apology and then you grouch back instead of just accepting it in the spirit it was given. However, to address your original point, maybe it would be easier to put your bike on a rack instead of inside the car, so the wheel can stay on? Then you only have to remove it for maintenance.

Well I didn't see the word sorry but if I did come across as a grouch and harsh I apologise unreservedly. Now that's an apology

I agree a rack would be better but it's not an option available to me as I would have to have a tow bar and electrics fitted. There isn't a boot rack on the market that will take the weight at least not in the UK. I have been in contact with both Thule and Saris and both advise against using even their most heavy duty racks.

 

[Tubby G]

Well I didn't see the word sorry but if I did come across as a grouch and harsh I apologise unreservedly. Now that's an apology

I agree a rack would be better but it's not an option available to me as I would have to have a tow bar and electrics fitted. There isn't a boot rack on the market that will take the weight at least not in the UK. I have been in contact with both Thule and Saris and both advise against using even their most heavy duty racks.

I was reluctant to get a tow bar fitted at first due to the cost but now it’s done I have to say the tow bar mounted racks are brilliant. Save so much time and so easy to load the bike on & off, and fit the rack

Tow bar supply & fit (with electrics) was around £180

Buzzrack E-Scorpion 2 rack cost me £280

So £460 alll in. A lot, but worth every penny

 

[steve_sordy]

I have come late to this thread, but I always turn the bike upside down to remove and fit wheels. If your bike is unstable drop the saddle first. If at home, I put something under the bars to protect the bar furniture. If I'm out and about there is always some soft ground somewhere (in the UK at least).
I always stand by the side of the bike and flip it, but I saw someone once raise it up on the rear wheel and then lower the front wheel down to the ground, ie at right angles to my method. He made it look easy, but I prefer the side method.

It's not just you @JoeBlow

 

[Barbara_Reed]

I've always had a tow bar on every vehicle I've owned (including the bikes) most useful accessory possible. Means I can throw two trikes on board, (in a trailer) which my disabled husband and I use in tandem. Actually, I spend a lot of time towing him so maybe that wasn't such a great idea. The only one that cost me more than two hundred euros fitted was on the camper van. Compared to the cost of the bike/trike it's a trivial amount. Compared to the fuss and bother of partial dismantle it's a bargain.
I suppose it depends how often you transport your bike how much you weigh the cost against the inconvenience, but to me it's worth it.

 

[Coolcmsc]

Tow bar supply & fit (with electrics) was around £180

I've always had a tow bar on every vehicle I've owned …. The only one that cost me more than two hundred euros fitted was on the camper van.

Wow, that’s great value for a tow bar with electrics, fitted. Just researched this in the U.K. for a Jimny and missed any companies selling a tow bar for self fitment, far less fitted anywhere near these prices. Cost me £400 fitted.
I think I need to go back to Google School, but go on, now I’ve spent £400, shower me with EBay links etc to a £180 towbar fitted ?

 

[Tubby G]

Wow, that’s great value for a tow bar with electrics, fitted. Just researched this in the U.K. for a Jimny and missed any companies selling a tow bar for self fitment, far less fitted anywhere near these prices. Cost me £400 fitted.
I think I need to go back to Google School, but go on, now I’ve spent £400, shower me with EBay links etc to a £180 towbar fitted ?

I just found a local guy with a tow bar fitting business. It’s a fixed tow bar. The removable or remote (drops down at a touch of a button) were far more expensive. Think the tow bar itself was around £120 and he charged £60 labour, took him about an hour to fit

 

[Tubby G]

Wow, that’s great value for a tow bar with electrics, fitted. Just researched this in the U.K. for a Jimny and missed any companies selling a tow bar for self fitment, far less fitted anywhere near these prices. Cost me £400 fitted.
I think I need to go back to Google School, but go on, now I’ve spent £400, shower me with EBay links etc to a £180 towbar fitted ?

Sorry @Coolcmsc , I’ve just searched for the original email to double check. Don’t know where I got those figures from, must have confused them with something else. Fixed tow bar supplied and fitted cost me £350 ??

 

[Tubby G]

Sorry @Coolcmsc , I’ve just searched for the original email to double check. Don’t know where I got those figures from, must have confused them with something else. Fixed tow bar supplied and fitted cost me £350 ??

This is the guy I used:

Andrew Ward Towbars York & Harrogate: Mobile Towbar Fitting service - towbars fitted in York, Harrogate, Scarborough, Selby & Hull etc......

Mobile Towbar fitter based in York covering all of North Yorkshire, East Yorkshire and West Yorkshire including York, Harrogate, Leeds, Scarborough and Ripon. Supplying all makes and models of towbars both private and trade work. Including Witter, PCT, A1 and Brink.

andrewwardtowbars.co.uk

 

[Barbara_Reed]

Garage Brugier Saint Savin. 200€ supply and fit, 18€ for a number plate for the trailer. For a Renault Kangoo.
Even at 400 it makes life a lot easier.

 

[Stihldog]

I also came to this tread late but this reads like the manual I used when I lost my virginity. ?

I have a tow hitch (2”) and a rack that can carry the weight of 2 eBikes on a Toyota Venza. Reinstalling wheels can be a science.

 

[Doomanic]

Something to consider is that the racks available to our colonial cousins tend to be much sturdier than those available in the EU. The Buzzrack is probably the best option, assuming Joe has a tow bar.

 

[B1rdie]

I stand up facing the front wheel with the rightside brake levers near my hips, then with the left hand passing behind the handlebar I grab the crown of the fork to lift the front end.

 

[KnollyBro]

Try putting a towel on the ground for your seat worries and a book under each bar end ( I recommend “bike maintenance for dummies” issue 1&2) ? I don’t want to come across an arse but if you’re struggling to lift it upside down then maybe it’s time to call it a day ☺

You can always remove the front brake caliper as I find that to be the most difficult part to line when sticking your axle into the forking hole. Men are not programmed to do 2 things at one time. Grunting usually helps.

 

[Barbara_Reed]

That's all a bit of a pain to do when you are only transporting it so you can go for a ride, though. I think it's easier than the back wheel, which needs an extra hand for the derailleur.

 

[Giff]

I had to take my front wheel off for a year before getting a towbar /rack.
I always put the rear in first on a plastic sheet
then removed the front wheel while it was on it’s side then slid it in on the plastic sheet.
The spacer or block between the pade is essential.
I got quite good and quick at it but wouldn’t go back from a towbar now.

 

[SGS]

I use these on my handlebars when putting my bike upside down - no scratches, no damage to anything

 

[JoeBlow]

Good idea. Where did you get them from. I have some clamps but they are not very stable.

 

[SGS]

Good idea. Where did you get them from. I have some clamps but they are not very stable.

I had them 3D printed

 

[Waynemarlow]

Out on the trail when everything is caked in mud is a whole different experience than the dry resting it on the back of the car trick. Try tipping the bike over with the handle bar ends on a couple of small objects such as branches or such like or as we do, simple remove all the tools you need out of your backpack then place yours and your mates under the bar ends. Seats are pretty tough and anything other than hard concrete doesn’t seem to mark them.

We also look for objects such as fences and gate posts that conveniently are just short of a bars width that can be used to hang the bike from even putting an old branch across them and then hanging the seat nose off of it to do the rear wheel.