Mounting and balancing tires

[Steve Bakken]

So I'm due for my first new set of tires. I got the new ones ordered from Dennis Kirk, got the wheels off, and called up the bike dealer in town to set up an appointment, and was quoted at $70 labor per wheel, $90 per, if they're still on the bike. Is this a normal price to mount and balance a bike tire? I work in the automotive service industry and have done tons of car and truck tires and it takes about ten minutes. Now i understand that there are characteristics that are unique to bike tires, but i can't imagine that the mechanics are THAT much different. Can somebody educate me?

[Dave S]

Yes, that is the going rate. If you buy the tires through the dealerships, the mount and balance will be much cheaper.

There's a few smaller shops in the metro who do work at a much lower rate. There's supposed to be a sport bike shop in Eden Prairie that claims to be cheaper than any dealer.

I've also heard several horror stories about a particular dealership in Hopkins.

Not sure what you've got around your area.

[JOHNBIGDOG]

sounds about right. sadly.

[MJ1657]

I was in the vehicle service industry for years. One of my suppliers that sold and pit tires on anything said they would rather mount tires on a tractor or a grader then mount motor bike tires.

[upnorth]

The local tire dealer where I live would do the tires and mounter reasonable if I pulled the tire/wheels off the bike. About the cost of normal tires.

Could call a few tire shops and see if they would do the same.

[Steve Bakken]

Well for 36 bucks i picked up a wheel balancer on hsolist. Kind of a no-brainer when you do the math

[redneckdan]

It is not hard to do if you know what you are doing. 20 minutes to get the old one off and the new one on with spoons. If you break a sweat you are doing it wrong.

I buy four rears and two fronts from the same lot. I spoon on he first set and spin them on the dynamic balance rig I made. When the tire are switched out I make sure to align the tire the same as the previous and usually find that I need no correction weights, I don't even both checking them any more. When I get a new lot I check them and find that minimal if any correction is needed.

[leech~~]

There is a lot more "rigamaroll" to a bike then just taking off 5 lug nuts and throwing a tire on.

[boatfixer]

I just had a shop order me up a michelin commander ii for me and for an additional 45$ they'll do the whole thing. I gladly pay

[boatfixer]

Update. Since that guy blew me off, I ordered one through Amazon for 20 bucks less and I ended up removing the rim/tire and taking it to another shop to swap out the rubber and balance.

[Whoaru99]

... If you buy the tires through the dealerships, the mount and balance will be much cheaper.

One has to consider the bottom line cost of tires + mount/ balance + shipping (if applicable) + hassle factor, etc.

At the dealer, the mounting may be cheaper if you buy from them, but I've found the cost of tires is typically higher. But, then, there is some hassle factor to order tires elsewhere and line up a place to do the work.

Just have to do the math and factor how much you want to be involved. Myself, I'm capable of relatively complex repair/ maintenance stuff but I don't particularly enjoy it anymore so I factor my time into the cost equation when considering a more DIY oriented approach.

[Whoaru99]

FWIW, just had a front tire installed. $60. Brought the whole bike in, they did all the work to remove wheel, etc.

[PierBridge]

So I'm due for my first new set of tires. I got the new ones ordered from Dennis Kirk, got the wheels off, and called up the bike dealer in town to set up an appointment, and was quoted at $70 labor per wheel, $90 per, if they're still on the bike. Is this a normal price to mount and balance a bike tire? I work in the automotive service industry and have done tons of car and truck tires and it takes about ten minutes. Now i understand that there are characteristics that are unique to bike tires, but i can't imagine that the mechanics are THAT much different. Can somebody educate me?

You can do the tire no problem. Balancing may be an issue depending on.

[HAMPS]

4 spoons. 2 rim protectors. Bunch of dish soap. Dyna Beads to balance. Easy once you have done a couple. No issues whatsoever with the beads.